One of the courses I regularly teach is a discussion-based, “great books”-esque seminar built around a small number of texts. I used to primarily evaluate students based on 3 take-home papers and class participation. In the AI era, those papers are incredibly easy to quickly outsource to Claude or ChatGPT (they are very well-equipped to answer “Locke and Hobbes: compare and contrast!”-style questions).
In the last couple of years I’ve been experimenting with trying to maintain skill-building in writing while dramatically expanding the oral/interpersonal side of the course. Below is my current (draft, changeable) cut at the course requirements that might be useful for those grappling with these issues:
I will also be teaching a mid-sized lecture class in which lots of oral exams are not scalable. Below is how I am approaching the assignments for that course, with a focus on in-class activities but also a take-home paper:
Paul Staniland 