ENG 3702 English Language and Context

Assignment 01
Unique Assignment No. 595669

This Assignment has 2 Sections and is based both on the

myModules Activities and the Online Sessions.

Section 01

myModules Activities
In a MS WORD document provide screenshots of all your PADLET Activities (Critical
Thinking and Reading Blog) as well as comments you have posted on other
student’s post.
Ensure that either your name and /or student number is visible on each screenshot.
Marks: (5)
Online Class Participation
Write a paragraph of approximately 750 words in which you reflect on the online
classes. What have you found interesting about them? How have they helped you
understand the introductory concepts of critical thinking, reading and writing in the
digital age? How can me make these classes better for you?
Marks: (5)

Total: [10]

Section 02
In this section you will follow the steps provided and then produce an Essay of
between 2000-2500 words in the form of a debate.
Read the steps carefully and follow the instructions as they appear in this Section.
Using the activities you have done on the myModules site, and the Online classes as
your data source, as well as the theory you have worked through in your textbook in
sections 1.0 - 2.5, engage in the following activity that will allow you to complete your
essay:
ENG 3702 English Language and Context
Assignment 01
Unique Assignment No. 595669

Step 1.
Use COPILOT to generate some ideas that will enable you to write an essay in the
form of a debate in which you argue either for or against the following theme:
The value of critical thinking, reading and writing in safeguarding against the
negative implications of deepfakes and misinformation in the 21st Century generated
by misuse of AI.
Remember that you need to choose a stance (either that critical thinking is beneficial
to safeguarding the negative implications, or that it is not beneficial). Whichever
stance you choose, you need to substantiate your position by providing not only
evidence that substantiates your stance but also opposing evidence that you are
refuting. You will therefore need to prompt COPILOT for both stances so that you
can come to a conclusion.

Setting up the debate / essay:

Use the following prompt in COPILOT to generate key points:
“Please generate five debate topics on the following subject: [insert your topic and
the stance that you will be taking]
Do this for both a stance that agrees with the statement and for a stance that
disagrees with the statement on critical thinking, reading and writing.
Copy and paste these into your assignment document and label the section “Step 1
– COPILOT”
If you are stuck and do not know how to do this, go back and see the slides that
accompany Session 4 of the Online classes available on your myModules site.

Step 2.
Now choose at least three points suggested by COPILOT and write an essay of
between 2000 – 2500 words in which you expand on the ideas in relation to your
stance.
You can use COPILOT to create the essay structure for you, but do not get
COPILOT to write the essay for you (this is cheating and you will be penatised). If
you do use COPILOT either to create the structure of the essay or to generate ideas,
you need to indicate in your essay, where you have made use of the AI. You can do
this by either changing the colour of the text generated by AI or supplying a note in
your reference list of where and how AI was used.
ENG 3702 English Language and Context
Assignment 01
Unique Assignment No. 595669

Elements of a Debate
You will use these elements in structuring your essay. These are key points to
keep in mind when writing an essay that takes on the genre of a debate. In
essay form, a debate is nothing other than an argumentative essay.
The following elements of a debate have been generated using COPILOT. Original
input is indicated in Blue
A debate is a structured discussion or argument between two or more parties with
opposing viewpoints. In this case you will be choosing a position, but need to have
the counter-argument as well in order to justify your stance in your essay. In other
words, you need to know what you are arguing against. It involves presenting and
defending arguments related to a specific proposition. Let’s break down the key
elements of a debate:
1. The Proposition:
o The proposition (or affirmation) is the central statement that the
debate revolves around.
o It is usually presented in an affirmative format, but it doesn’t
necessarily mean it’s taken for granted. In your case your affirmation /
proposition will be either:
▪ Critical thinking reading and writing is valuable in mitigating the
negative implications of deepfakes and misinformation ….
Because of the following reasons…(X) OR
▪ Critical thinking reading and writing is not valuable in mitigating
the negative implications of deepfakes and misinformation ….
because of the following reasons…(Y)
o The proposition sets the stage for the debate / your essay and defines
what the parties (in this case your argument in the essay) must
support or refute.

2. The Parties:
o The parties are the individuals or groups involved in the debate. In the
case of this assignment, your will be Party 1 and COPILOT is Party 2.
o There must be at least two parties: one supporting the proposition and
one opposing it. This is why you need to be clear on your stance and
know exactly from which position your will be arguing.
o The parties aim to convince a third party (the judge) of their position.
Your Judge will be your Lecturers and your peers.
ENG 3702 English Language and Context
Assignment 01
Unique Assignment No. 595669

o Thorough research is essential for effective debating. Do not rely solely

on what you get from COPILOT, you will need to read widely in order
to develop your own ideas on the subject.
3. The Speeches:
o The speeches (the essay is) are the heart of the debate. In the case of
this assignment, read Essay in this regard. In other words, your Essay
is the heart of the debate: the manner in which it is written and how the
ideas are presented - the use of persuasive language and
substantiating examples.
o Each party presents arguments in support of or against the proposition.
o Speeches are subject to time limits (usually not exceeding ten
minutes). In the case of this Assignment, you have a word limit of
2000-2500 words.
o Parties (You) must present their arguments concisely and persuasively.
4. The Judge / Your Lecturers:
o The judge (or moderator) / your lecturer(s) evaluate(s) the debate.
o The judge’s role is crucial in determining the winner. In this case, the
lecturer’s role is crucial in determining and evaluating the validity of
your argument and presentation.
o Parties aim to convince the judge through their arguments. You will use
and manipulate language and style to convince your lecturers of your
position / stance.
o The judge considers the efficiency and relevance of arguments. The
lecturers’ comments will indicate the effectiveness and weight of your
arguments.
5. The Decision / Your Grade:
o The decision is made by the judge after evaluating the arguments.
o The judge determines which party presented the most compelling case.
o The decision reflects which side effectively supported or refuted the
proposition.
Remember, debate is not about convincing opponents directly; it’s about persuading
the judge or audience. Effective argumentation and thorough preparation are key to
successful debates1.
ENG 3702 English Language and Context
Assignment 01
Unique Assignment No. 595669

Although you will not be debating this topic verbally, your essay will need to reflect
the appropriate use of language, register, tone and structure. Your essays for
Assignment 01 will then be used in Assignment 02, so take care of how you
formulate and structure your essay. Pay attention to what is said in Sections 1.0-2.5
of your textbook.

Session 5 of the Online classes will be held after you have had your
Assignment 01 returned. You will then engage in an open debate with each
other online in the session. Engagement in this session will contribute to
Assignment 02.

General Guidelines:
• Give your essay a suitable title.
• Remember to include an Introduction and Conclusion.
• You may use subtitles to guide your thoughts and arguments in the body of
your essay, but these sections need to follow on to each other and not be
stand-along sections (You can make use of COPILOT to give you a structure,
but you need to acknowledge this in your references).
• Remember this is a debate and you need to balance the pros and cons in
your essay. Chose the appropriate register, language and tone.
• As your essay will be presented as a debate, you will need to form a logical
and plausible conclusion that takes all the aspects of the question into
account and presents your stance clearly and logically.
• Remember to go back to our discussions in the Online Classes and use your
AI experiments as data sources to substantiate your arguments.
• All sources, AI or otherwise need to be acknowledged in your Reference List.
Use the Harvard method of referencing.

Marks: 90
TOTAL: [100]