Writing & AI

ENG 432: Special Topics in Public Writing and Rhetoric

Dr. Erika Luckert · Spring 2027 · Tuesday/Thursday 11-12:15

A collage of colorful post-it notes covered in hand-drawn diagrams, symbols, and pictures representing AI.
Image credit: Rick Payne and team / https://betterimagesofai.org / https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Course Information

In this class, we’ll work together to become more informed participants in public conversations about AI and Writing. As we’ll learn, these are conversations that are interdisciplinary in scope, and that require us to reflect on our values as writers, scholars, and global citizens. While we’ll draw on research from the field of Writing Studies, this class will also be actively shaped by your own disciplinary expertise and interests (in other words, it’s not just for English majors!). 

Some things we’ll do together: 

  • Create a collaborative AI policy that defines permissible uses in our class
  • Experiment with (and without) AI writing tools
  • Learn from scholarly and public conversations about AI and writing
  • Curate a recommended reading list for the university community
  • Contribute to original research about AI use at USM
  • Participate in public conversations about AI and writing through blog posts and a class showcase

This is an upper-level, writing intensive course, and you can expect to write at least 5000 words across a series of projects in this class. To encourage experimentation, reflection, and risk-taking, these projects will be evaluated using a grading contract that we define together. Prerequisite: ENG 102. 

Questions? Contact erika.luckert@usm.edu. 

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