One of the main challenges we all face in this class is that Artificial Intelligence is an extremely rapidly evolving and changing phenomenon. The speed of change with AI means that at least some of what we are reading and doing this semester will be outdated before the class ends. Making matters worse: all of the rapid development and spread of AI has created a firehose of information: news, academic articles, books, podcasts, social media platforms, blogs/substacks, websites, videos, etc. It’s impossible to keep up with it all (and believe me, I’ve been trying for the last couple of years!)
So, the goal of this assignment is to collaboratively keep up with “the latest” in AI news and developments. During the semester (check the schedule for deadlines), each of you will share at least eight different citations for interesting items about AI currently in the news. To facilitate this, I’ll ask you to participate as a contributor to a WordPress site I’ve set up called Rhetoric, Writing, and AI. You will also write a brief report (completed with Google Docs and around 1250 words or so) about your experiences with this assignment.
Here are some more details:
- “Interesting Items” includes news stories (from MSM or more specialized sources), videos, podcasts, academic articles, books, Substack posts, etc., etc. If you are wondering about an example, look no further than most of the assigned readings, especially those that have been published recently. Though those are examples; for this assignment, you need to find “interesting items” that are notassigned readings.
- Each entry needs to include a correct MLA style citation, a link, a brief summary about the interesting item, and why you liked it. Here is an example. Since this is an advanced class in the English department, I assume most of you are already familiar with MLA style. But if you feel like you could use a refresher course, let me know and I’ll point you to some resources.
- All of your contributions must be recent– nothing before June 2025.
- How you will find these sources depends a great deal on how you interact with MSM, social media, and just “the news” in general. I discovered most of the readings I’ve assigned this semester through my regular reading of the news and social media, and perhaps you also come across a lot articles/posts about AI. A lot of the other readings I’ve included this semester were the result of specific research. So, if you are someone who does not come across a lot of news about AI in your normal interactions with media of various sorts, you will probably need to do some more specific research. You can also use some of the research you discover for the AI Research Question Essay assignment.
- You should only share items that you think are interesting and potentially useful/interesting for others in the class. In other words, don’t simply settle on the first things you find, etc. Share the “good stuff.”
- We’re going to use WordPress to facilitate this for two reasons. First, as far as I know, Canvas does not have a way for us to collaboratively work in a shared way like this. Second, this will make the site public. That does have some privacy implications (see the next point), but it also makes it easy to share with everyone in class and also to the wider world. Fortunately, your roles of “contributor” is simple and less complicated than administering a WordPress site.
- You should be aware that, unlike Canvas, the brief annotated bibliography style posts you will create will be public, and they will also note your name. If you would prefer to remain more private, I would suggest a first name and initial or another nickname (as long as I can identify who is who).
- There will be three due dates for these entries this semester. You will each need to post two entries by the first due date, and three for the second and third due dates. Check the course schedule for the dates. Don’t be late! If you miss the due date, I will deduct a half-letter grade from the final grade for this project.
- No duplicate contributions are allowed, meaning that no one can post an entry about something someone else in class already posted about. If two (or more) students submit duplicate entries, the first one to post the entry can include it toward their total number of entries.
- I will need to approve your posts to Substack, and there are two reasons why I might not approve an entry. First, I will reject it if it is a duplicate of an earlier entry. Second, I won’t approve a post if the article (or website, etc.) strikes me as likely not credible or some kind of “fake,” probably generated by AI.
- Finally, you will need to also include a brief report about your experiences with the assignment. Unlike the other reflective essays, this is more or less a report from you to me about how things went for this project.