The English 101 Experiment

The Swinging Compass: A Student-Led Inquiry into Ethics and AI

In this episode of The English 101 Experiment, Mason and Monica are joined by Kaia Layson, one of Mason’s students, to discuss her researched paper on ethics and artificial intelligence. In the course of discussing Kaia's project and experience with The English 101 Experiment approach, the conversation meanders through big and unsettled questions: What does it mean to talk about consciousness in relation to AI? How do we grapple with the speed of technological change and the sense that we are always “catching up”? And what responsibilities do humans carry when we supply AI systems with ethical frameworks they themselves must design and interpret? Rather than offering tidy answers about AI, this episode approaches ethics as an ongoing, human process shaped by technological change. Together, we explore how student-driven research into AI can open space for nuance, uncertainty, and genuine intellectual engagement—and why ethics in an age of artificial intelligence may function less like a fixed rulebook and more like a swinging compass, constantly recalibrated as conditions, capabilities, and consequences evolve.

Problems on the Path: Generative A.I. and Writing Assessment

In this episode of The English 101 Experiment, Monica and Mason talk with colleague Ari Zeiger about the problems arising in the writing classroom in the age of generative A.I. The conversation doesn’t rush toward solutions; instead, it explores the long-held assumptions that AI now unsettles—the belief that students must write independently, that a polished final product reliably measures learning, that familiar essay formats are inherently meaningful, and that originality and authorship are straightforward. As language automation reveals the limits of product-based, formulaic assignments, questions around labor, integrity, and what we’re actually assessing become increasingly urgent. While Monica shares glimpses of her emerging AI-integrated assessments, this episode remains rooted in inquiry, pausing to consider what writing assessment exposes about itself as AI reshapes the landscape beneath us.

Walk the Way

Season 3 opens with a powerful conversation rooted in the quote that begins every English 101 semester: “As you walk upon the way, the way appears.” Monica and Mason talk with former student Mo Cataland about how her “way” unfolded in class through her independent project, Breaking the Boulder—a podcast exploring addiction, stigma, and the science of recovery. Mo shares how the non-traditional approach of the ENGL 101 Experiment helped her discover her own style and voice, tools she now carries into her other courses and beyond. This episode sets the tone for the season, exploring how new paths take shape only as we begin to walk them.

Aretē vs. Technē in the GenAI Gym

What happens when the ancient Greek pursuit of aretē—excellence of mind and character—meets technē—craft, skill, and know-how—in the age of GenAI? In this episode, we step into the “GenAI Gym” with our colleague Jackson Moss, Assistant Department Chair and Professor of English, to explore the tension and harmony between these ideals in the composition classroom. Drawing on Margaret Renkl’s NYT op-ed “I, Human” and Heather Reid’s "Plato’s Gymnastic Dialogues," we discuss how teaching excellence, process, and growth mindset can thrive alongside AI tools, and what it means to train for more than just technical proficiency.

Voices in the Maze

In episode six, Mason and Monica talk with colleagues Joseph Buckley and Ari Zeiger about what happens when creative writing enters the composition classroom. Through a discussion of "Class Barriers: Creative Writing in the Freshman Composition" by M. Thomas Gammarino, "Creating Possibilities: Embedding Research into Creative Writing" by Jason Wirtz, and "The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action" by Audre Lorde we explore teaching voice and the risks of creative writing within the institutional maze.