Interesting External Courses and TA Positions

Two interesting opporuntities here!

Fall 2024: Writing about Science, Medicine, and the Environment | MBB 459 / ENG 459 / EVST 215

Course of study page: https://courses.yale.edu/?details&srcdb=202403&crn=14420

Canvas page: https://yale.instructure.com/courses/100668

Instructor: Carl Zimmer (For more information, see http://carlzimmer.com )

This course is an advanced nonfiction seminar on writing about science, medicine, and the environment for a broad public audience. This course is intended not only for students interested in pursuing a career in writing, but also for students planning to become scientists, doctors, and policymakers—for anyone who wants to learn how to tell stories about the natural world and about pressing social issues.

There are four writing assignments over the course of the semester, culminating in a 3000-word feature. These assignments will require students to find and pitch their own ideas, learn how to conduct interviews, and carry out other research. In class, we will conduct workshops to critique each other’s work and discuss exemplary published works.

Students must apply for admission. Application details are on the course Canvas page. Because this course was not listed until late April 2024, I will be considering applications on a rolling basis through the summer. Please contact me with any questions about the course or the admission process: carl.zimmer@yale.edu

ENGL 353: Poetry and AI

Is looking for a technical advisor for the fall 2024 semester + summer.

https://www.yalestudentjobs.org/jobxJobdetailPrint.aspx?JobId=33515&win=True

To apply, send a cv and brief cover letter outlining your interest and relevant experience to ben.glaser@yale.edu by Wednesday, May 15th

Position Description:

The AI Course Assistant will serve as technical advisor to “ENGL 353: Poetry and AI,” a junior seminar in English. You will assist both the instructor and individual students in understanding and deploying LLMs as part of class activities, brief assignments, and hybrid creative-critical projects.

The position will ideally begin over the summer (June and July) with weekly meetings and 1-2 hours of additional work each week developing resources for the course (mainly links and guides for the canvas site) and with the instructors’ own skills training. (20-30 hours total)

During the Fall ’24 semester, the job includes three components:

1) Occasional classroom time (T/Th 11:35-12:50) demo’ing tools and assisting with in-class workshops and exercises involving AI tools. The candidate does not need to be available for this entire time block every week.

2) Consulting with individual students on brief assignments, and on larger projects as needed.

3) Serving as a liaison to the Poorvu Center, Digital Humanities Lab, Library Services, and IT: identifying workshops and talks, suggesting guest speakers and visitors, and generally helping stakeholders at Yale envision future collaborations between the humanities and AI research and tools.

There will be no evaluation of student work

Total expected hours: 150

*15 hours of classroom time

*10 hours of instructor meetings

*100 hours of outside work, divided roughly as 1/3 self-directed hours and 2/3rds helping with students and groups of students learn skills and pursuing research projects