Faculty Articles
Can AI think – and should it? What it means to think, from Plato to ChatGPT
Whether AI can ‘think’ is a different question than whether it is ‘intelligent’: ancient Greek concepts about intelligence can shed light on 21st-century tech they never knew.
By Professor Ryan Leack
Assistant Professor (Teaching) of Writing
‘Rhetoric’ doesn’t need to be such an ugly word – it has a lot to teach echo-chambered America
‘Rhetoric’ has a bad rap – but some of the original rhetoricians’ techniques can actually help foster productive conversations.
By Professor Ryan Leack
Assistant Professor (Teaching) of Writing
Steel men for stalemates: Trump, Plato and the Sophists
If political discourse is steeped in rhetoric, how can we distinguish genuine sincerity from persuasive tactics?
By Professor Ryan Leack
Assistant Professor (Teaching) of Writing
Fixing the Broken Letter-of-Recommendation Process
Writers and applicants should collaborate to reduce the power differential, among other benefits, write Rebecca E. Burnett, Rebekah Fitzsimmons, Courtney A. Hoffman, and Patricia R. Taylor.
By Professor Patricia R. Taylor
Assistant Professor (Teaching) of Writing
Course teaches students that discussing ideas is better than arguing over them
USC Dornsife professor Jim Clements’ “Writing Across the Aisle” class examines how dialogue — not debate — fosters growth and cooperation even among people with the most different of viewpoints.
How to Have a Classroom Experience That Matters
After months of abandoning traditions and practices, thanks to Covid, we need to bring meaning back into our students’ lives, and our own.
By Professor Deborah M. Sims
Assistant Professor (Teaching) of Writing
Faculty Podcasts
Writing Remix
A Podcast about Language, Art, and Pedagogy
Host: Dan Dissinger
Live Theory
A USC Writing Program Podcast
Hosts: Ryan Leack and Ellen Wayland Smith