Free to Write: On the Use of Speculative Writing in Sociology Courses

The major objective of this paper is to outline the goals and the use of speculative (or free) writing and to demonstrate its usefulness in sociology classrooms. This form of writing is compared to other conventional written sociology assignments; the relative benefits are enumerated, particularly in the context of a lecture-discussion course format. On the basis of experiences with free writing in two different universities, some illustrations and suggestions are provided.