As I wrap up another summer rhetoric course, I’m sitting here with that bittersweet feeling that comes at the end of every term—exhausted but energized, ready for a break but already missing the weekly conversations that pushed my own thinking in surprising directions.

This was my fourth time teaching “the Black Mirror course,” but my first with undergraduates at Texas Tech. And honestly? These students brought a fresh energy that made me rethink aspects of the course I thought I had figured out. There’s something special about Thursday evening Zoom sessions where we’d dive into Black Mirror episodes as technology critics and future-makers.

Sure, analyzing “Nosedive” or “The Entire History of You” sounds fun (and it is!), but what really made these sessions memorable were the moments when students would connect these dystopian narratives to their own experiences with TikTok algorithms or dating apps. Their observations about “Smithereens” changed how I think about attention economics. The presentations on defunct technologies like Vine made me reconsider how we mourn digital spaces. These are the moments that remind me why I love teaching. I can always count on these students to help me see familiar topics through new lenses.

The course asks students to trace technology histories, demonstrate current tech impacts, and imagine future innovations. It encourages students to embrace their roles as both critics and user advocates. They weren’t just learning to document technology; they were learning to shape conversations about it. Watching them lead discussions, challenge each other’s ideas, and gradually find their voices as technical communicators who care deeply about human-centered design—that’s the stuff that makes teaching the class worth it.

For some of my students, this summer course marks the end of their academic journey at TTU. As they prepare to move into industry roles, graduate programs, or wherever their paths lead, I want them to know how much they’ve taught me. Your questions made me a better teacher. Your insights will shape how I approach this course next time. Your willingness to engage with complex, sometimes uncomfortable topics about technology and society gives me hope for the future of our field.

To those graduating: congratulations! You’re entering the world as technical communicators at an incredible moment, a time when conversations about AI ethics, digital privacy, and human-technology relationships need thoughtful voices more than ever. I can’t wait to see how you’ll shape these conversations.

Teaching this course always reminds me that the best education is a dialogue. Yes, I designed the syllabus, but my students wrote the real curriculum through their curiosity, creativity, and critical thinking. Thanks for an enjoyable summer semester, everyone.