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  • Good midterms!
    • I’ve read and left suggestions in (copies of) all midterm papers submitted on Friday. If your midterm was submitted later, I’ll read it later.
    • Most common issues: citations, inclusive language, removal of section headers, thin analysis of BELOVED
    • Reminder about AI platforms: for privacy purposes, use Gemini (or no AI) for analyzing any recordings. Don’t use Claude, ChatGPT, etc, unless you want to pay for the platform and get reimbursed by NYU. Up-to-date AI tool status at the NYU AI tools page.
  • Archival visit: shorter video requirement, e.g. 14 minutes + 16 images?

AGENDA

ASSIGNMENT

You can use AI, but you must verify any information you find. I may ask you about it.

  1. NEWS: Please share a relevant news item and be prepared to explain it.
  2. READ and be prepared to discuss:
  3. REVIEW and be prepared to discuss:
    • Beloved up until “Stamp allowed that perch and catfish were jumping into the boat—didn’t even have to drop a line.” (The entirety of Beloved-Part05.mp3)
    • Any/all previous assignments
  4. FOR DISCUSSION FACILITATORS leading the next session: email me the following by 1:30pm ET before the next class, as part of your discussion grade.
    • your 2-3 minute audio excerpt
    • 2-3 discussion questions on the Beloved and additional technology reading assignments

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“Diversity & Technology” 2026 session 13 https://arlduc.org/senseandscale/?p=7309 Wed, 21 Oct 2026 17:50:00 +0000 https://arlduc.org/senseandscale/?p=7309 Announcements
  • Walking tour on Monday? (DISCUSSION would be moved back 1 session)
  • Discussion adjustments: extra credit to print out questions

Agenda

  • Device time
  • Device-free time
    • Timed exercise
    • Discussion with audio excerpt

ASSIGNMENT

You can use AI, but you must verify any information you find. I may ask you about it.

  1. 1500 words (about 6 pages) due on Friday 10/23 at 5pm. At this time, I’ll download the Google Doc I shared with you. The doc is titled
    [YOUR NAME] D&T 2026 Midterm or [YOUR NAME] D&T 2026 Midterm Template.
    I will only accept work in these documents.
    • A late midterm will only be excused with proper documentation sent to Student Advocacy, an alert from Student Advocacy to me, and an email from you to me.
  2. NEWS: Please share a relevant news item and be prepared to explain it.
  3. READ and be prepared to discuss:
  4. REVIEW and be prepared to discuss:
    • Beloved up until “Stamp allowed that perch and catfish were jumping into the boat—didn’t even have to drop a line.” (The entirety of Beloved-Part05.mp3)
    • Any/all previous assignments
  5. FOR DISCUSSION FACILITATORS leading the next session: email me the following by 1:30pm ET before the next class, as part of your discussion grade.
    • your 2-3 minute audio excerpt
    • 2-3 discussion questions on the Beloved and additional technology reading assignments




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“Diversity and Technology” 2026 Session 12 https://arlduc.org/senseandscale/?p=7293 Mon, 19 Oct 2026 17:50:00 +0000 https://arlduc.org/senseandscale/?p=7293 AnnouncEments
  • Today’s assignment is light so you have more time to prepare your midterm report, due Friday at 5pm.
  • The midterm grade sheet template is updated to include the Oct 23 booking deadline.

AGENDA

  • Device time
    • News item
    • Announcements 
    • Primary research check-in + tips updates.
      • Reminder on having a backup plan
      • Reminders about using AI for primary research prep
    • Midterm template
      • 1500 words (about 6 pages) due on October 23 at 5pm
      • For full credit, you must have booked your primary research interview and/or archival visit by this date. Don’t forget to copy me on all correspondence, since this is your proof of work.
      • I shared a Midterm Google Doc with each of you. Please prepare your midterm in this doc. I’ll download these docs on 10/23 at 5pm.
      • Midterm grade sheet template here.
  • Device-free time
    • Timed exercise
    • Discussion with audio excerpt

ASSIGNMENT

You can use AI, but you must verify any information you find. I may ask you about it.

  1. NEWS: Please share a relevant news item and be prepared to explain it.
  2. READ and be prepared to discuss:
    • Beloved up until ““Stamp allowed that perch and catfish were jumping into the boat—didn’t even have to drop a line.” (The entirety of Beloved-Part05.mp3)
    • PBS: Technology Timeline (1752-1990)
  3. REVIEW and be prepared to discuss:
  4. EMAILS (now overdue): See the Session 9 assignment for details.
  5. FOR DISCUSSION FACILITATORS leading the next session: email me the following by 1:30pm ET before the next class, as part of your discussion grade.
    • your 2-3 minute audio excerpt
    • a simple discussion question on the Beloved and additional technology reading assignments
    • a more challenging discussion question on the same assignment

OPTIONAL READING ON INTERSECTIONALITY

Primary Reading on Intersectionality

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“Diversity and Technology” 2026 Session 11 https://arlduc.org/senseandscale/?p=7271 Wed, 14 Oct 2026 17:50:00 +0000 https://arlduc.org/senseandscale/?p=7271 ANNOUNCEMENTS

AGENDA

  • Device time
    • News item
    • Announcements 
    • Primary research check-in + tips updates.
      • Reminder on having a backup plan:
        • What happens if your inquiries go unanswered?
        • What happens if a correspondent refuses or cannot help? 
      • Reminders about using AI for primary research prep
    • Midterm template
      • 1500 words (about 6 pages) due on October 23 at 5pm
        • For full credit, you must have booked your primary research interview and/or archival visit by this date. Don’t forget to copy me on all correspondence, since this is your proof of work.
      • I shared a Midterm Google Doc with each of you. Please prepare your midterm in this doc. I’ll download these docs on 10/23 at 5pm.
      • Midterm grade sheet template here.
  • Device-free time
    • Timed exercise
    • Discussion with audio excerpt

ASSIGNMENT

You can use AI, but you must verify any information you find. I may ask you about it.

  1. NEWS: Please share a relevant news item and be prepared to explain it.
  2. READ and be prepared to discuss:
  3. REVIEW and be prepared to discuss:
    • Beloved up until “Hi Man assumed because he alone knew what was enough, what was too much, when things were over, when the time had come.” (The entirety of Beloved-Part04.mp3)
    • Any/all previous assignments
  4. EMAILS (now overdue): See the Session 9 assignment for details.
  5. FOR DISCUSSION FACILITATORS leading the next session: email me the following by 1:30pm ET before the next class, as part of your discussion grade.
    • your audio excerpt
    • a simple discussion question on the Beloved and additional technology reading assignments
    • a more challenging discussion question on the same assignment

OPTIONAL Reading on Intersectionality

Primary Reading on Intersectionality

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“Diversity and Technology” 2026 Session 10 https://arlduc.org/senseandscale/?p=7235 Wed, 07 Oct 2026 17:50:00 +0000 https://arlduc.org/senseandscale/?p=7235 Announcements
  • Attendance update from Student Advocacy: “even if a student reaches out to our office that we are only advocating on their behalf and any absences not handled in alignment with the course syllabus may be counted as unexcused.”
    • If you’re concerned about this, I advise planning to conduct extra primary research for extra credit. I’ll determine grading rubrics for this by next week.
  • Ethical Data Collection – further reading
  • A brief note on Beloved and intersectionality. More on intersectionality later this semester.
  • Discussion reminders:
    • Technology reading now an explicit part of the assignment
    • Please focus on facilitating the class’s responses, not stating your own opinion
    • Keep an eye on the entire class to make sure everyone has a chance to speak.
    • Consider backup questions in case there’s no repsonse to the question(s) you’ve shared

AGENDA

  • Device time
    • News item
    • Announcements
    • Discussion reminders
      • Technology reading is now an explicit part of the assignment
      • Please focus on facilitating the class’s responses, not stating your own opinion
      • Keep an eye on the entire class to make sure everyone has a chance to speak
      • Consider backup questions in case there’s no repsonse to the question(s) you’ve shared
    • Primary research check-in + tips updates.
      • Reminder on having a backup plan:
        • What happens if your inquiries go unanswered?
        • What happens if a correspondent refuses or cannot help?
    • Midterm template
      • 1500 words (about 6 pages) due on October 23 at 5pm
        • For full credit, you must have booked your primary research interview and/or archival visit by this date. Don’t forget to copy me on all correspondence, since this is your proof of work.
      • I will finalize this template before Monday and copy the template into individual Google Doc for each of you. Please build your midterm report in this Google Doc.
      • The template is from APA Sample Papers on the APA Style site. I downloaded the student paper and student paper with annotations — please use these for formatting guidance.
      • Grade sheet template forthcoming next week.
  • Device-free time
    • Timed exercise
    • Discussion circle with audio excerpt

ASSIGNMENT

You can use AI, but you must verify any information you find. I may ask you about it.

  1. NEWS: Please share a relevant news item and be prepared to explain it.
  2. READ and be prepared to discuss:
  3. REVIEW and be prepared to discuss:
    • Any/all previous assignments
  4. EMAILS (now overdue): See the Session 9 assignment for details.
  5. FOR DISCUSSION FACILITATORS leading the next session: email me the following by 1:30pm ET before the next class, as part of your discussion grade.
    • your audio excerpt
    • a simple discussion question on the Beloved and additional technology reading assignments
    • a more challenging discussion question on the same assignment
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“Diversity and Technology” 2026 Session 9 https://arlduc.org/senseandscale/?p=7226 Mon, 05 Oct 2026 17:50:00 +0000 https://arlduc.org/senseandscale/?p=7226 Announcements
  • Primary research emails are now overdue, but still required for your midterm report.
  • Reminder on the Discussion grading rubric. Don’t forget to ask about technology.
  • Thanks for all your contributions so far!

AGENDA

  • Device time
  • Device-free time
    • Timed exercise
    • Discussion circle with audio excerpt
  • End Notes
    • Primary research check-in + tips. If your emails go unanswered, what’s your backup plan?
    • Midterm report of 6+ pages due on October 23 at 5pm
      • For full credit, you must have booked your primary research interview and/or archival visit by this date. Don’t forget to copy me on all correspondence, since this is your proof of work.

ASSIGNMENT

You can use AI, but you must verify any information you find. I may ask you about it.

  1. NEWS: Please share a relevant news item and be prepared to explain it.
  2. READ and be prepared to discuss:
  3. REVIEW and be prepared to discuss:
    • Beloved up until “Let’s see you walk on em.”
      (The entirety of Beloved-Part03.mp3)
    • Any/all previous assignments
  4. PRIMARY RESEARCH EMAILS
    • Follow-up Email:
      • If you sent your initial email more than a week ago, it’s time to follow up or move on to Plan B. Remember to copy me and relevant colleagues.
    • Overdue Initial Emails:
      • If you haven’t sent me your draft email messages for primary research, do this ASAP!!
      • If I’ve responded to your draft messages with approval, please send your emails in accordance with the General Notes for D&T Email Drafts.
      • If you’re confused or have questions, let me know.
  5. FOR DISCUSSION FACILITATORS: If you’re leading the next session discussion, email me the following by 1:30pm ET before class, as part of your discussion grade:
    • your audio excerpt
    • a simple discussion question on the Beloved reading assignment
    • a more challenging discussion question on the same assignment

Optional Reading

  • Dickinson, Harry W. A Short History of the Steam Engine. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2019, https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429423123. From the book description: “First published in 1938, this volume details steam engine as the most dynamic factor in the Industrial Revolution, freeing humanity from their age-long dependence upon the power of water, wind, and animals, or of their own muscles.”
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“Diversity and Technology” 2026 Session 8 https://arlduc.org/senseandscale/?p=7201 Wed, 30 Sep 2026 17:50:04 +0000 https://arlduc.org/senseandscale/?p=7201 announcements
  • Primary research emails – due today
  • Attendance reminder: if you’re not sure that you’ll be absent, email me anyway by 11am.
  • Reminder about device-free time


AGENDA

  • Device time
    • News item
    • Primary research check-in
      • Note my tips. I’ll add notes for your tech topics as I encounter them in my research for Beloved. I am prioritizing tech topics more directly relevant to the novel.
      • If your emails go unanswered, what’s your backup plan?
  • Device-free time
    • Timed exercise
    • Discussion circle with audio excerpt
    • Final notes on recent reading/watching/listening

ASSIGNMENT

You can use AI, but you must verify any information you find.

  1. NEWS: Please share and be prepared to explain a relevant news item.
  2. READ and be prepared to discuss:
    • Beloved up until “Let’s see you walk on em.”
      (The entirety of Beloved-Part03.mp3)
    • Short readings on the formalization of medical gynecology during the 1800s. Note: some of their terminology is no longer in keeping with MLA and APA guidelines on inclusive language.
      • The first few paragraphs of Medical Apartheid’s Introduction, until “…one benign, one malevolent — of American medical research.”
      • Please also have a look at the painting described in Medical Apartheid’s Introduction.
      • The first 2.5 pages of Medical Bondage’s Introduction, until “history evidences how race, class, and gender influenced seemingly value-neutral fields like medicine.”
  3. EMAIL due now:
    • If you haven’t sent me your draft email messages for primary research, do this ASAP!!
    • If I’ve responded to your draft messages with approval, please send your emails in accordance with the General Notes for D&T Email Drafts.
  4. FOR DISCUSSION FACILITATORS: If you’re leading the next session discussion, email me the following by 1:30pm before class, as part of your discussion grade:
    • your audio excerpt
    • a simple discussion question on the Beloved reading assignment
    • a more challenging discussion question on the same assignment
  5. REVIEW and be prepared to discuss:
    • Any/all previous assignments

Optional Reading

On the rise of formalized gynecology and obstetrics in the 1800s. Some of their terminology, particularly related to enslavement, is no longer in keeping with MLA and APA guidelines on inclusive language.

  1. Medical Apartheid, Chapter 2: on antebellum medical experimentation on enslaved people. There’s also a chapter on comparative medical apartheids across the globe. The entire book is also available on audio, see the “Bodily Autonomy” section of the class reading/watching/listening page.
  2. All of Medical bondage : race, gender, and the origins of American gynecology (2017) by Deirdre Cooper Owens. I also have an audio version of this book; let me know if you’re interested.
  3. A review in the journal Science of the recent book Saying Anarcha.
  4. Another well-known instance of medical apartheid in the United States: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Skloot 2010). Also made into a film starring Oprah Winfrey.

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“Diversity and Technology” 2026 Session 7 https://arlduc.org/senseandscale/?p=7192 Mon, 28 Sep 2026 17:50:00 +0000 https://arlduc.org/senseandscale/?p=7192 Announcements

AGENDA

  • Device time
  • Device-free time
    • Timed exercise
    • Discussion circle with audio excerpt. Popcorn or go around room?
    • Final notes on Session 6 readings

ASSIGNMENT

You can use AI, but you must verify any information you find. I may ask you about it.

  1. EMAIL:
    • As of this writing, four people haven’t sent me draft email messages for your primary research. Please do this ASAP!!
    • If I’ve responded to your draft messages with approval, please send your emails in accordance with the General Notes for D&T Email Drafts.
  2. NEWS: Please share a relevant news item and be prepared to explain it.
  3. READ and be prepared to discuss these very short readings/watchings:
  4. REVIEW and be prepared to discuss:
    • Beloved up until “She’s not sick!” said Denver, and the passion in her voice made them smile.” (The entirety of Beloved-Part02.mp3)
    • Any/all previous assignments
  5. FOR DISCUSSION FACILITATORS: If you’re leading the next session discussion, email me the following by 1:30pm ET on 9/30, as part of your discussion grade:
    • your audio excerpt
    • a simple discussion question on the Beloved reading assignment
    • a more challenging discussion question on the same assignment

OPTIONAL: More reading on Textile innovation & Slavery

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“Diversity and Technology” 2026 Session 6 https://arlduc.org/senseandscale/?p=7164 Wed, 23 Sep 2026 17:50:00 +0000 https://arlduc.org/senseandscale/?p=7164
Announcements
  • News item is a point (for URL), 2 points (for verbal presentation
  • Additional written assignments are up to 3 points for full completion

AGENDA

ASSIGNMENT

You can use AI, but you must verify any information you find. I may ask you about it.

  1. NEWS: Please share a relevant news item and be prepared to explain it.
  2. READ and be prepared to discuss:
  3. REVIEW and be prepared to discuss:
    • Any/all previous assignments
  4. FOR DISCUSSION FACILITATORS: If you’re leading the next session discussion, email me the following by 1:30pm ET on 9/28, as part of your discussion grade:
    • your audio excerpt
    • a simple discussion question on the Beloved reading assignment
    • a more challenging discussion question on the same assignment

OPTIONAL: More reading on Railroads and Wrought Iron

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“Diversity and Technology” 2026 Session 5 https://arlduc.org/senseandscale/?p=7155 Mon, 21 Sep 2026 17:50:00 +0000 https://arlduc.org/senseandscale/?p=7155 Announcements

Agenda

  • Device time
    • News item. Reminder: this is a required assignment now!
    • Discussion facilitator sign-up. Discussions should be modeled on homework review circles and follow the discussion grading rubric. Please sign up this week, or I’ll assign you a date. Leading a discussion sooner might be easier than later!
  • Device-free time
    • Timed exercise
    • Homework review circle – with this audio excerpt
    • Timed exercise review circle

Assignment

You can use AI, but you must verify any information you find. I may ask you about it.

  1. NEWS: Please share a relevant news item and be prepared to explain it.
  2. IN BRIGHTSPACE: Please draft an email to each of the contacts listed in your primary research plan that was due today, September 21. Please also share any feedback on the informed consent form.
  3. READ and be prepared to discuss (in writing and speech):
  4. REVIEW and be prepared to discuss:
    • Beloved up until “How loose the silk. How fine and loose and free.” (The entirety of Beloved-Part01.mp3)
    • Any/all previous assignments.

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