Will Be Over The Moon On The Subject

(Because it’s a first-year writing class, I’m more interested in form than content, so don’t assign topics. Also, it’s less boring for me to read 30 papers on different topics instead of 30 papers on one topic.)

Student: “So, I’m having trouble finding sources for my paper topic.”

Me: “Oh? Well, where are you looking?”

(The student tells me about using Google Scholar, JSTOR, EBSCOhost, the other databases through the school’s library, etc.)

Me: “Hmm. Those are all good places to find sources. What’s your topic?”

Student: “How NASA faked the moon landings.”

Me: *after a long pause* “Well, when I said you could write on any topic, I meant it, but just be aware of some of the dangers. If you want to write a paper on how the sun goes around the earth, the last time there was any peer-reviewed science on that topic was, like, 400 years ago.”

Student: *laughs*

(I’m happy to report that this student got an A, and no longer believes that NASA faked the moon landings.)