Activities

When removed from the consequences of a single, transparent identity people are free to explore ideas and modes of communication that they may not have been willing to in a higher-stakes environment. However, this freedom can also lead to offensive, hateful, or obscene ideas and conversations; without a single identity to hold accountable, the internet can quickly become a space where users feel free to let their dark sides out to play. This assignment is designed to examine and deconstruct this tendency by allowing students to define what is offensive and then critically engage with the discursive space between conflicting definitions. Though framed around a standard definition essay, the true purpose of this assignment is to create debate about what is or is not offensive and to foster a controlled sense of conflict and eventual consensus. 

• As with Activity 1, Students begin by deciding on a topic or small selection of topics. The instructor will provide a prompt asking them to decide on “the most offensive thing” they can think of to research and define. Students will write a short defense of their choice and then debate with other students on the forums. At the end of this period, the topic(s) will be assigned by a final vote. Students must, upon voting, accompany their choice with another short response explaining why they did or did not change their mind from their initial proposal (“Choice A seemed easier than Choice B” is a valid response so long as the student can elaborate and explain which argument convinced them of this).

• Students will then write a definition essay using outside sources (which, as with every activity, must be shared) explaining why the topic chosen is considered offensive, what its history is, how people have responded to it, and whether or not those responses have been effective. The format of this essay will be formal, and thus students will need to rely on their sources to argue this definition without delving too much into personal beliefs and experiences. Students who do not agree with the chosen topic will be encouraged to seek help and advice from their peers.

• Following the workshopping of these papers, students will be asked to write a personal response to this essay. First they must explain whether they agreed or disagreed with the chosen topic and why, then they must cite a conversation or post on the forums that they found particularly helpful, persuasive, unhelpful, or even offensive in and of itself, and engage critically with it using their (or their peers’) research. For the sake of harmony, this personal essay should be turned in to the teacher and not publicly shared.