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College Writing Program Spring '08 Course Descriptions You may also consult http://www.american.edu/american/registrar/schedule.cfm.
LIT 101.001 MTH 8:30-9:45 College Writing Seminar Consider the closed door: The curious person is attracted to what’s behind it. Writers—ever curious—try to open closed doors, to discover the complexity behind them. A closed door might be the secrecy of a group that rejects outsiders, or it could be the lack of knowledge about an unappreciated issue or overlooked subculture. We will read the work of writers who have opened doors to explore such diverse topics as polygamists, economics, prison, weddings, and cadavers. In this class, you too will open doors with writing, exploring one topic in your research throughout the semester, through a variety of genres, to discover and reveal its intricacies. (Note: In this class, you’ll choose one major topic to research for the whole semester; individual papers will deal with subtopics of that major topic.) Texts may include: The Real Toy Story: Inside the Ruthless Battle for America’s Youngest
Consumers by Eric Clark
LIT 101.002 MTH 8:30-9:45 College Writing Seminar Why don’t people trust news anchors anymore like they used to trust Walter Cronkite? And, why is Reality TV so popular? What do people mean when they rant about “the media”? [And, is “media” singular or plural?] Depending on the context, the media seems to be both our best friend and our worst enemy—inspiring us and informing us but also sometimes twisting the truth. Are we influenced by values and “truths” presented in news, films, television, popular music, and advertising, or do these media outlets simply present us with what we already want and believe? How does the media really affect us, and what can we do about it? To explore these and other questions about the media’s role in the world today, we will draw upon interdisciplinary sources from the fields of communications, psychology, sociology, and others to examine media institutions and effects. Students will be required to critically read and write extensively. Writing assignments will include frequent and informal short reading responses as well as longer formal essays, including a final research project. Possible materials may include:
LIT 101.003 MTH 8:30-9:45 College Writing Seminar What’s the difference between a “normal” mind and one that behaves in a way that most of us don’t understand? What if “mental disorder” is really genius, creativity, or, as some cultures believe, a spiritual condition of the soul? Scientists have speculated that the likes of Dostoevski, Einstein and St. Theresa of Avila suffered from epilepsy or autism. How do we, in American culture, go about controlling, curing, and defining mental disorder? What can we learn from our attitudes towards the individuals living with disorders, and how we apply medical treatment? Focusing primarily on epilepsy and autism, we will examine the differently ordered mind and our cultural and medical approaches to it. We will investigate the writing of people with first-hand experience, as well as fictional renderings.
LIT 101.004 MTH 8:30-9:45 Food is a part of our everyday lives. In its most basic definition, it is fuel for the human body. But food is so much more than fuel: it defines cultures, creates compulsions, brings together lovers and divides families, destroys populations, runs economies, even establishes political affiliation. From pizza to bouef bourguignon, the raw food movement to Supersize revolution, this seminar will examine food (and food writing) in all its glory. Assignments may include writing profiles, analyses, and reviews, blogging, and—of course—a research project. As we will be discussing all parts of the pig, squeamish types need not apply. Texts may include:
LIT 101.006 TF 8:30-9:45 College Writing Seminar Writing about a place touches several subjects—food, events, history, art, music, sports, and people. The information conveyed about the place through writing must be factual, while entertaining to readers. In this seminar, we will explore methods of writing that educate and inspire audiences through visually-stimulating tales of landscapes, mishaps, and serendipitous moments. We will read a variety of forms of writing about places and getting to them. Assignments will include a researched analysis, annotated bibliography, and reading response papers. The writing we will do will explore our own surroundings and perhaps document places we’ve traveled—across our neighborhood or around the world. Texts may include:
LIT 101.007 TF 8:30-9:45 College Writing Seminar Though he built his tiny cabin within a thirty-minute walk from Concord Center, Henry David Thoreau stepped away from cultural norms when he left town “to live deliberately” at Walden Pond. The journals he kept there, records of his observations and reflections, became an archetypal American text and one of the world’s most widely translated works. Thoreau’s essay on “Civil Disobedience,” published two years after he left Walden, remains a definitive work on individual resistance to government. When does a person who heeds a “different drummer” become a bellwether for change? When does the personal journey become a road to resistance? In this course, we’ll explore these questions and discover how resistance is rhetorically framed in narratives, essays and letters. You’ll express your own individuality and rhetorical power, and perhaps even enact resistance, through the writing you’ll produce in fulfillment of course assignments. Texts may include:
LIT 101.008 TF 8:30-9:45 College Writing Seminar This course will explore the human drive to work. How do we balance the drive to “make a paycheck” and survive, with the drive for creative expression? What role do work and creativity play in our lives, in our concepts of self and others? We will examine these questions historically (e.g. How have views on work, especially in America, changed?); socio-politically (e.g., What is the influence of outsourcing jobs internationally, on American life?); culturally (e.g., How do various religious and other cultural groups view the meaning of work in our lives?); and personally (e.g., How do various authors view the role of work in their lives? How do you?). Finally, we will view questions of work through the lens of gender: do women and men view work differently? Do they have different approaches to work? While students will cover all of these topics, they will choose one area for further exploration through independent research. Possible texts below will be supplemented with excerpts from media sources and other texts. Possible texts: Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich
LIT 101.009 TF 8:30-9:45 College Writing Seminar Corporations and government entities gather ever increasing amounts of information about our interests, purchases, travels, and relationships. Public spaces dwell under private cameras. Does privacy exist? What for? How do the different ways in which privacy is imagined reveal certain values? Where does trust come into play? How do the concepts of anonymity, secrecy, transparency, and solitude relate to privacy? How do we, as readers, need and reject privacy? In this course we will examine privacy from several perspectives in order to assess where it is—and where it is going. This is a seminar-style course so our consideration of the specific subjects will be through written work and classroom discussion. Students will be expected to write short responses to all readings, a literary analysis of a text, a reflective essay, and a researched paper on a privacy-related subject of personal interest. Other writing options are possible.
Books for this course may include: Online readings may include:
LIT 101.010 TF 8:30-9:45 College Writing Seminar
LIT 101.011 MTH 9:55-11:10 College Writing Seminar Are you going to eat that? Children in [fill in the blank] are starving
. . . Our lives revolve around eating (or perhaps NOT eating). Clearly, we must eat to survive, but our relationship with food goes far beyond this necessity. As a nation, we are eating out more than ever—and getting fatter than ever. Turn on the television, and you can watch the Food Network. And what is “Friends” but the story of four New Yorkers who spend almost all of their time drinking and eating at the local coffeehouse? This course will explore some of the different roles food plays in our lives. Topics for readings, discussion, and writing may include regional foodways in the United States, food and ethnic/cultural identity, food and entertainment, the politics of food, the organic movement, body image and fast food in America, and eating in fairy tales and literature. Texts may include Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (nonfiction), Omnivore’s Dilemma (nonfiction), Food in the USA (anthology), Supersize Me (film), and Like Water for Chocolate (novel).
LIT 101.012 TF 9:55-11:10 College Writing Seminar Each election cycle Americans claim that education is a “very important” issue. Every year, however, we learn that schools—or worse yet, students—are failing. If voters say they care about our schools, then why don’t we see dramatic improvement? Certainly President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act has changed the way we talk and think about education, but has it moved us in the right direction? Has standardized testing raised expectations for all students? Have vouchers leveled the playing field for poor students? What about the status of school violence, character education, sex education, and rapidly disappearing physical education? How should we revive our flagging schools: change what students read, modify how teachers teach, or overhaul national educational policies? In this writing course, we will analyze how personal and social politics created our so-called “education recession” and what Democrats, Republicans, and moderates can do to improve our schools. We will read several texts, ranging from Children’s Literature to social commentary. This course will require a significant amount of work outside of class meeting times, as students will read and grade their peers’ work. Possible Texts:
LIT 101.013 TF 9:55-11:10 College Writing Seminar Why is popular music such a powerful force in our culture? What is it about this music that speaks to us individually, brings us together and moves us to action? What is collective consciousness, and how does it apply to popular the music, the people who perform it and the people who listen to it? In what myriad ways is this music used to make a difference in the world? And how do you fit into this picture? We’ll explore these questions and other through our readings, discussions and writing. DaCapo Best Music Writing 2007
LIT 101.014 TF 9:55-11:10 College Writing Seminar When Thoreau chose to go to jail rather than pay taxes to support slavery and war, he engaged in America’s first demonstration of nonviolent resistance. The repercussions of this radical act of conscience were felt in the next century, when Mahatma Gandhi called on millions of Indians to defy unjust laws and go to jail rather than submit to colonial rule; when Susan B. Anthony walked into a voting booth and got arrested just because she voted for President; and, when Martin Luther King, Jr. called for massive civil rights marches to protest segregation in America. But if every individual chooses which laws to obey and which ones to resist, isn’t chaos the inevitable result? During this seminar we will explore the lives and the language of individuals who made deliberate and frequently dangerous decisions to break the law in order to bring about political and social change. We will investigate these events through speeches, letters, essays, novels and films. Texts:
LIT 101.015 MTH 11:20-12:35 College Writing Seminar The wrapper of your Snickers bar or a new Britney Spears song – whether we’re thinking about what it will become (by recycling that wrapper) or giving it other meaning (by interpreting song lyrics), some “trash” can be significant. Likewise, some of what we consider “treasure” may not deserve its acclaim. Claes Oldenberg’s statue of an apple core might seem like trash to you, but someone has decided that it’s art. Especially in our fast-paced, increasingly connected world, certain kinds of “trash” have developed more value than we might expect, other “trash” remains in the dumpster, while some doesn’t change at all. Why? In this course, we will use the theme of trash to examine how and why value is established, and who has influence, in the worlds of art, film, television and, of course, writing. Who decides what has value and what doesn’t, from fads to more lasting status? And how do those influential deciders persuade the general public to agree? What purpose is served by enforcing these so-called standards? By the end of this course, you too must become a “decider” – by exercising critical thinking skills, you will develop the ability to craft an aesthetic – an ability to judge – of your own. By practicing the craft of writing, you will develop the ability to use rhetoric – to persuade, to convince, and to discover – to enter a larger conversation with other “deciders,” to convince others and to make deeper inquiries about your own values. Possible texts include:
LIT 101.016 MTH 11:20-12:35 College Writing Seminar What’s the difference between a “normal” mind and one that behaves in a way that most of us don’t understand? What if “mental disorder” is really genius, creativity, or, as some cultures believe, a spiritual condition of the soul? Scientists have speculated that the likes of Dostoevski, Einstein and St. Theresa of Avila suffered from epilepsy or autism. How do we, in American culture, go about controlling, curing, and defining mental disorder? What can we learn from our attitudes towards the individuals living with disorders, and how we apply medical treatment? Focusing primarily on epilepsy and autism, we will examine the differently ordered mind and our cultural and medical approaches to it. We will investigate the writing of people with first-hand experience, as well as fictional renderings.
LIT 101.017 MTH 11:20-12:35 College Writing Seminar
LIT 101.018 TF 11:20-12:35 College Writing Seminar Deceit is news. As a culture, we’re fascinated by liars and
cheaters: we may sneer and jeer, but we still tune in. When they publish
their memoirs, we read them. When they wipe a tear away and tell us
they’ve repented, we cheer for them; or sometimes we crucify them—beyond
reason, some might say. Whatever our reaction, big-time liars become
big-time celebrities, at least temporarily. The course will be taught in real-time— 35 hours straight. Bring nabs and a beverage. (He’s lying.) Texts I’ve used for this theme (and may use again) All the President’s Men
LIT 101.019 TF 11:20-12:35 College Writing Seminar
LIT 101.020 TF 11:20-12:35 College Writing Seminar LIT 101.021 M 12:45-2:00 College Writing Seminar We all know that animals (including us) adapt to new environments and evolve over time, but how do stories follow this same process? How does a Greek epic become an escaped-con film (starring George Clooney, no less)? How does a Victorian vampire change to meet the expectations of an audience 100 years after he was created? How does a classic film like Psycho get pulled from the 60s to the 90s – and what happens when it does? In this class we will examine adaptations, following certain stories through a variety of genres that include fiction, drama, screenplays and film. Major writing assignments will include creating an adaptation of your own, a close analysis of a text and one of its adaptations, and an investigation into the motivations behind and the effects of adaptations. There will be short writing assignments due nearly every class. Texts: Films (we will be watching most of these films outside of class; please
be prepared for this time commitment):
LIT 101.022 MTH 12:45-2:00 Food is a part of our everyday lives. In its most basic definition, it is fuel for the human body. But food is so much more than fuel: it defines cultures, creates compulsions, brings together lovers and divides families, destroys populations, runs economies, even establishes political affiliation. From pizza to bouef bourguignon, the raw food movement to Supersize revolution, this seminar will examine food (and food writing) in all its glory. Assignments may include writing profiles, analyses, and reviews, blogging, and—of course—a research project. As we will be discussing all parts of the pig, squeamish types need not apply. Texts may include:
LIT 101.023 MTH 12:45-2:00 College Writing Seminar
LIT 101.024 MTH 12:45-2:00 College Writing Seminar Do you log on to the Internet daily? Hourly? How often do you watch TV? When was the last time you read a newspaper or magazine? We crave information, whether about the latest developments in politics or the most recent celebrity breakup. The media cater to these desires with a constant stream of information in various formats with a myriad of angles. How does this barrage influence our perceptions about the world and ourselves? How do we begin to understand and sift through this information? In our exploration of the media we will be reflecting on the issues and rhetorical strategies surrounding the role of the media. We will also be examining our own experiences as information consumers. To gain this understanding we will be using a variety of texts, including books, newspapers, magazines, television, music, and the Internet. Writing assignments will include reading responses, a personal essay, a critical analysis, and an extended research piece. The goal of the course is to widen our conception of the role of the media in our own lives and culture.
LIT 101.025 TF 12:45-2:00 College Writing Seminar
LIT 101.026 TF 12:45-2:00 College Writing Seminar As Saigon fell in April 1975, President Gerald Ford offered an official valedictory for the era: “The Vietnam War [the Vietnamese call it, of course, the American War] is finished as far as America is concerned.” Well, maybe not. Consider the controversy stirred in August 2007 when President Bush invoked the lessons of Vietnam. Listen to how “Vietnam” is exploited in the rhetorical skirmishing about Iraq, all sides claiming the authority of precedent – and all sides, perhaps, counting on listeners and readers who know little beyond the slogans of conventional Vietnam wisdom and caricatures. In this course, we will survey both the substance and the architecture of that wisdom, gauging why and how so many Americans continue to mine the war for meaning, redemption, and political gain. We will, for example, monitor the echoes of Vietnam from the 2008 presidential campaign trail. Students will consider histories, personal narratives, fiction, poetry, memorials and memories as we work together to understand what Ronald Reagan called a “noble cause” and what George McGovern deemed the “greatest ... moral blunder” in American history. And we’ll write and research about what we come to understand. Readings may include: Karnow, Stanley, Vietnam: A History
LIT 101.027 TF 12:45-2:00 College Writing Seminar When Thoreau chose to go to jail rather than pay taxes to support slavery and war, he engaged in America’s first demonstration of nonviolent resistance. The repercussions of this radical act of conscience were felt in the next century, when Mahatma Gandhi called on millions of Indians to defy unjust laws and go to jail rather than submit to colonial rule; when Susan B. Anthony walked into a voting booth and got arrested just because she voted for President; and, when Martin Luther King, Jr. called for massive civil rights marches to protest segregation in America. But if every individual chooses which laws to obey and which ones to resist, isn’t chaos the inevitable result? During this seminar we will explore the lives and the language of individuals who made deliberate and frequently dangerous decisions to break the law in order to bring about political and social change. We will investigate these events through speeches, letters, essays, novels and films. Texts:
LIT 101.028 TF 12:45-2:00 College Writing Seminar Deceit is news. As a culture, we’re fascinated by liars and
cheaters: we may sneer and jeer, but we still tune in. When they publish
their memoirs, we read them. When they wipe a tear away and tell us
they’ve repented, we cheer for them; or sometimes we crucify them—beyond
reason, some might say. Whatever our reaction, big-time liars become
big-time celebrities, at least temporarily. The course will be taught in real-time— 35 hours straight. Bring nabs and a beverage. (He’s lying.) Texts I’ve used for this theme (and may use again) All the President’s Men
LIT 101.029 TF 12:45-2:00 College Writing Seminar Critic Darko Suvin describes science fiction (SF) as the literature of cognitive estrangement. That is, science fiction texts distance readers from the world they know by speculating about alternatives to it; readers in turn must think more intensely to make sense of this estrangement and to recognize the text’s ideas. In many ways, this model also applies to academic work, much of which is also highly speculative, makes us question our existing ideas, and demands close engagement to make meaning. Through intensive critical reading of both primary and secondary works, as well as academic writing and research projects, this course will explore the connections between SF and academic writing as endeavors of meaningful speculation. Along the way, we will also hopefully question some of the assumptions – our own and the larger culture’s – about both SF and academic work. Be prepared to challenge your preconceived notions and stretch your thinking skills through reading and writing as we explore the intersection of the imaginative and the academic. Required texts will include a combination of SF works (novels, stories, films) and scholarly works about SF and academic writing. Specific titles under consideration include: A current SF collection (e.g. The Year’s Best SF, etc.)
LIT 101.030 MTH 2:10-3:25 College Writing Seminar We all know that animals (including us) adapt to new environments and evolve over time, but how do stories follow this same process? How does a Greek epic become an escaped-con film (starring George Clooney, no less)? How does a Victorian vampire change to meet the expectations of an audience 100 years after he was created? How does a classic film like Psycho get pulled from the 60s to the 90s – and what happens when it does? In this class we will examine adaptations, following certain stories through a variety of genres that include fiction, drama, screenplays and film. Major writing assignments will include creating an adaptation of your own, a close analysis of a text and one of its adaptations, and an investigation into the motivations behind and the effects of adaptations. There will be short writing assignments due nearly every class. Texts: Films (we will be watching most of these films outside of class; please
be prepared for this time commitment):
LIT 101.031 MTH 2:10-3:35 College Writing Seminar September 11, 2001 triggered a series of events—among them a national debate about the balance between civil liberties and national security. But this discussion is not new; it extends far back into the early days of the United States. In this class, we’ll focus our attention on current issues—such as domestic surveillance, ethnic profiling, immigration, enemy combatants, and Guantanamo. But to put today’s issues into perspective, we’ll also explore such historical precedents as the U.S. internment of Japanese-American families during World War II and McCarthyism’s effect on the lives of ordinary Americans. We’ll look at how our Bill of Rights and a free press relate to these issues. And, throughout the semester, we’ll seek an answer to the important question: How best do we protect our homes, our nation, and our democracy? We’ll use a variety of sources—print and video, fiction and nonfiction—to look at the rhetoric of this debate. In addition to the texts listed below, we’ll read parts of The 9/11 Commission Report and other relevant government studies, news reports, and Supreme Court cases. Texts will include: When The Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka
LIT 101.032 MTH 2:10-3:25 College Writing Seminar The wrapper of your Snickers bar or a new Britney Spears song – whether
we’re thinking about what it will become (by recycling that wrapper)
or giving it other meaning (by interpreting song lyrics), some “trash” can
be significant. Likewise, some of what we consider “treasure” may
not deserve its acclaim. Claes Oldenberg’s statue of an apple
core By the end of this course, you too must become a “decider” – by exercising critical thinking skills, you will develop the ability to craft an aesthetic – an ability to judge – of your own. By practicing the craft of writing, you will develop the ability to use rhetoric – to persuade, to convince, and to discover – to enter a larger conversation with other “deciders,” to convince others and to make deeper inquiries about your own values. Possible texts include:
LIT 101.033 MTH 2:10-3:25 College Writing Seminar Consider the closed door: The curious person is attracted to what’s behind it. Writers—ever curious—try to open closed doors, to discover the complexity behind them. A closed door might be the secrecy of a group that rejects outsiders, or it could be the lack of knowledge about an unappreciated issue or overlooked subculture. We will read the work of writers who have opened doors to explore such diverse topics as polygamists, economics, prison, weddings, and cadavers. In this class, you too will open doors with writing, exploring one topic in your research throughout the semester, through a variety of genres, to discover and reveal its intricacies. (Note: In this class, you’ll choose one major topic to research for the whole semester; individual papers will deal with subtopics of that major topic.) Texts may include: The Real Toy Story: Inside the Ruthless Battle for America’s Youngest
Consumers, by Eric Clark
LIT 101.034 TF 2:10-3:25 College Writing Seminar
LIT 101.035 TF 2:10-3:25 College Writing Seminar Critic Darko Suvin describes science fiction (SF) as the literature of cognitive estrangement. That is, science fiction texts distance readers from the world they know by speculating about alternatives to it; readers in turn must think more intensely to make sense of this estrangement and to recognize the text’s ideas. In many ways, this model also applies to academic work, much of which is also highly speculative, makes us question our existing ideas, and demands close engagement to make meaning. Through intensive critical reading of both primary and secondary works, as well as academic writing and research projects, this course will explore the connections between SF and academic writing as endeavors of meaningful speculation. Along the way, we will also hopefully question some of the assumptions – our own and the larger culture’s – about both SF and academic work. Be prepared to challenge your preconceived notions and stretch your thinking skills through reading and writing as we explore the intersection of the imaginative and the academic. Required texts will include a combination of SF works (novels, stories, films) and scholarly works about SF and academic writing. Specific titles under consideration include: A current SF collection (e.g. The Year’s Best SF, etc.)
LIT 101.037 TF 2:10-3:25 College Writing Seminar Though he built his tiny cabin within a thirty-minute walk from Concord Center, Henry David Thoreau stepped away from cultural norms when he left town “to live deliberately” at Walden Pond. The journals he kept there, records of his observations and reflections, became an archetypal American text and one of the world’s most widely translated works. Thoreau’s essay on “Civil Disobedience,” published two years after he left Walden, remains a definitive work on individual resistance to government. When does a person who heeds a “different drummer” become a bellwether for change? When does the personal journey become a road to resistance? In this course, we’ll explore these questions and discover how resistance is rhetorically framed in narratives, essays and letters. You’ll express your own individuality and rhetorical power, and perhaps even enact resistance, through the writing you’ll produce in fulfillment of course assignments. Texts may include:
LIT 101.038 TF 2:10-3:25 College Writing Seminar
LIT 101.039 TF 2:10-3:25 College Writing Seminar Bald Britney Spears. McDonald’s lawsuits. Reality TV. These headlines inundate our media, but is the content they represent shallow and meaningless, or does it tell us something profound about our culture? Is “popular” synonymous with frivolous and meaningless? Why are we obsessed with tragic celebrity figures? In this class, we’ll examine events from popular culture with a critical eye, and we’ll attempt to reckon their meaning. We will question the “common knowledge” and analyze our own reactions to these cultural touchstones. You will analyze various pop culture trends and their wider implications in your own writing and engage in provocative research in order to enter the wider academic conversation. Reading for this course will range from cultural commentary to sociological research to online blogs and, finally, your own writing. Possible texts: Everything Bad is Good for You by Steven Johnson
LIT 101.040 TF 2:10-3:25 College Writing Seminar Each election cycle Americans claim that education is a “very important” issue. Every year, however, we learn that schools—or worse yet, students—are failing. If voters say they care about our schools, then why don’t we see dramatic improvement? Certainly President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act has changed the way we talk and think about education, but has it moved us in the right direction? Has standardized testing raised expectations for all students? Have vouchers leveled the playing field for poor students? What about the status of school violence, character education, sex education, and rapidly disappearing physical education? How should we revive our flagging schools: change what students read, modify how teachers teach, or overhaul national educational policies? In this writing course, we will analyze how personal and social politics created our so-called “education recession” and what Democrats, Republicans, and moderates can do to improve our schools. We will read several texts, ranging from Children’s Literature to social commentary. This course will require a significant amount of work outside of class meeting times, as students will read and grade their peers’ work. Possible Texts:
LIT 101.041 MTh 3:35-4:50 College Writing Seminar Food is a part of our everyday lives. In its most basic definition, it is fuel for the human body. But food is so much more than fuel: it defines cultures, creates compulsions, brings together lovers and divides families, destroys populations, runs economies, even establishes political affiliation. From pizza to bouef bourguignon, the raw food movement to Supersize revolution, this seminar will examine food (and food writing) in all its glory. Assignments may include writing profiles, analyses, and reviews, blogging, and—of course—a research project. As we will be discussing all parts of the pig, squeamish types need not apply. Texts may include:
LIT 101.042 MTH 3:35-4:50 College Writing Seminar Are you going to eat that? Children in [fill in the blank] are starving
. . . Our lives revolve around eating (or perhaps NOT eating). Clearly, we must eat to survive, but our relationship with food goes far beyond this necessity. As a nation, we are eating out more than ever—and getting fatter than ever. Turn on the television, and you can watch the Food Network. And what is “Friends” but the story of four New Yorkers who spend almost all of their time drinking and eating at the local coffeehouse? This course will explore some of the different roles food plays in our lives. Topics for readings, discussion, and writing may include regional foodways in the United States, food and ethnic/cultural identity, food and entertainment, the politics of food, the organic movement, body image and fast food in America, and eating in fairy tales and literature. Texts may include Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (nonfiction), Omnivore’s Dilemma (nonfiction), Food in the USA (anthology), Supersize Me (film), and Like Water for Chocolate (novel).
LIT 101.043 MTH 3:35-4:50 College Writing Seminar Why do we write at all? For some it is the struggle to differentiate and define ourselves, to say the one true thing about our tiny self on a planet of billions that compels us to write. For others it is the desire for social change, for righting political wrongs, for equalizing a playing field. Is one more important than the other? Is one more righteous or compelling? In this class we will examine and uncover the many different impulses that compel human beings to write. We will look at the repercussions of these writings within a particular environment, as well as understand and even practice the literary forms our authors use to express their agendas. We will also research the particular environment that surrounds these writers, and—in turn— realize the effects of their work on that environment. We will discuss, for instance, Mr. Haley’s role in formulating the “autobiography” of Malcolm X, and how this combined effort was received in the public. Most importantly, however, we will investigate and implement our own impulses for writing. What must we write? Why? How will we pull it off? We’ll practice excavating and manifesting the nagging urge to explain ourselves. We’ll watch how Whitman re-envisioned the human spirit and practice his very methods and specific form. We will commit ourselves to locating and implementing our own drive for writing, while at the same time learning to express that search through daily practice. Possible Texts Include:
LIT 101.044 MTH 3:35-4:50 College Writing Seminar Interested in studying abroad while at AU? Thinking about living or working overseas after graduation? Just trying to figure out where you want to go for spring break? Exploring our country or seeing the world has never been easier. By foot, car, train, or plane just about every corner of the world is accessible for those willing to make the effort. The question is, why do we travel? Is it to see new things? To have adventures? To experience other cultures? To try to make a difference? There are as many reasons to travel as there are destinations. At the turn of the nineteenth century, Mark Twain wrote that “twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bow lines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in yours sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” He meant this both literally and figuratively and the sentiment is as relevant today as it was back then. This course will explore the philosophy behind why we travel and what we hope to gain by leaving home. It will also help you learn how the skills used in travel writing—research, observation, attention to detail, storytelling, creativity—can help you improve your academic writing. Possible books may include: College Writing Seminar Are you happy? What does that even mean? Along with life and liberty, the pursuit of happiness is seen by most Americans as an unalienable right, but for many of us happiness remains elusive. We all want to be happy, but not all of us get there. Why? Part of the problem is the subjectivity of happiness. We have all seen people who should be happy because they have (fill in the blank: looks, brains, money, athleticism, a good family, a good job…) but are not, and we have seen people who seem content despite their circumstances. It seems happiness comes easier to some, and that wealth is not always the reason. Long before the Declaration of Independence, happiness was on the minds of thinkers, scholars, and self-help authors, but recently our interest in the subject has blossomed. Cognitive science is advancing at an incredible rate and revealing aspects of our emotional selves we once thought inscrutable. Economists conduct surveys that attempt to measure happiness and propose theories about the economic and social conditions that promote happiness. Positive Psychology is now talked about on “The Tonight Show” and “The Daily Show.” Happiness is hot. In this class we will ask questions about happiness and the implications of our pursuit of it. We will explore the topic from as many angles as we can over the course of the semester always asking ourselves: Why is happiness so important to us? Possible texts:
LIT 101.048 TF 3:35-4:50 College Writing Seminar LIT 101.049 TF 3:35-4:50 College Writing Seminar Deceit is news. As a culture, we’re fascinated by liars and
cheaters: we may sneer and jeer, but we still tune in. When they publish
their memoirs, we read them. When they wipe a tear away and tell us
they’ve repented, we cheer for them; or sometimes we crucify them—beyond
reason, some might say. Whatever our reaction, big-time liars become
big-time celebrities, at least temporarily. The course will be taught in real-time— 35 hours straight. Bring nabs and a beverage. (He’s lying.) Texts I’ve used for this theme (and may use again) All the President’s Men
LIT 101.050 TF 3:35-4:50 College Writing Seminar Corporations and government entities gather ever increasing amounts of information about our interests, purchases, travels, and relationships. Public spaces dwell under private cameras. Does privacy exist? What for? How do the different ways in which privacy is imagined reveal certain values? Where does trust come into play? How do the concepts of anonymity, secrecy, transparency, and solitude relate to privacy? How do we, as readers, need and reject privacy? In this course we will examine privacy from several perspectives in order to assess where it is—and where it is going. This is a seminar-style course so our consideration of the specific subjects will be through written work and classroom discussion. Students will be expected to write short responses to all readings, a literary analysis of a text, a reflective essay, and a researched paper on a privacy-related subject of personal interest. Other writing options are possible. Books for this course may include: Online readings may include:
LIT 101.051 TF 3:35-4:50 College Writing Seminar
LIT 101.053 TF 8:30-9:45 College Writing Seminar Critic Darko Suvin describes science fiction (SF) as the literature of cognitive estrangement. That is, science fiction texts distance readers from the world they know by speculating about alternatives to it; readers in turn must think more intensely to make sense of this estrangement and to recognize the text’s ideas. In many ways, this model also applies to academic work, much of which is also highly speculative, makes us question our existing ideas, and demands close engagement to make meaning. Through intensive critical reading of both primary and secondary works, as well as academic writing and research projects, this course will explore the connections between SF and academic writing as endeavors of meaningful speculation. Along the way, we will also hopefully question some of the assumptions – our own and the larger culture’s – about both SF and academic work. Be prepared to challenge your preconceived notions and stretch your thinking skills through reading and writing as we explore the intersection of the imaginative and the academic. Required texts will include a combination of SF works (novels, stories, films) and scholarly works about SF and academic writing. Specific titles under consideration include: A current SF collection (e.g. The Year’s Best SF, etc.)
LIT 103.001 TF 11:20-12:35 College Writing Seminar Why is popular music such a powerful force in our culture? What is it about this music that speaks to us individually, brings us together and moves us to action? What is collective consciousness, and how does it apply to popular the music, the people who perform it and the people who listen to it? In what myriad ways is this music used to make a difference in the world? And how do you fit into this picture? We’ll explore these questions and other through our readings, discussions and writing. DaCapo Best Music Writing 2007
LIT 131.002H MTH 9:55-11:10 Honors English II Consider the closed door: The curious person is attracted to what’s behind it. Writers—ever curious—try to open closed doors, to discover the complexity behind them, sometimes creating complexity in an apparently simple issue. A closed door might be the secrecy of a group that rejects outsiders, or it could be the lack of knowledge about an unappreciated issue or overlooked subculture. We will read the work of writers who have opened doors to explore such diverse topics as polygamists, economics, poverty, the mental-health-care system, and cadavers. In this class, you too will open doors with writing, exploring one topic in your research throughout the semester, through a variety of genres, to discover and reveal its intricacies. (Note: In this class, you’ll choose one major topic to research for the whole semester; individual papers will deal with subtopics of that major topic.) Texts may include
LIT 131.003H MTH 11:20-12:35 Honors English II When Thoreau chose to go to jail rather than pay taxes to support slavery
and war, he engaged in America’s first demonstration of nonviolent
resistance. The repercussions of this radical act of conscience were felt
in the next century, when Mahatma Gandhi called on millions of Indians to
defy unjust laws and go to jail rather than submit to colonial rule; when
Susan B. Anthony walked into a voting booth and got arrested just because
she voted for President; and, when Martin Luther King, Jr. called for massive
civil rights marches to protest segregation in America. But if every individual
chooses which laws to obey and which ones to resist, isn’t chaos the
inevitable result? During this seminar we will explore the lives and the
language of individuals who made deliberate and frequently dangerous decisions
to break the law in order to bring about political and social change. We
will investigate these events through speeches, letters, essays, Texts:
LIT 131.004H TF 12:45-2:00 Honors English II Each election cycle Americans claim that education is a “very important” issue. Every year, however, we learn that schools—or worse yet, students—are failing. If voters say they care about our schools, then why don’t we see dramatic improvement? Certainly President Bush’s No Child Left Behind Act has changed the way we talk and think about education, but has it moved us in the right direction? Has standardized testing raised expectations for all students? Have vouchers leveled the playing field for poor students? What about the status of school violence, character education, sex education, and rapidly disappearing physical education? How should we revive our flagging schools: change what students read, modify how teachers teach, or overhaul national educational policies? In this writing course, we will analyze how personal and social politics created our so-called “education recession” and what Democrats, Republicans, and moderates can do to improve our schools. We will read several texts, ranging from Children’s Literature to social commentary. This course will require a significant amount of work outside of class meeting times, as students will read and grade their peers’ work. Possible Texts:
LIT 131.005H TF 2:10-3:25 Honors English II Why is it that so many of the great artists—Vincent Van Gogh, Robert Schumann, Lord Byron, Virginia Woolf—have struggled with insanity? Is there a link between madness and creativity? Is it necessary to be “a little mad” to create works of art? Or does the artist create in spite of madness? Is one’s creativity enhanced or hampered by extremes of temperament? What price must the artist pay for his/her sensitivity? Where do we fall on the spectrum of madness and sanity? How do we even begin to define there terms? We’ll address these questions and others as we read memoirs of madness, theories of madness, and creative transformations, deepening our understanding of the artistic temperament and of the role madness may or may not play in the creative life of the artist. Guest speakers—a psychiatrist, a musician, and a visual artist—will share their perspectives with us. Girl Interrupted, Susanna Kaysen |
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