Next Semester Courses

DEPARTMENT OF WRITING
The Department of Writing offers a comprehensive curriculum designed to foster clarity and creativity in expression through courses in first-year composition, creative writing, and advanced expository writing. The Department offers a major with concentrations in creative writing, nonfiction writing, feature writing, and professional writing. The major, which blends practice and theory, prepares students for graduate study, professional positions, and careers in writing.

Students declaring a major must contact the Department’s Major Advising Coordinator, Dr. Mary Beth O’Connor (moconnor@ithaca.edu). Majors are given preference in course registration.

The Department also offers a 21-credit minor. Students interested in declaring a minor should contact the Department’s Minor Coordinator, Dr. David Flanagan (flanagan@ithaca.edu).

The Department operates the Writing Center (Smiddy Hall 107), which offers individual and small group tutorials on a referred or self-selected basis to students needing assistance in any stage of the writing process.

The Department also sponsors Stillwater, a magazine of poetry, prose, photography, and art and an annual spring Writing Contest open to all Ithaca College students.

WRTG 10600-all sections ACADEMIC WRITING I LA HU 3a
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18 per section
PREREQUISITES: None.
STUDENTS: Available only to freshmen, sophomores, and transfer students. Students cannot get credit for this class and WRTG 10800 or an Ithaca Seminar taught by Writing Department faculty.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This introductory, freshman-level course teaches students how to read perceptively and write coherently in college courses. Students learn to comprehend, critique, and respond to college readings by writing analytical essays ranging from single-source papers to evaluations of the claims and evidence in a number of readings. Typical assignments include single-source critiques and multiple-source syntheses. The course emphasizes thoughtful and responsible use of sources.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, discussion, workshop.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Six to eight hours of reading and writing per week and additional Center tutoring as needed. Specific requirements vary by section. Grades are A-F.

WRTG 11100-all sections ACADEMIC WRITING II LA HU 3a
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18 per section
PREREQUISITES: Any level-1 composition course from WRTG 10600 through WRTG 16500 or an Ithaca Seminar taught by Writing Department faculty.
STUDENTS: Available only to freshmen, sophomores, and transfer students. May satisfy departmental and school requirements for a second level-1 writing course.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Refines and advances writing and reasoning abilities taught in Academic Writing I. Focus is on complex synthesis of material from diverse sources to analyze and evaluate significant issues. Students study library research methods and complete an independent research project.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, discussion, workshop.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Six to eight hours of reading and writing per week. Specific requirements vary by section. Grades are A-F.

WRTG 16500-01, 02 INTRODUCTION TO THE ESSAY LA HU
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18 per section
PREREQUISITES: None.
STUDENTS: First-Year and transfer Writing majors only.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: To provide majors a historical sense of the complex genre of the essay and to allow them to practice some of the types of essays, as well as to hone their critical skills by analyzing the essays of others. Also, to enrich students’ knowledge of ways to conduct research and to use sources thoughtfully and responsibly.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture and discussion.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Specific requirements vary by section. Grades are A-F.

WRTG 17500-all sections INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING LA FA 3a
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18 per section
PREREQUISITES: Any level-1 composition from WRTG 10600 through WRTG 16500 or an Ithaca Seminar taught by Writing Department faculty. Not open to students who have previously received credit for WRTG 23600 or WRTG 23800.
STUDENTS: Required for all Writing majors, strongly recommended for Writing Minors. Open to non-majors. Recommended for students who have completed the 100-level writing requirement and plan to take Fiction I or Poetry I.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Elements and techniques of writing fiction and poetry introduced through instruction, analysis of models, experimentation, and practice. Fiction-writing techniques include developing character and plot, using dialogue, creating scenes, learning narrative structure, and acquiring narrative voice. Poetry-writing techniques include traditional poetic forms, poetic imagery, and descriptive and figurative language.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, discussion, workshop.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Six to eight hours of reading and writing per week. Specific requirements vary by section. Grades are A-F.

WRTG 20100-all sections ARGUMENT LA HU 3a
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18 per section
PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing or above; any level-1 composition course from WRTG 10600 through WRTG 16500 or an Ithaca Seminar taught by Writing Department faculty.
STUDENTS: Required for Writing majors and minors. Open to non-majors. Of particular interest to pre-law and journalism students and students who wish to prepare for graduate work in the humanities.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Prepares students to write convincing arguments by learning logical strategies for presenting and defending ideas. Introduces a variety of forms that arguments can take, emphasizing the traditional essay. Particularly recommended for students who wish to strengthen their ability to present their point of view persuasively, intelligently, and ethically.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, discussion, workshop.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Specific requirements vary by section. Grades are A-F.

WRTG 20500-all sections PERSONAL ESSAY LA HU 3a
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18 per section
PREREQUISITES: Any level-1 composition course from WRTG 10600 through WRTG 16500 or an Ithaca Seminar taught by Writing Department faculty.
STUDENTS: Required for Writing majors and minors. Open to non-majors.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Personal Essay is a course in writing essays based on analysis of students' experience, ideas, and feelings. Writing essays based on analysis of students' experiences, ideas, and feelings. Emphasis is placed on narrative, descriptive, and organizational techniques, as well as development of style. Readings are intended to deepen students' understanding of their own lives and provide models for creative interpretations of their own experience.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, discussion, workshop.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Specific requirements vary by section. Grades are A-F.

WRTG 21100-all sections WRITING FOR THE WORKPLACE LA HU
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18 per section
PREREQUISITE: Sophomore standing or above ; any 100-level writing course from WRTG 10600 through WRTG 16500 or an Ithaca Seminar taught by Writing Department faculty.
STUDENTS: Required for Writing majors with a professional/technical concentration. Recommended for all Writing majors, minors, and students from other disciplines who anticipate leading professional lives requiring on-the-job writing.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Basic on-the-job writing necessary to join, manage, and promote any organization, whether profit or nonprofit. Focus is primarily on short forms: résumés, memos, business letters, summaries, brochures, newsletters, press releases, informal proposals, and reports. Course also explores how various social, economic, and ethical issues affect workplace writing.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, discussion, workshop.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Specific requirements vary by section. Grades are A-F.

WRTG 22500-01,02 GRAMMAR AND USAGE LA HU
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18 per section
PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing or above; any level-1 composition course from WRTG 10600 through WRTG 16500 or an Ithaca Seminar taught by Writing Department faculty.
STUDENTS: Writing majors and minors, English majors, modern language majors, teacher education students, and students in other disciplines who desire a greater command of English grammar and usage.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Intensive study of the patterns of English grammar and their influence on sentence structure, punctuation, and usage. Daily exercises in contemporary usage and writing assignments prepare students for refining their own academic prose and for editing the work of others.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, discussion.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Daily written exercises at the sentence and paragraph level. Quizzes and exams. Grades are A-F.

WRTG 23200-01 WRITING NONFICTION LA HU
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18
PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing or above; either WRTG 20100 or WRTG 20500.
STUDENTS: Sophomores, juniors, and seniors.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Introduction to writing research-based creative nonfiction. Readings are intended to demonstrate the breadth of the genre. Emphasis is placed on literary technique, ethics, and research.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, discussion, workshop.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Specific requirements to be announced. Grades are A-F.

WRTG 23600-all sections FICTION WRITING I: SHORT STORY LA FA 3a
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18 per section
PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing or above; either WRTG 17500 or WRTG 20500.
STUDENTS: Sophomores, juniors, and seniors.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Workshop in writing fiction, emphasizing plot, characterization, dialogue, description, narration, mood, tone, and viewpoint. Analysis of both professional and student writing. A final portfolio of revised work is required.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture discussion, workshop.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Specific requirements vary by section. Grades are A-F.

WRTG 23800-01,02 POETRY WRITING I LA FA 3a
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18 per section
PREREQUISITES: Sophomore standing or above; either WRTG 17500 or WRTG 20500.
STUDENTS: Sophomores, juniors, and seniors.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Workshop in writing poetry, in which students develop poetic strategies and practice a range of poetic forms and modes. Analysis of published models (both historical and contemporary) and student writing. A final portfolio of revised work is required.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, discussion, workshop.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Specific requirements vary by section. Grades are A-F.

WRTG 30100-01, AUTOBIOGRAPHY LA FA 3a
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18
PREREQUISITES: Junior standing or above; WRTG-20500 or WRTG-23600
STUDENTS: Juniors or seniors who have met prerequisites.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: In this advanced course in personal writing, students will tell the stories of their own lives. Writing autobiography well requires an understanding of the interactions of memory, imagery, and form in this genre. Discussion will be in workshop format, with students providing detailed feedback and editorial suggestions for each other; this will require that students read work in progress to the class. We will also read published autobiographies and autobiographical essays, and discuss form, language, imagery and ways of discovering significance in the events of an ordinary life as well as of conveying that significance to the reader in an innovative and creative manner.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Informal workshop.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Autobiographies are generally at least 50 pages in length, often longer.
Grades are A-F.

WRTG 30500-01 WRITING SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY LA FA
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18
PREREQUISITES: Junior standing or above; either WRTG 20500 or WRTG 23600.
STUDENTS: Junior and seniors.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Advanced creative writing course in science fiction and fantasy that emphasizes the importance of character and thematic development. Assignments also focus on the selection of subject, setting, and narrative techniques. Readings in contemporary science fiction and fantasy serve as models for approaches to these two genres.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, discussion, workshop.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Specific requirements to be announced. Grades are A-F.

WRTG 31000-01 WOMEN AND WRITING LA FA 3a
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18
PREREQUISITES: Junior standing or above; any one of the following: WRTG 20500, WRTG 23600, or WRTG 23800.
STUDENTS: Juniors and seniors.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This is a creative writing course for students interested in exploring women’s experience through different literary forms, including personal essay, journals, fiction, poetry, memoir, and creative non-fiction. Students read the works of selected writers and produce their own work on assigned topics. Course examines issues of particular interest to women as well as images of women that have been historically assumed in western culture.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, discussion, workshop.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Specific requirements to be announced. Grades are A-F.

WRTG 31400-01, SCIENCE WRITING LA HU
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18
PREREQUISITES: Junior standing or above. Any one of the following: WRTG 20100 or WRTG 21300 and two courses in the natural sciences; or any level-1 composition course from WRTG 10600 through WRTG 16500 and three courses (at least one above level 1) in the health and natural sciences.
STUDENTS: Juniors and seniors.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Advanced expository course on journalistic and literary scientific writing. Students learn to communicate specific facts and theories to professional and sophisticated lay readers through description, analogy, narrative, and argument. Some discussion of the technical and scholarly conventions of formal scientific writing. Class readings include major humanistic essays from the history of science and articles and features from contemporary popular and scientific publications.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, discussion, and workshop.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Specific requirements to be announced. Grades are A-F.

WRTG 31700-01 PROPOSAL AND GRANT WRITING NLA
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18
PREREQUISITES: Junior standing or above or permission of instructor; any one of the following: WRTG 20100, WRTG 21100, or WRTG 21300.
STUDENTS: This course: 1) caps the department’s professional writing curriculum for its own majors and minors; 2) provides a unique writing forum for non-majors interested in producing long documents for corporations, government agencies, and non-profits; 3) creates possible opportunities for service learning within the larger Ithaca community; 4) offers IC staff and other adult students an important and marketable professional skill.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Advanced workplace writing concentrating on proposals and grants. Students address problems in the local community while studying the interplay among business, education, government, and nonprofits. Attentive to civic responsibility in the marketplace, this course teaches research and assessment, project management, editing, and document design. Group work emphasizes social networks and service learning.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, discussion, workshop, service-learning project teams.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: All readings and written assignments, regular attendance, and in-class/out-of-class participation. Grades are A-F.

WRTG 31800-01 WRITING FROM CULTURAL EXPERIENCE LA HU 3a
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18
PREREQUISITES: Junior standing or above; either WRTG 20100 or WRTG 20500.
STUDENTS: Appropriate for any students who recognize their life experience as distinct by virtue of their nationality, race, religion, region, gender, sexual preference, or culture.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Advanced essay course in which students explore the significance of their own ethnic and cultural identity, background, and experience. Writing assignments encourage students to employ a variety of essay styles and structures—from personal to public and from narrative to analytical.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, discussion, workshop.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Specific requirements to be announced. Grades are A-F.

WRTG 32000-01 PUBLIC ESSAY LA HU 3a
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18
PREREQUISITES: Junior standing or above; either WRTG 20100 or WRTG 20500.
STUDENTS: Juniors and seniors.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: A public essay is a vehicle for making sense of the world, for offering commentary about it that deepens the reader's understanding and awareness of our condition. This advanced expository course provides students the occasion to write reflective literary essays on topics of public interest and significance. Students bring their own values, perspectives, insights, and voice to bear on matters of community concern.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, discussion, workshop.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Specific requirements to be announced. Grades are A-F.

WRTG 33100-01 FEATURE WRITING LA HU
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18
PREREQUISITES: Junior standing or above; either WRTG 20100 or WRTG 20500.
STUDENTS: Juniors and seniors.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This is course for students interested in the art and craft of journalistic writing. It will introduce students to the practical and literary skills necessary to write interesting, informative articles for print or online media platforms. Students will select real-life story assignments through which they’ll develop interviewing, note-taking, and research skills. They’ll also be tasked with finding an audience—i.e. a publication—for which to tailor their stories and they’ll be expected to slant their writing style to suit the needs and conventions of a target publication. Artistic as well as practical, Feature Writing is a foundation course for any writing majors or minors interested in taking Magazine Writing.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, discussion, workshop.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Several articles, assorted readings, consistent attendance, active participation, and a serious work ethic. Grades are A-F.

WRTG 33400-01 HUMOROUS WRITING LA FA
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18
PREREQUISITES: Junior standing or above; either WRTG 20500 or WRTG 23600.
STUDENTS: Those who take their humor like their coffee, strong and black.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This section of Humorous Writing focuses on satire, from Ancient Rome to the present. We will study satire’s origins and development, experiment with its different forms and techniques (such as monologue, parody, caricature, and irony), define its strengths and limitations, and debate its ethical, political, and philosophical significance.
COURSE FORMAT AND STYLE: Lecture, discussion, workshop.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Readings from classic and contemporary satires and some critical essays. Intensive practice in humorous writing through 13 short exercises (inspired by class readings and discussion) and a final creative portfolio. Students also will write a 5-page research paper on a major satirical work not studied in class. Participation in class discussion and presentation essential. Grades are A-F.

WRTG 33600-01 FICTION WRITING II LA FA
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18
PREREQUISITES: Junior standing or above; WRTG 23600.
STUDENTS: Juniors and seniors.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: An advanced workshop for students with a serious commitment to writing fiction. Builds on the work begun in WRTG 23600. Emphasis on reading, writing, and revising literary short fiction.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, discussion, workshop.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Close reading of contemporary fiction, craft annotations, and two full-length short stories. Grades are A-F.

WRTG-33800-01, POETRY II, LA FA
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18
PREREQUISITES: WRTG-23800; junior standing or above.
STUDENTS: Junior standing or above. For students with a serious commitment to the art of writing poetry.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course continues and develops work begun in WRTG-23800. Intensive reading of good poetry and essays on craft will inform the creation of new poems in free verse and form.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, discussion, workshop.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Each student’s frequent writing will culminate in a portfolio of 20-25 pages of polished poetry. Steady attendance and class participation is expected. Grades are A-F.

WRTG-34000-01, MAGAZINE WRITING LA HU
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18
PREREQUISITES: WRTG-33100 or JOUR-11100; junior standing or above.
STUDENTS: Juniors and seniors who wish to write works of literary journalism/literary reportage.
Of interest to Writing majors and minors, Communication students, English majors, Sociology majors, Anthropology majors, etc.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: To provide students a practical and theoretical education in becoming nonfiction writers capable of reporting and writing long-form, magazine-style feature stories suitable for a variety of publications, ranging from glossy magazines to small-press literary magazines. Students will analyze different types of magazines, examine magazines based on their identity and editorial slant, discuss reportage techniques and apply them to their own work, write a variety of feature stories, and practice querying editors. Interviewing, Reportage, Nonfiction Writing skills will be emphasized.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lectures, discussions, workshops, interviews, magazine and article analyses. Active participation required.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Regular attendance and class participation; reporting and interviewing and researching done outside of class; several original nonfiction reportorial essays/stories both in short forms (750-1,000 words) and long forms (1,000+ words); reflective writer’s statements; query letters; in-class workshops; written analyses of chosen magazines; and a heavy amount of assigned readings. Grades are A-F.

WRTG 34100-01 Travel Writing
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18
PREREQUISITES: WRTG 20100, 20500, or 23200; junior standing
STUDENTS: Juniors and seniors studying away from the Ithaca College Campus
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Combination of analysis of issues related to travel writing and writing within the genre. Exploration of goals, audiences, and forms of travel writing. Course taught online; available only to students away from the Ithaca campus. Students are requested to discuss travel locations with professor prior to registration.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Online
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Several travel pieces; online forum discussions with other students; peer workshopping; a travel blog; presentations. Grades are A-F.

WRTG 34200-01 WRITING ABOUT SPORTS LA HU
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18
PREREQUISITES: Junior standing or above; either WRTG 20100 or WRTG 20500.
STUDENTS: Juniors and seniors; sports enthusiasts who care about articulating their responses in writing.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: To evaluate what constitutes good sports writing; to expose students to a variety of purposes and perspectives in writing about sports; to encourage writing that enhances our appreciation of the sports scene.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Group discussions of readings and sporting events, the latter to be viewed both on TV and in person.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Portfolio of 25 pages of polished prose composed during the semester, including an 8-10 page feature paper requiring substantial research. Grading based on final submitted portfolio. Grades are A-F.

WRTG 34500-01 WRITING AS A CRITIC LA HU
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 18
PREREQUISITES: Junior standing or above; either WRTG 20100 or WRTG 20500; any two courses beyond level 1 in art, art history, literature, theater, music, dance, photography, television-radio, video or film.
STUDENTS: Juniors and seniors in the humanities (especially the arts), and in music, film, photography, and television-radio.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The purpose of this course is to learn the essentials of writing arts reviews and criticism for newspapers, magazines, and trade journals—both print and online. Subjects for review include film, theatre, music, dance, performance media, literature, painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography, television, radio, video, games and digital media.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, discussion.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Writing: Students write weekly reviews, as well as one book report, an arts essay, and an essay analyzing a critic’s style; the workload totals 40-55 pages. Students are encouraged, but not required, to publish their work in campus and area publications. The course involves extensive writing, as journalistic critics, who face constant deadlines, need skill in writing frequently and relatively quickly. Readings: various essays on the nature and function of criticism – numerous reviews, both current and historical. Also required: Attendance at particular area arts events (plays, films, shows) as appropriate for the chosen assignment. Grades are A-F.

WRTG 36500-01 POETICS LA HU
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 15
PREREQUISITES: Junior standing or above; either WRTG 23600 or WRTG 23800; any other writing course above level 1.
STUDENTS: For Writing majors and minors; other students seriously committed to understanding theories inherent in their own creative writing endeavors may enroll by permission of instructor.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Introduction to Western theories of creative writing as a means of investigating the relationships between writer, text, and world. Addresses cultural/political, psychological, philosophical, and aesthetic concerns. Students analyze their own creative work and process in the context of these theories.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Seminar.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS & GRADING: Specific requirements to be announced. Grades are A-F.

WRTG 41500-01,02 SENIOR SEMINAR LA
3 credits
ENROLLMENT: 12 per section
PREREQUISITES: Senior standing; permission of the instructor; and 2 writing courses beyond level 1, at least one of which must be at level 3. Other specific prerequisites to be determined by the subject of the seminar. May be repeated for credit so long as focus of seminar varies. At least one seminar is required of all Writing majors.

SECTION 01: The Art of Time
STUDENTS: Writing majors; other seniors with appropriate qualifications may be considered.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: All stories, real or imagined, are stories of time passing. But rarely is a purely linear timeline the most effective way to tell a story. A story can capture time, moment by moment, but it can also compress it or extend it; it can flash back or zoom forward; it can walk backward; it can skip; it can circle the block until it finds a parking space; it can haunt; it can expect; it can forget. In this seminar, we will focus on this often unsung narrative technique—the magic trick of time management—as we survey memoirs, novels, novellas, and short stories that present a wide range of narrative structures. Our goal is to understand the technical possibilities of temporal control so that we may practice them skillfully in our own narratives
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, student-led presentations of readings, discussion.

SECTION 02: Writing For Social Change in (and Before) the Age of New Media
STUDENTS: Writing majors; other seniors with appropriate qualifications may be considered.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course examines the rhetoric of social movements with a focus on the various roles played in them by writing and writers (novelists, poets, essayists, political writers, bloggers, etc.). In particular, we will examine continuities and discontinuities between the literature of social protest and/or writing for change in years prior to and after the emergence of new/social media. In light of movements such as the Battle for Seattle (WTO Archives) and related international events, the Arab Spring, and Occupy Wall Street, it is increasingly clear that heretofore lowly, relatively voiceless, powerless, and/or isolated individual actors, working in concert with one another and via large assemblages of people via new media, have tremendous, if potential, power at their finger tips. The course includes 1) readings in rhetorical theory pertaining to writing within social movements and critical theory concerning the structure and nature of social protest; 2) readings in narrative and poetic theory regarding the role of story-telling and poetry in fostering social change; and 3) readings drawn from theory and commentary on the social and political effects of digital technology and new/social media. Students will keep a “filter blog,” half of their writing requirement for the course, in which they discuss course readings, link to various and myriad social movement sites, and reflect on their own writing and political identit(ies). A section of this blog will be dedicated to writing either within a contemporary social movement of their own choosing or about such a movement, in the case that they do not, presently wish to align themselves. This writing can take any form—including argument, personal narrative, poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction—and will constitute the other half of their writing requirement.
COURSE FORMAT/STYLE: Lecture, student-led presentations of readings, discussion.