Rhetoric & Technical Communication
Rhetoric & Technical Communication
Toscano, Aaron, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Dept. of English

Resources and Daily Activities

  • Dr. Toscano’s Homepage
  • ENGL 2116-083: Introduction to Technical Communication
    • ENGL 2116 sec. 083 Major Assignments (Summer 2020)
      • Final Portfolio Requirements
      • Oral Presentations
    • June 11th: Continue with I, Robot
    • June 15th: Ethics and Perspective Discussion
      • Ethical Dilemmas for Homework
      • Ethical Dilemmas to Ponder
      • Mapping Our Personal Ethics
    • June 16th: More on Ethics
    • June 1st: Effective Documents for Users
    • June 2nd: Final Project and Research Discussion
      • Epistemology and Other Fun Research Ideas
      • Making Résumés and Cover Letters Better
      • Research
    • June 3rd: Technology in a Social Context
    • June 8th: Information Design and Visuals
    • June 9th: Proposals, Marketing, and Rhetoric
    • May 18th: Introduction to the course
    • May 19th: Critical Technological Awareness
    • May 20th: Audience, Purpose, and General Introduction
    • May 21st: Résumé Stuff
      • Making Résumés and Cover Letters More Effective
      • Peter Profit’s Cover Letter
    • May 25th: More Resume Stuff
    • May 26th: Plain Language and Prose Revision
      • Euphemisms
      • Prose Practice for Next Class
      • Prose Revision Assignment
      • Revising Prose: Efficiency, Accuracy, and Good
      • Sentence Clarity
    • May 27th: More on Plain Language
    • May 28th: Review Prose Revision
  • ENGL 4182/5182: Information Design & Digital Publishing
    • August 21st: Introduction to the Course
      • Rhetorical Principles of Information Design
    • August 28th: Introduction to Information Design
      • Prejudice and Rhetoric
      • Robin Williams’s Principles of Design
    • Classmates Webpages (Fall 2017)
    • December 4th: Presentations
    • Major Assignments for ENGL 4182/5182 (Fall 2017)
    • November 13th: More on Color
      • Designing with Color
      • Important Images
    • November 20th: Extra-Textual Elements
    • November 27th: Presentation/Portfolio Workshop
    • November 6th: In Living Color
    • October 16th: Type Fever
      • Typography
    • October 23rd: More on Type
    • October 2nd: MIDTERM FUN!!!
    • October 30th: Working with Graphics
      • Beerknurd Calendar 2018
    • September 11th: Talking about Design without Using “Thingy”
      • Theory, theory, practice
    • September 18th: The Whole Document
    • September 25th: Page Design
  • ENGL 4183/5183: Editing with Digital Technologies
    • Efficiency in Writing Reviews
    • February 3rd: I’m in Love with the Shape of You(r Sentences)
    • January 20th: Introduction to the Course
    • January 27th: Rhetoric, Words, and Composing
    • Major Assignments for ENGL 4183/5183 (Spring 2021)
  • ENGL 4275: Rhetoric of Technology
    • April 13th: Authorities in Science and Technology
    • April 15th: Articles on Violence in Video Games
    • April 20th: Presentations
    • April 6th: Technology in the home
    • April 8th: Writing Discussion
    • Assignments for ENGL 4275
    • February 10th: Religion of Technology Part 3 of 3
    • February 12th: Is Love a Technology?
    • February 17th: Technology and Gender
    • February 19th: Technology and Expediency
    • February 24th: Semester Review
    • February 3rd: Religion of Technology Part 1 of 3
    • February 5th: Religion of Technology Part 2 of 3
    • January 13th: Technology and Meaning, a Humanist perspective
    • January 15th: Technology and Democracy
    • January 22nd: The Politics of Technology
    • January 27th: Discussion on Writing as Thinking
    • January 29th: Technology and Postmodernism
    • January 8th: Introduction to the Course
    • March 11th: Writing and Other Fun
    • March 16th: Neuromancer (1984) Day 1 of 2
    • March 18th: Neuromancer (1984) Day 2 of 2
    • March 23rd: Inception (2010)
    • March 25th: Writing and Reflecting Discussion
    • March 30th & April 1st: Count Zero
    • March 9th: William Gibson’s Neuromancer (1984)
  • ENGL 4750-090 & ENGL 5050-092 Video Games & Culture
    • Assignments for Video Games & Culture
    • August 25th: Introduction to the Course
    • November 10th: Aggression & Addiction
    • November 3rd: Moral Panics and Health Risks
    • October 13th: Narrative, ludology, f(r)iction
    • October 20th: Serious Games
    • October 27: Risky Business?
    • October 6th: Hyperreality
    • September 1st: History of Video Games
    • September 22nd: Video Game Aesthetics
    • September 29th: (sub)Cultures and Video Games
    • September 8th: Defining Video Games and Critical Theory Introduction
      • Marxism for Video Game Analysis
      • Postmodernism for Video Game Analysis
  • ENGL 6166: Rhetorical Theory
    • April 13th: Umberto Eco & Jean Baudrillard
    • April 20th: Moving Forward on Theory
    • April 27th: Last Day of Class
    • April 6th: Lyotard’s The Postmodern Condition
      • What is Postmodernism?
    • February 10th: St. Augustine, On Christian Doctrine [Rhetoric]
      • Oratory and Argument Analysis
    • February 17th: Knoblauch on Magical and Ontological Rhetoric
    • February 24th: Rene Descartes’ Discourse on Method
    • February 3rd: Aristotle’s On Rhetoric Books 2 and 3
      • Aristotle’s On Rhetoric, Book 2
      • Aristotle’s On Rhetoric, Book 3
    • January 13th: Introduction to Class
    • January 27th: Aristotle’s On Rhetoric Book 1
    • March 16th: Friedrich Nietzsche
    • March 23rd: Mythologies and Meaning of Meaning (part 2)
    • March 30th: Derrida’s (refusal to have) Positions
    • March 9th: Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Women
    • Rhetorical Theory Assignments
  • LBST 2212-124, 125, 126, & 127
    • August 21st: Introduction to Class
    • August 23rd: Humanistic Approach to Science Fiction
    • August 26th: Robots and Zombies
    • August 28th: Futurism, an Introduction
    • August 30th: R. A. Lafferty “Slow Tuesday Night” (1965)
    • December 2nd: Technological Augmentation
    • December 4th: Posthumanism
    • November 11th: Salt Fish Girl (Week 2)
    • November 13th: Salt Fish Girl (Week 2 con’t)
    • November 18th: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Part 1)
      • More Questions than Answers
    • November 1st: Games Reality Plays (part II)
    • November 20th: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (Part 2)
    • November 6th: Salt Fish Girl (Week 1)
    • October 14th: More Autonomous Fun
    • October 16th: Autonomous Conclusion
    • October 21st: Sci Fi in the Domestic Sphere
    • October 23rd: Social Aphasia
    • October 25th: Dust in the Wind
    • October 28th: Gender Liminality and Roles
    • October 2nd: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
    • October 30th: Games Reality Plays (part I)
    • October 9th: Approaching Autonomous
      • Analyzing Prose in Autonomous
    • September 11th: The Time Machine
    • September 16th: The Alien Other
    • September 18th: Post-apocalyptic Worlds
    • September 20th: Dystopian Visions
    • September 23rd: World’s Beyond
    • September 25th: Gender Studies and Science Fiction
    • September 30th: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
    • September 4th: Science Fiction and Social Breakdown
      • More on Ellison
      • More on Forster
    • September 9th: The Time Machine
  • LBST 2213/HTAS 2100: Science, Technology, and Society
    • December 10th: Violence in Video Games
    • December 15th: Video Games and Violence, a more nuanced view
    • December 1st: COVID-19 facial covering rhetoric
    • December 3rd: COVID-19 Transmission and Pandemics
    • December 8th: 500-word Essay
    • November 10th: Planet of the Apes. (1964) Ch. 27-end
    • November 12th: Frankenstein (1818) Preface-Ch. 8
    • November 17th: Frankenstein (1818) Ch. 9-Ch. 16
    • November 19th: Frankenstein (1818) Ch. 17-Ch. 24
    • November 3rd: Planet of the Apes. (1964) Ch. 1-17
    • November 5th: Planet of the Apes (1964) Ch. 18-26
    • October 13th: Collins & Pinch’s The Golem at Large (Technology), Ch. 5 and 6
    • October 15th: Collins & Pinch’s The Golem at Large (Technology), Ch. 7 and Conclusion
    • October 1st: The Golem at Large Introduction & Ch. 1
    • October 22nd: The Time Machine
    • October 29th: H.G. Wells and Adaptations
    • October 6th: Collins & Pinch’s The Golem at Large (Technology) Ch. 2
    • October 8th: Collins & Pinch’s The Golem at Large (Technology), Ch. 3 & 4
    • September 10th: Science and Technology, a Humanistic Approach
    • September 15th: Collins & Pinch’s The Golem (Science), Ch. 2
    • September 17th: Collins & Pinch’s The Golem (Science), Ch. 3 and 4
    • September 22nd: Collins & Pinch Ch. 5 & 6
    • September 24th: Collins & Pinch Ch. 7 & Conclusion
    • September 29th: Test 1
    • September 8th: Introduction to Class
  • New Media: Gender, Culture, Technology (Spring 2021)
    • February 16: Misunderstanding the Internet
    • February 23rd: Our Public Sphere and the Media
    • February 2nd: Introduction to Cultural Studies
    • January 26th: Introduction to New Media
  • Science Fiction in American Culture (Summer I–2020)
    • Assignments for Science Fiction in American Culture
    • Cultural Studies and Science Fiction Films
    • June 10th: Interstellar and Exploration themes
    • June 11th: Bicentennial Man
    • June 15th: I’m Only Human…Or am I?
    • June 16th: Wall-E and Environment
    • June 17th: Wall-E (2008) and Technology
    • June 18th: Interactivity in Video Games
    • June 1st: Firefly (2002) and Myth
    • June 2nd: “Johnny Mnemonic”
    • June 3rd: “New Rose Hotel”
    • June 4th: “Burning Chrome”
    • June 8th: Conformity and Monotony
    • June 9th: Cultural Constructions of Beauty
    • May 18th: Introduction to Class
    • May 19th: American Culture, an Introduction
    • May 20th: The Matrix
    • May 21st: Gender and Science Fiction
    • May 25th: Goals for I, Robot
    • May 26th: Isaac Asimov’s I, Robot
    • May 27th: Hackers and Slackers
    • May 30th: Inception
  • Teaching Portfolio
  • Topics for Analysis
    • American Culture, an Introduction
    • Feminism, An Introduction
    • Frankenstein Part I
    • Frankenstein Part II
    • Futurism Introduction
    • Langdon Winner Summary: The Politics of Technology
    • Marxist Theory (cultural analysis)
    • Oral Presentations
    • Our Public Sphere
    • Postmodernism Introduction
    • Protesting Confederate Place
    • Punctuation Refresher
    • QT, the Existential Robot
    • Religion of Technology Discussion
    • Rhetoric, an Introduction
      • Analyzing the Culture of Technical Writer Ads
      • Rhetoric of Technology
      • Visual Culture
      • Visual Perception
      • Visual Perception, Culture, and Rhetoric
      • Visual Rhetoric
      • Visuals for Technical Communication
      • World War I Propaganda
    • The Great I, Robot Discussion
      • I, Robot Short Essay Topics
    • The Rhetoric of Video Games: A Cultural Perspective
      • Civilization, an Analysis
    • The Sopranos
    • Why Science Fiction?
    • Zombies and Consumption Satire

Contact Me

Office: Fretwell 280F
Phone: 704.687.0613
Email: atoscano@uncc.edu
Topics for Analysis » The Great I, Robot Discussion » I, Robot Short Essay Topics

I, Robot Short Essay Topics

Below are essay topics for I, Robot. I’ve tried to keep the topics chapter specific, but a few topics could cover more than one chapter. It is quite possible that a good short essay could come out of simply reading the chapter as opposed to the entire book. While that is possible, not reading the book would be cheating yourself out of a rather enjoyable science fiction novel that discusses important issues in a rather interesting way. Also, if I think that too many of you just read the chapter and not the entire book, you may find yourselves with a large I, Robot section on the final exam.


Chapter 1: Robbie

Describe Robbie as if you were writing a sales brochure for a family. Discuss Robbie’s features, requirements, abilities, uses, etc. You may also want to consider costs and maintenance possibilities. Remember, you’d be selling Robbie to people skeptical of robots. Consider adding the history of robots and what makes this “nursemaid” unit special.

Chapter 2: Runaround

  1. Describe the predicament on pp. 32-33 to a lay audience. Then, argue for an alternative to the expedition or present a safety plan for future expeditions. Consider such issues as food, water, weather, environment, system capabilities (compatibilities as well–some of the technology is rather outdated), and, of course, Plan B–a backup in case things start going wrong.
  2. Take a position on robot labor. On p. 35 Powell mentions that the first robots were almost banned from Earth. Argue for the ban or against it. Obviously, you’ll have to use sound argumentation (logic, proof, thesis, etc.). You may also want to bring up contemporary examples that are similar to the robot labor issue.
  3. Describe the insosuits for a semi-technical business audience that has asked for a specification report. What do they look like? What are they for? Are they worth the cost? Be a salesperson!
  4. Describe the mine for a freshman textbook. Discuss its size, dimensions, uses, operation, need, etc.

Chapter 3: Reason

  1. Write a report to the robot QT-1 (aka “Cutie”) explaining why he was created. Obviously, this is an explanation to an extremely lay audience–you can assume nothing. Tell him who you are and where you’re from. Then, explain his purpose in a report-like fashion. Remember, he doesn’t believe humans created him.
  2. Describe the station’s operation. What does it do and why?

Chapter 4: Catch the Rabbit

  1. Explain the merits behind the motto “No employee makes the same mistake twice. He is fired the first time” (p. 83). Is this a good or bad policy? For what type of industry would this be good? Why? Would you like to work under such a motto? What would the motto mean for advancement or innovation?
  2. Isaac Asimov wrote this novel in the 1940s. Like all science fiction, he uses contemporary items and situations, but makes them more useful or just bigger, stronger, and faster (or smaller, more efficient, and faster). For instance, on p. 84 Powell is reading a handbook. Apparently, this handbook is so important that he’d run naked from a burning building to save it. Is that necessary? Update Asimov’s science and technology (especially communication technologies) for a “real” twenty-first-century (2061 in fact) audience. Pull ideas from the entire book if you’d like. You aren’t supposed to find everything; instead, find enough for at least five pages. (Hint: consider customs as well as items–workday issues, food, drink, smoke, etc.)
  3. Create a robot “personality” test and describe its purpose. What does it say about robots? Why is such a test important? You may want to consider this essay a persuasive appeal to anti-robot groups or legislators who distrust robots.
  4. Explain why you think robots are constantly improving. What are the implications (economic, social, personal) and what do they parallel today? In other words, how are robots similar to computers? Think about the whole picture–economics, distribution, marketability, etc.
  5. Interesting. Even in the future, redheads are fiery hot-tempered individuals. Analyze why redheads are considered so ill mannered. You may do a report that discusses Powell’s temper and how it’s directly related to (or supplemented by) his red hair. What are the implications of having red-headed engineers and scientists?

Chapter 5: Liar!

  1. Creating positronic brains. What contemporary system or process most resembles (or slightly resembles) the creation of positronic brains. You know, Internet security seems to be a close match.
  2. Describe issues (ethical and economic) surrounding a machine that could read people’s minds. Would it sell? Should it sell? What would make such a technology attractive or repulsive?
  3. You’ve been assigned to write a classified report to the Board of U.S. Robots about RB-34. Explain the situation and suggest what to do next. Remember, technical writers are often legally responsible for the information they present to internal and external audiences.
  4. Based on the issues between the two main “love” interests, write an essay that discusses the pros and cons of romantic relationships on the job. What are the problems? What are the risks? Defend a position for good, bad, or “it depends…” Bring in personal experiences if you think that would help, but do try to relate it to the novel’s characters and plot.

Chapter 6: Little Lost Robot

  1. Consider a robot not impressioned with the First Law of Robotics:
    “A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.”
    Is this a good idea? Why or why not? What purpose(s) would such a robot serve? Also, what would such an invention say about the (militaristic) society that created it?
  2. Anyone down with economics? Try to come up with a cost-and-benefit analysis for destroying or not destroying the 63 robots (which cost $30,000 in 1950’s dollars). To do this you’ll need to first estimate the price in 21st Century dollars, so you must inflate (an estimate is ok) the price and then argue the pros and cons of destroying or keeping them. Check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Inflation page for more information or use this inflation calculator from Moneychimp.com. If the BLS page still doesn’t work, try this link: http://www.westegg.com/inflation/.
  3. Explain the importance of government-industry relations in technology creation. In the case of robots without the First Law impressioned, the government had a few bargaining chips that compelled U. S. Robots to create those modified robots. Is it right for the government or anyone to be able to force companies to create these robots or similar real-world technologies? Think about medicine, airplanes, bombs, spacecraft, etc.

Chapter 7: Escape!

  1. Consider the ethics behind the corporate chicanery of Consolidated–U.S. Robots’ main competition. Present ideas about what would happen to competition in the industry if Consolidated’s question destroyed The Brain. What technological/scientific discoveries are harmed/hindered? Why would working together and sharing be better? Would you want to work for a place involved in corporate sabotage? What would you like or dislike? What would you be worried about?
  2. Explain what this chapter has to say about the need for critical thinking even in the midst of “thinking” robots. This isn’t an easy one. This chapter discusses troubleshooting (well, all the chapters do) as an important component of science and engineering. Explain why critical thinking is so important in the world of cold hard “facts” like math, science, and engineering. Use examples from the chapter.

Chapter 8: Evidence

  1. Discuss the ethical, economic, personal, etc. issues of having robots, artificially intelligent beings, run things. Is life so predictable that it can be reduced to mere mathematical equations? This chapter comments on statistics in a subtle way. Explain why having artificial intelligence technology is good or bad. Defend your beliefs on the subject using examples from the novel or elsewhere.
  2. Write a report assuring the people (a lay audience) that U. S. Robots has never created a robot for work on Earth. Assure them that no positronic brains can ever be created without a “paper trail”–well documented creation and disposal. Specifically, you are responding to the Stephen Byerly case. Tell the public that the company never created such a robot, and it adheres to all laws. You may have to add some information from p. 211.

Chapter 9: The Evitable Conflict

I admit, this one is a bit tricky. It’s more philosophical than technical (but there’s lots of technical stuff). You could write about the pros and cons of having machines govern–as in keeping an ordered bureaucracy not just political governance/decision making–all or most of our lives. Technology is pervasive in our society and our network technologies (mobile phones, Internet, etc.) are all connected and inseparable from our lives.

With that being said, I offer the following question:

Is technology or technological development a good pursuit? Obviously, to answer this question, you’ll have to define good.

Overall Question

Total recap. What technical communication issues does this novel raise for us–twenty-first-century people? {Intentionally vague}

Logistics

Good luck. All essays are meant to be at least four full pages in a normal typed, double spaced format. All should have a title other than, “I, Robot Essay.” Also, all essays should be well written, unified, coherent documents nearly free of mechanical, logical, or structural errors (representative of appropriate college-level writing for a 2000-level course).

I will deduct points for poorly written essays and essays not fitting the proper format. For instance, your papers should be formatted appropriately for essays with your Name, ENGL 2116-XXX, the Chapter and question you’re answering, and the Date single spaced, and everything else should be double spaced after that starting with a centered title. You should use a 12 pt Times New Roman font and have no more than 1-inch margins. Number pages after the first page. Upload your paper to Canvas in .doc, .docx, or .pdf formats. I’ll deduct the following points for not following the format/content directions:

  • No title: -10 pts
  • Improper margins: -15 pts
  • Improper font (too big): -20 pts
  • Double Spacing headings or triple spacing between paragraphs: -5 pts
  • Less than 4 pages: -10 pts
  • Less than 3 pages: -20 pts
  • Less than 2 pages: -30 pts
  • Less than 1 and 1/2 pages: -35 pts
  • Less than 1 page: -50 pts

Of course, the above formatting issues are just surface features and are to be considered after you write a well-reasoned argument that shows you’ve read the novel.

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