An essential skill of this course is analytical reading. To this end, you will be required to write a 1-page outline summarizing the argument of Turing’s “Computing Machinery and Intelligence.” The outline should be single-spaced, use 12-point font, Times New Roman, and one-inch margins. Your outline should incorporate answers to the following questions: What is the main question? What is the main thesis? What are the premises? What is the structure of the argument? You may choose to present your outline in whatever format you determine to adequately capture the key components of Turing’s argument. Just be sure that your organizational choices make it clear that you understand the overall structure of the argument. Specifically, it will be most hopeful to organize your outline by first identifying the main question and main thesis of Turing’s argument. Then, you should identify and explain each section of Turing’s argument (there are seven total sections in the piece), rather than merely pasting the two underlined questions and answering them directly. That is, if you identify and summarize the key points of each of the seven sections, you will necessarily provide answers to “What are the premises?” and “What is the structure of the argument?” We will practice these skills in class.
*Do not turn in an essay with full paragraphs. That is not an outline- it is mere prose. An outline is also not a long list of bullet points without any organizing structure. Someone looking at your outline should be able to tell immediately that you have a clear and apparent structure.*
