by Lee Shainen

YEARS AGO, DURING the Gulf War, I began a composition class by having the students interview each other, write short biographies, and then read them to the entire class. Due to our proximity to the University of Arizona, there were several international students in this community college class, including students from Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Israel. (the Arid Lands program at the U of A attracts many students from the Middle East.) There were also two former American soldiers whose old units were involved in the conflict. Imagine not taking advantage of this opportunity -- you know, spend a couple of minutes at the beginning of class to acknowledge that day's news coverage of the war and then get on with the lesson plans. I did what I think many of my colleagues would do: I attempted to integrate the students' unique perceptions of a current event of great magnitude into the class design.

From personal narrative, to cause and effect, and especially with argument, we looked at the issues, the history, the region, and the conflict from many informed points of view. First, the class worked in small groups to develop their ideas and supporting points; then, they presented their papers to the rest of the class for further feedback and to encourage discussion. Such discussion! It felt like a miniature United Nations in that room. But when they read their narratives, the class turned into something like a support group, as understanding of each other's fears bridged the differences in upbringing and geography.

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