Rhetoric and Composition
Writing 2 Provides declarative knowledge about writing, with a special focus on writing from research, composing in multiple genres, and transferring knowledge about writing to new contexts. Prerequisite(s): College 1 and satisfaction of the Entry Level Writing; or College 80A, 80D, or 80F and satisfaction of the C1 requirement. Enrollment is restricted to frosh, sophomore and junior students. Enrollment limited to 25. (General Education Code(s): C.).
Writing 2 classes fill quickly. Students needing Writing 2 should enroll during their first-pass enrollment appointments.
Fall enrollments for all Writing Program courses close at 4pm, Friday, September 30.
Summer Options for Writing 2/Composition 2 Requirement
Fall 2022
11443
WRIT 2 - 01 What’s in the New Yorker This Week?
Class Days: M, W, F
Time: 1:20 PM-2:25 PM
Location: Hum & Soc Sci 250
Instructor: Margaret Amis
11442
WRIT 2 - 02
What’s in the New Yorker This Week?
Class Days: M, W, F
Time: 2:40 PM-3:45 PM
Location: Hum & Soc Sci 250
Instructor: Margaret Amis
11792
WRIT 2 - 03
Communicating about the Climate Crisis
Class Days: T, Th
Time: 8:00 AM-9:35 AM
Location: Soc Sci 1 145
Instructor: Derede Arthur
11947
WRIT 2 - 04
Communicating about the Climate Crisis
Class Days: T, Th
Time: 9:50 AM-11:25 AM
Location: Soc Sci 1 145
Instructor: Derede Arthur
11946
WRIT 2 - 05
Communicating about the Climate Crisis
Class Days: T, Th
Time: 1:30 PM-3:05 PM
Location: Hum & Soc Sci 250
Instructor: Derede Arthur
11945
WRIT 2 - 07
Empathy, Narrative and Social Change
Note: This is an online asynchronous course
Class Days: To be arrangedTime: To be arranged
Location: Online
Instructor: Michele Bigley11944
WRIT 2 - 08
Rhetoric and Inquiry
Class Days: T, Th
Time: 5:20 PM-6:55 PM
Location: Hum & Soc Sci 250
Instructor: Anthony Breakspear11943
WRIT 2 - 09
Rhetoric and Inquiry
Class Days: T, Th
Time: 7:10 PM-8:45 PM
Location: Hum & Soc Sci 250
Instructor: Anthony Breakspear11942
WRIT 2 - 10
The Future: Utopia or Dystopia?
Class Days: M, W, F
Time: 1:20 PM-2:25 PM
Location: Hum & Soc Sci 350
Instructor: Steven Coulter11941
WRIT 2 - 11
The Future: Utopia or Dystopia?
Class Days: M, W, F
Time: 4:00 PM-5:05 PM
Location: Hum & Soc Sci 350
Instructor: Steven Coulter11939
WRIT 2 - 13
#Trending: Exploring Viral Stories
Note: This is an online asynchronous course.
Class Days: To be arranged
Time: To be arranged
Location: Online
Instructor: Erica Halk11938
WRIT 2 - 14
#Trending: Exploring Viral Stories
Note: This is an online asynchronous course.
Class Days: To be arrangedTime: To be arranged
Location: Online
Instructor: Erica Halk11692
WRIT 2 - 15
Writing Across the Genres: Art and Activism
Note: This is a hybrid course. The first class (T) each week will be in person. The second class (Th) each week will be remote synchronous.Class Days: T, Th
Time: 9:50 AM-11:25 AM
Location: Kresge Acad 194
Instructor: Roxanne Hamilton
11934
WRIT 2 - 16
Writing Across the Genres: Art and Activism
Note: This is a hybrid course. The first class (T) each week will be in person. The second class (Th) each week will be remote synchronous.
Class Days: T, Th
Time: 1:30 PM-3:05 PM
Location: Porter Acad 249
Instructor: Roxanne Hamilton11937
WRIT 2 - 17
Writing as a Revolutionary Act
Note: This is an online asynchronous course.
Class Days: To be arranged
Time: To be arranged
Location: Online
Instructor: Maria Herrera Astua11936
WRIT 2 - 18
Writing as a Revolutionary Act
Note: This is an online asynchronous course.
Class Days: To be arranged
Time: To be arranged
Location: Online
Instructor: Maria Herrera Astua11935
WRIT 2 - 19
Writing as a Revolutionary Act
Note: This is an online asynchronous course.
Class Days: To be arranged
Time: To be arranged
Location: Online
Instructor: Maria Herrera Astua11693
WRIT 2 - 20
Contemporary Narratives of Health, Fitness, and Well Being
Note: This is an online asynchronous course.
Class Days: To be arranged
Time: To be arranged
Location: OnlineInstructor: Robin King
11791
WRIT 2 - 21
Writing with Agility
Note: This is an online asynchronous course.
Class Days: To be arranged
Time: To be arranged
Location: Online
Instructor: Taylor Kirsch11933
WRIT 2 - 22
Writing with Agility
Note: This is an online asynchronous course.
Class Days: To be arranged
Time: To be arranged
Location: Online
Instructor: Taylor Kirsch11906
WRIT 2 - 23
Note: This is an online asynchronous course.
Class Days: To be arranged
Time: To be arranged
Location: Online
Instructor: Madeline Lane11932
WRIT 2 - 24
Note: This is an online asynchronous course.
Class Days: To be arranged
Time: To be arranged
Location: Online
Instructor: Madeline Lane11931
WRIT 2 - 25
Note: This is an online asynchronous course.
Class Days: To be arranged
Time: To be arranged
Location: Online
Instructor: Madeline Lane11929
WRIT 2 - 27
Class Days: M, W, F
Time: 9:20 AM-10:25 AM
Location: Hum & Soc Sci 250
Instructor: Brij Lunine11928
WRIT 2 - 28
The Story
Class Days: M, W, F
Time: 12:00 PM-1:05 PM
Location: Hum & Soc Sci 250
Instructor: Brij Lunine11694
WRIT 2 - 29
Passion Projects: Exploring our Interests through Research & Writing
Class Days: T, ThTime: 8:00 AM-9:35 AM
Location: Soc Sci 2 159
Instructor: Sarah Michals
11927
WRIT 2 - 30
Passion Projects: Exploring our Interests through Research & Writing
Class Days: T, Th
Time: 9:50 AM-11:25 AM
Location: Soc Sci 2 159
Instructor: Sarah Michals
11926
WRIT 2 - 31
Writing and Listening in a Changing World
Class Days: T, Th
Time: 1:30 PM-3:05 PM
Location: Hum & Soc Sci 350
Instructor: Ellen Newberry11925
WRIT 2 - 32
Writing and Listening in a Changing World
Class Days: T, Th
Time: 5:20 PM-6:55 PM
Location: Hum & Soc Sci 350
Instructor: Ellen Newberry11924
WRIT 2 - 33
Developing your Superpowers: Writing for Action
Note: This is an online asynchronous course.
Class Days: To be arranged
Time: To be arranged
Location: Online
Instructor: Bettina Osborne11923
WRIT 2 - 34
Developing your Superpowers: Writing for Action
Note: This is an online asynchronous course.Class Days: To be arranged
Time: To be arranged
Location: Online
Instructor: Bettina Osborne
11922
WRIT 2 - 35
Language & the Environment: Writing Our Relationship with the Natural World
Note:
Class Days: M, W, F
Time: 8:00 AM-9:05 AM
Location: Hum & Soc Sci 350
Instructor: Katherine Ross
11695
WRIT 2 - 37
Retrowave: Rhetorics of the Futurepast
Class Days: M, W, F
Time: 1:20 PM-2:25 PM
Location: Soc Sci 1 145
Instructor: Kristin Roybal11920
WRIT 2 - 38
Retrowave: Rhetorics of the FuturepastNote:
Class Days: M, W, F
Time: 2:40 PM-3:45 PM
Location: Soc Sci 1 145
Instructor: Kristin Roybal11918
WRIT 2 - 40
#StraightOutOfATelenovela: Studying Rhetoric through Jane the Virgin
Note: This is an online asynchronous course.
Class Days: To be arranged
Time: To be arranged
Location: Online
Instructor: Lisa Schilz11917
WRIT 2 - 41
#StraightOutOfATelenovela: Studying Rhetoric through Jane the Virgin
Note: This is an online asynchronous course.
Class Days: To be arranged
Time: To be arranged
Location: Online
Instructor: Lisa Schilz11696
WRIT 2 - 42
Choose your own research adventure
Note: This is an online asynchronous course.
Class Days: To be arranged
Time: To be arranged
Location: Online
Instructor: Heather Shearer11697
WRIT 2 - 43
Choose your own research adventure
Note: This is an online asynchronous course.
Class Days: To be arranged
Time: To be arranged
Location: Online
Instructor: Heather Shearer
11698
WRIT 2 - 44
Are We Having Fun Yet?: The Rhetoric of Leisure
Note: This is a hybrid course. The first class (M) each week will be in person. The second class (W) and third class (F) each week will be remote asynchronous, no set meeting time.
Class Days: M
Time: 8:00 AM-9:05 AM
Location: Kresge Acad 194
Instructor: Denise Silva11916
WRIT 2 - 45
Are We Having Fun Yet?: The Rhetoric of Leisure
Note: This is a hybrid course. The first class (M) each week will be in person. The second class (W) and third class (F) each week will be remote asynchronous, no set meeting time.
Class Days: M
Time: 9:20 AM - 10:20 AM
Location: Kresge Acad 194
Instructor: Denise Silva11915
WRIT 2 - 46
Climate Change, Biodiversity, and the Environment
Note: This is an online asynchronous course.Class Days: To be arranged
Time: To be arranged
Location: Online
Instructor: Terry Terhaar
11914
WRIT 2 - 47
Climate Change, Biodiversity, and the Environment
Note: This is an online asynchronous course.Class Days: To be arranged
Time: To be arranged
Location: Online
Instructor: Terry Terhaar
11913
WRIT 2 - 48
Climate Change, Biodiversity, and the Environment
Note: This is an online asynchronous course.
Class Days: To be arranged
Time: To be arranged
Location: Online
Instructor: Terry Terhaar
11912
WRIT 2 - 49
Class Days: T, Th
Time: 9:50 AM - 11:25 AM
Location: Steven Acad 151
Instructor: Amy Vidali
11911
WRIT 2 - 50
Mindfulness of the Creative Experience
Note: This is an online asynchronous course.
Class Days: To be arranged
Time: To be arranged
Location: Online
Instructor: Tiffany Wong
11910
WRIT 2 - 51
Mindfulness of the Creative Experience
Note: This is an online asynchronous course.
Class Days: To be arranged
Time: To be arranged
Location: Online
Instructor: Tiffany Wong
11909
WRIT 2 - 52
Mindfulness of the Creative Experience
Note: This is an online asynchronous course.
Class Days: To be arranged
Time: To be arranged
Location: Online
Instructor: Tiffany Wong
Empathy, Narrative and Social Change
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What’s in the New Yorker This Week? What makes writing interesting? We'll read & write in response to The New Yorker magazine--one of the oldest American magazines currently publishing, and noted for its reporting, commentary, cover art, and cartoons. In 2016, The New Yorker magazine won the first Pulitzers given to any magazine: one to Emily Nussbaum for television criticism, one for Feature Writing ( Kathryn Schulz "The Really Big One"), another for UCSC Alum William Finnegan's biography Barbarian Days. In 2018, Ronan Farrow won for his reporting on Harvey Weinstein. In 2020, artist Barry Blitt won for Editorial Cartooning, and Colson Whitehead's "The Nickel Boys", winner in the Fiction category, was excerpted in the magazine. How did they get so good? We'll employ the classic tools of rhetoric, analysis, and research to find out. Readings will include The New Yorker, They Say, I Say 4th edition, and Web Literacy for Student Fact Checkers (a free, online textbook). Students will write regularly, revise often, and frequently work with peers. You can see the current issue at www.newyorker.com. |
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In this course, students will learn how to write for public audiences. Together, we'll think deeply about the needs of general readers, and how they differ from those of academic and other professional communities. Since non-specialized audiences tend to get their information from media outlets, we'll focus our analysis on the reporting and rhetorical strategies journalists use to present complex ideas. Students will research, report, write, rewrite, and self-publish one inquiry-driven piece of journalism on a topic of their choosing. Through class discussions and assignments, students will develop their ability to engage, inform, and persuade readers in an ethical manner. |
This course will explore the meanings and practices of human rights in both global and local contexts. The academic field of human rights is an interdisciplinary one, spanning history, economics, international relations, law, philosophy, literature, and cultural studies (among others), and its chief concerns resemble those of academic writing and discourse: How do we—as humans, as writers—equitably and sensitively participate in a larger community? And how do we do so in a way that respects difference and limits harm? We will engage with a variety of texts that speak to the difficulty of answering such questions, and your intellectual growth throughout the term will stem from your engagement with these texts. In addition to developing an in-depth knowledge of key theories and issues surrounding human rights, you will achieve proficiency with a diverse array of writing techniques, strategies, and genres. |
Climate Change, Biodiversity, and the Environment
In this course, students will explore a major ecological problem: global climate change and the loss of biodiversity on planet Earth. Students choose a major research topic, then follow the same process as a scientist or policy analyst reviewing the current state of knowledge on a scientific or environmental problem. The class will emphasize the development of research-level information literacy skills across disciplines, and assignments will navigate the process of writing up research. Although the class emphasizes reading, understanding, and writing up scientific research, non-science students will find the class helpful for writing up research in any discipline.
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The theme of this course is writing: it’s what we’ll talk about: it’s what we’ll read about; it’s what we’ll write about. This may mean debating why so much academic research isn’t freely available, why Wikipedia might be okay after all, and/or when to give up pre-writing strategies that aren’t helping you.
I’ll be working on the class over the summer, but here’s what you can count on:
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This iteration of Writing 2 examines communication forms defined by concision. We'll tweet and tell anecdotes, analyze film clips and compose abstracts. We'll close read short stories and craft emoji tales. |
Choose your own research adventure (online asynchronous) Our work in this course will be motivated by several concepts that are fundamental to understanding how to write effectively: analysis, genre, audience, and style. By studying these concepts, you will gain conceptual knowledge about writing that will help you to become a more confident and informed writer. Major course projects will be interconnected and invite you to sustain inquiry on a research question of your choosing (instructor approval of research question is required).
This section of Writing 2 is online (asynchronous), and so there are no regular class meetings with the instructor/whole class. You will, however, be placed in a writing group with other enrolled students, and you will collaborate on a small number of homework assignments with members of your group. You'll also receive support for your individual writing projects from group members. Your instructor will be available during office hours for consultations on any and all assigned work.
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Developing your Superpowers: Writing for Action The pen is mightier than the sword. Now prove it! Let’s examine, explore, practice, and play with the skill, the art, and the power of writing in order to take action to improve the state of our world. Through an inquiry-based approach into how writers of various genres have helped effect change, we will explore the power of key rhetorical concepts. We will then develop our skills, as writers, learners, and leaders, by compiling a writer’s notebook in which we analyze writing strategies, articles, and discussions. Finally, you will design your own battle of the pen by producing an annotated bibliography which will lead to a well-developed research paper to fight a struggle of your choice. Note: this is an online course, which means you will need a functional device(s) and stable internet access; the class will be primarily asynchronous with several optional zoom meetings. |
When I graduated from college and started working, I found that an undergraduate curricula that focuses only on academic writing did not truly prepare me for jobs in industries other than academia. This course is about addressing different rhetorical needs through writing, while pushing the students to dive into their career interests. You will build upon your pre-existing communication skills and knowledge, developing your ability to write effectively across a wide variety of contexts. You will have the freedom to choose a job industry that will be at the core of each writing assignment, and you will collaborate with your classmates while sharpening your own writing. Together, we will study and put into action key rhetorical concepts including audience, genre, rhetorical situation, and purpose. Course readings will be drawn from a variety of academic and non-academic sources, including non-textual. Writing assignments will emphasize research, critical thinking, real-life skills, and the reflective writing process. Ultimately there is no one right way to write because different situations call for different kinds of writing. This course will help you develop a set of tools to tackle college-level writing assignments as well as specific rhetorical situations found in jobs across a multitude of industries. Because of the focus on practicing your skills, in this class you will be reading and writing on daily basis. Note: In Spring 2022, this class will be offered in a hybrid format. This means that Mondays will be in-person on campus, while Wednesdays & Fridays will be on Zoom. To make the most of this format, cameras will be expected to be on during our remote meetings. |
In this course, we investigate and make sense out of a variety of complex issues in science, including tracking current news from issues of Science and Nature magazines and other current science writing. We engage in understanding and communicating research in science and engineering, including communicating in different genres for a variety of audiences and purposes. We engage rhetorical principles in our writing of persuasive arguments on topics affecting science and society. As in every Writing 2 course, students in this class write several substantive essays, including a research project (literature review) and an argument based on researched sources. Emphasis is on clear written communication of complex scientific inquiry. |
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How do we arrive at decisions about what we value, as individuals and as a society? This course examines different ways of arriving at conclusions about what’s valuable. We will explore how different authors have expressed their personal experiences, their views about the world, and what they consider valuable. These writings occur in different forms of inquiry: in personal reflection, academic papers, and fiction. This course prepares students to write across the disciplines. Students can expect to learn about all steps of the writing process—planning, drafting, revising and editing, to read interesting selections, and to participate in engaging discussions. We will write a personal reflection, analyze texts of various genres, and write an investigative essay based on student research. |
Do you rotfl when your professor says something nsfw? Tl;dr: This course examines writing and genre as they pertain to our age of new media. We will be interested in discerning how communication has changed in the digital age, including what types of messages emerge through internet platforms like social media or text messaging, and how conventional notions of academic writing may be informed or challenged by these new methods of communication. We’ll also cover topics such as the ideology of genre, digital writing and memory, and remediation. We will read both scholarly articles and imaginative writing from the likes of Marshall McLuhan, Harryette Mullen, N. Katherine Hayles, and Alexander Galloway. Through careful reading, discussion, and written practice, students will develop an increased awareness of how different media shape the information we consume. Students will parley a series of shorter written assignments into a longer research project about digital writing. |
Utopia or Dystopia? ‘Black Mirror’, Technology, and Writing about the Future. “I like technology, but 'Black Mirror' is more [about] what the consequences are and it doesn't tend to be about technology itself: it tends to be how we use or misuse it. We've not really thought through the consequences of it.” -‘Black Mirror’ creator Charlie Brooker Technology permeates so many aspects of our daily lives (our homes, our workplace, our bodies, etc) that it is difficult to imagine an area that remains untouched by it. But what impact does our use and reliance on technology have on modern society? What effect does it have on our own psyche and well-being? What does it say about our tendencies (both good and bad) as humans? Charlie Brooker’s anthology series ‘Black Mirror’ often depicts a troubled future where technological advances bring out the ugly side of humanity, yet sometimes it demonstrates that hope and love can overcome some difficult obstacles. Using several episodes of ‘Black Mirror’ (as well as key writings from a variety of genres) as objects of analysis and inquiry, this writing course will reflect deeply on the questions raised by our reliance on technology and the consequences that may have for the future of humanity. In this course, students will continue to build their academic writing skills by focusing specifically on writing in multiple contexts, for disparate audiences, and with distinct rhetorical purposes; as the mastery of these concepts will help students write more effectively and persuasively throughout their respective academic disciplines and beyond. Through several assignments (rhetorical analysis, reflection papers, annotated bibliography, research paper, and a final multimodal project), students will pursue more in-depth research proficiency and writing agility. Finally, in this course, we will think profoundly about a variety of technology-related themes and question whether we consider these advances for the detriment or betterment of humanity. |
Retrowave: Rhetorics of the Futurepast
From Stranger Things to vaporwave memes, Retrowave is a movement that crystalizes and reinterprets the nostalgic aesthetics and sounds of the 1980s for contemporary times. We’ll explore the revival of the neon 80s and other rebirths of classic aesthetic time periods as a lens through which to examine the nuances of multimodal communication, noting and analyzing the subtext residing at the intersection of eras colliding and being reimagined. What is nostalgia to you—commodity, curiosity, trend? Are pop culture eras repeating themselves at a faster rate? How do we spot the differences between original artifacts and replicants?
This course will be in person and contain three major writing projects focusing on research, critique, comparison, and your own authorial voice; and involves lively in-class discussions and activities so be prepared to participate. We will explore a variety of genres and media types centered on Retrowave and other Retrofuturistic imaginings largely sourced from 20th century Western media, though some discussion of global movements will be touched upon and are welcome and encouraged in student work. Through close observation and comparison, we’ll practice writing in a way that integrates these defined eras with ourselves and explores our connection to the futurepast. |
The Art of Living through Writing
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, […] and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”—Henry David Thoreau
We routinely train for a sport, for endurance, for the realization of long term goals, but we rarely train for life...yet how much more difficult and important is life? The single question of “how to live” is one of the oldest questions preoccupying some of the greatest thinkers around the world from the beginning of writing. This course engages the philosophical writings of both classical western thinkers (Montaigne and Epictetus) and non–western texts (the Tao Te Ching) to explore the connections between writing and living purposefully. In addition to learning from these classics something about the art of living, we’ll also learn how writing is tied to self-knowledge, exploration, and conversations with others. This course is writing intensive and engages the full writing process from experimental, informal, reflective writing to research and revision. |
This course is about addressing different needs through writing. You will build upon your pre-existing communication skills and knowledge, honing your ability to write effectively across a wide variety of contexts and disciplines. Students have the freedom to choose a job industry that will be at the core of each writing assignment. You will work with your classmates as part of sharpening your own writing. Together, we will study and put into action key rhetorical concepts including audience, genre, rhetorical situation, disciplinary discourse, and purpose. Course readings will be drawn from a variety of academic and non-academic sources, including non-textual. Writing assignments will emphasize research, critical thinking, real-life skills, and the reflective writing process. Ultimately there is no one right way to write, because different situations call for different kinds of writing. This course will help you build a set of tools to tackle college level writing assignments as well as specific rhetorical situations found in jobs across a multitude of industries. |
As we use language, language uses us; we use it and are used by it. Language is not simply a tool we put to work, but a living, dynamic, sometimes violent, sometimes world-building force that both precedes and exceeds, shapes and undermines, our communicative and expressive desires and intentions as writers. In this course, we will explore the theoretical, political, ethical, and – most importantly – the practical implications of understanding writing as a form of play. We will adopt – experimentally, openly, and uncertainly – playful approaches in our practices of reading and writing, in order to produce work that interrogates, challenges, resists, refuses, and/or transforms established habits, patterns, and rules. The course is designed to encourage, rather than penalize, risk-taking in your writing. Students will conduct a staggered, quarter-long self-directed research project, alongside a range of writing activities and textual experiments. We will read, watch, listen to, and write about works across a wide range of genres, forms, and media, and students will have the opportunity to influence what we focus on as the quarter unfolds. Through practical and theoretical explorations of writing as play, this course aims to challenge your understanding of what writing can do, while cultivating a stronger sense what you can do as writers within and beyond academia. |
Language & the Environment: Writing Our Relationship with the Natural World
In a world where the environmental consequences of human actions are increasingly visible, what responsibilities do we have toward each other and the non-human world? This course will begin by examining the relationship between language, place, and the environment. We will explore different ways of understanding nature and humanity’s relationship to it and consider the implications of these understandings for conservation and environmental sustainability. This course will ask you to examine the writing you engage with and in, as students, citizens, consumers, and members of different communities. You will be introduced to rhetorical concepts through reading and analyzing texts from a variety of perspectives and genres, including popular and scholarly sources. In addition, you will explore an environmental topic of your choosing and develop a research question to drive a more focused investigation. You will compose and revise several written assignments related to this topic, including a major research paper, and gain experience writing for different audiences in multiple genres. Through reading, class discussion, and composition, you will improve your understanding of the writing process and the rhetorical choices writers make and develop strategies you can bring to future writing tasks within and beyond the university. |
Writing as Play |
(Un)original Writing takes seriously the value of playfully approaching all writing as influenced by, indebted to, and collaborating with the elements of its rhetorical situation (author, genre, audience, purpose, context). No writing exists in isolation, no writer a lone master, no content divisible from the world of its production or the world of its reader. In place of novelty, (Un)original writing practices strategies for curiosity and creativity with focus on both conceptual and practical knowledge about writing. In this course, you will read and write across different modes, forms, and mediums. Assignments will ask you to participate in in-class discussions and writing activities; complete asynchronous Writing Prompts from creative and critical offerings; and design and execute a Capstone Project around a self-selected topic. Through emphasis on the workshop model and reflection, you will develop a writerly habit of mind and leave the course prepared to write for situations in and outside of the academy. |
Fun, Food and Fantasy: Contemporary Narratives of Health and Well Being |