Generative AI has been around in its current form for a few years now, but the conversation around it isn’t slowing down yet. What is its place in our writing, and in the world at large? How does it actually work, and what is it useful for? If you’re curious about any of these issues, Dr. Lisa Dush is teaching WRD 242: Writing with AI this winter, and it’s a great way to find out more.
Why this course?
Generative AI emerged so suddenly that even people with years of experience in writing and new media studies, including Dr. Dush, were caught off guard. Many students (and writers in general) are still trying to figure out how to adjust, too. “Part of my interest in teaching the class is to explore if and how writers should change their practice, given this transformation of the tools that are available for writing.” She also expects students to come from different academic disciplines and bring different attitudes and perspectives on the topic, which she says is an asset in a class like this.
Course content
The class will involve hands-on activities that ask students to try AI tools for research and writing and then reflect on the possibilities and problems raised during these experiments. They will also explore how AI intersects with ethics, society, and culture through readings, including the recent book Feeding the Machine: The Hidden Labor Powering AI (Cant, Muldoon, and Graham). One question the course will ask students to consider is whether generative AI represents a revolutionary shift in writing or is simply the latest stage in the ever-changing history of literacy and its tools. These theoretical and historical discussions will be important, as the course satisfies the Liberal Studies Self, Cultural, and Behavioral Inquiry domain requirement.
One of the major assignments in WRD 242 will be a position statement, in which students articulate what they will use generative AI for, what they will not use it for, and why. Dr. Dush explains, “There are already clear ‘camps’ around AI in writing. There are the ‘embrace it’ people. There are the ‘use it strategically like a tool’ people. And then there are the ‘refusalists,’ who argue that there’s too much that is problematic with this technology—ethically, environmentally, etcetera—and it should just be refused.” Generative AI is a complex topic, and not everything about it has a clear-cut, easy answer. But through this class, students will gain a better understanding of its various facets, and will be able to articulate why they take the position they do—whether they walk away with the same position they came in with or an entirely different one.
Takeaways
Dush summarizes the key takeaways for students interested in WRD 242 as follows: “The course will blend hands-on experimentation with different tools, reflection on your own writing process, and an opportunity to discuss and research the ethical, social, cultural, and technological issues that accompany AI. You’ll leave with a clear—or at least clearer—stance about how you wish to use AI as a writer and why.”
Conclusion
No matter what your background with AI is, WRD 242 will help you be a better and more conscious writer and AI user. Register now for the winter quarter!