{"id":9772,"date":"2023-03-19T21:05:22","date_gmt":"2023-03-20T01:05:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/?page_id=9772"},"modified":"2023-03-26T16:58:56","modified_gmt":"2023-03-26T20:58:56","slug":"engl2116march27","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/engl2116-014spring2023\/engl2116march27\/","title":{"rendered":"March 27th: The Great\u00a0<em>I, Robot<\/em>\u00a0Analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Plan&nbsp;for the Week<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This page will direct you to all the <em>I, Robot<\/em> material. If this were a face-to-face class, we&#8217;d easily spend 2-3 days discussing the novel. Below I have a review of postmodernism, which might help you think about literature from a cultural perspective, a description of a study I did on teaching <em>I, Robot<\/em>, and, very importantly, a link to <em>I, Robot<\/em> topics for your future essays that are due March 31st (I decided to extend the deadline)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Postmodernism, An Introduction<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><em>I, Robot<\/em>&nbsp;Study<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><em>I, Robot<\/em>&nbsp;Discussion<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/genderdigital\/irobotdiscussion\/irobottopics\/\"><em>I, Robot<\/em>&nbsp;Essay Topics<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Weekly Discussion Post #11<\/strong> is due on\u00a0<strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/canvas.charlotte.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\">Canvas<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0by 11:00 pm<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>By the way, I&#8217;ll be teaching <strong>ENGL 3050 &#8220;Science Fiction and American Culture&#8221;<\/strong> this Fall 2023, so, if you like sci fi (books, films, TV shows, video games), you might be interested in the course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Postmodern Introduction<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This postmodernism discussion is for those of you more humanities-oriented students who will encounter literature in your future courses. However, I want all of you to be able to recognize personal and socially accepted ways of knowing. Ways of knowing or, more accurately, ways of arguing often get supported by the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Tastes and convictions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Opinions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Theories\/Laws<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Facts<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Truth is often defined as facts, so the above list is ranked from more personal knowledge (1) to most socially accepted knowledge (4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Where might \u201cstatistics\u201d go? When we cover ethics, we&#8217;ll see that statistics (or &#8220;the facts,&#8221; generally) never speak for themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><em>I, Robot<\/em> Study<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>I did a study on <em>I, Robot<\/em> essays I acquired from students over a few years. As I&#8217;ve mentioned before in class, my approach to Technical Communication is not standard, so trying to pitch science fiction to the gatekeepers at the technical communication journals is difficult. Fortunately, the forward-thinker reviewers and editors at <em>Computers and Composition<\/em> found my article worthy to be published.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Below is an excerpt from the article that presents the goals I have for incorporating <em>I, Robot<\/em> into the technical communication course:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My goal for using Isaac Asimov\u2019s novel <em>I, Robot<\/em> is to move students toward being aware that there are sub(altern) discourses about technologies\u2014and not just computers. These discourses do not consider technology inherently progressive or essentially good. The novel\u2019s setup fits in well with technical writing courses because, although it is 60 years old, it analyzes high-tech culture. Readers understand it as fiction, but they can be moved to read the novel\u2019s subtext, which<strong> illuminates the ideologies carried out through the dominant culture\u2019s beliefs and discourses about technology<\/strong>. When we adhere to strictly instrumentalist activities and lessons without critical analysis of the technical communicator-audience relationship, we may miss a major opportunity to engage our student population, a group that most likely\u2014coming from engineering and sciences\u2014has an uncritical view of technology: The mantra \u201cbigger\/smaller, faster, stronger, better\u201d is not always accurate. In fact, it promotes a modernist paradigm for technical writing. <strong>Such a paradigm privileges the technologies over the communicators,<\/strong> much like system-centered design suggests that \u201cthe documentation is written to reflect the image of the system designer\u201d (Johnson, 1998\/2003, p. 295). Incorporating <em>I, Robot<\/em> into the technical writing classroom advances a postmodern pedagogy that privileges student agency and <strong>asks students to be critical of their own career goals when exploring the wider cultural forces that may shape their decisions and the products that their cultures produce<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Toscano, Aaron A. (2011). Using <em>I, Robot<\/em> in the technical writing classroom: Developing a critical technological awareness. <em>Computers and Composition 28<\/em>(1), 14-27. [cited in APA format&#8230;I think]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Visuals to Help<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Below I have a few images to get us thinking:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/webpages.charlotte.edu\/~atoscano\/images\/IRobotCover.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cover of <em>I, Robot<\/em> from the early 1980s<\/a><\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net\/project_modules\/disp\/d1082013275733.56271e2e315a7.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Related cover<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pictures.abebooks.com\/isbn\/9782277134534-us.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Related French cover<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/webpages.charlotte.edu\/~atoscano\/images\/IRobotBkCover.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Back cover of <em>I, Robot<\/em> from the early 1980s<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/121\/2014\/07\/ThreeLawsRobots600dpi1.pdf\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"http:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/121\/2014\/07\/ThreeLawsRobots600dpi1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Three Laws of Robotics<\/a><\/strong>&nbsp;(pdf)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is the <strong>list of topics for your short essays<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Asimov Links to Wikipedia<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Asimov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Isaac Asimov<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/I,_Robot\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>I, Robot<\/em> Cover<\/a><\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com\/564x\/76\/0b\/28\/760b284dfc0138f7381a84bd886f6499.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bigger image<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Image:I_Robot_-_Runaround.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>I, Robot<\/em> Cover<\/a><\/strong>&#8211;&#8220;Runaround&#8221;\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/hundredbooksayear.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/i-robot-movie-poster-9999-1020429330.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bigger image<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com\/564x\/fa\/be\/e4\/fabee4b65464fb148e66ebf8e437684a.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>I, Robot<\/em> Cover<\/a><\/strong>&#8211;&#8220;Reason&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><em>I, Robot<\/em> Discussion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In order to guide your thinking, consider the following issues related to technology studies and, of course, technical communication:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Critical Technological Awareness<br>-or-<br>Critical Workplace Awareness<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Robot Marketing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Labor Issues Surrounding Robots<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>QT: the Existential Robot<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Redhead Stereotypes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Precarious Situation of Having a Love Interest on the Job<br>-or-<br>Women in Engineering and Science (see <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/advance.charlotte.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ADVANCE<\/a><\/strong>)<a href=\"#notes\">*<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Scientific and Technological Races<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Government Support of Technology and War<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Corporate Chicanery<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Fallacy of Machine Predictability<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Robots vs. Humans<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Future Work<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Your&nbsp;<em>I, Robot<\/em>&nbsp;essays are now due <strong>Friday, 3\/31<\/strong>, so turn them in on <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/canvas.charlotte.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Canvas<\/a><\/strong>. Remember, I&#8217;ve read this book many times, and <strong><span style=\"color: red\">I do not need summaries! Do not summarize the plot<\/span><\/strong>; instead, make an argument or insight into how the novel reflects contemporary life regarding technological issues&#8211;good or bad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also, don&#8217;t forget your <strong>Weekly Discussion Post #11<\/strong> is due Thursday, 3\/30, 11:00 pm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Plan&nbsp;for the Week This page will direct you to all the I, Robot material. If this were a face-to-face class, we&#8217;d easily spend 2-3 days discussing the novel. Below I have a review of postmodernism, which might help you think about literature from a cultural perspective, a description of a study I did on teaching [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":598,"featured_media":0,"parent":9408,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-9772","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/P2HAOx-2xC","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/598"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9772"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9772\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9804,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9772\/revisions\/9804"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/aaron-toscano\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}