Homework 

Note - all homework is due the night before the dates listed below. 

Before the First Class or in First Class

1. Read and print the syllabus and assignments. Note any questions you have and be prepared to share them in class.
2. Share some information about yourself on this google slide  (you will need to use your SDSU google ID to access it). If you feel
   comfortable, include a photo.  
3. Go to the Canvas Discussion Board and click on the "Introduce Yourself" thread. Create a post saying a bit about yourself and your
   interests, and some initial  thoughts on our first course topic, writing and generative A.I.  

Week 1: Wed 08/23 

1. Read pages 4-14 of RWEA (Reading, Writing, and Evaluating Argument).  
2. Pages 4-5 of RWEA. define the major elements of an argument. Read the definitions, then read Snape, looking for examples
   of each element in the text. Describe the overall argument, a claim, a piece of evidence, an appeal to pathos, a rebuttal, and a qualifier in Snape. 
3. Page 7 of RWEA lists common forms of argument (explicit/implicit, common ground and adversarial, etc.) In a couple of sentences,
   describe which forms of argument best describe the Snape text (i.e. explicit or implicit argument, common ground or adversarial argument, etc.) 
4. Page 12 of RWEA provides rules of thumb for identifying claims. Use these rules of thumb to briefly describe some of the main claims in
   Kristof (you can use the template for describing claims on page 47 of RWEA .) 
5. LIst the paragraph numbers in Kristof where you see rebuttals. Are Kristof's rebuttals different from Snapes? How?  
6. Post to the Discussion Board and your Google folder.

Week 2: Monday 08/28

1. Read pp. 15-36  of RWEA, May's “The Stories We Tell Ourselves,” and Gerstein's, “Other People’s Rotten Jobs Are Bad for Them. And for You.”  
   Discuss an element from one of the texts you found interesting, or persuasive/unpersuasive, or that you had questions about.
2. After reading Gerstein, describe one major claim and one form of evidence used. Try to use the template for describing claims on page 47
   of RWEA, and the description of types of evidence on pages 15-19 of RWEA.
3. Describe a persuasive strategy you noticed in Gerstein's “Other People’s Rotten Jobs Are Bad for Them.” For example, you could describe an example
   of how the author tries to connect to her audience's emotions (pathos). 
4. May suggests everyday stories express values, make claims, and establish character. In short, they are rhetorical. Briefly share a story you've heard 
   that seems to function the way May suggests. (An example might be a "humblebrag," a story a friend tells that feigns modesty or ignorance, but 
   is really a flex.)
5. Respond to two classmates' posts.
6. Post to the Discussion Board and your Google folder.. 

Week 2: Wednesday 08/30

1. It is often said we are entering "the age of A.I." Share some initial thoughts, experiences, insights, hopes, or fears. What might this 
   mean for you, your area of study, your (future) profession, the world? What have your initial encounters with A.I. been like?

2. Read the 4 short "potential" texts - Mollick, “How to Use AI to Do Stuff” and “Magic for English Majors,”
   Matthews, “If You’re Not Using ChatGPT for your Writing You’re Making a Mistake”; Abril, "Gen Z graduates are fluent in AI"

3. “How to Use AI to Do Stuff” provides an overview of some common AI tools. Note any points you found personally useful or 
   interesting. 
4. Mollick, Matthews and Abril are optimistic about AI. Why? What reasons do they give? How persuasive did you find them, and why? Which
   points resonated the most, and was there anything you would you like to know more about, extend, or challenge?
5. Reply to two of your classmates' posts. 
6. Post to the Discussion Board and your Google folder.

Week 3: Wednesday 09/06 

1. The short readings for today (Caplan, Harari et al., Klein and Ongweso) present critical perspectives on AI.
   What points did you find most interesting or provocative? What are some of the authors' main claims and concerns? How persuasive
   did you find their arguments, and why? Was there anything you would like to know more about, add to, or challenge? 
2. Reply to two of your classmates' posts.
3. Post to the Discussion Board and your Google folder.

Week 4: Monday 09/11

1. Read O’Neil's “These Women Warned of AI’s Dangers and Risks Long Before ChatGPT,” and the three short texts by Mollick
   (“Seven Ways of Using AI in Class,”; “How to Use ChatGPT to Boost Your Writing,” and “What Happens When AI Reads a Book."
2. After reading O’Neil, what issues, questions, or problems struck you as most significant or interesting? What is O’Neil's argument,
   how persuasive did you find it, and why?    
3. The three Mollick texts are practical, full of tips and explanations of how to use A.I in education. What parts did you find most useful,
   or do you think might be most useful to students? 
4. Test a couple of Mollick's ideas, and describe your results. For example, in What happens When AI Reads a Book, Mollick
   explains how to upload a text and analyze it in productive ways. Try doing this with a text (it can be one written by you)
   and share what you discovered.
5. Reply to two of your peers' posts. Post homework to Discussion Board and your Google folder..

Week 4: Wednesday 09/13 

1. Spend time absorbing, reflecting, and experimenting with A.I. prompts/tools. Update/compose entries for your A.I. reflection journal.
2. Make sure copies of your Canvas homework are also in your Google Drive (if not, put copies in Google drive!)
3. Read the assignment 1 prompt, and if you have any questions, share them.
4. Reply to two of your peers' posts. Post homework to the Discussion Board and your Google folder.

Week 5: Monday 09/18 

1. Compose a "zero draft." Freewrite, brainstorm, throw initial ideas for your paper against the wall/Google doc.
   Turn off the internal editor and  write.
2. Post to the Discussion Board and your Google folder. 

Week 5: Wednesday 09/20

1. Read RWEA  pp. 47-53 on the art of summarizing and quoting. Review page13 of RWEA for help talking about claims,
   pages 15 - 19 on discussing evidence.
2. Compose a draft body paragraph that gives an account of one major claim and the evidence used to support it. Include two
   quotations from the text to support your interpretation. 
3. Post to the Discussion Board and your Google folder.

Week 6: Monday 09/25

1. Read the drafting tips handout on structuring introductions and body paragraphs, and RWEA pp. 66-68 on metadiscourse. 
   Compose a draft introduction, and two full body paragraphs.
2. Submit your draft introduction to two of the A.I. writing coaches. You may need to experiment with ways of asking it to
   give feedback, and with ways of explaining the prompt to it. Describe the experience - what kind of feedback did you get,
   and how useful was it? 
3. Post to the Discussion Board and your Google folder (in the "drafts" folder). Make sure your A.I. reflection journal is up to date.

Week 6: Wednesday 09/27

1. Compose a full draft and share the link with your peer reviewers. 
2.  Post to the Discussion Board and your Google folder (in the "drafts" folder). Include your name in the filename. The draft 
   should also include your name, the date, and page numbers.
3. At the end of your draft list the main areas you would like help with.   

Week 7: Monday 10/02 & Wednesday 10/04

1. Conferences with instructor. Sign up or conferences.  Make sure your latest, revised draft is in your Google drive folder. 

Week 9: Monday 10/15

1. Young and Sullivan, in “Why Write” A Reconsideration.” argue we should rethink the purpose, value and effects of writing. 
   What are their main claims, and how do they invite us to "rethink" writing?

2. Discuss what you found most interesting, provocative or useful about the text.

3. What implications does their argument have for writing with A.I.?  

Week 9: Wednesday 10/17

1. Read RWEA pp. 59-70. Use this section to help write about a persuasive strategy in these short texts: Killer Mike speech and video, McNamee,"Google and Facebook Terrify Me," and Bryce, "Wind is Not the Answer." Discuss one strategy in each of these three texts, or explore two strategies in one text, but go into more detail. Make sure to include textual evidence to illustrate your interpretation. 
2. Read Parry’s "Branding a Condition."  What did you find most interesting/useful about this text? What does Parry’s text suggest about the way corporations sometimes try to persuade audiences? Have you seen or heard of any similar methods?

Week 10: Monday 10/23

1. Read Johann "Hari's "The Cause of Addiction Has Been Discovered." What did you find most interesting or provocative about his argument?
2. Note any questions you have about the text
3. Describe his main claims.
4. Write one paragraph describing a persuasive strategy in Hari's text. Include quotations to illustrate your interpretation. How does this advance his argument, and what effect do you think he hopes to have on his audience?

Week 10: Wednesday 10/25

1. Reread  RWEA pp. 59-75. Prepare for a short quiz in class on this section. Discuss an aspect of persuasive strategies covered in these pages
   that you found interesting, OR pose a question about it.
2. Compose a full introduction and one full body paragraph analyzing a persuasive strategy. See the rubric and prompt for guidance on how to do this.

Week 11: Monday 10/30

1. Complete a full draft in Google docs and post a link to n the Canvas DIscussion board. 

Week 12: Wednesday 11/08

1. Read Roberts-Miller, "Rhetorical Characteristics of Demagoguery,"  and the two-page handout on possible causes of a "culture of demagoguery." Roberts Miller claims demagoguery has distinct rhetorical characteristics - what are they, and how do they work? 
2.  What did you think of Roberts Millers text? Try to think of examples you have encountered of texts or speakers that exhibit some of these rhetorical characteristics. Can you think of any? 
3. Read these three short texts that contain demagogic appeals. Choose one text and discuss two rhetorical characteristics of demagoguery you identified. 
4. What did you think of the list of possible causes of a "culture of demagoguery"? Did it seem useful or accurate, and are there any parts you think could be challenged or factors that should be added? 

Week 13: Monday 11/13