3 short papers, 3-5 pages long
Contents
First paper assignment
Due Sept 17. Reading: Ehrenreich, Barbara. “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America,” Chapter 1. Metropolitan Books. New York. (Picador) 2011. And the New York Times Archive.
Write an essay responding to this article.
Students may rewrite their essays for a higher grade.
Second paper: in class exam
In class essay, given at the midterm, counts as second short essay.
Students may rewrite their essays for a higher grade.
Date to be announced.
Third paper assignment
Short essay.
Due date to be announced.
Research paper assignment
1 longer, research assignment, 6-8 pages long, including citations and works cited page, using MLA format.
All papers must be printed and handed.
Research assignment. Discuss 3 articles. Include summary and analysis and how it relates to your view on the subject. Include a Works Cited page using the format below.
Works Cited with summaries. (Partially annotated.)
Ehrenreich, Barbara. “Nickel and Dimed.” 2001.
Cuny electronic library search: Academic Search Complete. Search terms, “automation” and “unemployment.”
Danaher, John. “Will Life Be Worth Living in a World Without Work? Technological Unemployment and the Meaning of Life.” Science and Engineering Ethics (academic journal). Feb 2017. An academic philosophy paper on possible human satisfaction in a possible future without work due to automation, A.I., and robotics. The author sets aside the problem of distributive justice and income inequality.
Drum, Kevin. “You Will Lose Your Job to a Robot.” Mother Jones magazine. Nov/Dec 2017. The author puts forth the prediction that computing power will continue to increase exponentially. As this is applied to A.I., virtually all human jobs will be replaced by artificial intelligence functions in the next 20-40 years.
Larsen, Christina. “Closing the Factory Doors.” Foreign Policy magazine. July 2018. The author discusses “premature deindustrialization” in the developing world, and global application of robotics in manufacturing. She ends with a quote from a consultant saying that it is the responsibility of governments to manage change for the benefit of their population and economy.
McCloskey, Deirdre. “The Myth of Technological Unemployment.” Reason magazine. August/September 2017. The author argues that innovation requires new higher wage and higher skilled jobs.
In your paper, cite sources when you quote or paraphrase the article using “internal citation” format. Author’s last name and date following the sentence or sentences that are quoted or paraphrased.
Key terms to discuss.
Give definition according to linguistic root.
Give definition according to how we use the term in several contexts.
Describe experience illustrating the meaning of term.
“Automation”
“Robotics”
“Artificial Intelligence”
“Industrialization” and “deindustrialization”
Questions for each article.
What is the author’s statement of the problem? What is the main point of the article?
Summarize the article and review the different sections of the article.
What is the author’s solution for the problem?
Do you agree with the author? What are the limits of the author’s viewpoint?
