Abstract

This paper argues that the challenge generative AI poses to humanities education is fundamentally epistemological rather than technological. Drawing on scholarships in assessment theory, epistemic justice, and postcolonial pedagogy, I propose that personalized physical examinations based on students’ own submitted work offer a response that is both pedagogically grounded and politically necessary. This approach centers the verification of interpretive engagement rather than text production; privileges situated knowledge over decontextualized outputs and restores assessment as a practice of intellectual accountability. The paper examines the theoretical foundations of this model, its implications for humanities pedagogy in under-resourced contexts, and its contribution to broader conversations about epistemic justice in higher education.

Keywords: Assessment, Generative AI, Humanities pedagogy, Epistemic justice, Contextualized learning, Academic labor