Rhetoric & Technical Communication
Rhetoric & Technical Communication
Aaron A. Toscano, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Dept. of English

Resources and Daily Activities

  • Charlotte Debate
  • Conference Presentations
    • Critical Theory/MRG 2023 Presentation
    • PCA/ACA Conference Presentation 2022
    • PCAS/ACAS 2024 Presentation
    • PCAS/ACAS Presentation 2021
    • SAMLA 2024 Presentation
    • SEACS 2021 Presentation
    • SEACS 2022 Presentation
    • SEACS 2023 Presentation
    • SEACS 2024 Presentation
    • SEACS 2025 Presentation
    • SEWSA 2021 Presentation
    • South Atlantic MLA Conference 2022
  • Dr. Toscano’s Homepage
  • ENGL 2116-014: Introduction to Technical Communication
    • April 10th: Analyzing Ethics
      • Ethical Dilemmas for Homework
      • Ethical Dilemmas to Ponder
      • Mapping Our Personal Ethics
    • April 12th: Writing Ethically
    • April 17th: Ethics Continued
    • April 19th: More on Ethics in Writing and Professional Contexts
    • April 24th: Mastering Oral Presentations
    • April 3rd: Research Fun
    • April 5th: More Research Fun
      • Epistemology and Other Fun Research Ideas
      • Research
    • February 13th: Introduction to User Design
    • February 15th: Instructions for Users
      • Making Résumés and Cover Letters More Effective
    • February 1st: Reflection on Workplace Messages
    • February 20th: The Rhetoric of Technology
    • February 22nd: Social Constructions of Technology
    • February 6th: Plain Language
    • January 11th: More Introduction to Class
    • January 18th: Audience & Purpose
    • January 23rd: Résumés and Cover Letters
      • Duty Format for Résumés
      • Peter Profit’s Cover Letter
    • January 25th: More on Résumés and Cover Letters
    • January 30th: Achieving a Readable Style
      • Euphemisms
      • Prose Practice for Next Class
      • Prose Revision Assignment
      • Revising Prose: Efficiency, Accuracy, and Good
      • Sentence Clarity
    • January 9th: Introduction to the Class
    • Major Assignments
    • March 13th: Introduction to Information Design
    • March 15th: More on Information Design
    • March 20th: Reporting Technical Information
    • March 27th: The Great I, Robot Analysis
    • May 1st: Final Portfolio Requirements
  • ENGL 4182/5182: Information Design & Digital Publishing
    • August 21st: Introduction to the Course
      • Rhetorical Principles of Information Design
    • August 28th: Introduction to Information Design
      • Prejudice and Rhetoric
      • Robin Williams’s Principles of Design
    • Classmates Webpages (Fall 2017)
    • December 4th: Presentations
    • Major Assignments for ENGL 4182/5182 (Fall 2017)
    • November 13th: More on Color
      • Designing with Color
      • Important Images
    • November 20th: Extra-Textual Elements
    • November 27th: Presentation/Portfolio Workshop
    • November 6th: In Living Color
    • October 16th: Type Fever
      • Typography
    • October 23rd: More on Type
    • October 2nd: MIDTERM FUN!!!
    • October 30th: Working with Graphics
      • Beerknurd Calendar 2018
    • September 11th: Talking about Design without Using “Thingy”
      • Theory, theory, practice
    • September 18th: The Whole Document
    • September 25th: Page Design
  • ENGL 4183/5183: Editing with Digital Technologies
    • August 23rd: Introduction to the Class
    • August 30th: Rhetoric, Words, and Composing
    • December 6th: Words and Word Classes
    • Major Assignments for ENGL 4183/5183 (Fall 2023)
    • November 15th: Cohesive Rhythm
    • November 1st: Stylistic Variations
    • November 29th: Voice and Other Nebulous Writing Terms
      • Rhetoric of Fear (prose example)
    • November 8th: Rhetorical Effects of Punctuation
    • October 11th: Choosing Adjectivals
    • October 18th: Choosing Nominals
    • October 4th: Form and Function
    • September 13th: Verb is the Word!
    • September 27th: Coordination and Subordination
      • Parallelism
    • September 6th: Sentence Patterns
  • ENGL 4275/WRDS 4011: “Rhetoric of Technology”
    • April 23rd: Presentation Discussion
    • April 2nd: Artificial Intelligence Discussion, machine (super)learning
    • April 4th: Writing and Reflecting Discussion
    • April 9th: Tom Wheeler’s The History of Our Future (Part I)
    • February 13th: Religion of Technology Part 3 of 3
    • February 15th: Is Love a Technology?
    • February 1st: Technology and Postmodernism
    • February 20th: Technology and Gender
    • February 22nd: Technology, Expediency, Racism
    • February 27th: Writing Workshop, etc.
    • February 6th: The Religion of Technology (Part 1 of 3)
    • February 8th: Religion of Technology (Part 2 of 3)
    • January 11th: Introduction to the Course
    • January 16th: Isaac Asimov’s “Cult of Ignorance”
    • January 18th: Technology and Meaning, a Humanist perspective
    • January 23rd: Technology and Democracy
    • January 25th: The Politics of Technology
    • January 30th: Discussion on Writing as Thinking
    • Major Assignments for Rhetoric of Technology
    • March 12th: Neuromancer (1984) Day 1 of 3
    • March 14th: Neuromancer (1984) Day 2 of 3
    • March 19th: Neuromancer (1984) Day 3 of 3
    • March 21st: Writing and Reflecting: Research and Synthesizing
    • March 26th: Artificial Intelligence and Risk
    • March 28th: Artificial Intelligence Book Reviews
  • ENGL 6166: Rhetorical Theory
    • April 11th: Knoblauch. Ch. 4 and Ch. 5
    • April 18th: Feminisms, Rhetorics, Herstories
    • April 25th:  Knoblauch. Ch. 6, 7, and “Afterword”
    • April 4th: Jacques Derrida’s Positions
    • February 15th: St. Augustine’s On Christian Doctrine [Rhetoric]
    • February 1st: Aristotle’s On Rhetoric, Book 2 & 3
      • Aristotle’s On Rhetoric, Book 2
      • Aristotle’s On Rhetoric, Book 3
    • February 22nd: Knoblauch. Ch. 1 and 2
    • February 29th: Descartes, Rene, Discourse on Method
    • February 8th: Isocrates
    • January 11th: Introduction to Class
    • January 18th: Plato’s Phaedrus
    • January 25th: Aristotle’s On Rhetoric, Book 1
    • March 14th: Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Women
    • March 21st: Feminist Rhetoric(s)
    • March 28th: Knoblauch’s Ch. 3 and More Constitutive Rhetoric
    • Rhetorical Theory Assignments
  • ENGL/COMM/WRDS: The Rhetoric of Fear
    • April 11th: McCarthyism Part 1
    • April 18th: McCarthyism Part 2
    • April 25th: The Satanic Panic
    • April 4th: Suspense/Horror/Fear in Film
    • February 14th: Fascism and Other Valentine’s Day Atrocities
    • February 21st: Fascism Part 2
    • February 7th: Fallacies Part 3 and American Politics Part 2
    • January 10th: Introduction to the Class
    • January 17th: Scapegoats & Conspiracies
    • January 24th: The Rhetoric of Fear and Fallacies Part 1
    • January 31st: Fallacies Part 2 and American Politics Part 1
    • Major Assignments
    • March 28th: Nineteen Eighty-Four
    • March 7th: Fascism Part 3
    • May 2nd: The Satanic Panic Part II
      • Rhetoric of Fear and Job Losses
  • Intercultural Communication on the Amalfi Coast
    • Pedagogical Theory for Study Abroad
  • LBST 2213-110: Science, Technology, and Society
    • August 22nd: Science and Technology from a Humanistic Perspective
    • August 24th: Science and Technology, a Humanistic Approach
    • August 29th: Collins & Pinch’s The Golem (Science), Ch. 2
    • August 31st: Collins & Pinch’s The Golem (Science), Ch. 3 and 4
    • December 5th: Video Games and Violence, a more nuanced view
    • November 14th: Boulle, Pierre. Planet of the Apes. (1964) Ch. 27-end
    • November 16th: Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. 1818. Preface-Ch. 8
    • November 21st: Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. 1818. Ch. 9-Ch. 16
    • November 28th: Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Ch. 17-Ch. 24
    • November 30th: Violence in Video Games
    • November 7th: Boulle, Pierre. Planet of the Apes Ch. 1-17
    • November 9th: Boulle, Pierre. Planet of the Apes, Ch. 18-26
    • October 12th: Lies Economics Tells
    • October 17th: Brief Histories of Medicine, Salerno, and Galen
    • October 19th: Politicizing Science and Medicine
    • October 24th: COVID-19 Facial Covering Rhetoric
    • October 26th: Wells, H. G. Time Machine. Ch. 1-5
    • October 31st: Wells, H. G. The Time Machine Ch. 6-The End
    • October 3rd: Collins & Pinch’s The Golem at Large (Technology), Ch. 7 and Conclusion
    • September 12th: Collins & Pinch’s The Golem (Science), Ch. 7 and Conclusion
    • September 19th: Collins & Pinch’s The Golem at Large (Technology), Prefaces and Ch. 1
    • September 26th: Collins & Pinch’s The Golem at Large (Technology), Ch. 2
    • September 28th: Collins & Pinch’s The Golem at Large (Technology), Ch. 5 and 6
    • September 7th: Collins & Pinch’s The Golem (Science), Ch. 5 and 6
  • New Media: Gender, Culture, Technology
    • August 19: Introduction to the Course
    • August 21: More Introduction
    • August 26th: Consider Media-ted Arguments
    • August 28th: Media & American Culture
    • November 13th: Hank Green’s An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, Part 3
    • November 18th: Feminism’s Non-Monolithic Nature
    • November 20th: Compulsory Heterosexuality
    • November 25th: Presentation Discussion
    • November 4: Hank Green’s An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, Part 1
    • November 6: Hank Green’s An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, Part 2
    • October 16th: No Class Meeting
    • October 21: Misunderstanding the Internet, Part 1
    • October 23: Misunderstanding the Internet, Part 2
    • October 28: The Internet, Part 3
    • October 2nd: Hauntology
    • October 30th: Social Construction of Sexuality
    • October 7:  Myth in American Culture
    • September 11: Critical Theory
    • September 16th: Social Construction of Gender and Sexuality
    • September 18th: Postmodernism, Part 1
    • September 23rd: Postmodernism, Part 2
    • September 25th: Postmodernism, Part 3
    • September 30th: Capitalist Realism
    • September 4th: The Medium is the Message!
    • September 9: The Public Sphere
  • Science Fiction and American Culture
    • April 10th: Octavia Butler’s Dawn (Parts III and IV)
    • April 15th: The Dispossessed (Part I)
    • April 17th: The Dispossessed (Part II)
    • April 1st: Interstellar (2014)
    • April 22nd: In/Human Beauty
    • April 24: Witch Hunt Politics (Part I)
    • April 29th: Witch Hunt Politics (Part II)
    • April 3rd: Catch Up and Start Octavia Butler
    • April 8th: Octavia Butler’s Dawn (Parts I and II)
    • February 11: William Gibson, Part II
    • February 18: Use Your Illusion I
    • February 20: Use Your Illusion II
    • February 25th: Firefly and Black Mirror
    • February 4th: Writing Discussion: Ideas & Arguments
    • February 6th: William Gibson, Part I
    • January 14th: Introduction to to “Science Fiction and American Culture”
    • January 16th: More Introduction
    • January 21st: Robots and Zombies
    • January 23rd: Gender Studies and Science Fiction
    • January 28th: American Studies Introduction
    • January 30th: World’s Beyond
    • March 11th: All Systems Red
    • March 13th: Zone One (Part 1)
      • Zone One “Friday”
    • March 18th: Zone One, “Saturday”
    • March 20th: Zone One, “Sunday”
    • March 25th: Synthesizing Sources; Writing Gooder
      • Writing Discussion–Outlines
    • March 27th: Inception (2010)
  • Teaching Portfolio
  • Topics for Analysis
    • A Practical Editing Situation
    • American Culture, an Introduction
    • Cultural Studies and Science Fiction Films
    • Efficiency in Writing Reviews
    • Feminism, An Introduction
    • Fordism/Taylorism
    • Frankenstein Part I
    • Frankenstein Part II
    • Futurism Introduction
    • How to Lie with Statistics
    • How to Make an Argument with Sources
    • Isaac Asimov’s “A Cult of Ignorance”
    • Judith Butler, an Introduction to Gender/Sexuality Studies
    • Langdon Winner Summary: The Politics of Technology
    • Oral Presentations
    • Oratory and Argument Analysis
    • Our Public Sphere
    • Postmodernism Introduction
    • Protesting Confederate Place
    • Punctuation Refresher
    • QT, the Existential Robot
    • Religion of Technology Discussion
    • Rhetoric, an Introduction
      • Analyzing the Culture of Technical Writer Ads
      • Rhetoric of Technology
      • Visual Culture
      • Visual Perception
      • Visual Perception, Culture, and Rhetoric
      • Visual Rhetoric
      • Visuals for Technical Communication
      • World War I Propaganda
    • The Great I, Robot Discussion
      • I, Robot Short Essay Topics
    • The Rhetoric of Video Games: A Cultural Perspective
      • Civilization, an Analysis
    • The Sopranos
    • Why Science Fiction?
    • Zombies and Consumption Satire
  • Video Games & American Culture
    • April 14th: Phallocentrism
    • April 21st: Video Games and Neoliberalism
    • April 7th: Video Games and Conquest
    • Assignments for Video Games & American Culture
    • February 10th: Aesthetics and Culture
    • February 17th: Narrative and Catharsis
    • February 24th: Serious Games
    • February 3rd: More History of Video Games
    • January 13th: Introduction to the course
    • January 20th: Introduction to Video Game Studies
    • January 27th: Games & Culture
      • Marxism for Video Game Analysis
      • Postmodernism for Video Game Analysis
    • March 24th: Realism, Interpretation(s), and Meaning Making
    • March 31st: Feminist Perspectives and Politics
    • March 3rd: Risky Business?

Contact Me

Office: Fretwell 255F
Email: atoscano@uncc.edu
Topics for Analysis » The Great I, Robot Discussion » I, Robot Short Essay Topics

I, Robot Short Essay Topics

Below are essay topics for I, Robot. I’ve tried to keep the topics chapter specific, but a few topics could cover more than one chapter. It is quite possible that a good short essay could come out of simply reading the chapter as opposed to the entire book. While that is possible, not reading the book would be cheating yourself out of a rather enjoyable science fiction novel that discusses important issues in a rather interesting way. Also, if I think that too many of you just read the chapter and not the entire book, you may find yourselves with a large I, Robot section on the final exam.


Chapter 1: Robbie

Describe Robbie as if you were writing a sales brochure for a family. Discuss Robbie’s features, requirements, abilities, uses, etc. You may also want to consider costs and maintenance possibilities. Remember, you’d be selling Robbie to people skeptical of robots. Consider adding the history of robots and what makes this “nursemaid” unit special.

Chapter 2: Runaround

  1. Describe the predicament on pp. 32-33 to a lay audience. Then, argue for an alternative to the expedition or present a safety plan for future expeditions. Consider such issues as food, water, weather, environment, system capabilities (compatibilities as well–some of the technology is rather outdated), and, of course, Plan B–a backup in case things start going wrong.
  2. Take a position on robot labor. On p. 35 Powell mentions that the first robots were almost banned from Earth. Argue for the ban or against it. Obviously, you’ll have to use sound argumentation (logic, proof, thesis, etc.). You may also want to bring up contemporary examples that are similar to the robot labor issue.
  3. Describe the insosuits for a semi-technical business audience that has asked for a specification report. What do they look like? What are they for? Are they worth the cost? Be a salesperson!
  4. Describe the mine for a freshman textbook. Discuss its size, dimensions, uses, operation, need, etc.

Chapter 3: Reason

  1. Write a report to the robot QT-1 (aka “Cutie”) explaining why he was created. Obviously, this is an explanation to an extremely lay audience–you can assume nothing. Tell him who you are and where you’re from. Then, explain his purpose in a report-like fashion. Remember, he doesn’t believe humans created him.
  2. Describe the station’s operation. What does it do and why?

Chapter 4: Catch the Rabbit

  1. Explain the merits behind the motto “No employee makes the same mistake twice. He is fired the first time” (p. 83). Is this a good or bad policy? For what type of industry would this be good? Why? Would you like to work under such a motto? What would the motto mean for advancement or innovation?
  2. Isaac Asimov wrote this novel in the 1940s. Like all science fiction, he uses contemporary items and situations, but makes them more useful or just bigger, stronger, and faster (or smaller, more efficient, and faster). For instance, on p. 84 Powell is reading a handbook. Apparently, this handbook is so important that he’d run naked from a burning building to save it. Is that necessary? Update Asimov’s science and technology (especially communication technologies) for a “real” twenty-first-century (2061 in fact) audience. Pull ideas from the entire book if you’d like. You aren’t supposed to find everything; instead, find enough for at least five pages. (Hint: consider customs as well as items–workday issues, food, drink, smoke, etc.)
  3. Create a robot “personality” test and describe its purpose. What does it say about robots? Why is such a test important? You may want to consider this essay a persuasive appeal to anti-robot groups or legislators who distrust robots.
  4. Explain why you think robots are constantly improving. What are the implications (economic, social, personal) and what do they parallel today? In other words, how are robots similar to computers? Think about the whole picture–economics, distribution, marketability, etc.
  5. Interesting. Even in the future, redheads are fiery hot-tempered individuals. Analyze why redheads are considered so ill mannered. You may do a report that discusses Donovan’s temper and how it’s directly related to (or supplemented by) his red hair. What are the implications of having red-headed engineers and scientists?

Chapter 5: Liar!

  1. Creating positronic brains. What contemporary system or process most resembles (or slightly resembles) the creation of positronic brains. You know, Internet security seems to be a close match.
  2. Describe issues (ethical and economic) surrounding a machine that could read people’s minds. Would it sell? Should it sell? What would make such a technology attractive or repulsive?
  3. You’ve been assigned to write a classified report to the Board of U.S. Robots about RB-34. Explain the situation and suggest what to do next. Remember, technical writers are often legally responsible for the information they present to internal and external audiences.
  4. Based on the issues between the two main “love” interests, write an essay that discusses the pros and cons of romantic relationships on the job. What are the problems? What are the risks? Defend a position for good, bad, or “it depends…” Bring in personal experiences if you think that would help, but do try to relate it to the novel’s characters and plot.

Chapter 6: Little Lost Robot

  1. Consider a robot not impressioned with the First Law of Robotics:
    “A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.”
    Is this a good idea? Why or why not? What purpose(s) would such a robot serve? Also, what would such an invention say about the (militaristic) society that created it?
  2. Anyone down with economics? Try to come up with a cost-and-benefit analysis for destroying or not destroying the 63 robots (which cost $30,000 in 1950’s dollars). To do this you’ll need to first estimate the price in 21st Century dollars, so you must inflate (an estimate is ok) the price and then argue the pros and cons of destroying or keeping them. Check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Inflation page for more information or use this inflation calculator from Moneychimp.com. If the BLS page still doesn’t work, try this link: http://www.westegg.com/inflation/.
  3. Explain the importance of government-industry relations in technology creation. In the case of robots without the First Law impressioned, the government had a few bargaining chips that compelled U. S. Robots to create those modified robots. Is it right for the government or anyone to be able to force companies to create these robots or similar real-world technologies? Think about medicine, airplanes, bombs, spacecraft, etc.

Chapter 7: Escape!

  1. Consider the ethics behind the corporate chicanery of Consolidated–U.S. Robots’ main competition. Present ideas about what would happen to competition in the industry if Consolidated’s question destroyed The Brain. What technological/scientific discoveries are harmed/hindered? Why would working together and sharing be better? Would you want to work for a place involved in corporate sabotage? What would you like or dislike? What would you be worried about?
  2. Explain what this chapter has to say about the need for critical thinking even in the midst of “thinking” robots. This isn’t an easy one. This chapter discusses troubleshooting (well, all the chapters do) as an important component of science and engineering. Explain why critical thinking is so important in the world of cold hard “facts” like math, science, and engineering. Use examples from the chapter.

Chapter 8: Evidence

  1. Discuss the ethical, economic, personal, etc. issues of having robots, artificially intelligent beings, run things. Is life so predictable that it can be reduced to mere mathematical equations? This chapter comments on statistics in a subtle way. Explain why having artificial intelligence technology is good or bad. Defend your beliefs on the subject using examples from the novel or elsewhere.
  2. Write a report assuring the people (a lay audience) that U. S. Robots has never created a robot for work on Earth. Assure them that no positronic brains can ever be created without a “paper trail”–well documented creation and disposal. Specifically, you are responding to the Stephen Byerly case. Tell the public that the company never created such a robot, and it adheres to all laws. You may have to add some information from p. 211.

Chapter 9: The Evitable Conflict

I admit, this one is a bit tricky. It’s more philosophical than technical (but there’s lots of technical stuff). You could write about the pros and cons of having machines govern–as in keeping an ordered bureaucracy not just political governance/decision making–all or most of our lives. Technology is pervasive in our society and our network technologies (mobile phones, Internet, etc.) are all connected and inseparable from our lives.

With that being said, I offer the following question:

Is technology or technological development a good pursuit? Obviously, to answer this question, you’ll have to define good.

Overall Question

Total recap. What technical communication issues does this novel raise for us–twenty-first-century people? {Intentionally vague}

Logistics

Check your class’s Assignments Page for specific length and formatting requirements.

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