Taylor J Boulware
Study and practice of good writing; topics derived from reading and discussing stories, poems, essays, and plays. Cannot be taken if student has already received a grade of 2.0 or higher in either ENGL 111, ENGL 121, or ENGL 131.
This class uses literature as the starting point to generate original lines of inquiry in order to develop academic writing skills. While critical engagement with the literature will be the foundation of the class, the objective of this course is to provide composition skills that can be transferred across disciplines. These strategies will help develop the content, structure and style of your writing in ways appropriate for different audiences.
Writing assignments will include four short papers and two longer papers with an emphasis on revision and reflection. The reading schedule, particularly in the first several weeks of the course, is demanding, as is the pace of the formal writing assignments. Students will also complete short, informal reading responses and a 10-minute rhetorical grammar group presentation. The primary novel for this course will be Margaret Atwood’s 1985 dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale. While all literature can be read for the ways in which it interrogates, reflects, and critiques society, dystopian fiction takes social critique as its primary motivation, and is thus rich with possibilities for exploring how fiction allows us to engage critically with the world around us. We will read The Handmaid’s Tale critically, with an eye towards how the dystopian genre functions as social and political critique.
Student learning goals
To demonstrate an awareness of the strategies that writers use in different writing contexts.
To read, analyze, and synthesize complex texts and incorporate multiple kinds of evidence purposefully in order to generate and support writing.
To produce complex, analytic, persuasive arguments that matter in academic contexts.
To develop flexible strategies for revising, editing, and proofreading writing.
General method of instruction
Discussion, with some lectures.
Class assignments and grading
30% Participation (attendance, engagement in class discussions, informal reading responses, presentation)
70% Final Portfolio (four revised papers and a 3-4 page reflective cover letter)