In every course I’ve taught, I’ve always framed my major undergraduate writing assignments around structure rather than topic. For example, my Current World Problems students must write a paper about a (wait for it) current world problem using news articles and key course terms, but they pick the topic. Ideally, it’s a topic that resonates with the student in some way and almost always shines through the writing. If the topic doesn’t move the student, the paper reads like a forced march rather than visceral thought backed by critical analysis.
That said, I invariably have at least one student who asks if they can write using materials from another class.
My answer has, so far, always been yes.
Why? I encourage students to build expertise in topics that motivate them. I mean, that’s certainly what I do as a political scientist! I’m constantly engaging with new materials and re-engaging with previous works. New projects build on literature gathered over time but encourage me to reevaluate literature with a fresh eye.
So far, I’ve found that students do the same: perhaps the same topic as another course, but my assignments’ structural rubrics require them to revisit and expand their sources. I can see the sourdough starter from their previous papers, but my assignment bread requires different recipes.
However, I’m cognizant of the pedagogical risk of encouraging a deep understanding of a topic at the cost of fostering a broader undergraduate repertoire. My flimsy excuse is that very few students ask to repurpose materials.
Now, if students repurpose material without asking? I’ve only caught it once via a plagiarism checker, compared both papers, and noted they shared material, but also noted they wildly diverged in substance: both papers were clearly written for different courses with different requirements. My solution? I simply asked the students if the topic resonated, and when they answered, “yes!” I replied, “ah, carry on, then.”
But I might either be too idealistic or too lucky. I’m curious to hear your approaches to students reusing material from other courses.