Systemic Racism/Artificial Intelligence/Before and After COVID-19

Description

1. ESSAY PROMPTS Write an essay that engages with one of the prompts below. Systemic Racism According to Michelle Alexander, there is a clear “racial dimension” to mass incarceration in the US, which now “imprisons a larger percentage of its black population than South Africa did at the height of apartheid.” In the US, once someone becomes a felon it is “perfectly legal to discriminate against [them] in nearly all the ways that it was once legal to discriminate against African Americans [in the Jim Crow era].” Because of the high percentage African Americans that go through the prison system, Alexander concludes: “We have not ended racial caste in America; we have merely redesigned it.” Are there similar—even if less extreme—examples of systemic or structural racism where you live? (For reference, The Aspen Institute defines systemic or structural racism as, “A system in which public policies, institutional practices, cultural representations, and other norms work in various, often reinforcing ways to perpetuate racial group inequity.”) Artificial Intelligence According to the computer scientist Michael Litmann, “A world in which humans are enslaved or destroyed by superintelligent machines of our own creation is purely science fiction.” For Litmann, once we set aside our exaggerated fears about a so-called “rise of the machines,” we will be able to focus on the actual challenges that Artificial Intelligence poses for us—challenges such as “algorithmic traders crashing the economy,” “sensitive power grids overreacting to fluctuations and shutting down electricity for large swaths of the population,” and “systemic biases within academia and industry [which] prevent underrepresented minorities from participating and helping to steer the growth of information technology.” What, in your opinion, are the legitimate challenges that the growth of Artificial Intelligence poses for our society? Before and After COVID-19 In “The Monster Enters,” Mike Davis argues that after years of “profit driven cutbacks” to the American healthcare system, the US was ill-prepared to respond adequately to COVID-19. This has exposed pronounced inequalities in American society, which leave poorer demographics vulnerable to the disease. For Davis, this same inequality is replicated on a world scale, leading him to the dire conclusion that “capitalist globalization now appears to be biologically unsustainable.” How has COVID-19 exposed similar or related inequalities where you live? 2. GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS Open your essay using the common introductory paragraph structure discussed in class – Hook [optional] – Context and Topic – Thesis Statement [one to three sentences max.] – Elaboration / “Road Map” to Argument – Significance Use a minimum of two “they say/I say” formulations in your essay – you can use as many argumentative moves or templates from Graff and Birkenstein as you want to, but you must use a minimum of two “they say/I say” formulations Evidence and Sources – you may use some personal observations and experiences as evidence, but this can’t be your only evidence – you must make use of a minimum of two sources; this can include the source in the prompt if you want; other eligible sources include any scholarship on your topic (from academic books or articles) and/or topical articles from reliable news sources – whenever citing a fact that isn’t general knowledge, make sure you indicate what source(s) you are getting your information from Essay Structure – organize your ideas into sections of one or more paragraphs – order your sections with an eye to how they help set up and evolve your argument Conclusion and Take-Away Points – don’t just conclude your essay by restating your argument; your conclusion should also highlight take-away points that you want your reader to leave with (this is a good place to put forward possible solutions to the problems you have described if you want to) Formatting and Citations – use either MLA or Chicago Style for formatting and citations; be consistent, though, don’t go back and forth between the two 3. GENERAL RUBRIC   Excellent Good Fair Weak Introduction and Thesis Statement Effectively uses the common structure of introductory paragraph writing to set up and elaborate a well-defined and well-articulated thesis statement and its significance Uses the common structure of introductory paragraph writing, but thesis might be ill-defined or under-elaborated, and significance might be lacking Attempts to use the common structure, but some components are poorly executed or completely lacking; thesis statement is also ill-defined and/or poorly articulated Numerous components of the common structure are lacking and/or poorly executed; thesis statement is ill-defined and poorly articulated, or may be lacking altogether Essay Structure     The essay is organized effectively into separate sections that evolve and deepen the argument, bringing it to a natural conclusion The essay is organized into sections, but there are some problems with flow; i.e., the ordering of the paragraphs seems counterintuitive; the paragraphs don’t build on one another; and/or there are issues with transitions between paragraphs The essay is organized into sections, but there are numerousproblems with flow; i.e., the ordering of the paragraphs seems counterintuitive; the paragraphs don’t seem to build on one another; and/or issues with transitions between paragraphs The essay structure is lacking; the argument isn’t effectively organized into sections; paragraphs lack focus (too short, too long, bleed into one another, etc.); the essay’s flow is stunted as a result Evidence and Argumentation The essay effectively uses a combination of evidence to develop and support its argument; essay uses two “they say/I say” formulations effectively The essay uses a combination of evidence to develop and support its argument; essay uses two “they say/I say” formulations; however, there are some issues with how evidence is used or interpreted; parts of argument may be poorly executed and/or articulated as a result The essay’s argumentation is decent, but evidence is lacking; and/or there are numerous issues with how the evidence is used and interpreted; the essay’s argument is strained as a result Evidence is completely lacking or frequently misinterpreted; “they say/I say” formulations are a lacking; the argument flounders as a result Insightfulness and Originality The essay’s evidence and argumentation develop an original and insightful argument The essay is well-evidenced and argued, but the argument itself lacks impact and significance The author is having a hard time finding their voice; the argument is getting lost amid the author’s sources; the impact and significance of the argument is blunted as a result The argument is lacking; it is not clear what the author is contributing to the topic they have chosen Clarity of Expression There are no (or very few) problems with spelling, grammar, syntax, and word choice   There are a few problems with spelling, grammar, syntax, and word choice; these, however, are mostly inconsequential   There are problems with spelling, grammar, syntax, and word choice that undermine the clarity and flow of the essay Numerous problems with spelling, grammar, syntax, and word choice detract noticeably from the force and clarity of the essay