Faculty Lounge

George Mason University English Assignment Compared Slavery to Black Lives Matter Rhetoric of Police Brutality

George Mason University English Assignment Compared Slavery to Black Lives Matter Rhetoric of Police Brutality

Share this article

An English assignment at George Mason University irked a conservative student, who then told The College Fix of why the essay was objectionable:

Earlier this semester, students were instructed to take an image from a graphic novel about a slave rebellion leader “that connects to a key issue in today’s culture where African Americans still face discrimination, inequality, prejudice, and worse: police brutality and death” and write an essay about it.

“Do you see a connection between what happens in the novel to today’s Black Lives Matter movement,” asked the essay prompt, assigned in English 302: Advanced Composition for Social Sciences.

The assignment angered one conservative student, who provided a copy of it to The College Fix, and said it would make her write an essay that goes against her political views. She said the thesis paints America in a negative context and prompts students to write papers arguing that the America of today continues to grapple with struggles common in pre-Civil War times.

Related Topics

Spencer Irvine
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur.

Sign up for Updates & Newsletters.

Recent articles in Faculty Lounge