I recently had the pleasure of looking through Don Lepan, Laura Buzzard, and Maureen Okun’s book How to be Good with Words, which provides a resource for careful examination of aspects of the English language that may stir confusion and controversy in higher education, under such topics as gender, race, class, disability, etc. For example, the chapter on race contains a case study entitled “Black Lives Matter/All Lives Matter” and presents students with a balanced (in my opinion) set of questions to examine the controversy so that conversations and writings about the controversy are presented with less prejudiced language.
As I was reading, I kept thinking how helpful this would be for many of my ESL students at my university, since I have many classroom discussions with students on controversial topics that they raise, I assume, from a desire to not offend unintentionally and out of curiosity of language, culture, or humanity at large. I’ve found the ESL classroom to be a space where this kind of inquisitiveness about controversial topics is generally welcome by the students, and sometimes a teacher’s sensitivity to the surrounding charged language can be utilized for pedagogical purposes. These discussions are mostly classroom-based, student initiated, and.or spring naturally from the curriculum.
However the “CCCC Statement on Second Language Writing” states: “Instructors should also be aware that sensitive topics, such as sexuality, criticism of authority, political beliefs, personal experiences, and religious beliefs, are subject to differing levels of comfort among students of different cultural and educational backgrounds.”
Do you see students (multilingual or otherwise) willing to engage with controversial topics in classroom discussions, but not through writing? Does the multicultural nature of a classroom have an effect on what topics can and cannot be introduced?
You raised a very interesting question, Jack. Are multilingual students more willing to engage with sensitive topics in classroom discussion or in writing? I don’t know the answer, but in my experience there are always students who go against their cultural norms and engage in discussion of sensitive (and taboo) topics, and then there are students who don’t engage at all and may even get offended by those discussions. I’m thinking perhaps it would be a good idea to include a question in the first day diagnostic assessment or student survey for the students to tell us what they prefer (discussing topics that may be sensitive in their culture) so we can plan activities accordingly.
Fascinating. It’s a balance, right? Sometimes taking the temperature of the room can help, or prepping students by letting them know that the topic next week might be uncomfortable for some and then don’t have to participate. A student survey is also a great idea.