Use of "n" word in college assignment

There is an interesting article in today's edition of "The Ranger," the student newspaper at San Antonio College, which is a laboratory project of the journalism classes in the Department of Journalism-Photography. The article "Student Questions Use of Assigned Literature," deals with a student's reaction to a class reading assignment which contains the use of the "n" word in a literature assignment issued in her ENGL 1302, Freshman Composition 2, class.

The literature assignment is a short story by Flannery O'Connor entitled "A Good Man is Hard to Find," in which a character uses the "n" word in describing African-Americans.

The Ranger quotes English Chair Alexander Bernal as saying "context is everything," and "If you read the story, you will see that the character who utters that word is a perfectly reprehensible person."

The student, Crystal Price, 24, wonders why stories were not assigned that used racial slurs toward ethnic groups other than her own. A possible solution she recommends: A disclaimer at the beginning of the course so that ethnic students will know in advance if there are any readings that contain derogatory slurs.