Hello all,
Augusta University’s Center for Writing Excellence and Department of English and World Languages will be holding another edition of our Virtual Writing Across the Curriculum Speaker Series on February 19th from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM EST featuring Dr. Christopher Basgier, Director of University Writing at Auburn University. The title of his presentation is "Writing to Discern: Naming What We Value in the Age of GenAI.” Please see the invitation below my signature for more information and to register, and we hope to see you there!
Feel free to share widely, and please contact me if you have questions.
All best,
Jamie
James Donathan Garner, PhD
Interim Director, Augusta University Center for Writing Excellence
Instructor, Department of English and World Languages
Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
| You’re Invited: Virtual Writing Across the Curriculum Speaker Series with Dr. Christopher Basgier
When: February 19, 2026 To Register: https://augusta.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4GzCk2jrVS6X4sS In partnership with the Department of English and World Languages, Pamplin College’s Center for Writing Excellence will host another edition of our Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) Speaker Series. The WAC Speaker Series brings experts in writing studies to the AU community to provide resources and strategies for more effective writing instruction. This semester, we will be hosting Dr. Chris Basgier, Director of University Writing at Auburn University. The title of his talk is "Writing to Discern: Naming What We Value in the Age of GenAI." Discussions of generative artificial intelligence (genAI) often gravitate towards one of two poles: praise of technological progress or a critical refusal based on concerns about injustice and harm. However, most faculty find themselves somewhere in the middle, seeing both potential benefits and real risks in the technology. This middle space can be generative for ethical discernment. In this presentation, Dr. Christopher Basgier will outline a practice of writing to discern, grounded in pragmatist ethical philosophy. The practice centers on writing about values (personal, disciplinary, and social) and reflecting on how genAI advances, disrupts, or changes values when used in local contexts, from classrooms to lab groups to professional settings. This practice of writing to discern is adaptable across disciplinary contexts, and it can facilitate open discussion about our commitments and the tradeoffs we are willing to make when we engage in situated use and situated refusal of genAI. |