[Teaching_Composition] Re politics and writing

Fri, 6 Oct 2006 18:39:01 -0500

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again: i have to speculate that questions like this have to be
contextualized within what course? and what was the announced purpose of
that course?  this game of teaching something like values (or god bless us,
critical thinking) in firstyear writing puzzles me-- and I bet it puzzles
some kids.

  _____  

From: teaching_composition-admin@mailman.eppg.com
[mailto:teaching_composition-admin@mailman.eppg.com] On Behalf Of Phyllis
Ryder
Sent: Friday, October 06, 2006 3:35 PM
To: teaching_composition@mailman.eppg.com
Subject: [Teaching_Composition] Re politics and writing

Hello all,

I'm going to chime in here in response to Kathy's post about politics in the
classroom.  I'm with you all the way, and I agree with the distinction
between endorsing a questioning, inquiring attitude towards knowledge vs.
proposing that students must agree with our asertions about race or gender
or whatever because they are the correct ones.  

And yet, I'm also very self conscious (as I'm in the midst of reading Sharon
Crowley's Towards a Civil Discourse in which she analyzes the discourse of
Apocalpytic Christians) that this very view of the purpose of education--and
the value of writing--is itself a political position.  George Lakoff's Moral
Politics makes a similar point that the moral imperative for questioning and
for nurturing questioning is itself a political position (as opposed to
teaching self-control and obedience to moral imperatives).  

I'm quite willing, then, to say that I as an academic have a responsibility
to teach this value as a fixed one: the value of inquiry and exploration and
listening to many positions before I take one.  I'm also quite willing to
keep putting pressure on students to keep looking around and reading and
questioning as they are arriving at their positions.  

Yet I must do so with an awareness that the Horowitz's of the world, and
many others, might consider this a trip towards moral relativism and a
dangerous path towards hell.  They might believe that a University professor
should be doing more to bolster a particular moral view so that all might
rise up with the Rapture.

Phyllis 
University Writing Program
The George Washington University
(who also writes with many parenthesis and dashes.)

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<DIV dir=3Dltr align=3Dleft>again: i have to speculate that questions like =
this have to=20
be contextualized within what course? and what was the announced purpose =
of that=20
course?&nbsp; this game of teaching something like values (or god bless =
us,=20
critical thinking) in firstyear writing puzzles me-- and I bet it =
puzzles some=20
kids.</DIV> 
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=3Dltr style=3D"MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
 <DIV class=3DOutlookMessageHeader lang=3Den-us dir=3Dltr align=3Dleft>
 <HR tabIndex=3D-1>
 From:=20
 teaching_composition-admin@mailman.eppg.com=20
 [mailto:teaching_composition-admin@mailman.eppg.com] On Behalf Of=20
 Phyllis Ryder Sent: Friday, October 06, 2006 3:35=20
 PM To: =
teaching_composition@mailman.eppg.com Subject:=20
 [Teaching_Composition] Re politics and writing </DIV>
 <DIV></DIV>
 Hello all,
 I'm going to chime in here in response to Kathy's post about =
politics in=20
 the classroom.&nbsp; I'm with you all the way, and I agree with the=20
 distinction between endorsing a questioning, inquiring attitude =
towards=20
 knowledge vs. proposing that students must agree with our asertions =
about race=20
 or gender or whatever because they are the correct ones.&nbsp; 
 And yet, I'm also very self conscious (as I'm in the midst of =
reading=20
 Sharon Crowley's Towards a Civil Discourse in which she =
analyzes the=20
 discourse of Apocalpytic Christians) that this very view of the =
purpose of=20
 education--and the value of writing--is itself a political =
position.&nbsp;=20
 George Lakoff's Moral Politics makes a similar point that the =
moral=20
 imperative for questioning and for nurturing questioning is itself a =
political=20
 position (as opposed to teaching self-control and obedience to moral=20
 imperatives).&nbsp; 
 I'm quite willing, then, to say that I as an academic have a =
responsibility=20
 to teach this value as a fixed one: the value of inquiry and =
exploration and=20
 listening to many positions before I take one.&nbsp; I'm also quite =
willing to=20
 keep putting pressure on students to keep looking around and reading =
and=20
 questioning as they are arriving at their positions.&nbsp; 
 Yet I must do so with an awareness that the Horowitz's of the =
world, and=20
 many others, might consider this a trip towards moral relativism and a =

  dangerous path towards hell.&nbsp; They might believe that a =
University=20
  professor should be doing more to bolster a particular moral view so =
that all=20
  might rise up with the Rapture.</P>
  <P>Phyllis <BR>University Writing Program<BR>The George Washington=20
  University<BR>(who also writes with many parenthesis and=20
dashes.)</P></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>

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