These are standard vents used on all cars. They have rubber flappers on them so they are effectively one way vents out of the cab. Lets you slam the doors and run the AC fan on full blast with recirc turned off (the air has to go somewhere, right?)
There is another thread here about cabin noise through these vents that can be fixed for most with the addition of a lower seal between the cab and bed. I installed said seal to prevent the large, IMHO, amount of dirt coming into my cab through these vents.
Also, since virtually every car on the road has these somewhere, it does not stop the thumping air problem. I can assure you that your 2011 Ram had them too. The only fix for the thumping is to crack another window. For those with the pano sunroof, Ram engineered it to stop at ~90% open claiming it reduces the thumping. I can testify that it works.