Educators and students currently are trying to figure out how to make room in the classroom for a third kind of learner. While large language models (LLMs) like Chat GPT are not capable of learning in the messy, human sense, they are increasingly sophisticated. These forms of generative artificial intelligence (AI) “learn” from human inputs, training their algorithms to generate…
The genre of horror, and specifically Black horror, has been gaining attention in mainstream media in the last decade. Films by Black writers and directors featuring Black actors — think “ Us” and “Get Out” by writer and director Jordan Peele — are exploring themes of race and gender through a different lens while opening larger dialogues about belonging and…
With the start of the school year approaching, educators are wondering how artificial intelligence, or AI, may be used in learning environments, including by students for writing papers. Bill Hart-Davidson has been researching AI since he first came to Michigan State University in 2004 and launched a research center about writing in digital environments.
It has been 22 years since the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. As we reflect upon the events from that day and mourn the tragic loss of life, we also remember the heroes. The story of one 9/11 hero is the subject of a new documentary film cocreated by Mohammad Khalil, Professor in the Department of Religious Studies and Director…
Michigan State University graduate Josh Kilmer-Purcell is a New York Times bestselling author who, together with husband, Dr. Brent Ridge, founded a multimillion-dollar skin care company, starred in their own reality TV show, and won season 21 of The Amazing Race — and those are just a few of the couple’s many accomplishments in what can be described as an…
Afrofuturism has entered more mainstream conversations in the last decade thanks to its influence on fashion and art, notably in the music of Janelle Monae and in the film “Black Panther.” However, the idea of Afrofuturism, which often combines science fiction, technology, and a Black understanding of liberty, expands beyond pop culture into practice and social action. To help answer…
Nick McPhail first started painting when he was a sophomore at Michigan State University with his first creations being photorealistic oil paintings of East Lansing landscapes. Now a seasoned artist with a wealth of experience under his belt, McPhail has gained a large following of fans and collectors with his use of bold colors and geometric shapes. For McPhail, who…
Four years after graduating from Michigan State University with a B.A. in English, Jack Epps Jr. met with Jim Cash, his former screenwriting instructor who also earned his B.A. in English from MSU, at the MSU Union Grill. The duo discussed movie ideas and decided to join forces. They went on to write ’80s and ’90s blockbusters like Turner &…
Ruby Mendoza, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and American Cultures at Michigan State University, has won a national award in recognition of their outstanding work in the area of queer theory. Mendoza is one of only two recipients of the 2023 Gloria Anzaldúa Rhetorician Award, a national scholarship presented by the Conference on College Composition and…
Michigan State University’s First-Year Writing (FYW) Program has been recognized as a national model of excellence by the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), the largest and most influential national organization in the field of composition and rhetoric. The FYW Program at MSU is one of only eight writing programs across the country to receive a 2022-2023 CCCC Writing…