A richer semester ~ with Brian Goedde~
I am excited to share with you the first of our guest blogs from Brian Goedde, who teaches English and Writing. I'm grateful to you, Brian, for uplifting us with your contribution of such a positive classroom experience.
Three cheers for the diversity
in the WCC classroom!
This semester I tried something new for my ENG 226 Composition II class. All of the research and argumentation assignments and reading/viewing material has been drawn from one large topic: 9/11 and the decade of controversies that has followed. We’ve gone from the wars in the Middle East to the stereotyping of Muslims here in the U.S., from the full-body airport scans to the memorial at Ground Zero, from Fahrenheit 9/11 to Fahrenhype 9/11, from the news media’s promotion of patriotism to Hollywood’s promotion of xenophobia, etc., etc., etc.
There’s so much to talk about, and the discussions (and occasional debates that emerge) have been enriched by who we have in our class: an Iraq War veteran, and an Iraqi immigrant. Students from the Honduras, India, Lebanon, South Korea, Hungary, and Canada. Students who are politically liberal, conservative, and proudly apathetic. Students who were in elementary school on 9/11, and students who, ten years ago, had to explain “terrorism” to their own young children.
It makes it such a pleasure to teach when the greatest classroom resources are sitting right in front of you. Hip-hip-hooray! Hip-hip-hooray! Hip-hip-hooray!
Brian Goedde
English and Writing Department
Washtenaw Community College