The Chronicle: Colloquy: Responses

In some respects I believe that you are correct in your generalization that most undergraduate students do not spend a considerable amount of time studying literature. However, as an English education student myself, I believe that I am intelligent enough to author meaningful works of literature. I feel that your statement concerning "what might be created by people approaching the writing process without a background in literature?" can be viewed from a different angle. It is not that these individuals have a little or no background in literature. They may not have extensive backgrounds in what we might consider "classical" literature, but most English students DO indeed READ!

I think that it is important not to devalue individual human experience when we discuss this issue. Many people, English majors and non-English majors alike have valuable input and may just write something worth reading. While these student writings may never become classics, that doesn't necessarily mean they're of no value to the human race.

As for your concern that today's students "are not held to the same standards of research or background understanding" that previously existed in the academic arena, I don't believe there is a different, less rigorous standard. I can't speak for my peers, but I know that I have spent a good many hours in the library doing research both for my classes and for my own personal benefit. As more and more information becomes available via the Internet, I believe the way the world views research and scholars will change. If anything, professors should teach students to be more critical of the information they will now find at their fingertips every time they sit down at their computers. Learning how to critically analyze the various sources they come across and how to use such sources in a beneficial and efficient manner is more important than the brick and mortar library scene many students and professors are accustomed to seeing. If the information is reliable and reputable, then why does it matter where the student procured it?

My personal opinion on this issue is that writing and reading literature go hand in hand. I believe that creative writing can enhance students' appreciation for literature.

: -- Vicki Albertson, Junior Undergraduate student at Millersville University (posted 3/13, 10:05 a.m., U.S. Eastern time)

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