Fall 2024 | Section 002
M/W/F 1:25-2:15
Ross 2295
Instructor:
Dr. Marc C. Santos
www.marccsantos.com
marc.santos@unco.edu
Office: Ross Hall 1140B
Student Hours: Fridays 10:00 to 12:30 (in the foyer of the Michener Library). I am available by appointment on Thursdays (email me to schedule).
Course Introduction: Research, Writing And/With Artificial Intelligence
This semester is something of an experiment. Last fall, I wrote a grant application along with Dr. Roger Austin, director of our Writing Center. Here’s what I wrote:
As writing instructors, we find ourselves in a tricky place. Academically, we are highly suspicious of AI generated work because it poses the potential to lure less experienced writers with the promise of quicker, easier completion of writing projects while bypassing crucial, formative growth in their writing process. This is the very same growth that is necessary to adequately assess, revise, and direct the output of AI chatbots, which will for the foreseeable future fall short of the human standard of nuanced, responsive writing in many contexts.
Pragmatically, AI is likely to be unavoidable in both academic and professional contexts. Marc, as a professional writing instructor, and Roger, as a first-year writing expert and writing center director, expect that all instructors will need to develop a nuanced approach to integrating, accommodating, and critiquing AI’s place in the academic and professional writing processes.
We believe the English department needs to be a key resource in helping our University community as we learn what AI can and cannot do and what we should and should not expect from AI.
Last spring, I traveled to Atlanta to give a conference paper that worked through why I believe artificial intelligence poses a threat to democracy. After surveying some LLM marketing materials that promised to “free” us from the “burden” of writing, I wrote:
To “free” us from the burden of writing is to “free” us from the human condition: that queasy stake of uncertainty about everything including one’s self, being surrounded by unknowable others equally frail and struggling and desiring a solid footing upon which they might stand and build a world. A desire, I would argue, for a technological master “generally smarter than humans” that can eliminate uncertainty with certain, and final, answers.
That paragraph is a short condensation of my dissertation, written way back in 2007. I was researching how the internet might change the ways that people think, drawing on a theory called apparatus theory (I’ve written a short thing about this here). A quick definition:
“Apparatus Theory” presumes the communication technologies we use shape how we think, communicate, and inhabit the world. A key concept of apparatus theory is that communication technologies are never just neutral tools we use to communicate with each other. Communicative technologies influence how people think and navigate their world.
To make some hasty over-generalizations: oral cultures have close communities that demand conformity to ritual (since all knowledge has to be remembered via oral transference, memorization, and performance). Literate cultures develop individuality, since literacy (both reading and writing). Orality brings us together, but in doing so demands identification-as-similitude. WE. Literacy pushes us apart. Let me call that pushing apart “developing critical distance.” So, Walter Ong and apparatus theorists argued that literacy–itself developed in Ancient Greece–developed the individuality, sense of agency, and critical ability (to break things down into parts, consider them in terms of cause and effect, etc) crucial to the development of democracy (which *not* coincidentally also happened in Ancient Greece). I (think therefore I am).
The internet in many ways is oral, since it exposes us to each other. The experience of difference, of encountering different cultures can produce a self-defensive response (since when we see people who live differently than us we often react by questioning why we are different and a lot of people don’t like that feeling or those questions and so they reflexively strike out). Not everyone. This isn’t meant to be a 3 hour lecture so I’m just going to move on. The point is that digital technologies aren’t literate like books–they do not push us apart, but bring us together. And they do not encourage critical thinking as easily as they do identification.
Scholar Trish-Roberts Miller warns that American politics has become dangerously infected with demagoguery–where discussions of policy (and cause/effect) are replaced with referendums on identity (whether you are the right kind of person, whether you are one of use or one of them). More than easy access to knowledge, democracy requires people who are critical and non-biased (individualized) in the ways Ong describes.
This is perhaps a bit dramatic for an opening to a first-year writing class. Over the next 16 weeks, I don’t expect that we can save democracy. But I hope I can convince you that learning how to write–which is an absolutely painful and awful thing to do–is worth the suffering that it requires. Because there is a joy in having said something, having written something, that the world hasn’t seen. Or that you didn’t know. There’s the joy of artifice and creation, even if it hurts getting there.
So, back to the beginning. This semester is something of an experiment. A real research experiment. Like any research writing class, I’ll be “teaching” you to write (I can’t actually do that–you can learn how to write, and I can provide some guidance in your journey, but I cannot teach you to write in the same way I could teach you how to bake a cake). We will cover the genre of the academic research paper, with its various parts (intro, lit review, methodology, findings, discussion, conclusion). We’ll spend the first month of the semester reading and writing about artificial intelligence. I have a few collections of readings I will share with you on the topic. Then you’ll propose a research project using artificial intelligence. I have a few sample projects, but you are free to develop your own. My goal it to break you up into research teams of 3-4 people each, so we will have about 7-8 different projects going. You’ll spend 3 weeks doing that project and writing about it (drafting the methodology and findings section of your paper), 3 weeks writing the rest of the paper, and then two weeks revising (after feedback from me, the Writing Center, your peers, and ChatGPT). At the end of the semester, you will have a 15-20 page research paper. Poof!
But you won’t just be writing *about* AI, you’ll be writing with AI. We’ll use AI to help generate ideas for research projects, to help summarize difficult secondary texts, to help refine research methodologies, to help analyze data, to solicit feedback for revision. Just don’t ask the AI to do your MLA or APA formatting–seriously, it sucks at it.
Here’s something else I sincerely hope you won’t do: you won’t try to pass off AI writing as your own. I’ll be pretty demanding this semester about how you detail AI contributions to your text. Not because I’m trying to catch you cheating. Seriously, if you want to pay $3,0000 dollars (or so) to cheat your way through this class, I don’t really care. I’ll spend my time working with other students who actually want to learn. I have little time or interest policing your work (and I’ve written pretty extensively about how learning requires we do not have an antagonistic relationship–I’ll talk about this more when we get to assessment and grades below). No, I want you to document your AI usage because, as I said, I am in the process of researching and writing about AI. I am trying to convince myself (let alone my more skeptical peers) that AI isn’t the world ending threat that I argued it might be last spring. I need your help to do it.
Text and Materials
All materials for this class will be distributed electronically.
Materials and assignments for this course will be found in two places. First, via Canvas. You can find instructions on logging into and using Canvas here. Second, via this course website. I will post class notes to the course website in advance of most class sessions. I will email out links to these class notes via Canvas.
You will need to have or create a Google Drive account to complete and turn in assignments. I do not accept Word Documents or .pdfs. You should write and revise your documents in Google Docs since I often use the version history to track your progress.
Assignments
Minor Assignments and In-Class Activities
These include quick writes, editing and revision activities, Google Drive individual/team writing activities, Canvas “quizzes” and writing sessions, occasional discussion points, and any other minor assignment we do. In-class activities also constitute in class grading sessions, peer review, workshopping, and reflective work.
LAC Course Content Criteria:
1c, 1d, 2a, 3a, 4a, 4b
Proposal
In the proposal assignment, you will articulate your research question, argue for its relevance (establish kairos), and map out the sources you will need to answer that question. You will receive feedback about the topic’s suitability, your purpose for research, your proposed audience, and your research plan.
LAC Course Content Criteria:
1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b
Group Annotated Bibliography
The annotated bibliography is a list of sources that you will consider for your research paper. You will write an annotation for each source consisting of a brief description and evaluation of each source. You will create and employ effective keyword searches in disciplinary databases to access, identify, and evaluate reliable information from credible/scholarly sources. As I review proposals, I will work to put you in research teams to collaborate on secondary source research.
LAC Course Content Criteria:
1b, 1d, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b
Conference and Outline
Sometime in early November, before the Thanksgiving holiday, we will meet for a conference to discuss your research progress and your outline for the final paper.
Peer Review/Workshop/Conference
You will be asked to attend at least two conferences (one for the sentence outline assignment and one for a draft of your final essay) and participate in two in-class workshops (one for a preliminary draft and one for the completed draft).
Writing Center
You will be required to schedule an appointment with the Writing Center at least once this semester. Probably twice.
Multimedia Presentation
This presentation is a way for you to show your fellow classmates what you have been working on since midterm. Your purpose in the presentation is to recreate the most essential insights and messages from your essay; thus, you will explain your issue, purpose, audience, research question and thesis.
LAC Course Content Criteria: 1a, 1c, 2a, 3a, 3b, 3c, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b
Research Paper
Your final essay will be a 4000-6000 word research paper.
LAC Course Content Criteria: 1a, 1b, 1c, 3a, 3b, 3c, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b
Grades
Weighted and averaged points for the course will be computed according to the following plus or minus grade scale:
93–100 =A 87–89 = B+ 77–79 = C+ 67–69 = D 0–66 = F.
90–92 = A– 83–86 = B 73–76 = C 80–82 = B– 70-72 = C-
Number grades that fall between two whole numbers will be rounded up if they are 0.5 or higher. (Example: 86.5= 87; 86.3 = 86)
Assessment
Assignment Percentage
In–class activities 25%
Proposal 10%
Annotated Bibliography 10%
Conference/Outline 10%
Writing Center 10%
Presentation 10%
Final Research Paper 25%
Labor-Based Grading
Research on writing studies tells us that the most important component of learning to write is consistent effort and investment. Thus, assessment in this class aims to measure how hard you try more than whether your writing is “good.”
If you pass in all assignments (relatively) on-time (and they address the basic concerns of the project’s rubric), maintain solid attendance, and receive positive assessments from group mates on collaborative work, then you are assured a “B” in the course. If I believe your effort is insufficient and doesn’t reflect basic concerns, I will let you know via Canvas comments or email. I’ve primarily been grading labor/effort for the past 7 years and no one has ever accused me of being unfair or pedantic. I want to reward investment and effort. Show it, and you will do fine.
To earn an “A,” you will have to invest extra effort. This includes:
- Revising your project proposal
- Visiting student hours in order to share drafts or ask meaningful questions about a project/reading/work
- Submitting a draft of your final paper prior to the draft deadline
- Completing final paper revisions
- Completing the AI reflection
I am trying to set up an environment that rewards you for your labor. Writing studies scholarship consistently shows that the most significant factor in learning to write is simply investment. The more writing you do, the better writer you will become. I believe that moving to a labor-based system makes writing classes less stressful, since you do not need to be overly concerned that your lack of expertise or experience will doom you to a poor grade.
However, effort alone will not necessarily make you better–we need to focus that effort. Class assignments will often come with rubrics that identify key concepts, genre conventions, strategies, or content that has to be included in a project. If you miss something, you will have the opportunity to revise and resubmit until you get it down. We will familiarize ourselves with project rubrics by grading past projects together as a class.
Student Hours
Student hours are on Friday afternoons from . Additionally, I am available on Tuesday afternoons by appointment (send me an email to set up a time; meetings are generally 15-30 minutes).
What’s the point of office hours? Mostly preparation or review.
- If we are starting a project, then you can come in and just brainstorm. Most of my best ideas come from just talking to people–ideas just emerge. The dialectic process (fancy speak for asking “what about” kinds of questions) has been around for a few millennia because it works.
- If I’ve handed back a project, then office hours are a great way to ask questions about my feedback. I try to put meaningful comments in the margins of your work. I also recognize that you might not understand my comments. Likewise, you might not understand why you got a lower score on a rubric grade. If you pop into office hours, we can review your work before you revise it. I can highlight what revisions should take priority and make sure you are working efficiently
- Also, if you are interested in becoming a Writing Minor or an English Major, I am more than willing to provide an overview of the programs and answer any questions you might have. If you are looking for an internship, then I can help you get course credit.
- If you want me to help you with a writing assignment for another class, I am more than willing to do that
- Just talking. Much of the University experience involves being exposed to difference. Different ideas, disciplines, terminologies, people, attitudes. It is natural to have questions. “Hey, you mentioned this thing in class.” Or, hey, this idea came up in another class–but it seems to contradict what you said the other day. Or, hey God of War is a pretty great video game, but why do you think they made Atreus such a jerk in the middle? Or, hey, have you seen/read/played [insert name of television show, movie, book, graphic novel, video game, DnD module]? It seems like you’d be into it because [reasons]?
You are not bothering me when you come to office hours. I do not offer them simply because the University orders me to (and, um, pays me to). I authentically enjoy helping people develop ideas, explore the strange and unfamiliar, and share cool stuff.
Course Policies and Procedures
Attendance
Students are expected to attend all scheduled class meetings. That said, things happen. You may miss up to 4 classes this semester without penalty. Consider these sick days–you do not have to explain to me why you missed them nor do you have to provide me any kind of doctor’s note.
- If you miss 5 days of class, then the highest grade you can receive in the class is an A-
- If you miss 6 days of class, then the highest grade you can receive in the class is a B
- If you miss 7 days of class, then the highest grade you can receive in the class is a C
- If you miss 8 days of class, then you will fail the course
If you develop an illness or have a family situation that requires you to miss more than one class session, then please contact me as soon as possible to see if we can work something out. Note that, because this is a discussion-based and workshop-driven course, we might not be able to work something out. You need to be here.
If someone tests positive for COVID or is placed on quarantine, then please do NOT come to class if you are feeling symptomatic–send me an email and let me know if you would like a Zoom link. Documented cases of COVID do not count against your sick days and, assuming you are able to join us on Zoom, will not count against your absences.
Also note that I f*cking hate Zoom and will only offer it as an option to those who are dealing with COVID.
Technology
We’ll spend at least 1/3 of our time together in a computer lab. Location TBD.
I encourage you to bring a laptop to class for note-taking or writing. If you take notes on a smartphone, that’s fine with me. Again, I expect you to engage discussion when appropriate and to not allow mobile devices to become a distraction.
Late Work
Due dates are included in Canvas and will be listed on the course website. It is your responsibility to complete assignments on time. I expect everyone in this class to compose using Google Drive, so there should not be any issues with computer crashes or software malfunction.
Things happen, and I will accept most assignments up to seven days late without penalty. I’ll accept other assignments up to 14 days late for half credit.
Instructor AI Statement
Many of the assignments on which you will be working on this semester call on you to use AI. We will discuss how to cite AI’s role in that work during those projects.
You are free to use AI on any part of your writing so long as you document its use. What does this documentation look like? Here’s what I am requesting. If you use AI in your paper, then just write a brief paragraph that describes AI usage (grammatical correctness, style, thesis statement). If you are copy/pasting AI writing in your paper, then put an in-text citation with a reference at the end. Here is the current MLA Style Guidelines for citing AI:
Works-Cited-List Entry
“Describe the symbolism of the green light in the book The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald” prompt. ChatGPT, 13 Feb. version, OpenAI, 8 Mar. 2023, chat.openai.com/chat.
Part of my research experiment this semester calls for thinking about how we can productively integrate AI into writing classes. So I am not looking to police your work so much as to gain insight into how/whether AI technologies can help your writing process.
During an early computer lab visit, I will have you create a Google Folder that contains a document that archives AI queries and responses.
I do expect your writing to be, well, your writing. If I think that you have passed in a complete copy/paste AI generated reading response, we will have a conversation and I reserve the right to deduct a letter off your final grade. I sincerely hope there is no reason to ever revisit this final paragraph again this semester.
Student Code of Conduct and Academic Integrity
All members of the University of Northern Colorado community are entrusted with the responsibility to uphold and promote five fundamental values: Honesty, Trust, Respect, Fairness, and Responsibility. These core elements foster an atmosphere, inside and outside of the classroom, which serves as a foundation and guides the UNC community’s academic, professional, and personal growth. Endorsement of these core elements by students, faculty, staff, administration, and trustees strengthens the integrity and value of our academic climate.
UNC’s policies and recommendations for academic misconduct will be followed. For additional information, please see the Student Code of Conduct.
Additionally, the Department of English at UNC has adopted the following policy regarding plagiarism. Pretending that another¹s work is one’s own is a serious scholarly offense known as plagiarism.
For a thorough discussion of plagiarism, see the Dean of Students website information on academic integrity:
http://www.unco.edu/dos/assets/pdf/StudentCodeofConduct.pdf#nameddest=SC_integrity
Students who are caught plagiarizing will receive a final grade of “F” in the course. In addition, they will be reported to the Chair of the Department of English and the Dean of Students office for possible further disciplinary action.
If you need help with understanding documentation systems and avoiding plagiarism beyond the instruction given in class and as seen in the UNC Code of Conduct, speak with the instructor or visit the UNC Writing Center’s web site for a series of PowerPoint tutorials at http://www.unco.edu/english/wcenter/academicintegrityindex.html. Students can also visit the Michener library’s website for resources relating to documentation systems. Instructors use experience and a plagiarism detection service, Safe Assignment, sponsored by the University, to aid in spotting cases of plagiarism. Plagiarism will not be tolerated.
Double Dipping
Some but not all UNC instructors regard double or repeat submissions of one’s own work as a form of plagiarism. If you intend to use in this course written material that you produced for another course, you must consult with me before doing so for each individual assignment. I have no problem with you working on material that will benefit you in another course so long as we discuss the matter prior to submission. By policy, double submission of work requires the approval of both instructors.
Disability Accommodations
Any student requesting disability accommodation for this class must inform the instructor giving appropriate notice. Students are encouraged to contact Disability Support Services (www.unco.edu/dss ) at (970) 351-2289 to certify documentation of disability and to ensure appropriate accommodations are implemented in a timely manner.
UNC Course Catalog Description
English 123: Instruction in diction, style, logical analysis, research techniques and organization of college level research papers. (LAC, 1b gtP)
Prerequisite: Successful completion of ENG 122, an ACT score of 30.0 or higher in English, or an SAT verbal score of 630 or higher. In ENG 123, students are expected to be in control of grammar and mechanics and to be competent essay writers.
The Colorado Commission on Higher Education has approved English 123 for inclusion in the Guaranteed Transfer (GT) Pathways program in the gt-CO2 category. For transferring students, successful completion with a minimum C‒ grade guarantees transfer and application of credit in this GT Pathways category. For more information on the GT Pathways program, go to http://highered.colorado.gov/academics/transfers/gtpathways/curriculum.html
Liberal Arts Core Student Learning Outcomes for Area 1 (Composition)
The general education requirement in Written Communication is designed to help students develop the ability to use the English language effectively, read and listen critically, and write with thoughtfulness, clarity, coherence, and persuasiveness. Each course in the Written Communication sequence assumes that writing is a recursive process. Thus the intermediate and advanced writing courses reinforce, deepen, and extend the content of their prerequisite courses.
Students who successfully complete the Area 1 requirement in Composition will have acquired a good foundation for writing clearly at the college level. After successfully completing two courses in composition, students will be able to:
- Read, analyze, summarize, and reflect on texts written in several genres for specific discourse communities.
- Use voice, tone, format, and structure appropriately in written communication.
- Use recursive strategies for generating ideas, revising, editing, and proofreading for extensive, in-depth, and/or collaborative projects.
- Use sources and evidence effectively, applying appropriate documentation.
- Critique their own work and the work of others.
- Identify and evaluate the relevance of context.
- Synthesize other points of view within their own position.
- Reflect on the implications and consequences of the stated conclusion.
gtPathways Content Criteria, Competencies, and Student Learning Outcomes (SLO’s): Written Communication.
Competency: Employ Rhetorical Knowledge (GT-CO1, GT-CO2)
Exhibit a thorough understanding of audience, purpose, genre, and context that is responsive to the situation.
Criterion 1: Deepen Rhetorical Knowledge
Student Learning Outcomes:
- a. Focus on rhetorical situation, audience, and purpose.
- b. Use voice, tone, format, and structure appropriately, deepening
understanding of relationships between form and content in writing. - c. Write and read texts written in several genres, for specified discourse
communities. These communities may include professional or disciplinary
discourse communities. - d.Practice reflective strategies.
Competency: Develop Content (GT-CO1, GT-CO2)
Create and develop ideas within the context of the situation and the assigned task(s).
Criterion 2: Deepen Experience in Writing
Student Learning Outcomes:
- a. Develop recursive strategies for generating ideas, revising, editing, and
proofreading for extensive, in-depth, and/or collaborative projects. - b.Critique one’s own and others’ work.
Criterion 3: Deepen Critical and Creative Thinking
Student Learning Outcomes:
Competency: Use Sources and Evidence (GT-CO1, GT-CO2)
Critically read, evaluate, apply, and synthesize evidence and/or sources in support of a claim.
Criterion 4: Use Sources and Evidence
Student Learning Outcomes:
- a. Select and evaluate appropriate sources and evidence.
- b. Evaluate the relevance of sources to the research question.
Competency: Apply Genre and Disciplinary Conventions (GT-CO1, GT-CO2)
Apply formal and informal conventions of writing, including organization, content, presentation, formatting, and stylistic choices, in particular forms and/or fields.
Competency: Control Syntax and Mechanics (GT-CO1, GT-CO2)
Follow an appropriate documentation system. Demonstrate proficiency with conventions, including spellings, grammar, mechanics, and word choice appropriate to the writing task.
Criterion 5: Deepen Application of Composing Conventions
Student Learning Outcomes:
- a. Apply genre conventions including structure, paragraphing, tone, mechanics,
syntax, and style to more extensive or in-depth writing projects. - b. Use specialized vocabulary, format, and documentation appropriately.
