# Written Rebuttal

### Supporting the essay
There are several ways to reasonably use AI in writing an essay — for example, in assistance. In fact, several classes already successfully employ AI in finding sources to use in research:
- Find relevant sources for a paper
- Automatically format citations
- Filter through online databases more efficiently
Technology continuously changes the way research works. One does not peruse the subterranean archives of a library to find key information. Rather, digital browsing has streamlined the entire process to reduce inefficiencies; and yet, the actually processes have retained the potential cores and their development. However, we do not want AI to simply replace and do all the work required in each potential core. In doing so, we would lose the whole point of machine to educate and raise human cognitive function in various fields. Thus, we must find way to integrate technology into the assignment such that the fundamental cores are actually still developed.

The main potential cores that the expository essay hits are the following:
1. $p_{e3} \rightarrow$ Argumentative skills and persuasion
2. $p_{e5} \rightarrow$ Writing proficiency
3. $p_{e1} \rightarrow$ Analytical thinking and critical analysis
4. $p_{e4} \rightarrow$ Organization

Ideally, a supported essay would not merely complete this cores but, rather, help the human develop these cores through its own machine. To do so, we propose the following assignment.

**Written Rebuttal**
This assignment will leverage a debate style to target the essential cores of the expository essay. It will feature two main parts:
1. Research on topics (using AI search engines) to feed into Chat GPT alongside a perspective to argue as it relates to the main theme.
2. An analysis of Chat GPT’s argument and a human-written critique of GPT-written perspective.
These parts might be a little tricky to understand without an example. Let’s do so.

Suppose we are in a literature class studying the Dante’s *Inferno*. The professor would typically ask to analyze the text and come up with a defendable, controversial thesis through which to write a paper. Rather than do so, the assignment will ask the student to turn in two main items:
1. a research report of how the student fed the correct information in the GPT to create a schema and framework to write a 2-page, double-spaced perspective on a topic
2. a self-written 6-page critique and rebuttal, which argues against the first item convincingly

In this case, the student might choose to argue that Dante’s categorical breakdown of sin through a novel marks the onset of a shift toward Renaissance-style thinking — art as a pivotal medium for all fields. With this thesis in mind, the student will go collecting sources that, at first, suggest the opposite: that Dante’s work is fundamentally Medieval due to its characteristics. After finding sources and writing a counter-thesis, the student will feed this all into an LLM and, after refining its understanding of what it is to write and what sources it will use, it will devise a prompt to write a 500-word argument with its perspective. Then, the human will use that GPT-generated perspective to write its rebuttal of 6 pages, using textual evidence and writing as one typically does.

This assignment does more than just target the potential cores of the expository essay. It also bolsters the segment of the essay that is often most difficult to teach: the successful integration of a counterargument and its refutation. When writing an essay, one is often taught that a successful thesis must be created and argued for. Typical counterarguments feature a paragraph at the very end of the essay, right before the conclusion. This approach creates a systematic way of approaching counterarguments — one that does not require consistent concessions and thinking about both sides of an argument throughout the whole paper. Granted, this skill is quite hard to teach. But the written rebuttal accounts for this gap in the essay. All the steps hit the key potential core of the essay and improve upon the lacking ones.

###### Written Rebuttal Steps
1. **Thesis**: A student will think of a rudimentary thesis with which to begin the paper. This idea typically comes after brainstorming about themes, arguments, and ideas that arise after engaging with the material.
2. **Counter-thesis**: A student will then think of a countering thesis to their idea, delineating the seedlings of a counterargument.
3. **Source Finding**: A student will find sources supporting the counter-thesis *first*, before finding sources that support the actual thesis. This strategy involves some pedagogical sleight of hand: namely, the student will verse themselves in what they want to argue *against* before they research what they would like to argue *for*.
4. **LLM Integration**: A student will feed the sources and and counter-thesis into an LLM of their choosing, working with the interface to create a 500-word argument based on the counter-thesis and the sources. They will turn in the log of their prompting to assess how effective they were in explaining the LLM its task. Grading here will involve assessing how explicit, detailed, and effective the student is in instructing the LLM.
5. **Paper Edits**: A student will edit the LLM’s response by printing out the text and editing it by hand. The switch from technology to paper is purposeful: to activate a material way of engaging with the assignment. The edits will be a rhetorical strength analysis. The student will parse line by line through the argument, analyzing each sentence for clarity, effectiveness, and potential areas of weakness. After jotting down their notes on the sheet of paper, they will type a summary of the strength and weaknesses of the GenAI piece. This will inform their written work.
6. **Source Finding, Part 2**: The student will now research sources for their thesis. Since they are well-versed on the counterargument and its points, they will have a sharper understanding of what to pursue, expediting the research project.
7. **Written Rebuttal**: The student will produce a minimum 6-page rebuttal/essay that argues for their thesis while also deftly weaving in a rebuttal against the GenAI piece. By constantly thinking about the counterarguments while writing the paper, the ultimate goal is to teach student to produce better scholastic work and argumentative power.

The following ideas are encourage through these steps:
1. **Encourage Divergent Thinking:** By initiating the assignment with the development of a thesis and a counter-thesis, students are encouraged to think critically about the subject matter from multiple perspectives right from the beginning. This divergent thinking strategy ensures that students do not anchor their research and analysis solely on their initial bias or perspective but are instead open to considering and integrating opposing viewpoints.
2. **Deepen Research Skills:** The sequential approach to research—starting with the counter-thesis—challenges students to delve deeply into viewpoints that oppose their own.
3. **Enhance Argumentative and Persuasive Skills:** By using AI to generate a perspective based on the counter-thesis, students are given a tangible argument to refute. This process facilitates a coherent and compelling argument in their rebuttal, thereby refining their persuasive writing skills.
4. **Improve Analytical and Critical Thinking:** The assignment's structure, which includes editing the AI-generated argument and conducting a rhetorical strength analysis, teaches a meticulous examination of arguments for logical consistency, clarity, and persuasiveness.
5. **Bolster Organization Skills:** The comprehensive nature of the assignment, encompassing the formulation of theses, research, integration of AI, editing, and final rebuttal writing, requires students to organize their work effectively.
6. **Integrate Technology in Learning:** By incorporating AI into the assignment, students learn to utilize technology not just as a source of information but as an interactive tool for learning and argument development. This integration of technology prepares students for a future where AI and other digital tools will play an increasingly significant role in various fields of study and professional practice.
7. **Promote Engagement with Material:** Switching from digital interaction with AI to editing on paper encourages a tactile engagement with the assignment, facilitating a deeper connection with the work and enhancing comprehension and retention of the material.