In this special Big Rhetorical Podcast Carnival episode, Dr. Amanda Patterson Partin is joined by scholar and educator Dr. Codi Renee Blackmon (Johns Hopkins University) for a rich, honest conversation about generative AI, linguistic justice, and what writing instruction looks like in a moment of technological whiplash.

Together, they explore how AI intersects with students’ rights to their own language, the tension between standard academic English and rhetorical context, and the real consequences of surveillance, automation, and bias in writing classrooms. From the AI refusal movement to classroom praxis, from joy in writing to abstinence-education metaphors that absolutely make sense, this episode sits squarely in the messy middle. No panic. No hype. Just critical care.

This episode is part of the Big Rhetorical Podcast Carnival, hosted by Dr. Charles Woods, centered on the theme (Un)tethering Surveillance: Power Dynamics, Emerging Technologies, and Social Control

What We Cover

• Why AI is not neutral and never has been

• The AI refusal movement and what refusal actually means

• Linguistic justice and students’ right to their own language

• How AI reinforces whiteness and standard American English

• The loss of student voice and the rise of AI’s very recognizable tone

• Surveillance, plagiarism panic, and why policing students is not the move

• Teaching AI as both a tool and an object of inquiry

• Authentic voice, rhetorical context, and audience awareness

• Making writing joyful again in a world obsessed with efficiency

• Why critical AI literacy matters more than blanket rules

Key Takeaways

• AI is already embedded in academic and professional spaces, whether we like it or not

• Linguistic justice and AI literacy must be taught together, not in isolation

• Students deserve informed choice, including the choice to refuse AI

• Context, audience, and purpose still matter more than “right vs wrong” grammar

• Writing pedagogy grounded in care beats surveillance every time

Reading/Listening List:

• Refusing Generative AI Movement (https://refusinggenai.wordpress.com/)

• April Baker-Bell, Linguistic Justice

• 4Cs Statement on Anti-Black Racism and Black Linguistic Justice "This Ain’t Another Statement! This is a DEMAND for Black Linguistic Justice!"

• Text Gen Ed: Continuing Experiments by Carli Schnitzer, Annette Vee, and Tim LaQuintano

• Big Rhetorical Podcast, Episode 140

About the Guest

Dr. Codi Renee Blackmon is a scholar and educator at Johns Hopkins University whose work focuses on writing studies, linguistic justice, surveillance, and critical AI literacy. She brings a deeply thoughtful, care-centered approach to teaching writing in technological contexts.

About the Host

Dr. Amanda Patterson Partin is the host of La Rhetorica, a podcast exploring rhetoric, writing, culture, and power through conversations with scholars, educators, and thinkers who are doing the work.

Listen to the Carnival!

The Big Rhetorical Podcast Carnival runs from November 30 through December 4 and concludes with a keynote interview released on December 4. Catch all episodes wherever you listen to podcasts.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Aja Martínez, associate professor, award-winning author, and one of the sharpest thinkers in Critical Race Theory today. We get into the deep stuff right away: the religious roots of the attacks on CRT, the long game of the New Right, and how history repeats itself when we’re not paying attention.

Dr. Martínez walks us through her and Dr. Robert Smith’s research on Derrick Bell, revealing how religion and prophetic witness sit at the very heart of early CRT work. We talk about the decades long strategy behind Project 2025, the role of conservative think tanks, and why “how did we get here?” is the wrong question. People have been warning us. We just weren’t listening.

We also explore the personal side of this work: the risks, the canceled events, the mental load, and the joy she finds in reality TV, gardening, and her pets. Plus, she shares what it’s like writing books with her partner, how she sustains herself, and what gives her hope even in this political moment.

If you’ve wondered how faith, race, politics, and power collide in today’s culture wars, this is your episode. And if you’re new to CRT beyond the headlines, Dr. Martínez gives you the perfect reading list to start with.

In this inspiring episode, Dr. Ja’La Wourman joins Dr. Partin to talk about her path from military-kid roots in Japan and Hawaii to becoming a leading scholar in cultural and technical communication. She opens up about her first-generation academic journey, the mentors who shaped her, and the transition from graduate student to professor.Together, they discuss the power of Black visual rhetorics, the importance of community and self-motivation in graduate school, and the transformational experience of moving from a PWI to an HBCU. Dr. Wourman shares how Howard University has allowed her to teach, research, and live more authentically while expanding conversations around Black aesthetics, design, and rhetoric.

In this episode of La Rhetorica Podcast, I chat with Dr. Codi Renée Blackmon about microaggressions in the field of Rhetoric and Composition, and the importance of Sistahood, community, and self-care.