If you got this assignment back, what would you do?
TrevorJ: It seems that the prof finds some value in the type of thinking that going back to pen-and-paper can help engender.I would comply with his wishes even if you don't see value in it. I've forced myself to work on paper even though I am a computer nut and I absolutely beleive it is a good habit to have. It engages a different part of your mind, and is very valuable even when you do go back to computer-based work.The best you can hope for when paying through the nose for college is that some prof you run into will have some subtle but deep insight that you couldn't, or wouldn't have stumbled on through self-directed learning. Those gems are rarely intuitive and never make sense on face value.  True, this guy may turn out to be just a kook, but to me, it seems worth humoring him because who knows, you may find out there is real value in it.