Classroom Cussing

As part of their coursework, my students respond to discussion questions on a bulletin board on the class web page. Yesterday I got an especially thought provoking response in a thread about sexist language in hip-hop music. The writer was actually not addressing that directly, but reflecting on the classroom discussion that followed a presentation on Monday about how female musicians respond to that language. He lamented that during the discussion, his classmates freely used offensive language even when they weren't quoting from the lyrics under consideration, many of which were quite raunchy. "Why," he asked, "when we rightly condemn someone ing women bitches and hos, do we accept people saying fuck and shit and goddam? If we can take trouble to say 'the n-word,' we can say 'the f-word'."

Honestly, I hadn't really noticed the profanity. I heard it (although I don't remember as much as the student who wrote to me did), but was more focused on the discussion taking place among class members. Which was actually quite thoughtful. I like to let the students who make a presentation run the discussion that follows. Ideally, I slide into the background and let the class learn from themselves. Not that I tune out altogether. I have to watch the time, and occasionally direct the discussion back on track, but often I can simply be an observer rather than a central authority figure.

Another classroom incident last week suggests there is a pattern here to consider. The discussion following a presentation in a different class on Wednesday included an outburst of profanity that proved momentarily disruptive--lots of titters and blushing ensued. I didn't say anything, though, because the discussion quickly moved forward, at the prompting of students. I didn't dwell on it much until I read the message I mentioned above.

Should I draw a line here, and if so, where? I wouldn't accept gratuitous profanity in student papers (not that I see much), nor would it be accepted in most workplace settings, at least in the course of official business. I do not assign readings or show films that contain what I consider excessive profanity (there's a point where it becomes a distraction), although some of the films that we do watch get a bit blue. I actually can think of very few works that I would exclude on grounds of language, but I am conscious that there are some I should. So I'm not indifferent about the matter. I just haven't had to give it much thought. Profanity has never been much of an issue in my classroom. I've occasionally had to call people out for ethnic slurs or homophobic comments, but not for dropping the f-bomb.

In my classes, I want spontaneity and free interaction among students during discussion. I can tolerate some cussing in the course of that. But my students also need to be aware of and observe the standards that apply in academic and professional discourse. I'd assume most students implicitly understand what those are, but perhaps that assumption is less warranted than I'd thought. In my view, a well-run classroom is part carnival and part laboratory. Usually I'm concerned about the latter overwhelming the former. But there may be problems too in the former corrupting the latter.

I guess I have some thinking to do over spring break.

Tag: Education