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WRIT 101:01
Hard Times and Our Times (4 cr)
MWF 8:00-9:05 a.m.
(Lamoreaux, D.) ADMIN 211B
Note: Service Learning Component
Students must also register for CRIT 117:02
A linked seminar with CRIT 117:02, this course will provide an in-depth study of "hard times" from Dickens’ England, through the rural American South of the thirties, to the barrios of L.A. and the ghettoes of New York City of today. The readings, both in fiction and nonfiction, and class discussions will provide students with materials for inquiry papers, reflective essays and analytical pieces; a variety of writing skills will be practiced which should serve students throughout their college experience. Community service required.
WRIT 101:02
Law and Justice (4 cr)
MWF 8:00-9:05am
(Dwyer-Shick, S.) XAVR 250
This seminar examines the concepts of "Law" and "Justice" within the Anglo-American experience, but with an eye for developing a comparative perspective, too. A range of multidisciplinary texts-from fiction to non-fiction, theater to television, newspapers to court opinions, and more-provide us with several opportunities to explore the nature of law and legal process in an attempt to understand what is "just" within a contemporary American social, cultural, and political context. Assignments in reading, writing, observing, and speaking will support a variety of discourse styles and voices, for example, descriptive, analytical, narrative, persuasive, objective, and collaborative.
WRIT 101:03
Seeing: A survival Guide to the 21 st Century (4 cr)
MWF 9:15-10:20am
(Miranda, D.) ADMIN 211A
How much of what we know about ourselves and our culture is "true?" How can we tell and whose truth is it, anyway? J.G. Ballard says, "We live in a world ruled by fictions of every kind-mass merchandising, advertising, politics conducted as a branch of advertising, the instant translation of science and technology into popular imagery, the increasing blurring and intermingling of identities within the realm of consumer goods, the preempting of any free or original imaginative response to experience by the television screen. We live inside an enormous novel. For the writer in particular it is less and less necessary for him to invent the fictional content of his novel. The fiction is already there. The writer’s task is to invent reality." This course introduces you to the learned skill of critical thinking in the 21 st century. We will "read" the texts of ordinary images, icons and photographs to discuss crucial cultural perspectives on difference, gender and race. Course materials will take you from traditional books, to the Internet, television and video, comics, cartoons, National Geographic, and beyond. You will learn the basic tools of research, persuasive writing, and both individual and group investigation; but most of all, you will learn to see.
WRIT 101:04
Fathers and Sons (4 cr)
MWF 9:15-10:20am
(Campbell, T.) ADMIN 211B
A semester in which we’ll think, talk and, above all, write about one of the most significant human relationships. In journals, letters, autobiographical narratives, descriptive essays and critical analyses, we’ll explore the dynamics of fathers and sons and related issues of masculinity and gender construction. Readings from short stories, scientific articles, memoirs and the texts of our popular culture (TV, ads, movies, etc.).
WRIT 101:05
Four By Shakespeare (4 cr)
MWF 9:15-10:20am
(Martin, D.) ADMIN 206
This writing course challenges students to respond to four of Shakespeare’s best and most widely loved plays, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Hamlet, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Writing topics will emerge from reading the plays, holding class conversation, and watching selected scenes from the most recent film treatments. The workshop format allows student writers to experience and benefit from the public presentation and critique of their work. This course will require very active participation by all students.
WRIT 101:06
Dreams (4 cr)
MWF 11:15-12:20pm
(Seal, D.) ADMIN 211A
Why is part of us awake when the rest of us is asleep? Why does the "me: in the dream do things the waking me "wouldn’t dream of" doing? And why do we do this for two hours every full night of sleep, but promptly forget it within seconds of waking up? This class will explore what dreaming is and begin to work with strategies for interpreting dreams. But it will also introduce students to the importance of images in writing, and how images can work below the levels of conscious awareness to move us to action and fantasy, to reverie and poetry. We will write exposition and analysis about dreams, we will write narrative with dream-like images, and we will write poems based on dreams.
WRIT 101:07
Victoria’s Secret: The Victorian Underworld (4 cr)
TR 1:45-3:30pm
(Robinson, S.) ADMIN 211A
While the Victorian period is often regarded as a time of earnestness and prudery, it was a also a time that saw a marked increase in crime and an accompanying explosion in sensational journalistic and fictional accounts of crime. Through examination of a range of literary works, newspaper accounts and other texts, this course will explore the dark side of the 19 th century. Texts will include, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," Sherlock Holmes stories, newspaper accounts of Jack the Ripper and other notorious criminals, early studies in criminology, and historical accounts of the rise of the modern police force. We will concentrate on forms of expository writing (writing that explains.)
WRIT 101:08
Seeing: A Survival Guide to the 21 st Century (4 cr)
MWF 11:15am-12:20pm
(Miranda, D.) ADMIN 211B
How much of what we know about ourselves and our culture is "true?" How can we tell and whose truth is it, anyway? J.G. Ballard says, "We live in a world ruled by fictions of every kind-mass merchandising, advertising, politics conducted as a branch of advertising, the instant translation of science and technology into popular imagery, the increasing blurring and intermingling of identities within the realm of consumer goods, the preempting of any free or original imaginative response to experience by the television screen. We live inside an enormous novel. For the writer in particular it is less and less necessary for him to invent the fictional content of his novel. The fiction is already there. The writer’s task is to invent reality." This course introduces you to the learned skill of critical thinking in the 21 st century. We will "read" the texts of ordinary images, icons and photographs to discuss crucial cultural perspectives on difference, gender and race. Course materials will take you from traditional books, to the Internet, television and video, comics, cartoons, National Geographic, and beyond. You will learn the basic tools of research, persuasive writing, and both individual and group investigation; but most of all, you will learn to see.
WRIT 101:09
Healing, Medicine, Body and Soul (4 cr)
MWF 12:30-1:35pm
(Nelson, E.) ADMIN 211A
This course is primarily about writing, but it focuses on an intriguing question leading back into the past and into nearly every facet of culture: What does it mean to "heal?" We will pursue healing through a history of medical, psychological, and religious approaches concerning the interconnection of physical, mental, psychological and spiritual health. Students will look back to see how these aspects have intersected over time to influence contemporary attitudes and assumptions, and look ahead to speculate on where we may be headed.
WRIT 101:10
College for Beginners (4 cr)
MW 1:45-3:30pm
(Grieshaber, K.) MBRC 202
This course offers you a brief overview on ways to get off to a good start in college-learning to set study goals, writing papers, reading for a purpose and preparing for exams. You will also learn strategies for coping with stressful situations, and recognizing and resolving conflicts between professors; instructional styles and your own learning style. Other aspects will include relating to supportive friends, balancing personal and academic goals successfully, and making your education exciting. This class will help you manage your time appropriately for both friends and studies. Collaborative group work and writing projects are featured.
WRIT 101:11
Turning Points in History (4 cr)
TR 9:55-11:40am
(Temple-Thurston, P.) ADMIN 211B
The theme of this course will be decisive moments in human history. Focal points of conflict, whether military, intellectual or ideological, will provide the content for student inquiry, from Salamis to Waterloo, from Socrates to Galileo. We will examine and write about events that saved democracy or human freedom and/or advanced human understanding. Different perspectives on such events and issues will be discussed and written about to further students’ capacity for humanistic academic discourse.
WRIT 101:12
Turning Points in History (4 cr)
TR 3:40-5:25pm
(Temple-Thurston, P.) ADMIN 211A
The theme of this course will be decisive moments in human history. Focal points of conflict, whether military, intellectual or ideological, will provide the content for student inquiry, from Salamis to Waterloo, from Socrates to Galileo. We will examine and write about events that saved democracy or human freedom and/or advanced human understanding. Different perspectives on such events and issues will be discussed and written about to further students’ capacity for humanistic academic discourse.
WRIT 101:13
Rewriting Violence
MWF 11:15am-12:20pm
(Carlton, S.) SOTH 114
No course description submitted.
WRIT 101:14
Topic - To Be Announced
MWF 08:00am-09:05pm
(Staff) ADMIN 208
No course description submitted.
WRIT 101:15
Hoaxes, Delusions and Theft: Re-imaging Authorship (4 cr)
MWF 12:30-1:35pm
(Kaufman, R.) SOTH 114
In 1995, Binjamin Wilkomirski’s Fragments: Memories of a Wartime Childhood, a chronicle of his experiences as a Jewish child in two Nazi concentration camps, was published and met with great acclaim. Soon after, documents came to light showing that Wilkomirski was born to non-Jewish parents in Switzerland and lived a relatively peaceful existence during the war. In 1998, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Rigoberta Menchu was accused of doctoring up her autobiography, of exaggerating the suffering she experienced as a Guatemalan Indian. In recent news, historians Doris Kearns Goodwin and Stephen Ambrose have been accused of plagiarizing parts of their popular and well-received histories. Martin Luther King, George Harrison, David Letterman, Eddie Murphy - all have been involved in charges of intellectual property violations. In this writing seminar, we’ll consider cases of hoaxes, delusions, and thefts that have (possibly) occurred in fiction, autobiography, anthropology, music, history, television, and our own lives. What does it mean to own ideas? What does it mean to our own stories, words, and knowledge? How and why have we come to think of writing and experience as property? Through reading, writing, and talking, we’ll consider these issues of authorship, trying to determine-for ourselves, if not for the whole class-who can tell what, who can write what, and how.
WRIT 101:16
Addressing the New World (4 cr)
MW 1:45-3:30pm
(Lovelace, E.) RAMS 207
The Americas are often referred to as "The New World." It is a New World brought into being by conquests and domination of native peoples, by enforced immigration and enslavement of Africans, and indenture of whites and Asians. Yet the "New World" idea connotes the promise of a better, more dignified and fruitful life for all people. Of this "New World," Wilson Harris, the Caribbean novelist, in his novel "Palace of the Peacock," says, "None of us belong yet."
WRIT 101:17
Confronting Moral Dilemma (4 cr)
MWF 12:30-1:35pm
(Allard-Nelson, S.) - HARS 109
We would all like to believe that there are clean, comprehensive, and "correct" solutions to every moral dilemma. Yet, as we sit in front of our televisions or computers and observe domestic and international events unfold in real time, we are confronted by a messy, complex moral world. We are asked to make choices and perform actions, sometimes within minutes of a particular event, which can bring us face to face with an apparent "no win scenario." We become aware of conflicting alliances, confused priorities, inconsistent notions of duty, tension between the individual and the community, and questions of acceptable risk. Yet, if we are to avoid becoming either hopelessly indecisive or entirely indifferent, we must be capable of deliberation, choice, and informed action. In this course, we will critically examine instances of moral dilemma in literature, philosophy, history, and current world events. Through reading, writing, and discussion, we will explore some of the issues and events that challenge our ethical approaches and theories, and we will attempt to identify the points at which these theories provide adequate guidance and those at which they fall short. We will identify and examine the moral aspects of real human decisions and actions, both to better understand the complexity of such decisions and to critically evaluate them. We will flesh out our assumptions, consider the implications of our beliefs and opinions, learn to effectively articulate our positions, and attempt to both agree and disagree in a fair and charitable manner. Our goal will not be to establish a single "correct" approach to moral dilemma, but to understand, analyze, and challenge our existing beliefs and perspectives.
WRIT 101:18
The Problem of Slavery in American Life (4 cr)
MWF 11:15am-12:20pm
(Manning, C.) - ADMIN 216
What did it mean for a new nation, the United States, to found itself on ideals of liberty and equality while early one out of every five Americans lived as a slave? By considering a variety of sources, from slave narratives to fiction to historical books and articles to political papers to opinion pieces, this course will examine the complicated problem of slavery as a political issue, as an economic factor, as the foundation of a unique social structure, and as a lived institution for millions of black Americans. We will use various written formats, including response papers, reviews, analytical essays, imaginative role-play pieces, and position papers, to explore and refine our own ideas about what slavery meant for black and white Americans in the past, and what its legacy continues to mean for the nation today.
WRIT 101:19
The Story of Love: Loss or Happiness? (4 cr)
TR 1:45-3:30pm
(Bell, R.) ADMIN 211B
No course description submitted.
WRIT 101:20
The Story of Love: Loss or Happiness? (4 cr)
TR 3:40-5:25pm
(Bell, R.) ADMIN 211B
No course description submitted.
WRIT 101:21
Writing for Communication (4cr)
TR 9:55am-11:40am
(Lisosky, J.) INGR 115B
No course description submitted.
... < Who & Where < Inquiry Seminars < Writing Seminars > Contents > Welcome > ...
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