Hello Mai and others,
I hadn't thought of that ("Indendiary topics"), but thanks for the good idea. Teaching starts in a few weeks at my university, so you've given me something to think about.
Take care.
Sean
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Sean Sutherland,
University of Westminster
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-----Original Message-----
From: Teaching Linguistics [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of TEACHLING automatic digest system
There are 3 messages totaling 430 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Incendiary topics (3)
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Date: Sun, 14 Jan 2018 22:22:18 +0000
From: "Kuha, Mai" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Incendiary topics
Anyone else planning to take up with recently met students a discussion of public discourse surrounding the “shithole countries” story? It seems daunting and risky but I think I will attempt it anyway.
Mai
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Mai Kuha
Department of English
Ball State University
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Date: Sun, 14 Jan 2018 22:39:43 +0000
From: Joe Salmons <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Incendiary topics
I’m teaching an undergrad course this coming semester on "Language and Immigration in Wisconsin" and have been puzzling how to deal with this topic. It’s impossible to dodge for this course so the question isn’t really whether but how. I’d really be interested in hearing thoughts about how to handle it.
Joe
On Jan 14, 2018, at 4:22 PM, Kuha, Mai <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
Anyone else planning to take up with recently met students a discussion of public discourse surrounding the “shithole countries” story? It seems daunting and risky but I think I will attempt it anyway.
Mai
--
Mai Kuha
Department of English
Ball State University
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Date: Sun, 14 Jan 2018 22:55:04 +0000
From: "Kuha, Mai" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Incendiary topics
Here’s what I’ve thought so far –
I’m drafting guidelines to share with the students (I guess ideally we are supposed to draft these collaboratively with students but I’m thinking of taking this shortcut of just presenting them):
Discussing heated current events in ENG 220
* Respecting each other
* Realize that others have legitimate reasons for the views and beliefs they hold.
* If the above seems difficult for some view in particular, at least respect the other person as a classmate and fellow human being.
* Check your facts; question your arguments.
* Listen; ask questions; think; try to understand.
* Under these conditions, disagreement is valuable and respectful.
* Keeping it relevant
* Relevant: using linguistic analysis to explain language-related events.
* Not relevant:
* our opinions about policy
* our feelings about any politician or party
Next slide:
On Haiti and some African countries: “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here? We should have more people from places like Norway.”
Whether or not these words were actually said in the closed-doors meeting on January 11 in the Oval Office, linguistics has a contribution to make to public discourse on this story.
Then I plan to ask:
Please suggest some respectful words that could go in the frame “___ countries”. (Maybe “developing” or “struggling” will come up.) Now consider what that sentence could have been: “Why are we having all these people from [struggling] countries come here? We should have more people from places like Norway”. Wouldn’t it be more important to debate whether we want this to be the guiding principle for immigration policy, rather than to spend time proving that the countries in question are worthy, or debating whether the word used really was “shithole”? But the provocativeness of taboo words is leading news organizations to shift a portion of their time and attention to the question of whether to write “shithole”, “s**thole”, or “[expletive deleted]” and whether to say “blankhole” or something else. That is, our collective inability to deal with swearwords in a level-headed way puts us at risk of veering away from what is more important.
So, for this incident, I’m imagining soliciting student input only minimally, with the thought of keeping debate under control that way. I’m not at all sure that’s the way to go, but maybe it would be enough as preparation for the next incident – because when we watch the news and say “wow, this is a new low”, I think the year 2018 is responding “hold my beer”.
Mai
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Mai Kuha
Department of English
Ball State University
On 1/14/18, 5:39 PM, "Joe Salmons" <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
I’m teaching an undergrad course this coming semester on "Language and Immigration in Wisconsin" and have been puzzling how to deal with this topic. It’s impossible to dodge for this course so the question isn’t really whether but how. I’d really be interested in hearing thoughts about how to handle it.
Joe
On Jan 14, 2018, at 4:22 PM, Kuha, Mai <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
Anyone else planning to take up with recently met students a discussion of public discourse surrounding the “shithole countries” story? It seems daunting and risky but I think I will attempt it anyway.
Mai
--
Mai Kuha
Department of English
Ball State University
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End of TEACHLING Digest - 12 Jan 2018 to 14 Jan 2018 (#2018-5)
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