ACADEMIC ENGLISH: Stereotyping in writing

Be particularly alert to stereotyping in academic contexts. Academic firestorms have raged over generalizations about women’s aptitude for science and math, about racial differences in IQ, and about social class-based differences in language. Resist writing sentences about “What they want . . .” or “How they behave . . . ,” which tend to signal stereotypes about nationalities or ethnicities. Resist, too, the impulse to introduce humor or sarcasm into discussions of gender, race, or class.