I'm happy you're here at College of DuPage! Let's talk about our course.
Why do we perform research, and what does it mean to practice research? Who produces higher quality research - scientists? Or a comedian who upload their thoughts on YouTube? We will examine all of this in our time together. The last several years have shown us that understanding, interpreting, and sharing quality information are essential skills, but the sheer amount of unverified information available to us 24/7 has made it increasingly harder to discern fact from fiction, truth from lie, and good intent from bad intent. Further, artificial intelligence, while (sort of) useful and exciting, generates media - video, images, audio, text, "deepfakes," and "cheapfakes" - that can weaken our trust, safety, freedom, and democracy.
This semester we'll hear from experts who can help us understand why ethical research matters. By the end of the course each of you should have a better sense of how to incorporate research into your writing and your everyday life. Most importantly, you should have a clear of understanding of how research not only satisfies your curiosity about the world, but also expands your knowledge, changes your attitudes, challenges your beliefs, and strengthens your values.
In our time together we will discover that ethical research makes you a better human.