Doper help, please?
I teach a course called Advanced Placement Language and Composition. It’s the high-school equivalent of Freshman Composition. The focus is on non-fiction.
One of the most helpful things in teaching this course is building a vast collection of short non-fiction pieces (1-2 page excerpts) that can be easily pulled out to illustrate different things. The problem is that I see my own collection seriously veering off into things that I really like, because, of course, I’m culling from things that I read. I worry about this because I don’t just want to reach the kids that share my tastes.
Anyway, it would be of immense help to me if Dopers could recommend short non-fiction pieces that they really enjoyed. I am especially in need of older pieces (17th, 18th, and 19th century), but I use a great deal of modern stuff as well.
Subversive, ironic, or controversial pieces are wonderful.
The payoff is that you get to feel responsible for warping the minds of the next generation. Furthermore, if ever muttered in English class, “Why do we have to read this stupid crap? Why can’t we read good stuff?”, this is your chance to make it happen.
I am also always on the look-out for good, not-too-long general-interest non-fiction books, if anyone has any recommendations.
Thanks in advance.