Students Tackle Numismatics, Mental Health, TikTok and More in Globe Mag Class

Students in Susanne Althoff’s Writing for the Boston Globe Magazine discussed a new topic not talked about in previous semesters.

“My students and I examined ChatGPT and other generative AI tools and asked whether it’s ethical that writers use these tools, such as to generate the first draft of their interview questions or to brainstorm headline ideas,” said Althoff, associate professor and interim associate chair for Writing, Literature & Publishing. “Is this piece still original to them when they use these tools? This is a question journalists and publishers are grappling with.”

Along with tackling AI, students wrote articles on a varied range of topics, including bingo, coins, ‘The Embrace’ sculpture on the Boston Common, and mental health.

“I’ve now taught this course for the seventh time, and I love seeing the creativity and persistence of my students as they learn to develop story pitches and then write those stories,” said Althoff.

Much of the students’ work published in the Boston Globe Magazine’s March 26 college issue. Althoff said writing articles during spring break was not ideal, as students are scattered all around the place, but her pupils conducted dozens of interviews with college students and experts. That resulted in sharp essays about the hopes and worries of college students.

Other articles were published outside of that Globe Mag, and more will be published in the coming days.  

Check out some of the articles:

Class Project: What Do Boston’s College Students Worry About Today? And What Gives Them Hope?

Brandon Hill MS ‘24: Bingo Beats the Weeknight Slump, Bringing New Fans to Bars and Restaurants

Lukas Harnisch ‘21 MFA ’23: Smoking is Horrible. Yet it Sure Made it Easy to Meet New Friends.

Alexandria Alvarado ’24: Cash Use is Way Down, So Why Have Members of Gen Z Embraced Coin Collecting?

Asya Partan MFA ’24: Can We Lose COVID – Keep the New Outlook It Gave Us?

Alexandria Leiseca MFA ’24: The TikTok Star Known as ‘The Hebridean Baker’ Dishes on the Story Behind Traditional Scottish Cuisine

Karissa Schaefer ’24: The Twitterverse Had its Say About ‘The Embrace’. Here’s What Real Visitors Think