Thursday, April 4, 2013

Writing About Controversial Issues in Composition 1

I had a student who missed several classes due to a car accident email me about a topic for a paper for which the due date was coming up soon, but which I had said I'd take a bit late with no penalty due to the circumstances. He said "... I did my compare and contrast paper on abortion. Was that an okay topic to do since I never really got time for you to go over with me my topic?"  

Oh boy. I had already mentioned earlier in the semester to at least one student that they should not do their definition paper on that very topic and that there are several topics that professors don't really like to see as paper topics. That student asked if it was because the topic was controversial. I said, "No, it is not that so much. You are in college; you can write and talk about controversial stuff if you want, but many of those topics, such as abortion, have already been discussed by so many people that everything there is to say has really already been said. It's hard to come up with original or significant new thoughts, and professors want you to try to do that." There are some topics that fall into the "controversial issues" category that are more acceptable for writing about because they haven't been beaten to death, but abortion is one that is usually discouraged.

I thought I kind of addressed this idea to the class, but perhaps this students missed that or just didn't remember. I basically replied to him with the same answer, that I was sorry if he'd gotten very far on the paper but that the topic was notorious for being difficult to write a really original, significant paper about and perhaps a different topic would be better. 


(I just noticed too that he said "Hello Elizabeth" in his greeting. I don't really like that. I don't even call my professor/colleagues by their first name. One of my GA friends said she had a student who called her by her first name too and it bothered her. I see why ... it's weird, like we are buddies or something. I don't feel it is professional. Anyway, that's beside the point and I won't be commenting on it unless it becomes a habit.)

So, that was all figured out, but then I realized the student had already sent me an outline of his first topic, which would now change, of course, but I went ahead and looked at the outline. And here was the proof that topics such as abortion are not great topics for Freshman Composition 1 students to choose for compare and contrast or other papers.

His outline read:

Abortion

a) how people with different experiences might perceive the same subject - prolife & prochoice

Prolife: people who are against abortion, often based on religion. Many people are totally against it at all cost even for health reasons & others want it only to be allowed for health reasons.
Prochoice: people who are for the woman's right to decide over her own body & have an abortion if she chooses. Very few think it is "okay" after the fetus is viable (7 weeks)

b) how two different types of people might view the same event - religious catholic vs. non-religious

c) the way your own perspective has changed about something due to experience

I was born a catholic so my views on abortion are suppost [sic] to be against (prolife). However, I believe it is the woman choice as long as the fetus is not viable. I believe if the child is going to be holy God would have him sent to a family who wouldn't consider abortion. 

[Then there was an arrow pointing to this last line ... I'm not sure whether he meant to point to "child" or "family" or the whole bit, but the note read: "Like Mother Mary."]

The first thing I thought was: What does that mean? ... Are you saying that since you were sent to a family who did not abort you, that you are holy? Or that children who are aborted are not holy or couldn't be? What does it mean for a child to be holy? [I think believers are considered holy by being obedient to God.] Are you comparing yourself to Jesus by mentioning Mary? Like "that kind" of holy? Or some other kind?

To make my original point - this is why such topics are not a great idea. I've heard everything in A and B, and C just sounds confusing, though I'd like to know what he is really getting at. I know I couldn't state my own views on the topic in my comments, I could only perhaps ask him what others might say to his argument, and I certainly wouldn't count off this student's final paper if he had views different than mine (an obvious big no no), but it looks like he'd have a really hard time getting clear, in-depth ideas from what he has so far, and it would be hard to count off for that without sounding like I just disagreed with him. Granted, this in only an outline, and it follows the prompt to an extent (about comparing and contrasting either how two people might view the same event, or how experiences may change your point of view), but students often write about plenty of other topics that could have real depth that they still leave at the surface level, so it's hard to imagine this going further than every other argument for or against this topic that we hear so often.

What made it stand out was the last paragraph - I guess it's true I haven't really heard anything phrased quite like that before, but I'm not sure that could have turned into a very convincing argument either. 

 

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