Reasoning & Writing in
the College
CAS 105
Fall 2004
General Description: Each section description
is based on the general CAS 105/105E course description developed by the Interdisciplinary College
Writing Commiteee.
**Courses
address issues of diversity
Writing
about:
Writing
about Cultural Studies
Environmental Conceptions
Ryan Harper, Department of English
TR 11:05 – 12:20 CRN 12370
Most of us hear the term “environment” often enough
to accept it as a normal component of social and political discourse,
but what does it really mean? What does it stand for? It often seems to
be associated with some concept of “nature” or the “natural
world,” but what is this “natural world” and how exactly
does it relate to the “environment”? Is this “environment”
of common discourse intended to be a purely ecological construct, or does
it have geographical, social, cultural, physical and economic components
as well? In this course we will explore such questions through both the
weekly readings and student responses to them. Readings will include poetry,
essays, excerpts from novels and historical studies by several writers
including Edward Abbey, David James Duncan and William Cronon. Three short
papers and one longer paper will be required, and all assignments will
include revisions, peer feedback and self-assessment exercises.
SPORTS BODIES: Athletics and Popular Culture
Peter Hobbs, Visual and Cultural Studies
TR 11:05 – 12:20 CRN 12098
Sports are generally understood as a product of civilization,
as they provide an arena for human interaction and a model of aspired
living (A healthy body, a healthy soul). Athletic competition is also
ideally free of barriers of social discrimination. It is supposedly blind
to an individual’s race, gender, class, or sexual orientation. Despite
this, popular culture is inundated with stories of racism, crime, and
sex scandals involving professional athletes. Part of our fascination
with sports is that they provide a theatrical stage in which social divisions
and hierarchies are played out before us. In any given sports event certain
social conventions are reinforced while other conventions are troubled.
This course will examine the figure of professional athlete as a vehicle
for thinking and discussing issues of gender, race, sexuality, class,
and consumerism. How is the body of the athlete configured in popular
culture? How do we view sports bodies?
The main goal of this course is to develop our skills in
thinking and writing about popular culture and our place within it. Our
approach will be a combination of research, writing exercises, peer reviews,
editing, revision, and self-assessment that will foster a heightened awareness
of the writing process.
Illusion or Reality
José Perillan, Departments of History & Physics
MW 3:25 – 4:40 CRN 12259
What do quantum physics, mysticism, and magic have in common?
In one sense, the three embody an essential tension between illusion and
reality. One seminal truth about humanity is that we live in a state of
flux between what is real and what is illusory. Does reality exist beyond
our perceptions? Is truth an absolute? This course will examine three
distinct perspectives from science, religion and entertainment in order
to explore the dialogues between what we consider the worlds of reality
and illusion. Coursework will focus on weekly readings, written responses
to these readings, three short essays and a final research paper. We will
use class time for discussions on the readings and peer-review workshops,
where we will revise and assess our writing. Self assessment will be used
as a learning tool for all papers throughout the semester.
English
Language and Literature
"Shakespeare's Peeps: Early Modern English Drama Beyond
Shakespeare"
Jennifer Ailles, Department of English
TR 9:40 – 10:55 CRN 12187
Almost everyone knows of William Shakespeare and many have
read or watched a version or adaptation of one of his major plays, including Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, and The Tempest, to name a few. Shakespeare's
works are so well known and venerated that he has been positioned as the
greatest playwright, not only of the English Renaissance, but also of
the traditional English canon. The centrality of Shakespeare has meant
that other early modern playwrights and their works have often been marginalized
and ignored. In this course we will switch the focus away from Shakespeare
and examine a small selection of plays written by Shakespeare's Peeps,
his contemporaries and those who wrote soon after his death in 1616. Specifically
we will start with Christopher Marlowe's Edward II and The Jew of
Malta and then we will move on to read and analyze John Marston's The Malcontent, John Fletcher's The Island Princess,
Philip Massinger's The Roman Actor, Thomas Heywood's The
Wise Woman of Hoxton, and Eastward Ho! by Ben Jonson, John
Marston, and George Chapman. Through critical and primary readings, class
discussion, and written essays, we will address issues of gender, race,
class, and cultural politics (including the Protestant Revolution, succession,
colonialism, the witch-craze etc.) that are raised through examining the
plays written by Shakespeare's Peeps. Students will be required to engage
critically with the material and to actively strengthen their argumentative
skills though journals, peer reviews, essay revisions, self-assessments,
and in-class writing workshops.
The Road Trip: Searching for America
Heidi Bollinger, Department of English
MW 2:00 – 3:15 CRN 12397
Ever wanted to throw a suitcase in the car, hit the road with
a few friends, and drive across 3,000 miles of open highway studded with
small towns and all-night diners? This course will explore how and why
the idea of the cross-country journey appeals to the imagination of Americans,
particularly young people. We will be unpacking a suitcase full of 20th
century American literature, film, and music, including works by John
Steinbeck, Jack Kerouac, Bob Dylan, and Joyce Carol Oates. As we travel
with these artists, we will discuss questions such as: How do they portray
American regional culture, and what are their intentions? What spiritual
or metaphoric journeys do they chronicle? Do road stories, from The
Grapes of Wrath to Thelma and Louise, share or deviate from
certain narrative conventions? What makes the road trip quintessentially
American? We will engage these questions through class discussion, informal
writing exercises, several short papers and a longer research paper. Like
a traveler, a successful writer must be gutsy and willing to follow new,
unfamiliar routes. This course will challenge you to craft polished, compelling
pieces of argumentative writing, and will emphasize the importance of
revision, peer review and self-assessment.
The New Middle Ages
John Chandler, Department of English
TR 2:00 – 3:15 CRN 12388
Shining knights on steeds saving damsels in distress while
muddy peasants live short lives- this is the common view of the Middle
Ages. The notion of a superstitious “dark age” has persisted
since the Renaissance, despite the work of scholars to combat this stereotype.
Modern authors often represent the Middle Ages as a time of brutality
and religious mania in order to comment upon modern society. In this course
we are going to look at modern treatments of the Medieval period. Some
of the questions we will ask include: what is accurate about the modern
works? What is wrong (or changed)? Do these changes address modern concerns?
Topics will include Beowulf, William Wallace ("Braveheart"), Robin Hood
and Joan of Arc. Prior knowledge of the period is not required. Writings
will be designed as a progression from a personal response essay through
a focused ar-gument, then a longer research-based argument, and finally
an essay for a wider, non-academic audience. Daily assignments will include
both Medieval and modern readings in history and literature, journal entries,
and occasional film screenings. Though classroom discussion, peer evaluation,
self-assessment, and on-going revision, students will develop critical
reasoning and writing skills.
Sticking it to ‘The Man’: Imagination
of Subversion and Rebellion in Literature and Cinema
Kevin Cryderman, Department of English
MW 12:30 – 1:45 CRN 92980
When people talk about ‘subversion’ or ‘resistance’
in artistic works, what exactly do they mean? What are the various ways
in which authority and power are imagined, and how does subversion relate
to things such as ‘alternative’ culture, gender, power, patriarchy,
genre and capitalism? This course aims to explore the imagination of subversion
and rebellion in late 20th century literature, cinema, and popular culture,
both ‘subversive’ and ‘non-subversive’ (Is there
a difference?).
Through film screenings, in-class discussions, course readings
(both fictional and critical) and short assignments, students will be
actively encouraged to disagree wholeheartedly with the instructor (a.k.a.
‘The Man’) and form their own opinions and interests in relation
to the books and films of the course: Fight Club, The Matrix, Pump Up the Volume, Donnie Darko, Boys Don’t
Cry and Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The course will emphasize
the development of critical reading, writing and research skills as well
as the ‘nuts and bolts’ mechanics of composition. Through
self-assessment, peer feedback, revision, and rewriting, students will
be required to write three shorter essays and one 8-10 page research project.
Born in the U.S.A.: The Individual and the American
Tradition
Daniel Donaghy, Department of English
MW 6:15 – 7:30 CRN 12155
This course will examine a series of myths, symbols, and
words in American culture and the ways in which particular works support,
revise, or reinterpret them. It will explore issues of identity, personal
and social responsibility, place, religion, and class within the work
of people such as Ralph Ellison, Walt Whitman, Louise Erdrich, John Ford,
Lorraine Hansberry, Lang-ston Hughes, Ron Kovic, Raymond Carver, Flannery
O’Connor, and Walker Percy. The soundtrack of the course will be
the music of Bruce Springsteen. Students will study each artist's style
and argumentative strategies and will attempt to apply them to their writing.
Students will give in-class presentations and write several short papers
and one 8-10 page research paper. Revisions, informal writing, peer reviews,
and self-assessments will play an important role in each paper's development.
Poets, Priests, and Quivering Bards: Some Indo-European
Poetry
Eric Eben, Department of Religion and Classics
TR 12:30 – 1:45 CRN 12149
In this course we will examine the figure of the poet in
several Indo-European traditions, including Greek, Indian, Persian, Roman
and Hittite. We will compare and discuss both the poetry itself and the
mythological figures contained within. Writ-ing assignments will be based
on the readings, and will include self-assessment, revisions, and peer
feedback on several papers culminating in a final 8-10 page research paper.
The readings will include the Iliad, the Rigveda, the Gathas of Zarathustra, Greek lyric poets including Pindar, and
early Roman and Hittite texts. Papers will discuss and perhaps answer
some burning questions: what is a mercenary Muse? What is the Soul of
the Great Cow? How does one invoke the gods for more stuff? Why are words
winged? What exactly did Kumarbi do to that stone? How is all this related?
**Writing Lives: American Autobiography
Alison Ehrmann Hager, Department of English
MW 2:00 – 3:15 CRN 12161
Autobiography sets itself apart from other literary and historical
genres because it allows an individual to articulate her or his own experience
in his or her own voice. Then how do we read autobiography? Is such individual
articulation important? Do we take it as fact? as fiction? How do we decide?
This course will engage various historical, social, and theoretical contexts
of autobiographical writing. We will read works ranging from the mid-nineteenth
century to the present day, by authors who come from diverse backgrounds.
Authors may include: Black Hawk, Mary Chesnut, Samuel Delaney,
Frederick Douglass, Benjamin Franklin, bell hooks, Maxine Hong Kingston,
Anne Lamott, and Gertrude Stein, among others. Through a critical reading
of these authors’ works we will explore concepts central to the
study of autobiography such as memory, experience, identity, agency, and
the body.
Using these ideas as a springboard you will develop and
refine the skills for university-level writing. Through peer feedback
and self-assessment you will learn to evaluate and revise your own writing.
Through a series of short papers and a longer re-search assignment you
will discover the value and necessity of revising your written work.
Golems, Cyborgs, and the Ethics of AI
Annie Heckel, Department of English
MW 2:00 - 3:15 CRN 12132
As computers become more advanced, artificial intelligence
more intelligent, and robot movement and sensory inter-pretation more
sophisticated, the ethical implications inherent in the development of
such technologies become ever more complex and problematic. In
Golems, Cyborgs, and the Ethics of AI, we’ll explore the
problems of potentially self-conscious constructions as expressed in works
of literature (by authors such as Mary Shelley, Isaac Asimov, William
Gibson, Phillip K. Dick, and Marge Piercy), movies* (Blade Runner,
2001: A Space Odyssey), and running debates in the computer science,
artificial intelligence, and robotics communities. This course does not
require any prior knowledge of the topic, but familiarity with some of
the concepts wouldn’t hurt. Through class discussions and reaction
papers, we will explore our own understanding of the authors’ attempts
to engage the issues inherent in the creation of conscious beings. Formal
papers (three shorter 3 to 5 page analytical papers and one long 8 to
10 page analytical research paper) will follow class discussion of the
texts, allowing students to explore their own viewpoints in an in-depth
manner while developing their analytical skills. A central aspect of the
writing process will be peer review and self assessment, through which
students will learn to not only incorporate others’ feedback into
their work, but also to assess their own writing from a reader-based point
of view.
* It is suggested that students interested in the course
try and see the movie I, Robot in the theater as well. Take notes!
Writing in Camelot
Emily Huber, Department of English
MW 12:30 – 1:45 CRN 12208
Arthurian literature and film is, perhaps more than any
other story-telling cycle in our culture, an organic and constantly growing
entity. It has consistently expanded from 1136 —the date of the
composition of Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of
Britain,—and is still growing today. The motif is as much a
part of contemporary popular culture as it is a part of our medieval heritage.
From this viewpoint, we will read modern adaptations of the Arthurian
legend by T.H. White, Bernard Cornwell, and Wendy Mnookin, as well as
excerpts by Mary Stewart and Marion Zimmer Bradley, and through these
readings enter into a context of writing and research. How does one write
about popular culture in an academic fashion? Especially in such a sprawling
body of sources, how can one narrow a topic for discussion in a paper
or presentation, and keep that topic focused so as to promote the most
effective argument? The University of Rochester is home to fantastic resources
for Arthurian subjects and our course will include strategies in online
and library research, utilizing the Camelot Project and the Robbins Library.
Students will have the opportunity to explore the modern adaptations’
connections with their medieval sources through an oral report. Additional
assignments will consist of three short papers, peer reviews, in-class
revisions, and a longer research paper.
American Dissidents
Daria Jaremko, Department of English
MW 2:00 –3:15 CRN 12213
This course is an examination of how contrarians have contributed
to the American cultural landscape. We will be looking at a broad variety
of media, from Mark Twain’s lectures to Margaret Cho’s stand-up,
so that we might sort out just how and where the obstinate, the awkward,
and the defiant have shaped our notions of American-ness. Since one of
the purposes of this course is to familiarize you with the mechanics of
a good argument, there seems to be no better place to begin than with
those who’ve made their careers out of being argumentative. This
course is also an introduction to and an examination of the possibilities
-- and impossibilities-- that various sorts of writing can have in the
formation of new knowledge and in effecting cultural change.
Dissidents make a habit of questioning, commenting, and
critiquing; CAS 105 intends to make you do all three. The manifold objectives
of CAS 105 include introducing you to reading and writing strategies ---creating
annotated readings, performing self-assessments, engaging in frequent
peer reviews---that will help you to hone your critical faculties, familiarizing
you with the techniques of argumentation, and teaching you to incorporate
those argumentative skills in both the creation and analysis of texts.
You will be doing this not only by looking at writing across genres—films,
novels, essays—but by working, both indi-vidually and collaboratively
with your fellow students, to produce several polished pieces of your
own, incorporating the skills you amass throughout the semester.
NEVER AT REST: Glimpses into Human Migration and Aspiration
Vasudha Kurapati, Department of English
TR 11:05 – 12:20 CRN 12231
What is it about certain places - metropolises, the USA,
Hollywood - that draws people from their hometowns, even homelands? What
dreams, or fears, drive them from the familiar to risk the unknown? And
once they move, how do their experiences during and after this shift compare
with their expectations? How does the change in location affect how they
see themselves, their future, their present, and their past? The answers
to these questions are fundamental to how the history and mythology of
a people and a place get shaped. Perspectives and personal experiences
have been, obviously, very varied, with expectations, hopes, and realities
differing greatly from each other. We will, in this class, be exploring
particular places and communities through selected films, stories, and
essays which address the above questions. Students will then be required
to present their own views, experiences, and analysis through informal
writing, three formal essays, and one formal research paper. All work
done in the class will be aimed towards developing the analytical as well
as writing skills of students, who will be trained to use class discussions,
workshops, writing exercises, etc for an independent research paper. As
the goal of this class is to create a critical intellectual community
in the classroom, the final grades will be based on the students' written
work, as well as their class participation, self-assessments, and peer
reviews.
The Art of War
Aaron, Lehman, Department of English
TR 9:40 – 10:55 CRN 12364
Is war "representable" through art? What constitutes
an "accurate" literary portrayal of war and violence? How do
the vagaries, limitations, and possibilities of memory and language frame
the telling of the modern war story? What are the artistic, psychological,
and political stakes involved in representing modern war as hellish or
beautiful, realistic or romantic? In this course, we will examine the
ways in which various twentieth century writers-from Ernest Hemingway
to Bobbie Ann Mason, Michael Herr to Marjorie Hong Kingston, Kurt Vonnegut
to Tim O'Brien-construct images of war in widely distinct styles and often
for widely different purposes. We will examine work from multiple perspectives
(families and children on the home front, soldiers, war correspondents,
medical personnel, political figures, refugees), in multiple genres (novels,
short fiction, poetry, memoirs, film), and about multiple modern "conflicts"
(World Wars I and II, Vietnam, the Cold War, the Middle East, Bosnia).
Students will use their own writing to grapple with how these texts often
struggle to answer such critical questions. Through class discussion,
informal in-class exercises, peer reviews, and formal writing assignments
(one 8-10 page research paper and several shorter analytical essays),
students will develop a portfolio of work that will reflect their growth
as writers and critics. Paying special attention to the writing process,
students will engage in multiple drafts and self-assessments of their
work.
Love in the Western World: From
Ovid and Sappho to Shakespeare and Beyond
Michael Livingston, Department of English
MW 3:25 - 4:40 CRN 12224
"I hate and I love her. / So why
do I do this? / I don’t know, but it’s done. / I feel it and
I’m torn." Over 2000 years have passed since Catullus wrote
these lines on the confused nature of love, yet they ring as true today
as they surely did in ancient Rome. Our simultaneous wonder and bewilderment
of love remains strong, as generation after generation has tried (and
failed) to answer this timeless question of human existence: What is love?
In this course, we will examine answers to that question from ancient
Greece and Rome to medieval Europe, the Renaissance, and even into today.
We will read the work of some of the most famous minds in history –
Plato, Augustine, Shakespeare, Freud, and Nietzsche, just to name a few
– and discuss the often complex and contradicting conclusions that
they ultimately espoused. Throughout the course of the semester we will
strive to develop a consciousness about our own thinking and writing,
and to sow the seeds for future collegiate success by not only learning
new ways of approaching and engaging the materials at hand, but also conveying
our newfound knowledge within a professional or academic environment through
writing. Assignments will include short, formal papers responding to both
primary and secondary texts, informal writing, class presentations, peer
reviews, self-assessment, and a formal research paper.
Election Fever: A Magical Mystery Tour
Karan Vaswani, Department of English
MW 3:25 – 4:40 CRN 12322
2004 is shaping up to be one of the bitterest and most closely
fought elections in recent American history. Also, this year col-lege
students seem to be registering to vote in record numbers. This might,
therefore, be a good time to have a fun, tongue-in-cheek look at how elections
work in general, and at this upcoming election in particular. This course
will focus on three major questions: How do presidential candidates become
candidates and formulate their stands on various issues? How do they compete
with each other for the hearts and minds of voters? And how do voters
really decide whom to vote for? In order to help answer these questions,
we will analyze the careers and platforms of past and present candidates;
closely examine fundraising processes, campaign speeches, ads and debates;
study redistricting and voting patterns; question both apathetic voters
and political activists of every kind here in Rochester, and analyze their
responses; and read and respond to articles and columns representing different
points of view on how the electoral process works. Elections are a complex
process; this course will emphasize how writing, too, is a process, and
stress the importance of redrafting and revision; assignments will include
informal writing, peer reviews, self-assessments, three short papers and
a formal research paper. We will analyze, compare, debate, parody and
predict. So come one, come all, for a close look at American democracy
in action.
American Dreams
Stefanie Vischansky, Department of English
MW 12:30 – 1:45 CRN 12245
From the Declaration of Independence to American
Idol, stories of individual opportunity and self-made success are
a mainstay of American history and culture. Despite their diversity, these
narratives are classified together as manifestations of "the American
Dream." This phrase permeates our national discourse, but we rarely
pause to consider its meaning and significance. What is/are the American
dream/s? Who creates the dreams? Who are the dreamers? Is the dream realizable?
We will address these questions, embarking on an analysis of American
dreams and their role in shaping various conceptions of national and individual
identity. Through our examination of a diverse array of texts-fiction,
historical documents, scholarly articles, film, music, contemporary journalism-we
will consider the American Dream from a variety of cultural and historical
perspectives. Authors will include, among others, Walt Whitman, Martin
Luther King, Jr., and Sandra Cisneros. Formal assignments will include
several shorter analytical papers and a final research paper, culminating
in a portfolio of writing. Throughout the semester, we will practice and
discuss strategies and skills for becoming more confident and effective
writers, emphasizing revision, peer critique, and self-assessment.
“Things Unknown”: Shakespeare’s
Lives
Andrew Wadoski, Department of English
TR 11:05 - 12:20 CRN 12128
It has been claimed that the power of Shakespeare’s
literary creation lay in his ability to create fully autonomous characters,
characters so individual and human that their lives seem to extend far
beyond their lines in any given play. Names like Hamlet, Falstaff, and
Romeo appear to have stepped off the page and taken on voices of their
own, speaking out for everyone from Freud to wireless companies. In this
class we will explore these characters both in the world of the plays
they inhabit and which gave them form, and in the world at large. Readings
will come from Shakespeare, his sources and contemporaries, and modern
adaptors such as Sigmund Freud, Heiner Mueller, and Tom Stoppard. The
course will be focused around the development, peer-review, self-assessment,
and revision of several short essays and a longer research project all
of which will evolve out of issues raised through class discussion of
the reading assignments.
Working with Argument
Dawn Winters, Department of English
TR 3:25 – 4:40 CRN 12193
TR 4:50 – 6:05 CRN 93010
Written arguments are all around us, and though we read and produce
them on a daily basis, we don’t often examine the ways in which
successful arguments are strategically constructed: what assumptions they
make about their audiences, what values they imply, and how they often
use language to manipulate. Students in this course will research, analyze,
and produce arguments on a variety of topics as well as develop techniques
for putting arguments into original dialogues with each other. Some of
the texts for this course will be student-selected; students will be encouraged
to write about (and in) fields most germane to their majors and/or personal
interests. This is a writing-intensive course in which a great deal of
emphasis will be placed on peer reviews, revisions, and self-assessments.
Writing
about History
Reading Other People's Mail
Loren Broc, Department of History
MW 3:25 – 4:40 CRN 12176
People can both reveal and hide information in their letters,
information about themselves and the times in which they live. When historians,
biographers, and other researchers read the correspondence of the people
they choose to study they do so with two sets of questions in mind. First,
they ask questions about what their subjects say about themselves, such
as: How do they regard themselves and others? What do they reveal about
their hopes, fears, and ambitions? How do they interpret the events in
their lives? Then researchers usually ask questions about what their subjects
do not say, such as: How trustworthy and believable are their statements?
Are they holding back something about themselves, and if so, why? Researchers
need to seek answers to both kinds of questions to get a complete and
reliable understanding of their subjects.
In this course we will be asking and seeking answers to such questions
as we read the letters, diaries, and journals of some famous and not-so-famous
personalities of American and European history, such as John and Abigail
Adams, Lord Chesterfield, Vincent Van Gogh, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and
Susan B. Anthony, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Through classroom discussions,
the drafting and revising of short essays, self-assessment and peer feedback
you will gain experience in making inferences and presenting arguments
in writing about the character and thought of historical personalities,
based on what you find and do not find in their correspondence. You will
also read biographies of several of the personalities whose correspondence
you will have read, and compare the biographers' conclusions and use of
evidence with your own. Your final assignment will be to write a longer
research paper based on a selection of correspondence of your own choosing.
Selling the American Dream: Advertising in U.S.
Culture
Christine Ridarsky, Department of History
MWF 11:00 – 11:50 CRN 12104
This course will examine the changing role of advertising in
American culture from the late nineteenth century through the present.
By examining and analyzing advertising from different time periods and
in various media, including print, radio, tele-vision, and the Internet,
we will consider how advertiser's methods and messages have changed over
time. We will address questions such as: What methods have advertisers
used to sell their products? What messages have been communicated? Do
ads reflect American culture and values? How much does advertising influence
American culture? What roles have race and gender played in advertising?
Through class discussion, self-assessment, peer review, and ongoing revision,
students will develop skills in analysis, critical thinking, and writing.
Students will be expected to create a portfolio of work that includes
a series of journal entries, several short papers, and a final research
paper of 8-10 pages.
God, the Devil, and Darwin in America
Ronald Satta, Department of History
MWF 10:00 – 10:50 CRN 12306
American history has a long and intriguing legacy of
faith-related events and issues. The Salem witchcraft trials evoke an
air of mystery, inviting analysis into why such an event occurred where
and when it did--and not elsewhere. Evolution theory ignited significant
nineteenth-century controversies involving the collision of spiritual
and secular authorities. Was Darwin's theory scientific or a convenient
escape from belief in a God-centered universe? Which explanation of origins
is most compelling--evolution or special creation? Are faith commitments
legitimate and appropriate within modern academia? By means of written
exploration, students will investigate these kinds of questions and issues.
Class registrants will write three analytical essays (4-5 pages) and one
longer research paper (7-10 pages). Peer-reviews and self-assessments
of written work provide students opportunities to enhance facility in
the art and science of writing well. Entering students commit themselves
to thorough preparation for vigorous class participation. Since the essence
of good writing is rewriting, revision of work will be an essential part
of this class.
Writing
about Music
Punk Rock: Politics, Philosophy, and Music
Drew Abrams, Department of Physics and Astronomy
TR 2:00 – 3:15 CRN 12335
This course will use the movement known as "punk"
to explore not only the music, but the philosophy and the politics surrounding
the music. We will start with a brief history of punk and ask, "What
circumstances in the US and Britain led to the development of punk rock
as a genre of music?" From there, we will look closely at the culture
of punk and examine issues such as anarchy, media representation, and
DIY. Finally, the current state of punk will be analyzed and we will ask,
"Is punk dead?" This course will emphasize writing throughout
with workshops, peer-evaluations, self-evaluations, student journals,
and, in particular, a comparison of punk to other musical genres and an
analysis of the message the songwriter is trying to send through his/her
music.
Writing
about Philosophy
Knowledge and Science
Andrew Cullison, Department of Philosophy
TR 11:05 – 12:20 CRN 12353
The purpose of this course is to develop the skills needed to write good
argumentative essays. By the end of the course students should have the
ability to
1.) Extract arguments from texts
2.) Evaluate those arguments
3.) Construct clear, concise and well-reasoned essays that present those
extractions and evaluations
We will develop these skills by examining philosophical
issues that arise in epistemology (theory of knowledge) and philosophy
of science. What does it take to know some proposition? What does it take
to be justified in believing a proposition? Do we know anything? After
examining these general issues in epistemology, we will consider several
epistemic issues that arise in the philosophy of science. Topics will
include inductive inference, inference to the best explanation, statistical
inference, theory confirmation, and probability theory.
By the end of the course students should be
able to write good argumentative essays about any topic they might be
expected to write about in their college career.
Personal Identity
Patrick Kenny, Department of Philosophy
TR 2:00 – 3:15 CRN 12110
The issue of one’s personal identity arises at
some point in most people’s lives: What makes you the person you
are? Is there anything that makes you the same person from one moment
to the next? Are we essentially physical beings or mental beings? These
and other similar questions form the core of philosophical reflection
on the problem of personal identity. This class, through exposure to a
selection of texts and other media will provide the student with the opportunity
to explore this intriguing and difficult topic. Class discussion will
help to isolate the key issues, and will serve to guide the students as
they learn to ap-preciate that successful writing stems directly from
the ability to identify and construct effective argumentative strategies.
Each student will write a number of short papers that actively engage
with the arguments. These essays will be subject to peer assessment and
self-critique, both of which will enable the student to trace his/her
own progress in acquiring the appropriate writing techniques. These skills
will then be put to good use in the construction of a clear and well-organized
final research paper in which the student will demonstrate his/her own
understanding of the problem of personal identity. The end result will
be the student’s awareness of how the appreciation of a subject
matter and the ability to write well go hand in hand.
The Good Life And The Promise Of Medical Enhancement
Robert L. Muhlnickel, Department of Philosophy
MW 12:30 – 1:45 CRN 12341
In this course will read about, discuss, analyze, and
write about what various conceptions of a good human life recommend or
require in the conduct of one’s life. We will use those conceptions
of a good human life to assess the trend in contemporary medicine to use
pharmaceutical and surgical techniques for enhancement of individual life
opportunities rather than curing disease. We will examine accounts of
the good life from various traditions, including harmony with self, self-realization,
social activity, and living in accord with reason. Students will have
the opportunity to define their conception of a good life and argue in
its favor. We will examine the consequences of the trend toward medical
enhancement for the role of physicians and health care providers and its
relation to living a good life. Students will write argumentative essays
and a research paper, perform peer reviews of each other’s writing,
and participate in class discussion of these issues.
Paradoxes
Chris Tillman, Department of Philosophy
MW 12:30 – 1:45 CRN 12262
This sentence is false.
Is it? If so, then it is what it says it is (i.e., false),
so what it says is true. So if it’s false, it’s true. If it’s
true, however, then it is not what it says it is, which is false. So it’s
false, if it is true. So it is true just in case it is false. But nothing
can be true just in case it is false.
Something has gone wrong. We have reached an unacceptable
conclusion via apparently acceptable reasoning. It seems our ordinary
understanding of meaning and truth has led to paradox. Through focused
writing and revision, this course will follow thinkers from Aristotle
and Zeno to present day philosophers in thinking about and discussing
some of history’s most stubborn paradoxes. We will examine and evaluate
proposed solutions to paradoxes about space and time, truth and rational
belief, and objects and persons. Students will formulate and defend their
own views through several peer-reviewed short writing assignments, self-assessments,
and an 8-10 page research paper. By the course’s conclusion, students
should have tools to assist them to critically read, write, and revise
clear and effective argumentative essays on any given subject matter.
Political
Science
Terrorism and Intervention: U.S. Foreign Policy
in the 21st Century
Stephen Gent, Department of Philosophy
TR 9:40 – 10:55 CRN 12277
The United States is by far the most powerful country in
the world; however, the events of 9/11 illustrated that even the strongest
nation can be vulnerable to external attacks. How should the U.S. respond
to this emerging threat of terrorism? What role should the U.S play as
the world’s only remaining superpower? When the U.S. intervenes
internationally, should it be required to gain the support of other countries,
or is it legitimate to act alone? These are the types of questions addressed
every day by scholars and foreign policy practitioners alike. In this
class, students will discuss, analyze, and write about current issues
in U.S. foreign policy, including terrorism, military intervention, and
the role of international institutions. Assignments will include informal
in-class writing exercises, short analytical essays, and a longer, formal
research paper. During the course, students will assess their own writing,
receive feedback from both the instructor and their peers, and make revisions
to their work. Through this class, students will gain experience analyzing
topics critically, reviewing the work of their peers, and developing clear
and convincing arguments that are supported with evidence.
Extended
Courses (105E)
Program Permission Required
Big Fish: Writing Legends and Legendary Writers
from the Eighteenth Century to Present
Anjili Babbar, Department of English
TR 12:30 – 1:45 CRN 96407
**Students must register for recitation section F 12:00 -
12:50 (CRN 96054) when registering for this course**
Tim Burton’s latest film, Big Fish, raises
some interesting issues about identity and myth-making. What is a legend,
and what separates a legend from a distortion or lie? When (if ever) is
it acceptable to change or embellish a life story for the greater personal,
social, artistic or political good? In this course, we will attempt to
answer these questions with regard to legendary figures, and to apply
them to considerations of authorship. Can an author become a legend in
the same manner as a political or military figure? Does this type of legend
fulfill the same social and cultural needs as other types? Or are there
different motivations for the stories we tell about storytellers? We will
begin by comparing historical accounts of a variety of biographies with
their distorted legendary counterparts and creating journal entries which
reflect our perceptions of the differences between the two and the potential
reasons for those differences. Through revision, editing, peer workshops,
self-assessments, and class discussions, these reactions will be developed
into several short papers. One longer, final research paper will consider
the history of biographical representation of an authorial figure.
Thinking through Science
Pamela Bedore, Department of English
MW 12:30 – 1:45 CRN 96168
**Students must register for recitation section F 1:00 - 1:50
(CRN 96173) when registering for this course**
Recent advances in the areas of artificial intelligence, human cloning,
bioinformatics and other technologies have led many people to rethink
the position of science within society. Who controls science? What does
it mean to think scientifically? What are the consequences of new scientific
advances? We will explore these questions by reading critical essays and
science fiction stories that address these ongoing critical debates. We
will also examine the communication strategies most commonly used in science
writing of various kinds. Although our class will begin by discussing
pre-selected examples of science writing, students will be encouraged
to choose their own readings about science and technology in the second
half of the semester. Students will learn critical thinking skills and
writing strategies that will be beneficial throughout their academic careers
in the sciences or the humanities.
From Footlights to Footnotes: Dramatic Dialogue
and Academic Writing
Jenny Douglas, Department of English
TR 9:40 – 10:55 CRN 96107
***Students must register for recitation section F 11:00 - 11:50 (CRN
96115) when registering for this course***
Performance pervades our everyday life,
from the most mundane aspects of our interactions with other people to
the latest film we’ve seen. Even writing is performance because
it requires attention to audience and the attempt to meet that audience’s
needs. In this course, we’ll be looking at performance across the
spectrum, from the mundane to the spectacular and some of what’s
in between. We will be reading, discussing, and writing about various
kinds of performance, including dramatic texts, live stage productions,
reality TV, and observations of everyday life. Throughout the writing
process-which we might call the rehearsal process-students will assess
their own work and receive feedback from peers and instructor, thus preparing
for opening night: the final draft. During the semester, students will
write three 3-5 page papers and one 8-10 page research paper.
Dystopia: Futuristic Portrayals of Present-Day Fears
Tina Giovanielli, Department of English
TR 9:40 – 10:55 CRN 96005
**Students must register for recitation section M 12:00 -
12:50 (CRN 96018) when registering for this course**
Dystopias portray dismal futures for the human race. Computers
take over the world, genetic engineering destroys individual freedoms,
tyrannical governments silence all dissenting voices, the human species
degenerates so that we can no longer learn or think; these are all themes
of dystopian literature. These stories range from H.G. Wells’ novel The Time Machine to movies like The Matrix, but what
is their purpose, and do they achieve it? Do they entertain us, scare
us, or both?
Students will have the opportunity to address some of these questions
and create others through a series of short papers, a longer research
paper, peer and individual revising, and class participation. We will
focus on forming arguments drawn from and supported by both primary and
secondary sources. The goal of this course is to learn about how dystopias
work while at the same time acquiring writing skills that can be used
across all disciplines
**Writing Lives: American Autobiography
Alison Ehrmann Hager, Department of English
MW 4:50 – 6:05 CRN 96089
**Students must register for recitation section R 4:00 - 4:50 (CRN
96091) when registering for this course**
Autobiography sets itself apart from other literary and
historical genres because it allows an individual to articulate her or
his own experience in his or her own voice. Then how do we read autobiography?
Is such individual articulation important? Do we take it as fact? as fiction?
How do we decide? This course will engage various historical, social,
and theoretical contexts of autobiographical writing. We will read works
ranging from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day, by authors
who come from diverse backgrounds.
Authors may include: Black Hawk, Mary Chesnut, Samuel Delaney,
Frederick Douglass, Benjamin Franklin, bell hooks, Maxine Hong Kingston,
Anne Lamott, and Gertrude Stein, among others. Through a critical reading
of these authors’ works we will explore concepts central to the
study of autobiography such as memory, experience, identity, agency, and
the body.
Using these ideas as a springboard you will develop and
refine the skills for university-level writing. Through peer feedback
and self-assessment you will learn to evaluate and revise your own writing.
Through a series of short papers and a longer re-search assignment you
will discover the value and necessity of revising your written work.
Dangerous Words and Ideas: A History of America's
Search for Subversion
Patrick LaPierre, Department of History
TR 11:05 - 12:20 CRN 96121
**Students must register for recitation section F 11:00 -
11:50 (CRN 96139) when registering for this course**
Are ideas really dangerous? To what extent can the written or
spoken word be considered politically subversive? Is there such a thing
as too much freedom of thought and expression? Is the free-market of ideas
the best defense against dangerous or offensive arguments? This course
will explore these questions through the history of America's attempt
to define and control sedition. The dictionary defines sedition as the
acts or words tending to upset or overthrow the authority of a government.
In this class, we will concentrate on words, both spoken and written.
Beginning with the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798 and continuing through
to our own era, we will examine certain instances of anti-sedition and
the ways in which free speech and political stability have lived an uneasy
co-existence. Our examination will be carried out via class readings,
various writing assignments (both formal and informal), peer critiques,
self-assessments and revision workshops. Writing will be the means through
which we will explore course material, construct arguments and share insights.
Course requirements will include three short papers that will be reworked
and refined in revision workshops. Finally, students will be assigned
one longer research paper (8-10 pages).
From Woody Guthrie to Ani DiFranco: Historical Perspectives
on American Protest Music
Tara McCarthy, Department of History
MW 3:25 – 4:40 CRN 96020
**Students must register for recitation section F 10:00 -
10:50 (CRN 96036) when registering for this course**
Historians reconstruct and interpret the past by studying
primary sources. Song lyrics, like novels and diaries, can reveal past
and present social concerns. In this class we will explore folk/protest
music in its social and political context, analyzing lyrics and developing
arguments about musicians and the causes they championed. Topics include:
Woody Guthrie’s labor ballads, anti-war music of the Sixties, and,
more recently, gun control. Interpreting sources and formulating arguments
are two impor-tant steps in the writing process. Revision is another.
You will write four formal papers, including a research paper, during
the semester. After each assignment, you will have the opportunity to
revise your work several times, giving and receiving feedback in class
through peer review. The research project, on the musician or protest
theme of your choice (not limited to the folk genre), will also involve
a presentation to the class.
"The Nature of Freedom: Prisons and Prison Literature".
Shaila Mehra, Department of English
MW 2:00 – 3:15 CRN 96063
**Students must register for recitation section F 1:00 - 1:50
(CRN 96072) when registering for this course**
As a locus of involuntary confinement, prison offers a compelling
source of study about the nature of freedom. Can one be free when imprisoned?
Where does freedom reside – in the mind, the body, or somewhere
else entirely? Is freedom a state of being or a process of acting (thinking,
writing, rioting)? Beginning with a philosophical framework for exploring
the nature of freedom, the course will move explicitly into a political
framework that addresses the relationship between personal freedom and
social injustice.
Our primary texts will be prison narratives, which we will
read as works of literature and political commentary/manifesto. We will
also read several critical, scholarly essays about the U.S. prison-industrial
complex. Possible authors may include, and are not limited to: M. Abu-Jamal,
E. Cleaver, A. Davis, N. Mandela, Public Enemy, J.P. Sartre, Malcolm X,
and selections from recently-published anthologies of prison writing.
Possible films include Attica!, Chicken Run, and The
Thin Blue Line. Throughout the semester, as we deepen our critical
reading and writing skills, we will continually address the following
question: In what ways can the acts of reading and writing play vital
roles in the articulation of our own freedom?
CAS 105 is a writing course whose primary goal is producing
college-level, argumentative writing. To this end, we will utilize peer
review, self-assessment, class discussion, formal and informal writing,
revision, and research to improve writing and thinking skills. In order
to meet the objectives of this CAS 105 class, attendance and active participation
in class meetings is vital, as is the commitment to rigorous analysis
of student writing.
News of the World: Journalism and Critical Thinking
Brian O'Sullivan, College Writing Program
TR 2:00 - 3:15 CRN 96142
**Students must register for recitation section F 1:00 - 1:50
(CRN 96150) when registering for this course**
How do traditions of journalism affect the gathering and
reporting of news around the world? How, in turn, does news reporting
shape the public’s understanding of global and local events and
issues? And how can we read the news critically, so that we are informed
more and manipulated less? Students in this class will explore possible
answers to these questions as they practice writing effective arguments,
giving helpful feedback, and rereading and revising their own work.
last
updated
August 31, 2004
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