Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2026

Introduction to Artificial Intelligence Literacy (Face-to-Face)

AILE 1015-01

Course: AILE 1015-01
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2026
Department: English
CRN: 33846

Course Description

Generative AI is already changing how we write, research, and create. This course helps you learn to use it effectively, ethically, and on your own terms. You’ll master prompt crafting, critically evaluate AI outputs, and develop your own personal framework for responsible AI use. This course will introduce students to the fundamentals of responsible and ethical usage of generative artificial intelligence tools. Students will learn about generative AI tools, learn to craft effective prompts, analyze and critique AI outputs, and develop a statement of principles about their individual AI usage.

Required Texts

  • Ethan Mollick, Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI.
  • Janelle Shane, You Look Like a Thing and I Love You: How Artificial Intelligence Works and Why It’s Making the World a Weirder Place

Learning Outcomes

  • Evaluate generative AI systems, understanding their capabilities, limitations, and potential biases. Students will be able to make informed decisions about when and how to use AI tools in their personal and professional lives.
  • Develop a nuanced understanding of the ethical dimensions of AI, including issues of intellectual property, privacy, bias, environmental impact, and social implications. Students will be able to participate thoughtfully in public conversations about AI governance and advocate for responsible AI deployment.
  • Collaborate with AI tools across various domains (text, image, audio), demonstrating the ability to craft effective prompts, refine outputs, and integrate AI assistance into creative and professional workflows. Students will be able to strategically incorporate AI assistance to enhance their productivity while maintaining human judgment and creative control.
  • Connect AI technologies to broader cultural, historical, and disciplinary contexts, recognizing how representations of AI in media shape public perception and how AI applications impact different fields of study and professional practice. Students will be able to analyze AI developments through multiple disciplinary lenses, recognizing how cultural narratives and technological innovations mutually influence each other.


Course Requirements


Assignments:

  • AI Usage Journal
    • Every two weeks, you’ll submit an AI Usage Journal documenting at least three multi-turn collaborative sessions with an AI tool. Across your entries, you should show different kinds of engagement: refining and clarifying prompts, critically questioning or challenging AI responses, and applying AI-generated ideas to your own thinking or coursework. For each session, you’ll also write a short reflection on what you learned, how the conversation evolved, how you used the AI’s responses, and any limitations or problems you noticed. Journals will be evaluated on the depth of engagement, evidence of intellectual curiosity, and the thoughtfulness of your reflections.
  • Weekly Quizzes
    • Brief, four-question short answer quizzes. These quizzes will be taken in class on paper; they are designed to make sure you attend class and keep up with course readings.
  • AI Reflection
    • A brief, informal essay turned in at the beginning of the semester. This essay asks you to take stock of your current knowledge and attitudes regarding generative AI before taking this class.
  • Evaluating AI Output
    • This assignment asks you to critically evaluate and analyze an AI-generated essay. For the essay provided to you by the professor, you will be required to carefully review the essay, fact-check and find sources, critique the organization and writing style of the essay, and craft a careful, detailed plan for revising the essay.
  • Creative AI Assignment
    • This assignment asks you to create a creative work (written, visual, or audio) using a generative AI tool. After creating the work, you will also submit a brief description and analysis of your creative process.
  • AI Literacy Portfolio 
    • A portfolio that will include your statement of principles about responsible generative AI use, a catalog of effective prompts, examples of outputs, and reflection on the effectiveness of your crafted prompts.

Grading:
15% AI Usage Journal
5% Weekly Quizzes
15% AI Reflection
20% Evaluating AI Output
20% Creative AI Assignment
25% AI Literacy Portfolio 

Grading scale: A = 94-100%, A- = 90-93%, B+ = 87-89%, B = 84-86%, B- = 80-83%; C+ = 77-79%,C = 74-76%, C- = 70-73%, D+ = 67-69%, D = 64-66%, D- = 60-63%,  F = 0-59%

Course Outline


Disclaimer:
Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor. In the event that there are changes to the syllabus, I will notify you both in-person and electronically.

Course Schedule:

Week 1


W 9/2


Introductions, Course Overview


 


F 9/4


Read: first chapter of Janelle Shane, You Look Like a Thing and I Love You (PDF on Canvas, but buy the book ASAP)


 


Week 2


M 9/7 – No Class, Labor Day


W 9/9


Quiz 1


 


F 9/11


AI Speed Dating


Due: AI Usage Journal 1




Week 3


M 9/14


Read: Shane, Chapters 2 – 4


Quiz 2


 


W 9/16


Read: Shane, Chapters 5 – 8


 


F 9/18


Read: Shane, Chapters 9 – Conclusion


Due: AI Reflection


 


Week 4


M 9/21


Quiz 3


Read: “What is Claude? Anthropic Doesn’t Know, Either” (PDF on Canvas)


 


W 9/23


Prompting lecture and practice


 


F 9/25


Due: AI Usage Journal 2


Refining and iterating prompts




Week 5


M 9/28


Quiz 4


Read: Ethan Mollick, Co-Intelligence, Introduction – Chapter 3 


 


W 9/30


Read: Mollick, Co-Intelligence, Chapters 4 – 6


 


F 10/2


Read: Mollick, Co-Intelligence, Chapter 7 – Epilogue


 


Week 6


M 10/5


Quiz 5


Discuss Statement of AI Principles Assignment


 


W 10/7


Field-specific AI Applications


Read: “This A.I. Just Created Viruses Not Found in Nature” (PDF on Canas)


 


F 10/9


Due: AI Usage Journal 3


AI Factchecking


 


Week 7


M 10/12


Quiz 6


Draft and peer review of AI Principles Statement


 


W10/14


Read: “Student AI Bill of Rights” (PDF on Canvas)


 


F 10/16


Due: Statement of AI Principles


 


Week 8


M 10/19 – Fall Break ,No class


 


W 10/21


Quiz 7


Discuss Evaluating AI Output assignment


 


F 10/23


Due: AI Usage Journal 4


Bias in Generative AI


 


Week 9


M 10/26


Quiz 8


AI Training Data


 


W 10/28


AI Hallucinations and Fabrications


 


F 10/30


AI Backlash


Due: Evaluating AI Output assignment


 


Week 10


M 11/2


Quiz 9


In class screening: The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist 


 


W 11/4


In class screening: The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist 


 


F 11/6


Due: AI Usage Journal 5


In class screening: The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist 


 


Week 11


M 11/9


Quiz 10


Discuss Creative AI Project


 


W 11/11


Image Generation Lab


 


F 11/13


AI Audio Day


 


Week 12


M 11/16


Quiz 11


Professional Applications of AI


 


W 11/18


Discuss AI Literacy Portfolio Assignment


 


F 11/20


Due: AI Usage Journal 6


In-class Workshop Day on Creative AI and/or Literacy Portfolios


 


Week 13 – Thanksgiving Break – No Classes


 


Week 14


M 11/30


Workshop day


 


W 12/2


Workshop day


 


F 12/4


Due: Creative AI Assignment


Informal Presentations of Creative AI Assignments


 


Week 15


M 12/7


Discussion of AI Literacy Portfolio


 


W 12/9


Out-of-class work day on AI Literacy Portfolios


 


F 12/11 – Last Day of Class


Wrap-up, reflections, final questions




Final Exam: 


Wednesday, Dec. 16, 1:00-2:50 pm


Due: AI Literacy Portfolio

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work


You will turn in most of your major assignments online. It is your responsibility to make sure that your submission goes through, which means going back after you have uploaded your assignment to double check that it is there. Computer problems are not a valid excuse for late or missing work. If you are having trouble uploading an assignment from your home computer, go to the library and upload it from there. Plan ahead. 


Assignments, essays and projects that are turned in late will be deducted 10% for each 24-hour-period after the stated deadline. In-class work cannot be made-up.


Extensions are negotiable. If you anticipate needing more time for an assignment, you must get in touch with me at least two days before the assignment is due. Together we will arrive at a later due date. I will hold you to that new due date and deduct points if you miss it. Do not email me the day before something is due to ask for an extension; I will refuse. Plan ahead. I reserve the right to refuse extensions.

Attendance Policy


Regular attendance is crucial to your success in this course because, during class time, we review and discuss major assignments, discuss and analyze readings, and work on essays and assignments (individually and in groups). Being more than 10 minutes late to class = 1 absence. 


You are allowed 6 “free” absences where you don’t have to attend class for whatever reason. If you have 7 or more absences, your final grade will be docked 10 points (or one full letter grade). Note: the absence penalty is not cumulative; in other words it’s the same penalty if you miss 7 classes or 20 classes.


You are responsible for the material covered and assignments due during those missed classes. Class sessions will not be recorded, so you will need to consult with a classmate to get notes when you are absent.


The only excused absences are official university activities, religious holidays, military service, and medical emergencies. If you are absent for excused absences, you must notify me by email 24 hours prior to your absence for your absence to be excused. In the case of medical emergencies, notify me as soon as you are able to and provide necessary documentation.

Course Fees

Content for this section will be provided by the instructor.

Student AI Guidance


Generative AI tools are not banned in this class, as they are now a part of how people write. While AI is not banned, there are many instances in which your learning in this course can be hindered or compromised with improper use of AI tools. The following policies will help ensure that you use AI responsibly and ethically in this class.


Use AI to learn, not to bypass learning:
There are many ways that AI can be used as a legitimate assistive part of your learning and  writing processes. The question you must ask yourself is if your use of AI is helping you engage more deeply with your learning and writing processes, or whether it is allowing you to disengage from it. For each assignment, I will provide suggestions with what types of AI usage will be helpful, and which will be detrimental to your learning.


You are responsible for everything you turn in:
Every assignment you turn in is your responsibility, including its accuracy, sources, and ideas. Generative AI can fabricate sources and quotes, misrepresent facts, and produce confident-sounding, but empty filler sentences. If your submitted work contains fabricated sources or quotes, inaccurate information, or passages you cannot explain or defend, you will be held accountable for that and incur the following penalties. The first assignment submitted with these kinds of errors will receive a zero with the opportunity to revise and resubmit. The second assignment submitted with these kinds of errors will result in your failing the entire course with no opportunity to revise and resubmit.


Be honest about how you work:
If you use AI in your writing process, you are encouraged but not required to disclose that usage. Honest AI disclosure can be uncomfortable, especially when expectations around AI are still shifting and inconsistent. I ask you to do it anyway because misrepresenting your process undermines your own credibility and your relationship with me as your instructor. It is also difficult to provide helpful feedback to you on assignments if I am unsure of how you crafted your assignments.


Respect privacy:
Do not upload your classmates’ work or any other person’s writing to an AI tool without their explicit permission. When working with generative AI, be thoughtful about what you share with it as AI platforms may store, train on, or expose the data you provide to it.

I do not use AI detection software to evaluate your work. I believe that trust and honest dialogue are more effective and fair than surveillance tools, which are unreliable and discriminatory.


Ask questions:
AI is a new and evolving field, and nobody has all the answers, including me. If you are unsure if a particular use of AI is appropriate, ask me before submitting an assignment.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.