For our first class discussion, we will be discussing the two short articles I asked you to read for this week: Mariame Kaba’s “Yes, We Mean Literally Abolish the Police” and Angela Wright’s “How Armed Police Officers on Campus Have Become a Ubiquitous Part of American College Life.” Both of these articles were published in the summer of 2020, and so they address recent events.
Here are some questions you might think about as you write your first discussion post:
1) What do you understand to be the main idea of each article?
2) What are some of the most important points raised in each article?
3) Did you find yourself agreeing or disagreeing with particular points in either or both articles?
4) Were there things that you had trouble understanding in either or both articles?
5) Why do you think each author decided to write their article, and what audience or audiences do you think each writer is trying to address and reach?
6) What are some connections you might make between the two articles (this might include not just things that they have in common but also things that are different between them)?
More specifically, it might be said that Mariame Kaba sets out to make a specific argument, and to try to convince readers to support a particular point of view (as the title of her article suggests). On the other hand, it might be said that Angela Wright is more interested in offering a description and explanation of a situation rather than an argument, even though she and Kaba write about many of the same issues. So you might also write about the different approaches that each author takes, as well as the different techniques that they use, in order to write their articles.
By the end of the day on Wednesday, March 10, be sure to post your first response. It should be 250-500 words long.
