I had already been thinking about some ways to incorporate non-graded (or at least non-formal) writing into my course. One that I thought of already is for the final essay on my syllabus, in which the student picks a controversy in his/her intended field of study (or a current event if s/h has absolutely no idea what s/he will declare as a major). I plan to have the students use outside sources to back up their theses (like you do...), and for one of the articles they read, I will have them write a one- to two-page letter to the author. I will have them mention points on which they agree with the author, points on which they disagree, and topics they thought were underdeveloped or neglected. From this assignment, I intend to demonstrate that writers should not simply drop a quote into a paper, but should find an analytical or argumentative standpoint by which to incorporate the quote.
A second activity that I have been toying with that would work closer to the beginning of the semester is about analyzing biases. I would have the students freewrite for five to ten minutes about an instance in which they experienced prejudice — towards themselves or towards someone else. I would share an experience of my own to break the ice, then ask for other examples. We would compile a list of what type of discrimination was exhibited (race, gender, social status, age, etc.), and hopefully this would get the students thinking about the different guises of prejudice. Perhaps there would be examples the other students had not thought of as discriminatory, or maybe we would explore reasons why such stereotypes exist.
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I like your plan to have your students write a letter to the author of one of their sources, as a way to get them to really think about the other point of view. In a way, that's kind of requiring them to use Rogerian argument, although perhaps this info won't all get into their actual paper. At any rate, it should help them to think analytically about their topic.
I like your plan to have your students write a letter to the author of one of their sources, as a way to get them to really think about the other point of view. In a way, that's kind of requiring them to use Rogerian argument, although perhaps this info won't all get into their actual paper. At any rate, it should help them to think analytically about their topic.
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