Reasoning &
Writing in the College: CAS 105
Spring 2001
Writing
About English Lanuage and Literature
The Marks and Signatures of
and Between Character, Roles, and Person
Instructor: Martin Boyden, Department of English
MW 6:15 - 7:30 CRN 12002
Have you ever worried about someone in a book, a movie, or on a T.V.
program as you've cared for someone in "real life"? The character,
that thing of writing many audiences respond to as a living being, is
arguably one of the greatest feats accomplished by language. For example,
a written script (and, of course, a few other production techniques) may
take the body and voice of an actor like Kelsey Grammer and give existence
to Frasier Crane on NBC, MacBeth in a recent Broadway run, or even Sideshow
Bob from Fox's The Simpsons (the latter appropriating only Grammer's
voice, the actor's body being unneccessary in a cartoon). Even more interesting
are those characters who dwell solely in print, the words set on page
mentally evoking "beings of language" readers often relate to
and claim to know as they would relate or claim to know living people.
Character of course isn't word strictly bound to books, stages, and screens.
In the recent Presidential election, all sorts of speculations were made
pertaining to the character the voting public desires in its national
leader, as well as what that desire may say about the general character
of Americans (that is, if there can be said to be a general character
common to all Americans). On what may be called the other side of the
coin, politicians, parents, reporters, and educators have voiced concern
over the developing character of American's younger generations to the
degree that many educational institutions are beginning to see character
education as one their chief responsibilities.
As we develop and exercise
our reasoning and writing skills, this section will try to see the lines
connecting and dividing the preceding two senses of character. Reading,
viewing, and listening widely over a range of stories, articles, movies,
television programs, stages, and song, we will be constantly discussing
and arguing, in writing and in the classroom, positions striving to answer
questions such as the following: What must a writer write so that a character
may come alive? Do characters reflect what people are or do characters
instruct people how to be? Is there anywhere besides relation to the world
of the living in which characters may thrive?
Humor: A Multidisciplinary
Approach
Instructor: Ann Robinson, Department of English
MW 6:15 - 7:30 CRN 12017
"Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank piece of paper until
drops of blood form on your forehead." - Gene Fowler (1890-1960)
Learning how to write well is an admittedly long and arduous process,
requiring determination and practice, practice, practice. As we develop
the skills which will prove invaluable to you as you complete (successfully,
of course) your academic career, we will explore the phenomenon of humor
from the perspectives of disciplines as various as anthropology, literature,
medicine, and sociology. From Chaucer to Freud to Life in Hell, we'll
examine the many functions of humor in our lives. How do we define humor?
Why do humans laugh? Is humor universal? Timeless? What role does language
play? Culture? What triggers us to recognize humor? What is the role of
humor in communication? In community? While we learn to read closely and
critically and write clearly and effectively, we will examine humor as
a social phenomenon, exploring the historical and cultural constructs
that govern our use and understanding of humor. Using humor as our vehicle,
this course will focus on recognizing and developing an argument, organizing
writing effectively, identifying writing for a specific audience, and
developing an academic voice. You will emerge from this course a more
competent and more confident writer. After all, writing is easy.
The Evolution of the Written
Word
Instructor: John Sutton, Department of English
TR 12:30 - 1:45 CRN 12051
Click here for course
syllabus
"Ye knowe ek that in forme
of speche is chaunge
Withinne a thousand yeer, and wordes tho
That hadden pris, now wonder nyce and straunge
Us thinkethhem, and yet thei spake hem so."
Essentially, what Chaucer
is saying in this quote from Troilus and Criseyde is that language is
always changing. The English language has undergone a fascinating evolution
over the past fifteen centuries, and by examining how the language has
developed during that time we can gain a deeper understanding of our own
writing.
In this course you will investigate
how and why English has evolved into what it is today, and, more generally,
the dynamic and changeable nature of language. The syllabus will include
a variety of texts -- ranging from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century
-- that will illustrate these points. You will also improve your writing
skills by studying the English language at a nuts-and-bolts level, and
will leave the course with a solid understanding of the history and structure
of English. Course requirements include several short papers, peer reviewing,
and faithful attendance; there will be no midterm or final exam. No prior
knowledge of linguistics is required.
Poetry's Place in Society,
or Can a Poem Really Matter?
Instructor: Brandon Barr, Department of English
TR 12:30 - 1:45 CRN 12065
Click here for course syllabus
Poetry occupies a somewhat
vexed position in our society. Coffeehouses are filled to the brim with
poetry readings, yet books of poetry almost never become bestsellers.
Nearly everyone has written a poem at some point, yet few people are passionate
about reading poetry. While twentieth century poets often lack a large
audience, they are still engaged in answering important questions. Can
poetry change the political landscape? Can it change the world we see,
even the language we speak? What exactly constitutes a poem anyway? Do
song lyrics count, or playground chants? Can poetry be more than just
something we study in school? Can it really matter? As we examine the
ways in which a poem strives to affect the world it is created within,
we will engage ourselves in many of these same questions. By writing about
poetry in a variety of small writing experiments and assignments (and
one larger project) we will attempt to determine both what a poem is,
and what it can be. Our quest will drive us through a wide sampling of
poems and essays. Poets will range from Dr. William Carlos Williams to
Dr. Seuss; contemporary song lyrics (from Bob Dylan to R.E.M.) will also
be examined.
he Haiku Resumé
Instructor: Bob Barrick, Department of English
TR 12:30 - 1:45 CRN 12078
The Haiku Resumé? Well, not exactly, but that's the point:
writing has enormous practical value beyond the university, but every
writer is born into a world already structured by expectations and assumptions.
These presumptions are most clearly defined when destabilized, and this
semester our approach to writing will be through texts on the margins
of multiple genres.
We'll begin by looking at a
writer's place in society and then explore some of the expectations and
limitations of various genres. As we establish foundations for these topics,
we'll also examine the ways in which a clear understanding of an audience's
expectations can both enhance logical communication and allow for some
playful twists of creativity.
Authors will include Julian
Barnes, Sven Birkerts, Angela Carter, Salman Rushdie, and Art Spiegelman
among many others. Class meetings will involve a great deal of discussion
as well as peer review. Writing requirements will include frequent short
assignments, a 6-8 page paper and a final research project.
The Really Real(?): Utopias,
Narratives, and Truth
Instructor: Chuck Ripley, Department of English
TR 12:30 - 1:45 CRN 12080
Does literature ever give us
any access to truth? How is it that individuals and societies seem to
be constructed through language but also seem to exist beyond that language?
How do (ever-changing) media affect language and our conceptions of ourselves
and our society? This course will examine how language approximates, corresponds
to, and/or represents ideals in literature through various kinds of utopias—some
far-fetched (science fiction) and others closer to home (the story of
democracy in America). We will use what these utopias teach us to examine
how gender and race, communities and societies are all idealized and constructed,
concentrating in what that means for us and our sense of ourselves today.
Necessarily in our examination of how ideals function in literature, we
will also be looking at the rhetorical strategies of other disciplines
and the kinds of arguments that are appropriate to these disciplines:
after all, what do stories have to do with science anyway? In practical
terms, this will mean examining what makes for good writings ideally and
how this plays out realistically in your very different classes.
Texts will be drawn from more
traditional literary genres such as short stories, plays, poems, and essays,
but we will also be looking at movies, comic books, television, movies,
and Internet sources. Students will be expected to write several papers,
do weekly writing assignments, provide active feedback for their peers,
as well as be active and alert participants in class and life.
Rochester Writers
Instructor: Jay Lavigne, Department of English
TR 9:40 - 10:55 CRN 12099
TR 11:05 - 12:20 CRN 12103
In the last half-century faculty
and graduates of the University of Rochester have made major contributions
to contemporary American writing. We will be reading short stories, novels,
and poems (in that order) written by graduates of the University as well
as professors who have taught here. We will be considering questions such
as: What, if anything, defines Rochester writers? Does our University
or this geographical area come into play in meaningful ways in the work
of the writers under consideration? /Such questions provide ample room
for debate; and in turn invite us to consider what we might expect from
t his or coming generations of Rochester Writers. Students are encouraged
to attend Plutzik/Clark Series readings (Galway Kinnell's visit on November
29 is particularly relevant to the concerns of this course). Readings
ma include selections from the works of past students such as: Linda Allardt,
Neil Baldwin, Lisa Chavez, Galway Kinnell, and David Mason as well as
the works of past and present faculty members such as: Thomas Gavin, Anthony
Hecht, Barbara Jordan, James Longenbach, Hyam Plutzik, Jerold Ramsey,
Joanna Scott, W.D. Snodgrass. By no means is this list complete. In fact,
part of the goal of this course is to examine in the fullest possible
terms the literary traditions and writers associated with the University.
This course takes writing seriously,
both as a field of inquiry, and as a necessary skill for all university
students. This means class time will be spent not only discussing the
literary quality or value of the poetry and fiction at hand, but also
considering the effectiveness of one another's writing. Students will
be expected to meet several times outside of class (evenings) to attend
special talks by practicing Rochester writers. Assignments will include
weekly critical response papers (1-2 pages), a formal essay that will
be presented to the class, and a final research paper on a figure/work/topic
relevant to the concerns of this course. There will be no final exam.
NOTE: Because the University's noted poets outnumber their prose counterparts,
this course will inevitably deal with more poetry than fiction.
Beauty and Precision - Writing With Style
Instructor: Anne Birien, Department of English
TR 2:00 - 3:15 CRN 12112
A reader's mind is filled with
verbal memories, successions of solemn encounters with language, as it
were. Among the most pleasant memories are hours spent reading the works
of achieved stylists. Authors whose words the reader relishes in and treasures
are the best models for writing; in their works, feelings and ideas are
conveyed most precisely and beautifully. If such endeavors humble aspiring
writers, they can also empower them. Literature, as Toni Morrison remarked
in her Nobel Lecture, is language kept alive; language turned "instrument
through which power is exercised." Language is not merely the writer's
primary material; it is also the "instrument" he/she uses to shape the
material. Like any precision tool, it requires sharpening and frequent
care . . . for fear that it might lose accuracy or become unusable. In
this light, we will focus on the close readings of texts, mostly but not
exclusively- literary; we will analyze different authors' (Morrison, Mansfield,
James, Camus, Whitman...) stylistic strategies and discuss the efficiency
of rhetorical choices -as applicable in your own writing. This class rests
on the students' regular, rigorous and enthusiastic commitment to both
written assignments and oral participation; there will be no final exam.
Hidden Histories in Language
Instructor: Carmen Reyes, Department of English
TR 2:00 - 3:15 CRN 12129
This section of CAS105 owes its theme and title to Hidden Histories
of Science, a collection of essays written by contemporary scientists
who tell the lesser-known or previously untold histories of various scientific
ideas and discoveries. These "histories" uncover and explore the sometimes
vexed relationship between history and knowledge. In addition to reading
a selection from Hidden Histories of Science, we will be reading
essays that explore similar questions about history and knowledge but
that do so from very different perspectives. All of the readings, which
include essays by Jane Tompkins, Virginia Woolf, Amy Tan, Stephen J. Gould,
and others, raise important questions about how history operates in our
lives. Moreover, they suggest that in order to answer these questions,
we must examine the various ways in which history is communicated. Thus,
in addition to asking questions like "How do we define history?" and "What
constitutes historical fact?" we will consider how language determines
the histories we write and how language can reveal and conceal knowledge.
Writing requirements include four short papers and a longer research paper.
Grades will be based on two writing portfolios and your participation
in class discussions and writing workshops.
Different Americas/Different
Visions in Twentieth-Century Fiction
Instructor: Jay Winston, Department of English
TR 11:05 - 12:20 CRN 12148
In this course, we will read
a number of short stories, all dealing with particularly American experiences.
That is, they are set in different places, all called "America," and among
different people, all called "Americans," and all in the midst of what
has popularly been termed "the American Century." However, we may find
that the different versions of "America" and "Americans" found among these
stories are very different, perhaps contradictory. In reading them, we
will think about how the narratives given in stories can be said to take
part in, or help create, larger narratives, the stories we tell ourselves
that help us, in the words of Priscilla Wald, to "constitute" ourselves
as Americans (or, perhaps, to constitute other people as Americans, or
to exclude others from such a definition). We will also think about what,
in this still relatively recent fiction, constitutes an American voice,
and whether, in an increasingly "global" society, such terms mean what
they used to, and what this might mean for our own writing. Authors will
likely include Ernest Hemingway, Flannery O'Connor, James Baldwin, Maxine
Hong Kingston and Sherman Alexie. Students will be expected to write numerous
essays that will be workshopped in class, as well as short responses to
particular readings. There will be no midterm or final exam.
Writing Youth: The Making
and Re-making of Youth Identity in American Culture, or From the Mouths
of Babes
Instructor: Barbara Brickman, Department of English
MWF 1:00 - 1:50 CRN 12181
Click here for course syllabus
An article entitled “The
Global Teenager” in the Winter 1989 issue of Whole Earth Review found that by the mid-1990's over half the world's population would be
under the age of twenty. So, who are these people? What does it mean to
be a "youth" in the U.S.? One's youth, or particularly one's teen years,
is a time of making one's identity, solidifying who you are. This class
will investigate how the choices made by the "youth" reflect and perhaps
influence changes in American culture. How do "youth" view, react to,
and live the overwhelming influence of mass media, the reliance on computer
technologies, the change in gender roles, the status of the university,
etc. We will use popular essays, some literature and film, and critical
essays to examine these questions and more about youth and the present
state of American culture. You will be expected to write several essays
on the topics discussed, and some class time will be devoted to writing
workshops, as well as peer reviews and revisions, as ways to develop and
clarify ideas or arguments. There will be no final exam.
Science Fiction(s) of the
Modern World
Instructor: Joanna Grant, Department of English
MWF 1:00 - 1:50 CRN 12194
"As you walk down the winding
passages at the base of the Great Pyramid of Cheops, you begin to hear
a faint humming noise and your eyes, used to the fitful light of your
primitive lantern, slowly become aware of an eerie, otherworldly glow.
As you turn the corner, you realize that the pyramid is actually a shell
covering the Mother Ship of the mysterious alien race. If you a) flee
in terror, turn to page 65; b) whip out your Uzi and waste 'em in the
name of God and America, turn to page 90." Does this sound familiar? Did
you read Choose Your Own Adventure books when you were a kid? How about
science fiction and fantasy novels? If you did (and you are brave enough
to admit it) then this class is for you. Fantastic and speculative literature,
ranging from myths to magic realism, has a long and glorious history of
providing a vehicle for explorations of current social and political situations
and predicaments. In this class you will examine a variety of texts, fictional,
non-fictional and visual. Some will be science texts, some will be science
fiction texts, and many will inhabit the strange and shifting ground between
the two. The writing you will produce will range from shorter classroom
individual and group exercises to longer essays and a full-length research
paper. There will also be screenings of selected films. These assignments
will help you to develop analytical, critical, and rhetorical skills that
will serve you well no matter what field you enter in later life.
Literatures of Social Values
Instructor: Lorna Mittelman, Department of English
MWF 1:00 - 1:50 CRN 12214
The Declaration of Independence
and the Constitution have remained the documentary base not only for American
government and legal systems but also for social and personal values,
despite radical changes in the fabric of society and the composition of
the populace. Each age, each generation examines and constructs its values
concerning fundamental rights and responsibilities regarding concepts
such as equality, free speech, the right to life. Using a variety of narratives,
essays, poems and stories, students will examine the experiences and opinions
of others and formulate their own propositions regarding selected issues.
Students will analyze the varieties of argument they encounter in their
readings and discover the essential elements of formal writing. They will
apply what they have learned and develop their thinking and writing skills
as they discuss, write and revise a variety of assignments, culminating
in the centerpiece of the students' efforts, the research project on a
topic of their choice. As a change of pace, students will also read an
absorbing, true-to-life novel about coming of age as a democracy collapses
into dictatorship.
Personal Experience/Public
Expression
Instructor: Koren Bakkegard, Department of English
MW 3:25 - 4:40 CRN 12271
"The personal is political." So goes a common paraphrase
of feminism. In this way, feminism necessarily involves everyone, not
just women. Thinking along these lines, this course takes feminism as
a loose model for writing —as a model for the process by which we
translate personal experience into political expression. Here politics
means not just who and what you vote for, but what your public interests
and investments are. The course is not just about feminism, then, but
about the way writers within this diverse social and intellectual tradition
draw upon personal experience to address issues such oppression (including
racism and homophobia), social institutions (including the family and
the university), academic disciplines (including philosophy and physics),
and forms of discourse (including academic writing and pornography). We
will entertain questions relevant to all students and writers, touching
on the terms of public discussion and the relationship of the individual
to society. Students will analyze texts from an array of genres and evaluate
the usefulness of various modes of writing. Among the authors under consideration
are Virginia Woolf, Michael Messner, Suzanne Pharr, and Victor Seidler.
Students will themselves write in a number of genres, ranging from personal
narratives to formal position papers. Classroom meetings consist primarily
of seminar discussions and peer-review writing workshops, wherein students
respond to their classmates' writing and receive feedback on their own.
Assessment is based upon a portfolio system that emphasizes process, revision,
and self-evaluation.
Writing
About History
Biography in Historical
Context
Instructor: Henry Sommerville, Department of History
MW 3:25 - 4:40 CRN 11994
The story of a single human life can fascinate and inspire us. It
can also help us to understand a particular time and place in the past.
On the other hand, historical scholarship should shape our understanding
of past lives. In this class, we will study biography in historical context.
Students will focus on a particular historical figure, chosen in consultation
with the instructor, and examine how that person's choices and accomplishments
were related to his or her time, place, and social position. Students
will develop their writing skills through a variety of assignments related
to their subject. These will include a sketch of their subject's life,
a critical review of a biography, and an evaluation of other historical
sources. Finally they will synthesize these materials into an essay that
considers the historical figure in context. Students will have a chance
to improve all their writings through workshops, peer review, and revision.
Students can learn history in depth in an area of interest to them and
learn from their classmates about their historical interests.
Writing with Masters: Russian
Literature beyond Dostoevsky
Instructor: Tatyana Bakhmetyeva, Department of History
TR 12:30 - 1:45 CRN 12043
"There is no royal path to
good writing; and such paths that exist . . . lead through the jungle
of self, the world, and craft" - Jessamyn West.
As this quotation suggests,
writing is an active process, a journey, and not simply a product of momentary
inspiration. We will begin our journey by asking ourselves questions:
How do we write? Why do we succeed and why do we fail in our attempts
at writing? What is successful writing? It is by answering these questions
that we will move along our path to the ultimate goal of this course:
"better writing," defined in the academic context. Since every traveler
needs good companions for an enjoyable trip, we will be making our journey
in the formidable company of Russian literary masterpieces. Our critical
reading and analysis of short stories by famous Russian authors will stimulate
class discussions and writing assignments. Reading selections may include
stories by Pushkin, Lermontov, Tolstoy, Gogol, and others. Additional
interdisciplinary readings related to the topics of Russian history, literature
and culture will expose us to the rhetorical conventions of the academy
and provide an opportunity to exercise critical reading and writing skills
on non-fictional texts.
Witches and Witch-Hunts
Instructor: Neal Palmer, Department of History
TR 2:00 - 3:15 CRN 12156
Witches and witchcraft have
long been a part of European culture. But what do you really know about
them? This course will explore the subjects of witches, witchcraft and
witch-hunts from an historical perspective. Students will learn the history
of witches and witchcraft, the role they played in early modern civilization,
and discuss the continuing attraction of this form of worship in the modern
world. The related phenomenon of the witch-hunt will also be discussed.
Students will learn about the dynamic behind early modern witch-hunts
and how they are related to modern events such as the "Red Scare" in 1950s
America. The class will read both historical scholarship and primary source
material such as proceedings of actual witch trials. Based on these readings,
students will complete several writing assignments in which they will
practice and enhance their ability to form a clear written argument and
present textual evidence to support that argument. The writing assignments
will consist of several short, informal papers, which will be subjected
to peer review, and a research paper.
Sex, Lies, and Videotape
Instructor: Lisa Szefel, Department of History
MW 3:25 - 4:40 CRN 12285
This course will focus on developing
critical writing skills by analyzing radical movements of the 1960s in
America. We will look at issues of sex (the women's liberation movement,
STDs, the Pill), lies (by John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard
Nixon), and videotape (as used in Presidential elections, the civil rights
movement, the Vietnam War). Analyzing these topics will illuminate current
attitudes toward politics and gender relations. Such issues also, ultimately,
probe questions about identity: about who we are as individuals and as
a nation. Students will learn how to use evidence to build arguments in
clear, creative, compelling narratives. Readings will include articles
and book excerpts written by both journalists and historians. Assignments
will include short papers, a research essay, and an oral history interview,
all of which will be reviewed by peers.
Writing to Survive
Instructor: Alissa McElreath
MW 3:25 - 4:40 CRN 69493
In this section of CAS 105,
we will be looking exclusively at autobiographical and non-fictional writing
as we read works by survivors of war, disease, poverty and discrimination.
Our focus will be on issues of personal identity and writing as we examine
how people (yourselves included) use writing to establish connections
with the world and develop the personal, historical, and professional
contexts from which they write. We will follow authors such as Vera Brittain,
Simon Wiesenthal, Mary Battiata, Primo Levi, among others, as they struggle
to tell their stories. Why do they write? How can we apply what we learn
from their writing to our own very different lives? What might drive us
to write as a means of healing? This course will not be about "reactionary"
responses to the writing-responses based merely on your reactions to the
issues and material presented. Rather, you will be encouraged to closely
use writing to investigate the issues involved and to interrogate, articulate,
and interpret not only the authors' agendas and goals behind the writing
but your own responses to the subject matter presented in these readings.
Writing requirements will include informal writing and peer critiques
as well as five short papers and a longer research paper.
War and Memory
Instructor: Brian Campbell, Department of History
MW 3:25 - 4:40 CRN 12260
The study of war is often confined
to campaigns and battles, generals and heroes. Rather than look at war
itself, this course will examine how it has been represented and how it
continues to impact culture and society, in some ways which just might
surprise you. Taking a path which winds through Tara, Weimar and one town's
Nazi scandal, we will ask ourselves three main questions: Are we still
fighting the Civil War? What was the Lost Generation? What happened to
the winners and losers of the Second World War? The class will be interdisciplinary,
using journalism, film, history, primary sources and literature. There
will be three short essays organized around each questions, an oral history
interview, and a longer research essay (8-10 pages) to conclude the semester.
Each of the essays will focus on revision and peer review, while helping
students build effective, organized arguments.
Required Texts: Confederates
in the Attic by Tony Horwitz, The Sun Also Rises by Ernest
Hemmingway and The Good War by Studs Terkel
Films: Gone With the Wind,
All Quiet on the Western Front, The Nasty Girl and Saving Private Ryan.
Writing
about Philosophy
The Notion of Virtue in
Ancient Greece
Instructor: Eva Cadavid, Department of Philosophy
TR 2:00 - 3:15 CRN 12130
What was it about Mother Theresa
that made her valuable and worthy of respect? Is it the same quality or
qualities that make your parents worthy of respect? Ancient Greek literature
offers two distinct ways of answering these questions. Early Greek writers,
such as Homer, believed that people are valuable because of their physical
strength, how much land and wealth they had, and because of their ability
to win both physical and intellectual contests. Later Greek writers believed
that people are valuable and worthy of respect just because they are human
beings. In this course, we will trace the development of these two views
in Greek literature, as well as read and critically analyze the arguments
offered for and against these views. Students will be expected to complete
several writing assignments in which they explore and evaluate both theories,
as well as develop and support their own interpretations of the texts.
Students are also expected to actively participate in class discussions
and in a writing workshop group where their writing will be subjected
to peer review.
Morality, Metaphysics, and
Murder
Instructor: Nathan Nobis, Department of Philosophy
MWF 1:00 - 1:50 CRN 12223
This philosophy course
will offer instruction in writing clear and cogent argumentative and expository
essays. Since learning to write effectively requires practice, this course
will involve frequent informal writing, writing workshops, several formal
argumentative essays, a research paper and many opportunities to reflect
on and revise your written work. Our main subject matter, the topic we
will write about, will be theoretical and applied ethics. Theoretical
ethics asks what it is for an action to be right and for a person to be
of good, or virtuous, character. Issues in applied ethics that we will
consider include the death penalty, the moral status of non-human animals,
moral obligations to distant starving people, euthenasia, and abortion
and infanticide. We will also consider some topics related to moral education
and the teaching of ethics. For more information, see the course web page
at http://mail.rochester.edu/~nobs/ethics
Writing
About Political Science
Current Debates in the US
Congress
Instructor: Christian Grose, Department of Political Science
TR 9:40 - 10:55 CRN 12034
Is affirmative action needed
to ensure racial and gender equity? Is the American electoral system broken
and in need of reform? Should the government regulate what individuals
post on the Internet? These are the types of questions that have been
at the center of recent policy debates in the US Congress. In this course
we will discuss and analyze contemporary debates in the context of the
US Congress, including affirmative action and racial politics, campaign
finance reform, and regulation of the Internet. Students will learn and
write about how the rules of Congress, the electoral concerns of representatives,
and other factors affect the likelihood that bills pertaining to these
issues will become law. The writing requirements for the course will include
the following: informal writing exercises in class; short papers that
will focus on persuasive writing skills where students will argue in favor
of or against a particular policy proposal, supplying evidence to support
their arguments; short papers that will focus on critical analysis where
students will analyze what factors drive members of Congress to take particular
positions on these issues; and a longer research paper where students
will formulate a research question, accumulate evidence, and supplement
this evidence with arguments and conclusions. These papers will be anonymously
peer-reviewed in class and through a course listserv. Participation in
class discussion will also be expected.
Writing
about Science and Technology
Hot Science and the Cold
War
Instructor: Mara Kozelsky, Department of History
MW 2:00 - 3:15 CRN 12167
MW 3:25 - 4:40 CRN 12246
On August 6, 1945, a United
States B-29 bomber dropped a single bomb on Hiroshima, killing or severely
wounding 160,000 people. The atomic attack on Hiroshima thus opened the
'nuclear age.' More than any other case, the development and proliferation
of nuclear weapons illustrated the ambivalent role of science in our society.
In "Hot Science and the
Cold War, " students will explore the science and controversy behind
nuclear weapons from an historical perspective. Readings include original,
primary source documents, ranging widely from de-classified government
reports; speeches and magazine articles protesting the bomb; to J. Robert
Oppenheimer's regrets over his role in building the bomb. Students will
also read scholarly secondary source studies about the 'nuclear age' and
its affects on American Cold War culture, both to broaden understanding
of primary source documents, and to acquire familiarity with the conventions
of academic writing.
As a writing workshop, 'Hot
Science and Cold War' offers students a public forum to discuss and to
hone their writing and ideas. Each student will lead class discussions,
prepare presentations, and participate in debates. To build upon and refine
writing skills, students will complete a variety of assignments, including
short formal and informal papers and a ten-page, original, primary source
research paper. Finally, students will take most papers through multiple
drafts and will exchange their work with other classmates for constructive
peer critiques.
Not of Woman Born: Exploring
Issues of New Reproductive Technologies
Instructor: Pamela Bedore, Department of English
MWF 9:00 - 9:50 CRN 12175
Extra-uterine pregnancy. Cloning.
Bio-engineering of humans. Reproductive technologies that were once a
product of the science fiction writer's imagination are rapidly becoming
realities. These new possibilities have led to a number of debates and
arguments about the social and ethical dimensions involved in 'unnatural'
reproduction. We will be examining a number of writers' arguments at this
highly contested site, and will also use this issue as a starting point
in developing critical thinking and writing skills. The course's main
text, Not of Woman Born, is a 1999 collection of science fiction
short stories. Each story takes a different perspective on the issues
that arise from new reproductive technologies; some stories celebrate
the possibilites, while others predict disaster-and even human extinction-for
societies that accept these technologies. In addition to reading and discussing
these stories, we will read a number of essays that explore the ethical
and social ramifications of new reproductive technologies from non-fictional
perspectives. Students will learn critical thinking skills and writing
strategies that will be beneficial throghout their academic careers in
the sciences or the humanities.
Please note: Monday and Wednesday class will meet
in a regular classroom; the Friday section will meet in a Taylor Hall
computer room.
Science, Religion and Education:
Creationism vs. Evolution
Instructor: Allen Plug, Department of Philosophy
MWF 1:00 - 1:50 CRN 12209
In August 1999 the Kansas State
Board of Education decided to no longer require the teaching of evolution
in state schools. This decision reignited the debates on the place of
Creationism within science and the acceptance of the theory of Evolution
within the scientific community. The central aspects of these debates
involve several questions concerning philosophy of science. These include,
What counts as a scientific theory? What are the limits of science? When,
if ever, ought we accept a scientific theory as fact? How, if possible,
can a scientific theory be confirmed or disconfirmed? During the first
section of this course we will examine these basic questions, and various
answers to them. During the second section the students will be expected
to use the theoretical concepts learned in the first section and critically
apply them in their own writing on the subject of the Creation/Evolution
debate. Students will be expected to engage the subject matter through
class discussions, several short analytical papers and a longer research
paper.
Biology and Society
Instructor: Jonathan Koehler, Department of History
MW 3:25 - 4:40 CRN 12258
The publication of Charles
Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" (1859) prefaced the beginning
of a revolution in thought about man's origins that had implications ranging
far beyond science. It was not long before Darwin's contemporaries, such
as Herbert Spencer and Thomas Huxley, appropriated his ideas in pursuit
of their own goals, which pushed early evolutionary theories into mainstream
society. This course explores the interaction of Darwin's biological theories
with society, culture, and politics. We will begin in the period coinciding
with the publication of "On the Origin of Species," and end
in the late twentieth century. Course topics will include, among others,
Darwin's theory of natural selection, the development of "scientific"
racism, and Nazi science. We will spend the final weeks of the course
discussing and writing about issues in contemporary bioethics.
Although this course uses novels,
journal articles, and history texts as reading material, it is not a history
course. It is a writing course that challenges you to reason and express
yourself in new ways. Learning how to correctly construct language and
convey your ideas to a wider audience are important skills that can increase
your chances for success before and after graduation. On a more immediate
level, this course will force you to critically organize your thoughts
and ideas -- important skills that will help you succeed no matter which
major you ultimately choose. Frequent informal writing, in-class discussion,
peer-review, and opportunities for revision will emphasize the development
of your analytical and writing skills. You will be expected to submit
a number of critical essays, as well as a well-argued research paper on
a topic of your choice, but within the scope of the course. By the end
of the semester you should be able to:
- Identify and correct usage
and stylistic problems in your writing.
- Identify, evaluate, and analyze
textual arguments.
- Compose a clear and coherent
essay, stating your thesis in the introduction, and developing it coherently
based on evidence from secondary and primary sources.
On-line course syllabus: http://www.courses.rochester.edu/koehler/
Writing
about Visual and Cultural Studies
Writing About Cinema
Instructor: Matthew Reynolds, Visual and Cultural Studies
TR 9:40 - 11:05 CRN 12026
Click here for course syllabus
For over 100 years, the cinema
has been an instrument for entertainment and education, revolution and
enlightenment, even terror and persuasion. This course will offer an introduction
to thinking and writing about this complicated and important medium. It
will utilize the study of film as a means for providing instruction and
practice in writing at the college level. In a series of short analytical
papers students will examine various critical methodologies for understanding
movies, their histories and practices, and ultimately their role in our
culture. These papers will be designed to enhance the student's skills
in developing clear, compelling arguments and as an introduction to various
styles and modes of writing. In addition, students will participate in
peer critiques and editing workshops intended to strengthen individual
writing and editing abilities. Finally, through these exercises and shorter
papers, students will then develop a longer, research-oriented paper dealing
with a particular topic in film studies.
Writing About Visual Culture
Instructor: Jonathan Finn, Visual and Cultural Studies
MW 3:25 - 4:40 CRN 12292
Images surround us at work,
school and home, and at all points in between and beyond. Through media
such as film, photography, painting, advertising, television, and the
internet, the production of images has given rise to a prominent visual
culture. As such, it has become increasingly important to be able to think
critically and communicate about the position and role of images in our
own lives and in society at large. Using visual culture as the subject
of study, this course will provide instruction and practice in writing
at the college level. Through this course we will examine the production
and interpretation of images within both the arts and sciences. This practice
will enable students to write critically and analytically across disciplines.
In addition to continued informal writing exercises, students will produce
two short papers and will participate in peer evaluation and class discussion.
To strengthen and formalize their writing skills, students will be responsible
for a longer research paper and an oral presentation at the end of the
term.
last updated 01/08/2003
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