Available textbook:
They Say / I Say (Sixth, UTA edition), ISBN 9781324058472
or electronic at https://digital.wwnorton.com/theysay6utarlington
EXCEPT AS INDICATED, DO NOT USE PHONES, LAPTOPS, TABLETS, OR SIMILAR DEVICES IN OUR CLASSROOM
When a reading is indicated, please do the reading before class, and come prepared on that day to write about and discuss that reading
Mon 13 Jan: Introductions (1)
Wed 15 Jan: Rhetorical Situation. Branches, Canons, and Appeals in Rhetoric. Read TSIS pages UT 86-102 (2)
Fri 17 Jan: Diagnostic Essay, in class (3)
Mon 20 Jan: MARTIN LUTHER KING HOLIDAY
Wed 22 Jan: The Assignment Sequence; Your Issues (4)
Fri 24 Jan: TSIS, Intro, pages 1-19 (5)
Mon 27 Jan: Forster, "The Machine Stops" (in Modules/Readings on Canvas) (6)
Wed 29 Jan: Lee & Trott, "Explaining LLMs" (in Modules/Readings on Canvas) (7)
Fri 31 Jan: in-class writing: Critique of the Issue. For today, read, study, and think critically about the AI-generated treatment of your issue that you received on 24 Jan. Come to class prepared to write an analysis of how you would improve ChatGPT's treatment. What are the limitations of ChatGPT's approach? What more do you need to know about your controversy? What kinds of additional views and arguments do you want to hear? How would you incorporate your own experience and informed opinions into an essay about the controversy? You will have access to only one sheet of paper during the in-class writing: the treatment and any notes you've written on it.
Mon 3 Feb: NO CLASS MEETING
Wed 5 Feb: First Presentations: Does AI present an "existential threat" to humanity? (8)
Fri 7 Feb: How to do the Annotated Bibliography and write citations. TSIS (UT 57-60) (9)
Mon 10 Feb: Curzan, Queen, et al. "Language Standardization & Linguistic Subordination" (in Modules/Readings on Canvas) (10)
Wed 12 Feb: "Research as Conversation": TSIS Ch. 15 (205-234) (11)
Fri 14 Feb: Bright, "Difference between Speech and Writing" (in Modules/Readings on Canvas) (12)
Mon 17 Feb: Borges, "Pierre Menard" (in Modules/Readings on Canvas) (13)
Wed 19 Feb: Second Presentations: Are current LLMs "scalable," in the sense that they will continue to grow in general intelligence and be able to do more and more complex tasks? (14)
Fri 21 Feb: NO CLASS MEETING One point extra credit possible for attending one of the Hermanns Lectures
Mon 24 Feb: NO CLASS MEETING Annotated Bibliography draft (three sources, fully cited & annotated) due by 1159pm in Canvas. The Annotated Bibliography Assignment is in TSIS (UT 57-60).
Wed 26 Feb: Carleton College, "Plagiarism and AI" (in Modules/Readings on Canvas) (15)
Fri 28 Feb: Perlin, "Endangered Languages" (16)
Mon 3 Mar: Bambara, "Blues Ain't No Mockin Bird" (17)
Wed 5 Mar: NO CLASS MEETING Complete Annotated Bibliography due by 1159pm in Canvas. The Annotated Bibliography Assignment is in TSIS (UT 57-60).
Fri 7 Mar: NO CLASS MEETING
Mon 10 thru Fri 14 Mar: SPRING BREAK
Mon 17 Mar: Spring Forward (18)
Wed 19 Mar: Third Presentations: Do LLMs encode an undesirable cultural bias, given the corpus of language they are trained on? (19)
Fri 21 Mar: Thammavongsa, "How to Pronounce Knife" (20)
Mon 24 Mar: Ali, "Foreigners" (21)
Wed 26 Mar: Fourth Presentations: Is the use of training data in LLMs a theft of intellectual property? (22)
Fri 28 Mar: NO CLASS MEETING One point extra credit possible for attending one of the EGSA conference sessions
Mon 31 Mar: Preparation for Mapping the Issue (23)
Wed 2 Apr: Keats, "Ode on a Grecian Urn" (also in Modules/Readings on Canvas) (24)
Fri 4 Apr: in-class essay: Mapping the Issue. By today, you will have been studying, researching, and thinking critically about your controversy for a couple of months. Come to class prepared to write an essay-length analysis of the different arguments on all sides of your controversy. Identify each major position. Explain (referring to specific authors from your bibliography) who holds that position, why it matters to them, and what reasons they bring to their side of the argument. You will not be able to refer to any text in class, so learn your material well.
Mon 7 Apr: Flanagan, "AI and Environmental Challenges" (only available via link; other readings are linked from this essay and may be of interest) (25)
Wed 9 Apr: Fifth Presentations: Does AI have too great an ecological cost? (26)
Fri 11 Apr: Preparation for Researched Position Paper (27)
Mon 14 Apr: Logical fallacies (28)
Wed 16 Apr: Alexander, "How did you do on the AI Art Turing test?" (only available via link because the many images are vital to the piece) (29)
Fri 18 Apr: NO CLASS MEETING Researched Position Paper draft (at least one page of text plus outline of the rest) due by 1159pm in Canvas. The Researched Position Paper Assignment is in TSIS (UT 72-77).
Mon 21 Apr: Ovid, Pygmalion (in Modules/Readings on Canvas) (30)
Wed 23 Apr: Sixth Presentations: Is AI capable of creativity? (31)
Fri 25 Apr: Optional Conferences
Mon 28 Apr: NO CLASS MEETING Complete Researched Position Paper due by 1159pm in Canvas. The Researched Position Paper Assignment is in TSIS (UT 72-77).
syllabus: The effective version of the syllabus is always at https://tmorris.utasites.cloud/courses/1302sp25/1302mainsp25.html. If you are looking at a print or .pdf version, please make sure to consult the online version for updates.
grading: Your final grade for this course will consist of the following points. Points roughly correspond to percentages of your final grade. But 110 points are possible, so you get some leeway:
attendance: At The University of Texas at Arlington, taking attendance is not required but attendance is a critical indicator in student success. Each faculty member is free to develop his or her own methods of evaluating students' academic performance, which includes establishing course-specific policies on attendance. As the instructor of this section, I require regular attendance and participation. Absence will severely lower your grade. University-excused absences will not count against your grade. Any other kind of absence will; there are free points and extra credit available to compensate for the occasional absence.
The U.S. Department of Education requires that the University have a mechanism in place to mark when Federal Student Aid recipients "begin attendance in a course." UT Arlington instructors will report when students begin attendance in a course as part of the final grading process. Specifically, when assigning a student a grade of F, faculty report the last date a student attended their class based on evidence such as a test, participation in a class project or presentation, or an engagement online via Blackboard. This date is reported to the Department of Education for federal financial aid recipients.
This course satisfies the University of Texas at Arlington core curriculum requirement in communication. Continues ENGL 1301, but with an emphasis on advanced techniques of academic argument. Includes issue identification, independent library research, analysis and evaluation of sources, and synthesis of sources with students' own claims, reasons, and evidence. This course focuses on critical engagement with ethical and social issues and the development of academic arguments that communicate a specific point of view. Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in ENGL 1301.
Students must pass ENGL 1301 and ENGL 1302 with a grade of C or higher in order to move on to the next course. This policy is in place because of the key role that First-Year English courses play in students' educational experiences at UTA.
Core Objectives:drop policy: Students may drop or swap (adding and dropping a class concurrently) classes through self-service in MyMav from the beginning of the registration period through the late registration period. After the late registration period, students must see their academic advisor to drop a class or withdraw. Undeclared students must see an advisor in the University Advising Center. Drops can continue through a point two-thirds of the way through the term or session. It is the student's responsibility to officially withdraw if they do not plan to attend after registering. Students will not be automatically dropped for non-attendance. Repayment of certain types of financial aid administered through the University may be required as the result of dropping classes or withdrawing. For more information, contact the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships (http://wweb.uta.edu/aao/fao/).
academic integrity: Students enrolled in this course are expected to adhere to the UT Arlington Honor Code:
I pledge, on my honor, to uphold UT Arlington's tradition of academic integrity, a tradition that values hard work and honest effort in the pursuit of academic excellence.UT Arlington faculty members may employ the Honor Code as they see fit in their courses, including (but not limited to) having students acknowledge the honor code as part of an examination or requiring students to incorporate the honor code into any work submitted. Per UT System Regents' Rule 50101, 2.2, suspected violations of university's standards for academic integrity (including the Honor Code) will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct. Violators will be disciplined in accordance with University policy, which may result in the student's suspension or expulsion from the University.
I promise that I will submit only work that I personally create or contribute to group collaborations, and I will appropriately reference any work from other sources. I will follow the highest standards of integrity and uphold the spirit of the Honor Code.
disability accommodations: UT Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of all federal equal opportunity legislation, including The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), The Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act (ADAAA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. All instructors at UT Arlington are required by law to provide "reasonable accommodations" to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of disability. Students are responsible for providing the instructor with official notification in the form of a letter certified by the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD). Only those students who have officially documented a need for an accommodation will have their request honored. Students experiencing a range of conditions (Physical, Learning, Chronic Health, Mental Health, and Sensory) that may cause diminished academic performance or other barriers to learning may seek services and/or accommodations by contacting: The Office for Students with Disabilities, (OSD) http://www.uta.edu/disability/ or calling 817-272-3364. Information regarding diagnostic criteria and policies for obtaining disability-based academic accommodations can be found at www.uta.edu/disability.
Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) www.uta.edu/caps/ or calling 817-272-3671 is also available to all students to help increase their understanding of personal issues, address mental and behavioral health problems and make positive changes in their lives.
Non-Discrimination Policy: The University of Texas at Arlington does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, disabilities, genetic information, and/or veteran status in its educational programs or activities it operates. For more information, visit uta.edu/eos.
Title IX Policy: The University of Texas at Arlington ("University") is committed to maintaining a learning and working environment that is free from discrimination based on sex in accordance with Title IX of the Higher Education Amendments of 1972 (Title IX), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs or activities; Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII), which prohibits sex discrimination in employment; and the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (SaVE Act). Sexual misconduct is a form of sex discrimination and will not be tolerated. For information regarding Title IX, visit www.uta.edu/titleIX or contact Ms. Michelle Willbanks, Title IX Coordinator at (817) 272-4585 or titleix@uta.edu
Academic Integrity: Students enrolled all UT Arlington courses are expected to adhere to the UT Arlington Honor Code:
I pledge, on my honor, to uphold UT Arlington's tradition of academic integrity, a tradition that values hard work and honest effort in the pursuit of academic excellence.
I promise that I will submit only work that I personally create or contribute to group collaborations, and I will appropriately reference any work from other sources. I will follow the highest standards of integrity and uphold the spirit of the Honor Code.
UT Arlington faculty members may employ the Honor Code in their courses by having students acknowledge the honor code as part of an examination or requiring students to incorporate the honor code into any work submitted. Per UT System Regents' Rule 50101, ยง2.2, suspected violations of university's standards for academic integrity (including the Honor Code) will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct. Violators will be disciplined in accordance with University policy, which may result in the student's suspension or expulsion from the University. Additional information is available at https://www.uta.edu/conduct/. Faculty are encouraged to discuss plagiarism and share the following library tutorials http://libguides.uta.edu/copyright/plagiarism and http://library.uta.edu/plagiarism/
Electronic Communication: UT Arlington has adopted MavMail as its official means to communicate with students about important deadlines and events, as well as to transact university-related business regarding financial aid, tuition, grades, graduation, etc. All students are assigned a MavMail account and are responsible for checking the inbox regularly. There is no additional charge to students for using this account, which remains active even after graduation. Information about activating and using MavMail is available at http://www.uta.edu/oit/cs/email/mavmail.php.
Campus Carry: Effective August 1, 2016, the Campus Carry law (Senate Bill 11) allows those licensed individuals to carry a concealed handgun in buildings on public university campuses, except in locations the University establishes as prohibited. Under the new law, openly carrying handguns is not allowed on college campuses. For more information, visit http://www.uta.edu/news/info/campus-carry/
Student Feedback Survey: At the end of each term, students enrolled in face-to-face and online classes categorized as "lecture," "seminar," or "laboratory" are directed to complete an online Student Feedback Survey (SFS). Instructions on how to access the SFS for this course will be sent directly to each student through MavMail approximately 10 days before the end of the term. Each student's feedback via the SFS database is aggregated with that of other students enrolled in the course. Students' anonymity will be protected to the extent that the law allows. UT Arlington's effort to solicit, gather, tabulate, and publish student feedback is required by state law and aggregate results are posted online. Data from SFS is also used for faculty and program evaluations. For more information, visit http://www.uta.edu/sfs.
Final Review Week: for semester-long courses, a period of five class days prior to the first day of final examinations in the long sessions shall be designated as Final Review Week. The purpose of this week is to allow students sufficient time to prepare for final examinations. During this week, there shall be no scheduled activities such as required field trips or performances; and no instructor shall assign any themes, research problems or exercises of similar scope that have a completion date during or following this week unless specified in the class syllabus. During Final Review Week, an instructor shall not give any examinations constituting 10% or more of the final grade, except makeup tests and laboratory examinations. In addition, no instructor shall give any portion of the final examination during Final Review Week. During this week, classes are held as scheduled. In addition, instructors are not required to limit content to topics that have been previously covered; they may introduce new concepts as appropriate.
Emergency Exit Procedures: Should we experience an emergency event that requires us to vacate the building, students should exit the room and move toward the nearest exit, which is located outside the classroom door. When exiting the building during an emergency, one should never take an elevator but should use the stairwells. Faculty members and instructional staff will assist students in selecting the safest route for evacuation and will make arrangements to assist individuals with disabilities.
Student Support Services: UT Arlington provides a variety of resources and programs designed to help students develop academic skills, deal with personal situations, and better understand concepts and information related to their courses. Resources include tutoring, major-based learning centers, developmental education, advising and mentoring, personal counseling, and federally funded programs. For individualized referrals, students may visit the reception desk at University College (Ransom Hall), call the Maverick Resource Hotline at 817-272-6107, send a message to resources@uta.edu, or view the information at http://www.uta.edu/studentsuccess/success-programs/programs/resource-hotline.php