Teaching Philosophy - the Principle of Excitement in Action

One assignment I give early on in my introductory courses is called “What Three Objects Are You From?” I ask students to make a list of objects they associate with “home,” however they define it. They need to go beyond the usual objects that symbolize from-ness, such as flags or popular foods. They then have to write a piece that weaves together the “lives” of these three objects. A follow-up assignment involves students writing persona poems or surrealist stories from the perspectives of two of the objects. An advanced or graduate version of this assignment starts by turning lofty abstractions such as love and empathy into objects that transcend the obvious, say, a warm blanket.

At any level, we get to discuss as a class the complexities of home and belonging, rooted in everyone’s specific, concrete objects—which leads right into a craft discussion about imagery and sensory detail, as well as a conversation on cultural and racial difference. And I find that students at all levels are surprised that a piece of writing can begin and gain momentum in this associative, dialogic, open-ended way.