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English 5970 – AI Writing: Prompt + Response

Fall 2023 | HyFlex | Thursdays | 4 to 6:20 p.m. EST

How will AI impact your future?

Evolving at a rapid pace that stretches far beyond the sphere of higher education, AI writing technologies (GPT, Bard, Copilot) have already begun to fundamentally change the way we communicate, work, and live. As AI grows to become an ever-more valuable partner to and resource for humans, those who don't understand how to use these tools may soon find themselves at a disadvantage in the workforce.  

The AI Writing: Prompt + Response course is designed for writers at all levels who want to understand how writing practices intersect with the use of AI by viewing the topic through a humanities-focused, equity-minded lens. Drawing from a forty-year tradition of developing and designing "writing prompts" for human writers, you'll learn how to effectively collaborate with AI by using a range of approaches—including thoughtful experimentation, specific learning activities, prompting strategies, and the design of an AI-focused project. 

Delivered as a HyFlex course that students can attend either in-person or virtually, this flexible course framework is designed to be accessible to anyone, anywhere. You'll also engage with a wide range of perspectives on AI through access to a deep repository of resources, including an AI Library assembled by WMUx, all while discovering the profound impact this technology will have on your personal passions and professional pursuits.  

If you’re ready to explore how writing can be used to understand the boundaries between human and artificial intelligence and learn how you can leverage these emerging technologies to your benefit, this course is for you. 

Course Objectives and Goals

By the end of this course, you will:

  1. Use AI writing technologies (GPT, Bard, Copilot) to promote question posing, critical inquiry, feedback literacy, written communication, and ethical professional praxis.  
  2. Synthesize existing perspectives on AI writing by engaging with guest speakers, course materials, and classmates.
  3. Develop strategies for using AI writing tools more effectively by systematically testing protocols for prompting, response, regeneration, and revision.
  4. Articulate a personalized plan that envisions the impact of AI writing on a professional domain and anticipates your approach to addressing this impact.   

Get Started

Interested in taking this course? Follow these next steps to enroll.  

  • Undergraduate student

    If you are a current WMU undergraduate student with junior-level standing, you should be eligible to take this course. To check on your eligibility or to request a prerequisite waiver, use the button below to email the English Department Undergraduate Advisor, Nathan Robinson. 

    If you need a refresher on how to register or add a class, please review this helpful article.

  • Graduate student

    If you are a current WMU graduate student, you should be able to register for this course immediatelyIf you need a refresher on how to register or add a class, please review this helpful article. 

  • Non-degree seeking student

    If you have a bachelor’s degree and are not planning to pursue a degree or graduate certificate program, you can apply for non-degree seeking status to take classes like this one. Please note that non-degree status may limit your financial aid options 

    To register for this course as a graduate non-degree seeking student, you will first have to complete a short application. If you want more information on how to apply, please watch our short video. If you have questions about the application process, please contact Melissa Bibler, an Enrollment Assistant in WMU’s Graduate College.