Experience has taught me that some students, actually most of them, complete assignments because they have to. To counter this attitude, I try to make writing as meaningful to the students as possible by encouraging them to choose topics that are meaningful to them; topics they are passionate about or they are motivated to write about. I understand some topics are popular with students yet they are hard to articulate comprehensively within the scope most assignments require. These are topics that deal with complex or overly controversial cultural issues such as abortion, euthanasia, gun control, sexuality. But, it may happen that one of these “forbidden” topics is actually what could be meaningful to a student in view of his or her experience. In such circumstances, I work with students to negotiate the issue of scope, audience, and credibility of argument. 

Mwangi (Alex) Chege
cmwangi@bgnet.bgsu.edu

Karen Babine

Karin Wraley Barbee

Paul Bissa

Kitty S. C. Burroughs

Susan Carlton

Mwangi (Alex) Chege

Abigail Cloud

Karen Craigo

James Crizer

Lisa Crizer

Susan Cruea

Christine Cucciarre

Michael Czyzniejewski