Undergraduate students enrolled at the University of Rochester who are not in EAPP (English for Academic Purposes Program) but wish to take EAPP classes should contact the EAPP director, Paige Sloan (gsloan@ur.rochester.edu ).

This course is designed to help undergraduate non-native speakers of English improve their English oral communication and listening skills in preparation for social interactions at the university. Students will practice speaking at greater length and faster speed by developing fluency, grammatical accuracy, complexity of sentence structures, and vocabulary. In addition, students will practice listening actively to peers, summarizing, paraphrasing, and repeating key information from native speakers of English. The course will also cover such techniques as asking follow-up questions, using socialization strategies, adapting to cultural differences, practicing small talk, and making formal and informal introductions. Class work will take place in and out of the classroom with the collaboration of native and non-native speakers of English in formal and informal settings. Significant class time will be devoted to English pronunciation.

Prerequisites: A grade of C or better in WRTG 101: EAPP Communication across Contexts I is required to proceed to WRTG 102: EAPP Communication across Contexts II. EAPP Program permission required for non-EAPP Program students.

Location

Rush Rhees Library Room 304E (F 9:00AM - 10:15AM)

Undergraduate students enrolled at the University of Rochester who are not in EAPP (English for Academic Purposes Program) but wish to take EAPP classes should contact the EAPP director, Paige Sloan (gsloan@ur.rochester.edu ).

This course is designed to help undergraduate non-native speakers of English improve their English oral communication and listening skills in preparation for social interactions at the university. Students will practice speaking at greater length and faster speed by developing fluency, grammatical accuracy, complexity of sentence structures, and vocabulary. In addition, students will practice listening actively to peers, summarizing, paraphrasing, and repeating key information from native speakers of English. The course will also cover such techniques as asking follow-up questions, using socialization strategies, adapting to cultural differences, practicing small talk, and making formal and informal introductions. Class work will take place in and out of the classroom with the collaboration of native and non-native speakers of English in formal and informal settings. Significant class time will be devoted to English pronunciation.

Prerequisite: A grade of C or better is required in WRTG 101: EAPP Communication across Contexts I to proceed to WRTG 102: EAPP Communication across Contexts II. EAPP Program permission required for non-EAPP Program students.

Location

Frederick Douglass Room 420 (F 9:00AM - 10:15AM)

Undergraduate students enrolled at the University of Rochester who are not in EAPP (English for Academic Purposes Program) but wish to take EAPP classes should contact the EAPP director, Paige Sloan (gsloan@ur.rochester.edu ).

This course is designed to help undergraduate non-native speakers of English improve their English oral communication and listening skills in preparation for social interactions at the university. Students will practice speaking at greater length and faster speed by developing fluency, grammatical accuracy, complexity of sentence structures, and vocabulary. In addition, students will practice listening actively to peers, summarizing, paraphrasing, and repeating key information from native speakers of English. The course will also cover such techniques as asking follow-up questions, using socialization strategies, adapting to cultural differences, practicing small talk, and making formal and informal introductions. Class work will take place in and out of the classroom with the collaboration of native and non-native speakers of English in formal and informal settings. Significant class time will be devoted to English pronunciation.

Prerequisite: A grade of C or better is required in WRTG 101: EAPP Communication across Contexts I to proceed to WRTG 102: EAPP Communication across Contexts II. EAPP Program permission required for non-EAPP Program students.

Location

Lechase Room 184 (F 9:00AM - 10:15AM)

Undergraduate students enrolled at the University of Rochester who are not in EAPP (English for Academic Purposes Program) but wish to take EAPP classes should contact the EAPP director, Paige Sloan (gsloan@ur.rochester.edu ).

WRT 103 is an introduction to critical reading and writing skills. Lessons will center on the analysis of varied readings and on using writing as a tool for critical thinking and reflection. Students will be introduced to concepts of rhetorical analysis and the use of logic, as well as the roles of audience and purpose in shaping the organization, style and argumentative strategies of their own papers. In addition, students will build writing fluency and self-expression through freewriting and in-class writing. Collaboration is an important part of learning; therefore, students will work together as they learn to critique their own work and the work of their peers. Attention will be given to writing beyond the classroom, such as communicating with faculty and others campus programs and departments.

Prerequisites: A grade of C or better is required to proceed to WRTG 104, EAPP Research, Reading, and Writing. EAPP Program permission required for non-EAPP Program students.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Rush Rhees Library Room 304E (TR 2:00PM - 4:40PM)

Undergraduate students enrolled at the University of Rochester who are not in EAPP (English for Academic Purposes Program) but wish to take EAPP classes should contact the EAPP director, Paige Sloan (gsloan@ur.rochester.edu ).

WRTG 103 is an introduction to critical reading and writing skills. Lessons will center on the analysis of varied readings and on using writing as a tool for critical thinking and reflection. Students will be introduced to concepts of rhetorical analysis and the use of logic, as well as the roles of audience and purpose in shaping the organization, style and argumentative strategies of their own papers. In addition, students will build writing fluency and self-expression through freewriting and in-class writing. Collaboration is an important part of learning; therefore, students will work together as they learn to critique their own work and the work of their peers. Attention will be given to writing beyond the classroom, such as communicating with faculty and others campus programs and departments.

Prerequisites: A grade of C or better is required to proceed to WRTG 104, EAPP Research, Reading, and Writing. EAPP Program permission required for non-EAPP Program students.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Hylan Building Room 307 (TR 9:40AM - 12:20PM)

Undergraduate students enrolled at the University of Rochester who are not in EAPP (English for Academic Purposes Program) but wish to take EAPP classes should contact the EAPP director, Paige Sloan (gsloan@ur.rochester.edu ).

WRTG 103 is an introduction to critical reading and writing skills. Lessons will center on the analysis of varied readings and on using writing as a tool for critical thinking and reflection. Students will be introduced to concepts of rhetorical analysis and the use of logic, as well as the roles of audience and purpose in shaping the organization, style and argumentative strategies of their own papers. In addition, students will build writing fluency and self-expression through freewriting and in-class writing. Collaboration is an important part of learning; therefore, students will work together as they learn to critique their own work and the work of their peers. Attention will be given to writing beyond the classroom, such as communicating with faculty and others campus programs and departments.

Prerequisites: A grade of C or better is required to proceed to WRTG 104, EAPP Research, Reading, and Writing. EAPP Program permission required for non-EAPP Program students.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Meliora Room 218 (MW 9:00AM - 11:40AM)

Friendship offers a window through which people come into their identities. We will look at both representations and scholarly discussions of friendship to think about how friendship functions in the world.  Through analyzing and writing about novels, films, and journalism, we will pursue questions such as: How does friendship shape who we are and how we participate in society? How can friendships both enrich and complicate our lives? And what does friendship offer as opposed to familial, professional, or romantic relationships? We will read classic literary texts like Zora Neal Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God and odes to friendship by Shakespeare and Lord Alfred Tennyson. We will also consider how experiences of marginalization shape relations of friendship and kinship. Audre Lorde and bell hooks, for example, theorize the role of friendship in movements for self-determination, meanwhile LGBTQ people describe finding affirmative “chosen family” among friends. Exploring these phenomena will broaden how we understand friendship to shape identity and belonging, and therefore how friendship functions in society. In formal and informal writing assignments students will analyze course texts, receive peer feedback on their writing, and produce written reflections. Students will also complete an 8-10-page argumentative research paper.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Hylan Building Room 206 (MW 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

In this class, you will explore what outdoor adventure has meant to others, and what it means to you. To explore this question, we ask two related questions. First, how does the type of activity and the space in which it takes place shape an understanding of Nature and humanity’s relation to it? Second, how does an activity relate to sociopolitical forces like capitalism or colonialism?

To explore these questions, you will write about a range of materials including works by 19th century naturalists like Thoreau, and Native American philosophy. You will read about famous explorers like Shackleton, and about modern-day “ski bums”. You will watch films about epic cross-country adventures (Into the Wild), and films about finding adventure in your backyard (Beau Miles). You will read works by adventurers, and read what sociologists, historians, and environmental scientists have said.

A requirement will be to spend one hour per week outside. Reflecting on these activities in discussions and short essays, you will develop responses to the course’s guiding question. This culminates in an argumentative, 8-10 page research project in which you will plan, research, and document your own outdoor adventure. The writing process involves drafting, peer-response and reflection.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Lechase Room 122 (TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM)

*Challenging content advisory*

Banning cultural objects has become a hot topic lately, but this isn’t a recent convention. In this writing class, we will explore the modern history of banning texts across a variety of cultures. The course will include books like Fahrenheit 451 and Reading Lolita in Tehran. We will also investigate visual mediums such as classical art and comic books like Genderqueer. Additionally, we will consider theorists like Adorno, Benjamin, and Barthes to understand how texts are received and operate in society. Along the way, we will ask ourselves: How can words and pictures be so shocking? Why do some texts and visual mediums continue to be offensive? What is the purpose of banning, censoring, and challenging certain texts but not others? After all, it’s just looking, right? Through class discussion, research, and writing these questions will be investigated.  Writing will range from exploratory informal assignments to formal assignments incorporating peer feedback, revision, and writer reflection. The course will culminate in a formal 8-10 page argumentative research paper at the end of the semester that challenges our perception of “bad” texts. Come be part of the dangerous discussion—if you dare!

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Goergen Hall Room 110 (TR 3:25PM - 4:40PM)

As the internet has boomed, the fine arts have begun to leave their homes in museums and galleries and find a new place on our smartphones and computer screens. Once a community for only “high society,” the high arts are now accessible across cultures, socioeconomic classes, generations, abilities, and geographical regions. Has this increase in accessibility and engagement in arts changed the way we interact with art? What we consider to be art? Who is a member of the “art world”? In this course, we will discuss responses to these questions, and develop our own, through the scholarly work of art historians, critics, and sociologists. We will also use TED Talks and other popular sources to guide us in considering the ways that the rise of digital arts, engagement through social media, and the advent of new technology like Non-Fungible Tokens (“NFTs”) have shifted our understanding of art, value, creativity, and ownership. Students will explore their own ideas through discussion, short informal and formal writing assignments, and an 8-10 page argumentative research paper. For each formal assignment we will refine our ideas by utilizing peer feedback, self-reflection, and revision.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Lechase Room 161 (TR 11:05AM - 12:20PM)

What do the unfamiliar environments of science fiction tell us about how we imagine our own present reality? In this course, students will explore this question and develop their writing skills through engaging in critical conversations surrounding science fiction. Along the way, new questions will present themselves: Whose voices are loudest in discussions about the future? How do cultural narratives shape the way in which sci-fi authors create their imaginary worlds? Students will use research, discussion, and especially writing to grapple with these issues. Using approaches from a variety of disciplines, we will investigate—through writing—the environments of Villeneuve’s Dune film, Watanabe’s Cowboy Bebop anime, and short stories from Clarkesworld and the SCP Foundation. Reading scholarly articles from authors like Raffaella Baccolini and Tom Shippey will lend students valuable context for their formal written work, which they will hone through peer feedback, reflection, and revision. The culmination of the course will be an 8-10 page argumentative research paper showcasing the student’s own conclusions on a question related to the course topic.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Hylan Building Room 206 (MW 9:00AM - 10:15AM)

Human culture and machine/technology culture are becoming more and more entangled in recent decades. In this course, we will engage a variety of questions regarding the social, political, and moral implications of this entanglement. Should autonomous systems be permitted in warfare? Should human enhancement technologies be controlled by parents or by governments? Should humanity strive to throw off the constraints of biological existence for something else entirely? What are genetic "diseases" and should we try to eliminate them? We will use the tools of research, writing, argument, and discussion to hone our views on these complex issues and learn to communicate our conclusions through writing. Students will develop two analytical and argumentative essays during this course. Successful completion of the course will prepare students for the research proposal and 8-10 page argumentative research paper.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Todd Union Room 202 (MW 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

What is “belonging”? What does it do for individuals physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially? Scholars in a variety of disciplines have studied and recognized belonging as a fundamental human need with a profound impact on individuals’ well-being. Still, people understand and experience belonging differently. How do individuals differently experience belonging? And how does it affect them? How could individuals create a sense of belonging in different contexts, such as family, college, the workplace, social media, and society? And what does it take to create a culture of belonging in these contexts? In this class, we will focus on the intricacies of belonging and explore these questions through reading, discussions, and writing. Course texts will include a range of scholarly articles, op-eds, U of R’s diversity and inclusion statements, essays and books by writers such as bell hooks and Amy Tan, and short films such as Pixar’s Purl. You will also learn to research, reflect, and write to develop your own inquiries and engage with yourself and others in both informal and formal writing. Through a process of drafting, peer response, and revision, you will develop and support your ideas in shorter formal assignments and a final 8-10 page argumentative research paper.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Frederick Douglass Room 420 (TR 6:15PM - 7:30PM)

Engineering innovations can be found all around us, but how do ideas become tangible products? What is the design process? And how can we apply principles of design thinking to our own lives? We will explore questions such as these and develop others as we listen to podcasts (e.g., Being an Engineer), watch YouTube (e.g., Mark Rober), read scholarly articles, and learn about the impact and career paths of engineers such as Sara Spangelo, Danielle Boyer, and Janelle Wellons. In this class, we will practice thinking like engineers by engaging in design activities such as brainstorming, peer feedback, self-reflection, and testing and refining our ideas. To be an effective engineer – and writer – requires that you be curious, try new things, talk with others, and share your story. Assignments will include trying out new tools (e.g., Blender, SQL, Flourish), interviewing an engineer, creating a podcast, and drafting and revising short essays in addition to drawing from your own disciplinary interests to write a final 8-10-page argumentative research paper.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Lechase Room 141 (TR 11:05AM - 12:20PM)

Haunted houses. Blood-sucking vampires. Spell-casting witches. Undead zombie hordes. As a genre (and collection of subgenres), horror is rife with familiar story conventions. While many of these transcend cultural boundaries, what each culture does with them speaks to the experiences of the people within that culture. So what does it mean to call a scary story an “American” horror story? How do horror stories, and the tropes they rely on, reflect fears and anxieties about social issues and questions of identity in American culture? Can those same tropes also be used by writers and filmmakers to critique those fears and anxieties? In this class, students will explore such questions as a way of developing as college-level writers and thinkers. We will read stories such as Poe’s William Wilson and watch movies such as The Shining and Candyman, and confront arguments about horror’s role in American culture from multiple disciplines and multiple genres (like op-eds and podcasts). Students will join in the discussion about these issues, composing a series of informal responses and short formal assignments leading up to an 8-10pp argumentative research paper. The class will emphasize all aspects of the writing process, including peer and instructor feedback, revision, and writer-reflection.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Hylan Building Room 306 (TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM)

Have you felt ‘butterflies in your stomach’ or ‘the weight of the world on your shoulders’? Have you ‘fallen for someone’ ‘head over heels’? Have you felt a physical rush when expressing rage in profanity you could not believe you even knew? Whether we choose to ignore or embrace them, emotions manifest themselves. Using writing as a mode of thinking, we explore how emotions converge in verbal and non-verbal communication, and how they shape us and the world we live in. We will consider a range of sources on language and body; e.g. whether vulnerability is at the heart of courage (psychology, Brown 2018), whether anything is conveyed through touch (tactile communication, Classen 2020) and whether silence or lack of movement are tough to interpret (cultural studies, Donahue 2020). To reflect on an emotion of your choice, the students produce an informal podcast. The podcast exchange will open research questions. Next, we forge a research proposal with an annotated bibliography. Finally, the proposal will grow into an 8-10 page argumentative research paper. The drafting of papers increasing in complexity, writer-reflection as well as peer and instructor’s response will help us hone academic writing as scholarly dialogue.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Lechase Room 160 (MW 9:00AM - 10:15AM)

Why are people moved to join social movements and work toward political change? What do movements themselves reveal about the kind of world we want to live in? In exploring these questions, we will draw from contemporary writing on new social movements from Angela Davis and Arundati Roy and others, and consider a variety of texts that deal with local and global expressions of dissent, including documentary films and personal testimonies. Our collective inquiry will connect concepts from movement practices in several short essays as we learn about effective writing through drafting, revision, peer response, and self-reflection.  Our work will culminate in an 8-10 page argumentative research paper, which will demonstrate student ability to engage in critical conversation around contemporary social movements. Please be aware that this course contains content that explores violence and may be upsetting. Please feel free to contact the instructor for more information.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Lechase Room 182 (MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM)

What makes popular nonfiction so compelling? The writer’s style? Their voice? Their eye for topics that often surprise us? And how can we successfully utilize those rhetorical strategies in our own writing? In this course, we’ll take a deep dive into popular nonfiction, analyzing how the way one writes affects what is learned, who the audience is, and how the text shapes the world. To explore these questions in action, we’ll look at post-1945 nonfiction writers like renegade journalist Hunter S. Thompson, conflicting chroniclers of the Vietnam War Michael Herr and Viet Thanh Nguyen, public intellectual Ta-Nehisi Coates, and the “everymen” podcasters behind Stuff You Should Know, seeing how these writers became famous, in part, for making their complex ideas profoundly engaging to the larger public. While we use these works to underpin our informal and formal writing assignments and discussion, we’ll also use them as models as we practice writing in styles which suit audiences from trained academics to casual readers. Through peer feedback, reflection, and revision, you will develop writing skills fit for a variety of contexts, with your work culminating in an 8-10 page argumentative research paper integrating course themes and individual interests.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Meliora Room 209 (MW 3:25PM - 4:40PM)

How is American culture and history shaped by work? How does one's work and search for a career affect individual identity development? What makes "work" into a career? Through popular culture examples including children's books (eg. Richard Scarry's, What do People do all day) films (eg. Billy Elliot, Office Space, Social Network), and theoretical readings from labor history, sociology, and psychology, this class will explore the definition of work in American culture broadly as well as in individual stories. By engaging students in a constructive learning process including class discussions, critical reading, and formal and informal writing assignments this course will introduce students to academic writing. Writing assignments include short analytical essays and one 8-10 page argumentative research paper. The focus of this course is the writing process and will involve drafting, peer response, self-assessment and revision.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Lechase Room 121 (TR 11:05AM - 12:20PM)

Technology changes education in significant ways. Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, like Chat GPT, translate text, provide a human-like response to texts, write codes, and compose papers. Some AI robots read to students and even teach them. In this writing course, we explore the potential of AI in education and address two main questions: What are the implications of AI in education? What AI technologies can be adopted in education, and what are the inherent complexities of doing so? Students will also have ample opportunity to explore their own questions about AI and education. Using formal and short informal writings, students will reflect on the use of AI in education by reading chapters from books like AI and the Future of Education by Selwyn, Robot Ethics, by Lin et al., and scholarly articles from the fields of philosophy, psychology, neuropsychology, engineering, social sciences, and others. Popular media, including podcasts like The Harvard EdCast, TED Talks, Twitter threads, and blogs will enrich our exploration. These explorations will culminate in an 8-10-page argumentative research paper that explores questions related to AI and education. All formal assignments, including the final argumentative research paper, will involve rigorous peer feedback, reflection, and revision before final submission.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Lechase Room 103 (TR 11:05AM - 12:20PM)

In 2020, Parasite became the first foreign-language film to win Best Picture at the Oscars. In 2019, Blackpink became the first K-pop group to perform at Coachella, while BTS made history in 2020 as the first all-South Korean band to have a song top the Billboard Hot 100 list. Within 12 days of airing, Squid Game became the most popular show on Netflix. Korean cuisine, skincare, webtoons and other products have experienced a similar surge in international popularity. The Korean Wave, or hallyu, is now a well-established global phenomenon. But how did South Korea become the pop-culture powerhouse that it is today? What social, economic, and political factors went into the emergence of hallyu as a cultural force to be reckoned with? Students will explore these and other research questions through their writing, while recognizing writing itself as a means of producing new knowledge within different academic communities. We will progress through a series of short assignments, peer feedback, reflection and revision, culminating in an 8-10 page argumentative research paper at the end of the semester. Assigned texts will include Parasite, episodes from dramas including Squid Game and Descendants of the Sun, music videos, short fiction, historical documents, and a selection of scholarly articles.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Lechase Room 121 (MW 9:00AM - 10:15AM)

How is American culture and history shaped by work? How does one's work and search for a career affect individual identity development? What makes "work" into a career? Through popular culture examples including children's books (eg. Richard Scarry's, What do People do all day) films (eg. Billy Elliot, Office Space, Social Network), and theoretical readings from labor history, sociology, and psychology, this class will explore the definition of work in American culture broadly as well as in individual stories. By engaging students in a constructive learning process including class discussions, critical reading, and formal and informal writing assignments this course will introduce students to academic writing. Writing assignments include short analytical essays and one 8-10 page argumentative research paper. The focus of this course is the writing process and will involve drafting, peer response, self-assessment and revision.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Genesee Hall Room 309 (TR 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

What is the meaning of life? For centuries, a variety of thinkers, cultural traditions, and social movements have attempted to answer this question. In this class, we will consider “the meaning of life” as both a theoretical problem and lived experience using critical reading and discussion, drawing from texts by philosophers, journalists, and literary figures like Susan R. Wolf, Friedrich Nietzsche, Donna Haraway, Jill Lepore, and Albert Camus, as well as works ranging from academic scholarship and religious writings to fiction and film. This course invites students to enter this existential conversation by formulating their own ideas through discussion, in-class writing, and formal assignments, and drawing parallels between readings and the dilemmas we face in everyday life. Students will also take part in informal writing, peer response, writer reflection, and revision. The course will culminate in an 8-10 page argumentative research paper.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Lechase Room 163 (TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM)

Haunted houses. Blood-sucking vampires. Spell-casting witches. Undead zombie hordes. As a genre (and collection of subgenres), horror is rife with familiar story conventions. While many of these transcend cultural boundaries, what each culture does with them speaks to the experiences of the people within that culture. So what does it mean to call a scary story an “American” horror story? How do horror stories, and the tropes they rely on, reflect fears and anxieties about social issues and questions of identity in American culture? Can those same tropes also be used by writers and filmmakers to critique those fears and anxieties? In this class, students will explore such questions as a way of developing as college-level writers and thinkers. We will read stories such as Poe’s William Wilson and watch movies such as The Shining and Candyman, and confront arguments about horror’s role in American culture from multiple disciplines and multiple genres (like op-eds and podcasts). Students will join in the discussion about these issues, composing a series of informal responses and short formal assignments leading up to an 8-10pp argumentative research paper. The class will emphasize all aspects of the writing process, including peer and instructor feedback, revision, and writer-reflection.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Hylan Building Room 306 (TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

Who are we? Why are we here? What, after all, is human nature? As a species, we have long wondered what drives us, what makes us unique, why we are the way we are. In this class, we will examine the question of human nature from various perspectives, including science, religion, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and animal studies. We will analyze these viewpoints using writing, critical reading, and discussion, drawing from authors like Edward O. Wilson, Simone de Beauvoir, Michel Foucault, Charles Darwin, and William James, as well as texts ranging from academic scholarship and popular journalism to fiction and film. Students will take part in informal writing, peer response, writer reflection, and revision. The course will culminate in an 8-10 page argumentative research paper.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Dewey Room 4162 (MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM)

One of the greatest intellectual problems of modern existence is knowing who and what to believe. Even as we pride ourselves on skepticism and independent thinking, we recognize the limits of our own knowledge and the pragmatic need to take some information on authority. Deferring to the judgment of experts may be a generally sound rule to follow, but applying this rule can get complicated. Is it possible for the work of experts to be corrupt, biased, or philosophically misguided? When are outsiders of an academic field intellectually justified in criticizing the conclusions of insiders? How can we distinguish legitimate criticism of authority from that which results from ignorance, paranoia, vested interest, or political bias? The readings for this course will include passages from works like Naomi Oreskes’s and Erik M. Conway’s Merchants of Doubt (2010) and Marion Nestle’s Unsavory Truth (2018). We will explore a variety of controversies in areas as diverse as human health, economics, law, and art criticism. Assignments will include both informal responses and formal essays, culminating with an argumentative research paper. Expectations include commitment to self-assessment, revision, and peer feedback.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Meliora Room 219 (MW 6:15PM - 7:30PM)

In this class, you will explore what outdoor adventure has meant to others, and what it means to you. To explore this question, we ask two related questions. First, how does the type of activity and the space in which it takes place shape an understanding of Nature and humanity’s relation to it? Second, how does an activity relate to sociopolitical forces like capitalism or colonialism?

To explore these questions, you will write about a range of materials including works by 19th century naturalists like Thoreau, and Native American philosophy. You will read about famous explorers like Shackleton, and about modern-day “ski bums”. You will watch films about epic cross-country adventures (Into the Wild), and films about finding adventure in your backyard (Beau Miles). You will read works by adventurers, and read what sociologists, historians, and environmental scientists have said.

A requirement will be to spend one hour per week outside. Reflecting on these activities in discussions and short essays, you will develop responses to the course’s guiding question. This culminates in an argumentative, 8-10 page research project in which you will plan, research, and document your own outdoor adventure. The writing process involves drafting, peer-response and reflection.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Lechase Room 122 (TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

Advancements in engineering affect almost every aspect of our society, but what is the nature of this impact? How do engineering solutions influence the social, cultural, and environmental contexts within which they are implemented? Students will explore questions such as these by using writing as a tool for inquiry, discovery, and knowledge construction. In constructing new knowledge, students will also learn how to navigate ethical issues around proper attribution of ideas, as this is important to both writers and engineers. Class discussions, readings, and informal assignments will work together to inform the drafting and revision of two short argumentative essays, an 8–10-page research paper, and a multimodal composition for a public audience. Through peer response and self-assessment, students will learn how to effectively communicate with a variety of audiences.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Lechase Room 143 (TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM)

Who are we? Why are we here? What, after all, is human nature? As a species, we have long wondered what drives us, what makes us unique, why we are the way we are. In this class, we will examine the question of human nature from various perspectives, including science, religion, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and animal studies. We will analyze these viewpoints using writing, critical reading, and discussion, drawing from authors like Edward O. Wilson, Simone de Beauvoir, Michel Foucault, Charles Darwin, and William James, as well as texts ranging from academic scholarship and popular journalism to fiction and film. Students will take part in informal writing, peer response, writer reflection, and revision. The course will culminate in an 8-10 page argumentative research paper.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Bausch & Lomb Room 315 (MW 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

Language is everywhere in human life, and using it raises questions about values. How should we write and speak to others? What things are immoral or inappropriate to say? Should there be limits on speech? How does language shape our understanding of truth, and, in turn, our political ideology? How will, and how should, AI technology influence our use of language? (Btw, can I use “lol” in an academic paper?) This course aims to instill an understanding of the basic principles of academic writing by analyzing questions like these from a variety of intellectual perspectives. Spanning the fields of psychology, philosophy, political science, computer science, and linguistics, our investigation will center around the values at stake in communicating with others. To stimulate the process of drafting, peer feedback, reflection, and revision, we will engage with scholarly texts such as N.J. Enfield’s Language vs. Reality and George Orwell’s classic essay “Politics and the English Language.” In short analytical papers, as well as a final 8- to 10-page research paper, we will use academic writing to discover, test, examine, and communicate our thoughts.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Rush Rhees Library Room G108 (TR 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

The brain is complex. It is responsible for countless functions from storage and retrieval of memories to reflexive responses to stimuli. How does it allow us to interact with the world through sensory input and active output as we think, speak, and write? What happens in the brain when we shift between these everyday tasks? In this course, we will explore how these intertwined functions compare cognitively and how each contributes to communication from neurological, cognitive, and behavioral perspectives. The works of Steven Pinker, V. S. Ramachandran, as well as other scholarly and popular sources will be investigated through informal and formal writing experiences. This course emphasizes the importance of the writing process through writer-reflection, peer feedback, and revision. The culmination is an 8 to 10 page research paper where you will develop an argument that is informed by your perspective and the existing research. You will also highlight your findings through a multimodal presentation.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Lechase Room 103 (TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

Though Disney is often what we initially associate with the phrase “beauty and the beast,” when we peer a bit closer, we can see that this beauty and the beast trope is prevalent in many forms of media. Through reading a translation of the original fairytale written by Gabrielle- Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, and exploring other popular retellings, like Hayao Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera, we will investigate, through reflective and argumentative informal and formal writing assignments, the following questions: What constitutes a beauty and the beast story? What is it about this trope that we find compelling? How does its repetition affect us? When and how do we define something or someone as “beautiful,” as “beastly”? Over the course of the semester, we will attempt to answer these questions, and others through various critical lenses like gender and sexuality, psychology, anthropology, and disability studies, while engaging with and producing diverse forms of written work. This class collaboration will provide students with the necessary skills, like peer response, self-reflection, and revision, to produce several formal writing assignments, including a final 8-10-page argumentative research paper by the semester’s end.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Todd Union Room 202 (TR 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

Human culture and machine/technology culture are becoming more and more entangled in recent decades. In this course, we will engage a variety of questions regarding the social, political, and moral implications of this entanglement. Should autonomous systems be permitted in warfare? Should human enhancement technologies be controlled by parents or by governments? Should humanity strive to throw off the constraints of biological existence for something else entirely? What are genetic "diseases" and should we try to eliminate them? We will use the tools of research, writing, argument, and discussion to hone our views on these complex issues and learn to communicate our conclusions through writing. Students will develop a few short analytical and argumentative essays before working on an 8-10 page argumentative research essay. Those who successfully complete this course will be prepared to research and write for audiences across academic disciplines.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Lechase Room 141 (TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

Advancements in engineering affect almost every aspect of our society, but what is the nature of this impact? How do engineering solutions influence the social, cultural, and environmental contexts within which they are implemented? Students will explore questions such as these by using writing as a tool for inquiry, discovery, and knowledge construction. In constructing new knowledge, students will also learn how to navigate ethical issues around proper attribution of ideas, as this is important to both writers and engineers. Class discussions, readings, and informal assignments will work together to inform the drafting and revision of two short argumentative essays, an 8–10-page research paper, and a multimodal composition for a public audience. Through peer response and self-assessment, students will learn how to effectively communicate with a variety of audiences.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Rush Rhees Library Room 304E (MW 11:50AM - 1:05PM)

It might seem on first glance that knowledge requires certainty, but with a little reflection it comes to seem instead that we know quite a bit while being certain of extremely little. Experts are sometimes wrong, the data can be misleading or, more radically, we could be living in a Descartes-style massive delusion where our experiences do not match up to reality at all. In this class, we’ll use writing to investigate the role of uncertainty in academic research and our everyday lives. We’ll ask general questions such as: If certainty and knowledge are not synonymous, what is the value of certainty? Is certainty something to be sought after or avoided? How do certainty and uncertainty function in research across the humanities, social, and natural sciences? We will begin with immersive virtual reality experiences to test our senses of certainty. We will engage with a range of popular sources, including a podcast about Lyme disease and the scientific process, and work through research, primarily from philosophy and psychology, on knowledge, experience, and information exchange. Students will be expected to write several argumentative essays, which will go through a process of peer-response, self-reflection, and revision, culminating in an 8-10 page argumentative research paper.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Meliora Room 206 (TR 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

The adage “home is where the heart is” does not capture the whole truth; our experiences in the age of COVID tell us that home is also where the work is, for example. This begs the question: What is “home” and our relationship to it? To what extent is home a physical structure, a state of mind, and/or a community of people? What does it mean to “leave home,” whether to embark on a fantastical adventure, to attend college, or to be unhoused? We will interact with multidisciplinary texts that will include theoretical perspectives such as ecology’s home range theory and Aristotle’s philosophical view of the household. Texts will also include personal and popular perspectives from the unhoused subjects of the YouTube series Invisible People and films like Finding Nemo. Considering these perspectives, we will develop and critically discuss our own ideas through group activities and informal written assignments. Formal written assignments will undergo processes such as peer-feedback, self-reflection, and revision, and our progress as academic writers will culminate in a final 8-10 page argumentative research paper.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Lechase Room 163 (TR 11:05AM - 12:20PM)

Sympathy plays a role in our social interactions and moral decisions. It is—arguably—affected by aesthetics (i.e., the styles/ways in which things present themselves to us). In this course, we will use writing to investigate what sympathy is and explore its connections with aesthetics. For instance, does aesthetics affect how we give (or withhold) sympathy? What happens when aesthetic choices encourage audiences to sympathize with an unsympathetic character, or a “moral monster” (Humbert Humbert from Lolita, for example)? Is it possible to think of sympathy without aesthetics? What are the social consequences that result from the connection between aesthetics and sympathy? These questions will be explored through class dialogue, writing, and case examples:  Susan Sontag’s work on war photography, David Foster Wallace’s meditation on the ethics of eating lobsters, Adam Smith’s theory of moral sentiments, etc. We will investigate the connections between aesthetics and sympathy through writing that will range from informal exploratory writing to formal writing that will follow a process of drafting, revision, peer feedback and self-reflection. Students will learn and apply the conventions of academic writing, culminating in an 8-10-page argumentative research paper as a final formal assignment, one that can be approached from multiple disciplines.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Meliora Room 224 (MW 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

What is a utopia? How are utopias imagined, and what are the motivations, methods, and consequences of imagining them? If we can actually build utopias, should we? Can utopian communities ever be sustainable? Through our inquiry, discussion, and writing, we will explore these questions and investigate the concept of utopia more broadly. To do so, we will encounter fictional utopias through speculative literature, consider philosophical writings on utopia, and learn about global utopian communities through historical accounts and documentary films. We will read Sultana’s Dream by Rokeya Sahkawat Hossain, stories by Ursula Le Guin and N.K. Jemisin, and scholarly works by Lyman Tower Sargent and others. In informal and formal writing assignments, students will respond creatively and critically to these works and to each other, writing reflections and developing arguments to enter into the larger conversation. Formal assignments, including an 8-10 page argumentative research paper, will involve peer feedback, revision, and writer-reflection. Through these endeavors, students will learn and apply the conventions of academic writing. Students are also invited to explore questions of utopia through any disciplines that they are familiar with or interested in such as technology, art, and biology, to name just a few.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Meliora Room 218 (MW 3:25PM - 4:40PM)

Since its rise to popularity in the 1990s with hit shows like The Real World and Big Brother, reality TV has captured the attention–and often the outrage–of audiences worldwide. Few would argue that popular reality shows like Naked and Afraid or Kitchen Nightmares reflect reality as most people experience it. What is it, then, that these shows do reflect? Put another way: what is the relationship between this genre and the reality it claims to represent? In this course, we will approach this central question through watching, discussing, reading about, and writing about reality TV. In the process, students will draft, revise, reflect and, ultimately, learn to effectively express ideas and defend arguments about mass culture, consumerism, postmodernity, and more. They will hear from thinkers ranging from 20th-century philosophers like Guy Debord and Theodore Adorno to contemporary journalists like Aubrey Gordon and Michael Hobbes. As the semester unfolds, students will explore, develop, and refine their ideas through formal and informal assignments culminating in an 8-10-page argumentative research paper. Each assignment constitutes an opportunity for students to engage further with a course-related topic that they find particularly perplexing, compelling, or–perhaps–outraging.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Hylan Building Room 307 (TR 3:25PM - 4:40PM)

Driven by indigenous thought, the course contemplates exchanges between dominant and minority cultures. What constitutes cultural appropriation (taking from another culture)? What is transculturation (seamless fusing of elements from multiple cultures)? How do indigenous authors see cultural exchange? We will delve into primary and secondary scholarly sources as we examine our own encounters with appropriation. We will reflect on how, e.g., Kimmerer (2013) reconciles ecological views of Western and indigenous traditions or how King (2017) documents uses and abuses of indigenous symbols in popular culture. We will start with an informal reflection on appropriation. This will inform future work for the course, which will include shorter projects and an 8-10 page argumentative research paper. Throughout the drafting process, peer and instructor’s feedback will hone academic writing as scholarly dialogue. The process will allow for time, space and means to forge one’s own voice.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Hylan Building Room 307 (MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM)

*Content Warning*

What made you laugh today? Has comedy ever helped you through a difficult time? Has it offended you? Humor plays an inescapable role in our everyday lives and in society writ large, but why is it important? This course will explore these questions through the process of analytical writing. Using various psychological, philosophical, and scientific theories of humor, we will explore different styles and inflections of comedy through discussion and writing. Content will include selections from written works such as B.J. Novak’s One More Thing and Freud’s Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious, as well digital materials like the stand-up comedy of Hannah Gadsby and Bo Burnham. We will also examine short fiction from authors like Vonnegut and Chaucer, films, screenplays, and television media including the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Through these materials, students will navigate why/how humor affects them as individuals and the role it plays within society. Class discussions will lead to a variety of formal and informal writing assignments. Formal projects will include brief writing assignments and a final 8-10 page argumentative research paper. Students will workshop these formal projects throughout the semester through drafting, revision, peer review, open discussion, and feedback from the instructor.  

Location

Rush Rhees Library Room 304E (MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM)

Location

Lechase Room 122 (TR 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

We call ourselves Homo sapiens sapiens: a knowing species. But how does the human consciousness work? Why does the mind also wander afield and go on autopilot, as noted by neuroscience, behavioral medicine, and meditative traditions? In catastrophe, how might mindfulness of our behaviors reveal important information about the individuals and the species? We will consider these questions by exploring poetry by writers from Rumi to Mary Oliver to Derek Walcott and films such as Ghost in the Shell and The Matrix. Other readings probe how the brain, mind, and heart work subtly to create realities—realities as fleeting as they can be profound and consequential. We invite everyone to join our interdisciplinary inquiry while cultivating academic writing skills through discussion, formal and informal writing, peer review, revision, writer reflection, and a final argumentative research paper.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Hylan Building Room 206 (TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

Human culture and machine/technology culture are becoming more and more entangled in recent decades. In this course, we will engage a variety of questions regarding the social, political, and moral implications of this entanglement. Should autonomous systems be permitted in warfare? Should human enhancement technologies be controlled by parents or by governments? Should humanity strive to throw off the constraints of biological existence for something else entirely? What are genetic "diseases" and should we try to eliminate them? We will use the tools of research, writing, argument, and discussion to hone our views on these complex issues and learn to communicate our conclusions through writing. Students will develop two analytical and argumentative essays during this course. Successful completion of the course will prepare students for the research proposal and 8-10 page argumentative research paper.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Bausch & Lomb Room 315 (MW 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

Play and games have been at the heart of the human experience for centuries. When we play, we learn, and video games are increasingly a part of this tradition. What conversations are we having about games and play in our society, and why do they matter? Where does power lie in the world of games, design, and development? How do we perform identity when we play? How are games impacting social change and behavior? Students will raise authentic questions as they write about games from a variety of lenses: design, narrative, psychology, gender, genre, and more. We will not only play video games as primary texts, but also discuss, analyze, evaluate, and write about our interactions with and stances towards video games. Our work will involve writing exercises, multimodal elements, peer feedback, formal essays, reflection, revision, and a supportive writing environment. We will analyze peer-reviewed articles, Ralph Koster’s illustrated book A Theory of Fun, and literature from game-studies luminaries such as Gee, Squire, McGonigal, and Ito. Students will culminate their efforts towards becoming better writers in an 8-10 page argumentative research paper. All disciplines and levels of interest in critiquing games are welcome, no expertise is required.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Rettner Hall Room 307 (MW 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

What does it mean to be mindful? How does it help during the writing process? What are the practices of a mindful writer? Mindfulness refers to the mental state of directing one’s attention to the present moment, and its benefits expand to a variety of domains, such as emotional well-being and cognition. This course will broadly focus on these benefits while primarily examining the act of being mindful as a writing tool. Students will take part in mindful practices including reflexive writing, focused attention exercises, and light mediation to support the writing process. They will also learn about mindfulness perspectives from Ellen Langer, Jon Kabat-Zinn, and other scholars in the field. This course emphases the importance of argument development through informal and formal writing assignments and contemplative practices, such as writer reflection, peer feedback, and revision. By the end of the course, students will have compiled mindful techniques to use in a variety of writing contexts.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Hylan Building Room 305 (TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM)

Human culture and machine/technology culture are becoming more and more entangled in recent decades. In this course, we will engage a variety of questions regarding the social, political, and moral implications of this entanglement. Should autonomous systems be permitted in warfare? Should human enhancement technologies be controlled by parents or by governments? Should humanity strive to throw off the constraints of biological existence for something else entirely? What are genetic "diseases" and should we try to eliminate them? We will use the tools of research, writing, argument, and discussion to hone our views on these complex issues and learn to communicate our conclusions through writing. Students will develop two analytical and argumentative essays during this course. Successful completion of the course will prepare students for the research proposal and 8-10 page argumentative research paper.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Genesee Hall Room 323 (MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM)

Language lets us share with others thoughts once trapped inside our own mind, but it’s also been argued to shape or constrain those thoughts. Are our minds shaped by the language we speak? Does language make the human mind special? How should we think about developments in AI and machine translation that have brought machines closer to using language? Could these machines have minds, and how would we know? Our interdisciplinary inquiry will consider a wide variety of perspectives — from psychology, linguistics, philosophy, neuroscience, and AI — and also explore how these themes play out in TV, movies, and literature. These discussions and readings will inform the drafting and revision of two short argumentative papers. We’ll draw upon concepts from cognitive science to develop ideas about how to produce effective written arguments that are clear and engaging for readers, and work to ensure each student builds confidence in their role as academic writers.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Lechase Room 160 (TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM)

Mindfulness meditation decreases anxiety and improves academic performance. Might it therefore serve as a tool in the writing process? Meditators are less prone to racial stereotyping and implicit bias. Is mindfulness therefore an effective means of promoting political justice? Buddhists have claimed that mindfulness can be used to discern the ultimate nature of the self and reality. Does meditation really live up to the hype? This course aims to develop college-level writing skills and an understanding of the basic principles of academic writing by analyzing mindfulness meditation from a variety of intellectual perspectives. Spanning the fields of psychology, philosophy, neuroscience, and religion, our investigation will center around whether being mindful of language, ideas, and experiences can be an aid to becoming better at writing and better at living. To stimulate the process of drafting, peer feedback, reflection, and revision, we will engage with texts such as Robert Wright’s “Why Buddhism Is True” and Sharon Salzberg’s “Real Happiness,” all the while employing meditative techniques to determine how they can help in our journey. The course will culminate with an 8- to 10-page argumentative research paper in which students develop an argument about a related issue of their choosing.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Frederick Douglass Room 403 (TR 3:25PM - 4:40PM)

In 2013, health care spending consumed 17 percent of the United States of America’s Gross Domestic Product. Societies must make choices about spending, balancing the desire to achieve the best possible health for everyone with the reality of limited resources. Underlying these decisions are ethical and practical concerns, and any policy requires answers to many questions. For instance, which diseases get the most attention? Are contagious diseases in a different class from heart disease and cancer? When may we infringe on someone’s rights in the name of better health? We will examine these questions, drawing on newspaper articles, TED talks, policy blogs, and scholarly sources that examine the sociological, psychological, economic, ethical, and medical aspects of these questions. You will develop and refine your ideas through critical reading, visual mapping, writing, discussion, peer feedback, reflection, and revision, and share them in the form of two short papers.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Lechase Room 163 (TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

How do you define friendship? Develop it? Practice it? Maintain it? Scholars in science, economics, and anthropology approach friendship as both socially and biologically valuable, studying its role in evolutionary survival, consumerism, social bonding, and community. How does friendship affect how we cooperate and compete, spend our money, and forge kinship? Students will explore such questions as a way of developing their own inquiries into friendship’s place in shaping personal and social identity. Course texts will include a range of scholarly articles; "Struggle for Existence" by Charles Darwin; "It's Who You Know" by John Terrell; "People Who Can Be Friends: Selves and Social Relationships" by James G. Carrier; and Big Friendship by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman. Students will research, write, and reflect in order to develop their own inquiries and enter into a scholarly conversation. Through informal writing, peer response, and revision, students will engage their own and others’ questions in order to develop and support their ideas in shorter assignments and a final 8-10 page argumentative research paper.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Genesee Hall Room 323 (TR 11:05AM - 12:20PM)

The second-half of the WRT 105A-WRT 105B sequence, WRT 105B immerses students in the experience of academic writing, with a particular emphasis on analyzing, using, and documenting scholarly and non-scholarly texts. It provides instruction and practice in constructing cogent and compelling arguments, as students draft and revise a proposal and an 8-10 page argumentative research paper. Students will develop and test their ideas through discussion, informal writing, peer critiques and self-assessments. All sections of WRT 105A&B revolve around a theme and include a weekly writing group in which students do the work of writing with immediate support from the course instructor. WRT 105B students who have worked diligently but have not attained a grade of “B-“ or higher may take an incomplete and sign up for the Extension, a weekly workshop and tutorial program that allows students to continue working on their writing, raise their final grades, and satisfy the Primary Writing Requirement.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Lechase Room 184 (MW 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR RECITATION WRTG 105E-21 WHEN REGISTERING FOR THIS SECTION

In 2013, health care spending consumed 17 percent of America’s Gross Domestic Product. Societies must make choices about spending, balancing the desire to achieve the best possible health for everyone with the reality of limited resources. Underlying these decisions are ethical and practical concerns, and any policy requires answers to many questions. For instance, which diseases get the most attention? Are contagious diseases in a different class from heart disease and cancer? When may we infringe on someone’s rights in the name of better health? We will examine these questions, drawing on newspaper articles, TED talks, policy blogs, and scholarly sources that examine the sociological, psychological, economic, ethical, and medical aspects of these questions. You will develop and refine your ideas through critical reading, visual mapping, writing, discussion, peer feedback, reflection, and revision, and share them in the form of several short papers and an 8-10-page argumentative research paper.

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR RECITATION WRTG 105E-21 WHEN REGISTERING FOR THIS SECTION

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Frederick Douglass Room 302 (MW 9:00AM - 10:15AM)

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR RECITATION WRTG 105E-28 WHEN REGISTERING FOR THIS SECTION

Language lets us share with others thoughts once trapped inside our own mind, but it’s also been argued to shape or constrain those thoughts. Are our minds shaped by the language we speak? Does language make the human mind special? How should we think about developments in AI and machine translation that have brought machines closer to using language? Could these machines have minds, and how would we know? Our interdisciplinary inquiry will consider a wide variety of perspectives — from psychology, linguistics, philosophy, neuroscience, and AI — and also explore how these themes play out in TV, movies, and literature. These discussions and readings will inform the drafting and revision of two short argumentative papers. We’ll draw upon concepts from cognitive science to develop ideas about how to produce effective written arguments that are clear and engaging for readers, and work to ensure each student builds confidence in their role as academic writers.

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR RECITATION WRTG 105E-28 WHEN REGISTERING FOR THIS SECTION

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Meliora Room 219 (TR 11:05AM - 12:20PM)

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR RECITATION WRTG 105E-13 WHEN REGISTERING FOR THIS SECTION

How do you define friendship? Develop it? Practice it? Maintain it? Scholars in science, economics, and anthropology approach friendship as both socially and biologically valuable, studying its role in evolutionary survival, consumerism, social bonding, and community. How does friendship affect how we cooperate and compete, spend our money, and forge kinship? Students will explore such questions as a way of developing their own inquiries into friendship’s place in shaping personal and social identity. Course texts will include a range of scholarly articles; "Struggle for Existence" by Charles Darwin; "It's Who You Know" by John Terrell; "People Who Can Be Friends: Selves and Social Relationships" by James G. Carrier; and Big Friendship by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman. Students will research, write, and reflect in order to develop their own inquiries and enter into a scholarly conversation. Through informal writing, peer response, and revision, students will engage their own and others’ questions in order to develop and support their ideas in shorter assignments and a final 8-10 page argumentative research paper.

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR RECITATION WRTG 105E-13 WHEN REGISTERING FOR THIS SECTION

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Meliora Room 218 (TR 3:25PM - 4:40PM)

How do you define friendship? Develop it? Practice it? Maintain it? Scholars in science, economics, and anthropology approach friendship as both socially and biologically valuable, studying its role in evolutionary survival, consumerism, social bonding, and community. How does friendship affect how we cooperate and compete, spend our money, and forge kinship? Students will explore such questions as a way of developing their own inquiries into friendship’s place in shaping personal and social identity. Course texts will include a range of scholarly articles; "Struggle for Existence" by Charles Darwin; "It's Who You Know" by John Terrell; "People Who Can Be Friends: Selves and Social Relationships" by James G. Carrier; and Big Friendship by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman. Students will research, write, and reflect in order to develop their own inquiries and enter into a scholarly conversation. Through informal writing, peer response, and revision, students will engage their own and others’ questions in order to develop and support their ideas in shorter assignments and a final 8-10 page argumentative research paper.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Lechase Room 182 (F 10:25AM - 11:15AM)

Location

Lechase Room 124 (TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR RECITATION WRTG 105E-20 WHEN REGISTERING FOR THIS SECTION

In the US, comics are often relegated to the Sunday Funnies or denigrated as cartoons for children. But images can express ideas that are difficult to articulate in words, and comics can bring these modes together in beautiful and startling ways. But how do comics “work”? Why do we think of comics as kids’ books while most readers are adults? Are there stories that can only be told in comics? To answer these questions, we will engage in scholarly research and analyze exemplary texts including the biographical Holocaust narrative, Maus, and superheroes facing apocalypse in Watchmen. Through reading, writing, and discussion we will explore comics in terms of form and narrative; we’ll look at the specific strengths of comics in relation to other media. Alongside this exploration, students will develop academic writing strategies through reflection, peer response, and revision. Assignments will include an 8-10 page argumentative research paper and will culminate in a multimodal project of their own design.

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR RECITATION WRTG 105E-20 WHEN REGISTERING FOR THIS SECTION

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Hylan Building Room 206 (TR 3:25PM - 4:40PM)

In the US, comics are often relegated to the Sunday Funnies or denigrated as cartoons for children. But images can express ideas that are difficult to articulate in words, and comics can bring these modes together in beautiful and startling ways. But how do comics “work”? Why do we think of comics as kids’ books while most readers are adults? Are there stories that can only be told in comics? To answer these questions, we will engage in scholarly research and analyze exemplary texts including the biographical Holocaust narrative, Maus, and superheroes facing apocalypse in Watchmen. Through reading, writing, and discussion we will explore comics in terms of form and narrative; we’ll look at the specific strengths of comics in relation to other media. Alongside this exploration, students will develop academic writing strategies through reflection, peer response, and revision. Assignments will include an 8-10 page argumentative research paper and will culminate in a multimodal project of their own design.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Lattimore Room 431 (W 3:25PM - 4:15PM)

We call ourselves Homo sapiens sapiens: a knowing species. But how does the human consciousness work? Why does the mind also wander afield and go on autopilot, as noted by neuroscience, behavioral medicine, and meditative traditions? In catastrophe, how might mindfulness of our behaviors reveal important information about the individuals and the species? We will consider these questions by exploring poetry by writers from Rumi to Mary Oliver to Derek Walcott and films such as Ghost in the Shell and The Matrix. Other readings probe how the brain, mind, and heart work subtly to create realities—realities as fleeting as they can be profound and consequential. We invite everyone to join our interdisciplinary inquiry while cultivating academic writing skills through discussion, formal and informal writing, peer review, revision, writer reflection, and a final argumentative research paper.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Hylan Building Room 306 (M 10:25AM - 11:15AM)

Location

Lattimore Room 413 (W 4:50PM - 5:40PM)

In 2013, health care spending consumed 17 percent of America’s Gross Domestic Product. Societies must make choices about spending, balancing the desire to achieve the best possible health for everyone with the reality of limited resources. Underlying these decisions are ethical and practical concerns, and any policy requires answers to many questions. For instance, which diseases get the most attention? Are contagious diseases in a different class from heart disease and cancer? When may we infringe on someone’s rights in the name of better health? We will examine these questions, drawing on newspaper articles, TED talks, policy blogs, and scholarly sources that examine the sociological, psychological, economic, ethical, and medical aspects of these questions. You will develop and refine your ideas through critical reading, visual mapping, writing, discussion, peer feedback, reflection, and revision, and share them in the form of several short papers and an 8-10-page argumentative research paper.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Genesee Hall Room 323 (M 2:00PM - 2:50PM)

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR RECITATION WRTG 105E-30 WHEN REGISTERING FOR THIS SECTION

Engineering innovations can be found all around us, but how do ideas become tangible products? What is the design process? And how can we apply principles of design thinking to our own lives? We will explore questions such as these and develop others as we listen to podcasts (e.g., Being an Engineer), watch YouTube (e.g., Mark Rober), read scholarly articles, and learn about the impact and career paths of engineers such as Sara Spangelo, Danielle Boyer, and Janelle Wellons. In this class, we will practice thinking like engineers by engaging in design activities such as brainstorming, peer feedback, self-reflection, and testing and refining our ideas. To be an effective engineer – and writer – requires that you be curious, try new things, talk with others, and share your story. Assignments will include trying out new tools (e.g., Blender, SQL, Flourish), interviewing an engineer, creating a podcast, and drafting and revising short essays in addition to drawing from your own disciplinary interests to write a final 8-10-page argumentative research paper.

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR RECITATION WRTG 105E-30 WHEN REGISTERING FOR THIS SECTION

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Lechase Room 184 (TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

Location

Lechase Room 121 (TR 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

New opportunities for artistic expression have disseminated to the masses at an unprecedented rate through access to social media. Instagram photographers, Wordpress poets, YouTube comedians, Soundcloud rappers—amongst others—are now common in our everyday lives. But how has access to these massive digital communities and new platforms of expression influenced the arts as a whole? To answer this question we’ll explore the intricacies of social media platforms and their relationship to long-standing artistic traditions. We’ll base our discussions around influencers, artists, platforms, and genres that you’re interested in, and engage with critical works from writers like Guy Debord, Jean Baudrillard, and numerous scholarly articles. This complicated relationship between the arts and technology will be explored through writing and discussion, focusing on reflection, revision, and peer feedback. We’ll write several short papers, an 8-10 page argumentative research paper, and design one multi-modal project.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Lechase Room 148 (M 2:00PM - 2:50PM)

Location

Dewey Room 4162 (F 10:25AM - 11:15AM)

Engineering innovations can be found all around us, but how do ideas become tangible products? What is the design process? And how can we apply principles of design thinking to our own lives? We will explore questions such as these and develop others as we listen to podcasts (e.g., Being an Engineer), watch YouTube (e.g., Mark Rober), read scholarly articles, and learn about the impact and career paths of engineers such as Sara Spangelo, Danielle Boyer, and Janelle Wellons. In this class, we will practice thinking like engineers by engaging in design activities such as brainstorming, peer feedback, self-reflection, and testing and refining our ideas. To be an effective engineer – and writer – requires that you be curious, try new things, talk with others, and share your story. Assignments will include trying out new tools (e.g., Blender, SQL, Flourish), interviewing an engineer, creating a podcast, and drafting and revising short essays in addition to drawing from your own disciplinary interests to write a final 8-10-page argumentative research paper.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Hylan Building Room 206 (F 10:25AM - 11:15AM)

Location

Hylan Building Room 306 (F 10:25AM - 11:15AM)

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR RECITATION WRTG 105E-34 WHEN REGISTERING FOR THIS SECTION

New opportunities for artistic expression have disseminated to the masses at an unprecedented
rate through access to social media. Instagram photographers, Wordpress poets, YouTube
comedians, Soundcloud rappers—amongst others—are now common in our everyday lives. But
how has access to these massive digital communities and new platforms of expression influenced
the arts as a whole? To answer this question we’ll explore the intricacies of social media
platforms and their relationship to long-standing artistic traditions. We’ll base our discussions
around influencers, artists, platforms, and genres that you’re interested in, and engage with
critical works from writers like Guy Debord, Jean Baudrillard, and numerous scholarly articles.
This complicated relationship between the arts and technology will be explored through writing
and discussion, focusing on reflection, revision, and peer feedback. We’ll write several short
papers, an 8-10 page argumentative research paper, and design one multi-modal project.

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR RECITATION WRTG 105E-34 WHEN REGISTERING FOR THIS SECTION

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Frederick Douglass Room 420 (TR 4:50PM - 6:05PM)

New opportunities for artistic expression have disseminated to the masses at an unprecedented
rate through access to social media. Instagram photographers, Wordpress poets, YouTube
comedians, Soundcloud rappers—amongst others—are now common in our everyday lives. But
how has access to these massive digital communities and new platforms of expression influenced
the arts as a whole? To answer this question we’ll explore the intricacies of social media
platforms and their relationship to long-standing artistic traditions. We’ll base our discussions
around influencers, artists, platforms, and genres that you’re interested in, and engage with
critical works from writers like Guy Debord, Jean Baudrillard, and numerous scholarly articles.
This complicated relationship between the arts and technology will be explored through writing
and discussion, focusing on reflection, revision, and peer feedback. We’ll write several short
papers, an 8-10 page argumentative research paper, and design one multi-modal project.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Frederick Douglass Room 420 (F 2:00PM - 2:50PM)

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR RECITATION WRTG 105E-38 REC WHEN REGISTERING FOR THIS SECTION

It is often assumed that our environments control who we become. Also prevalent is the notion that we can control the shapes our cultural, national, gendered, even racial identities assume. What possible intersections can exist between such poles? What does the term “identity” mean for you, and how does that meaning compare to how it is defined—and debated—across the disciplines? How does the constant interplay of self-perception and others’ view of ourselves affect our sense of identity? How have Anglophone writers from the last two centuries—like Toni Morrison, Arundhati Roy, Kazuo Ishiguro, Edward Said, Stuart Hall, and Chinua Achebe—used writing to explore the meaning of different identity categories? Using peer-responses and reflections, we, too, shall try to use academic writing as we examine the various debates over this vexed term. Collaborating as an active learning community, we shall invent, draft, revise, and edit four essays, including an 8-10 page argumentative research paper.

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR RECITATION WRTG 105E-38 REC WHEN REGISTERING FOR THIS SECTION

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Meliora Room 206 (MW 6:15PM - 7:30PM)

It is often assumed that our environments control who we become. Also prevalent is the notion that we can control the shapes our cultural, national, gendered, even racial identities assume. What possible intersections can exist between such poles? What does the term “identity” mean for you, and how does that meaning compare to how it is defined—and debated—across the disciplines? How does the constant interplay of self-perception and others’ view of ourselves affect our sense of identity? How have Anglophone writers from the last two centuries—like Toni Morrison, Arundhati Roy, Kazuo Ishiguro, Edward Said, Stuart Hall, and Chinua Achebe—used writing to explore the meaning of different identity categories? Using peer-responses and reflections, we, too, shall try to use academic writing as we examine the various debates over this vexed term. Collaborating as an active learning community, we shall invent, draft, revise, and edit four essays, including an 8-10 page argumentative research paper.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Frederick Douglass Room 420 (F 3:25PM - 4:15PM)

Location

Lattimore Room 431 (TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM)

Location

Genesee Hall Room 321 (F 10:25AM - 11:15AM)

Location

Genesee Hall Room 323 (TR 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

Greenwashing. Plastics. Permaculture. Sustainability. We’re inundated with environmental concerns in the news, social media, local communities, scientific publications, etc. When everyone has an environmental agenda, how do we evaluate this information for accuracy and reliability? Together, we’ll engage with current environmental issues and the communities who are most affected, and we’ll ask: What is the purpose of this information, what is its form, who has created it, and who is its intended audience? Using scientific, political, and cultural texts, we will analyze and write about how and why environmental information is disseminated. Course materials include scholarly and popular articles, fiction, and social media, such as Hiyao Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke, Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass, and Alice Wong’s “The Rise and Fall of the Plastic Straw: Sucking in Crip Defiance.” Group work, discussion, and informal and formal writing assignments will help us explore our ideas about climate change and how we are influenced (or not) by discourses about the environment. Because writing is a process of refining and clarifying ideas, all formal assignments will undergo drafts, peer feedback, and reflection. One formal assignment will be an 8–10-page argumentative research paper developed from your own interests in the course topic.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Genesee Hall Room 321 (F 11:50AM - 12:40PM)

Location

Bausch & Lomb Room 270 (MW 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

It is often assumed that our environments control who we become. Also prevalent is the notion that we can control the shapes our cultural, national, gendered, even racial identities assume. What possible intersections can exist between such poles? What does the term “identity” mean for you, and how does that meaning compare to how it is defined—and debated—across the disciplines? How does the constant interplay of self-perception and others’ view of ourselves affect our sense of identity? How have Anglophone writers from the last two centuries—like Toni Morrison, Arundhati Roy, Kazuo Ishiguro, Edward Said, Stuart Hall, and Chinua Achebe—used writing to explore the meaning of different identity categories? Using peer-responses and reflections, we, too, shall try to use academic writing as we examine the various debates over this vexed term. Collaborating as an active learning community, we shall invent, draft, revise, and edit four essays, including an 8-10 page argumentative research paper.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Frederick Douglass Room 404 (F 2:00PM - 2:50PM)

Location

Meliora Room 219 (MW 4:50PM - 6:05PM)

It is often assumed that our environments control who we become. Also prevalent is the notion that we can control the shapes our cultural, national, gendered, even racial identities assume. What possible intersections can exist between such poles? What does the term “identity” mean for you, and how does that meaning compare to how it is defined—and debated—across the disciplines? How does the constant interplay of self-perception and others’ view of ourselves affect our sense of identity? How have Anglophone writers from the last two centuries—like Toni Morrison, Arundhati Roy, Kazuo Ishiguro, Edward Said, Stuart Hall, and Chinua Achebe—used writing to explore the meaning of different identity categories? Using peer-responses and reflections, we, too, shall try to use academic writing as we examine the various debates over this vexed term. Collaborating as an active learning community, we shall invent, draft, revise, and edit four essays, including an 8-10 page argumentative research paper.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Frederick Douglass Room 420 (F 4:50PM - 5:40PM)

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR RECITATION WRTG 105E-52 WHEN REGISTERING FOR THIS SECTION

New opportunities for artistic expression have disseminated to the masses at an unprecedented rate through access to social media. Instagram photographers, Wordpress poets, YouTube comedians, Soundcloud rappers—amongst others—are now common in our everyday lives. But how has access to these massive digital communities and new platforms of expression influenced the arts as a whole? To answer this question we’ll explore the intricacies of social media platforms and their relationship to long-standing artistic traditions. We’ll base our discussions around influencers, artists, platforms, and genres that you’re interested in, and engage with critical works from writers like Guy Debord, Jean Baudrillard, and numerous scholarly articles. This complicated relationship between the arts and technology will be explored through writing and discussion, focusing on reflection, revision, and peer feedback. We’ll write several short papers, an 8-10 page argumentative research paper, and design one multi-modal project.

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR RECITATION WRTG 105E-52 WHEN REGISTERING FOR THIS SECTION

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Rush Rhees Library Room 304E (MW 4:50PM - 6:05PM)

New opportunities for artistic expression have disseminated to the masses at an unprecedented rate through access to social media. Instagram photographers, Wordpress poets, YouTube comedians, Soundcloud rappers—amongst others—are now common in our everyday lives. But how has access to these massive digital communities and new platforms of expression influenced the arts as a whole? To answer this question we’ll explore the intricacies of social media platforms and their relationship to long-standing artistic traditions. We’ll base our discussions around influencers, artists, platforms, and genres that you’re interested in, and engage with critical works from writers like Guy Debord, Jean Baudrillard, and numerous scholarly articles. This complicated relationship between the arts and technology will be explored through writing and discussion, focusing on reflection, revision, and peer feedback. We’ll write several short papers, an 8-10 page argumentative research paper, and design one multi-modal project.

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Rush Rhees Library Room 304E (F 3:25PM - 4:15PM)

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR RECITATION WRTG 105E-31 WHEN REGISTERING FOR THIS SECTION

The brain is complex. It is responsible for countless functions from storage and retrieval of memories to reflexive responses to stimuli. How does it allow us to interact with the world through sensory input and active output as we think, speak, and write? What happens in the brain when we shift between these everyday tasks? In this course, we will explore how these intertwined functions compare cognitively and how each contributes to communication from neurological, cognitive, and behavioral perspectives. The works of Steven Pinker, V. S. Ramachandran, as well as other scholarly and popular sources will be investigated through informal and formal writing experiences. This course emphasizes the importance of the writing process through writer-reflection, peer feedback, and revision. The culmination is an 8 to 10 page research paper where you will develop an argument that is informed by your perspective and the existing research. You will also highlight your findings through a multimodal presentation.

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR RECITATION WRTG 105E-31 WHEN REGISTERING FOR THIS SECTION

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Genesee Hall Room 321 (MW 10:25AM - 11:40AM)

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR RECITATION WRTG 105E-19 WHEN REGISTERING FOR THIS SECTION

We call ourselves Homo sapiens sapiens: a knowing species. But how does the human consciousness work? Why does the mind also wander afield and go on autopilot, as noted by neuroscience, behavioral medicine, and meditative traditions? In catastrophe, how might mindfulness of our behaviors reveal important information about the individuals and the species? We will consider these questions by exploring poetry by writers from Rumi to Mary Oliver to Derek Walcott and films such as Ghost in the Shell and The Matrix. Other readings probe how the brain, mind, and heart work subtly to create realities—realities as fleeting as they can be profound and consequential. We invite everyone to join our interdisciplinary inquiry while cultivating academic writing skills through discussion, formal and informal writing, peer review, revision, writer reflection, and a final argumentative research paper.

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR RECITATION WRTG 105E-19 WHEN REGISTERING FOR THIS SECTION

To fulfill the primary writing requirement, a student must earn a grade of C or higher.

Location

Wegmans Room 1005 (TR 9:40AM - 10:55AM)

Offers ongoing practice and instruction in writing and critiquing writing. Students meet weekly with a writing center consultant to work on forms of academic writing relevant to their spring coursework. These forms may include summaries, critical responses, argumentative essays, and lab reports, among others. Students may also choose to revise essays completed in previous semesters or work on other non-fiction projects. Guided by a writing center consultant, students plan, draft and revise their writing, critique each other's work, assess their own writing, and participate in group session on common writing issues. The semester's work will culminate in a final portfolio that features polished essays and an overall self-assessment.

Location

Rush Rhees Library Room G121B (W 10:25AM - 11:15AM)

Prepares sophomores, juniors, and seniors enrolled in five-year programs, from the humanities, sciences, and the social sciences for work as writing fellows. Course design facilitates the development of a strong, intuitive writer and speaker in order to become a successful reader, listener and responder in peer-tutoring situations. Ample writing and rewriting experiences, practice in informal and formal speaking, and the critical reading of published essays and student work enhance students' ability to become conscious, flexible communicators. Before tutoring on their own, students observe writing fellows and writing center consultants conduct tutoring sessions. On completion of the course with a B or better, fellows should be prepared to accept their own hours as peer tutors.

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR A RECITATION WHEN REGISTERING FOR THE MAIN SECTION

Prerequisite:  Interested students must apply. Minimum GPA of 3.0.

Location

Rush Rhees Library Room G121A (MW 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

Prepares sophomores, juniors, and seniors enrolled in five-year programs, from the humanities, sciences, and the social sciences for work as writing fellows. Course design facilitates the development of a strong, intuitive writer and speaker in order to become a successful reader, listener and responder in peer-tutoring situations. Ample writing and rewriting experiences, practice in informal and formal speaking, and the critical reading of published essays and student work enhance students' ability to become conscious, flexible communicators. Before tutoring on their own, students observe writing fellows and writing center consultants conduct tutoring sessions. On completion of the course with a B or better, fellows should be prepared to accept their own hours as peer tutors.

YOU MUST REGISTER FOR A RECITATION WHEN REGISTERING FOR THE MAIN SECTION

Prerequisite:  Interested students must apply. Minimum GPA of 3.0.

Location

Rush Rhees Library Room G121A (F 12:00PM - 12:50PM)

What goes on in writers minds when they write and in readers minds when they read? Can learning about what goes on in both writers and readers minds help writers make their writing more effective? In this coursewe will delve into the cognitive processes underlying writing and reading: how writers generate ideas, translate those ideas into words and sentences, organize those sentences into arguments, and do all of this while managing things like spelling and typing, and how readers actually interpret the message being conveyed by a piece of writing. Well also explore the extent to which research in cognitive science can inform what we do as writers by experimenting on ourselves with research-grounded strategies. Students will read and take responsibility for presenting work from cognitive scientists and composition theorists, and will work towards a final project in which they explore existing research on a topic of their choosing and propose either further research or applications of that research.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Dewey Room 4162 (TR 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

Technology involves the development of a tool to solve a problem. In this way, writing itself can be seen a technology to aid memory, thinking, and communication. Since the invention of writing, other newer technologies have further changed how we write and how we think. Each new technology offers us a range of options that are more or less effective depending on our audience and purpose. This course will explore some of the many writing technologies that have come (and gone!) over the history of writing, from clay tablets to Snapchat. The class will take a hands-on approach and allow us opportunities to experiment with writing technologies to get a better sense of how technologies affect what we think, what we communicate, and what we think we can communicate. Students will propose individual research projects on a writing technology of their choice, which may involve some combination of original composition, scholarly research, and ethnographic study.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Lechase Room 122 (MW 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

What kinds of power do words really have? What does it mean to be a writer-activist? How can we use writing as a tool for social change? Drawing on social and political concepts like community, power, justice, and democracy, and scholars who reflect on these issues, this course will engage with a variety of texts (scholarship, blogs, documentary films) as we consider how the political can inform what we believe and impact the choices we make as writers. Through experiential learning and reflective writing, students will explore the power of publicly engaged writing to elicit equity, inclusion, and change. Research projects may include traditional academic source material, primary research such as fieldwork, surveys, and interviews, and direct work with local community organizations.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Rush Rhees Library Room G108 (MW 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

This course will introduce students to the theoretical backgrounds, practical challenges, and creative activity of literary translation. We will consider varied descriptions by translators of what it is they believe they are doing and what they hope to accomplish by doing it; and we will study specific translations into English from a variety of sources to investigate the strategies and choices translators make and the implication of those choices for our developing sense of what kinds of texts translations are. Finally, students will undertake a translation project of their own. By the end of this class each student should have a working knowledge of both the theory and the craft of literary translation.

Location

Hylan Building Room 303 (W 2:00PM - 4:40PM)

This interactive course teaches 'real life' communication skills and strategies that help students present their best professional selves and develop a fulfilling career. Students will explore and articulate their internship, career and graduate school goals for distinct audiences and purposes as they develop a professional communication portfolio of materials such as resumes, cover letters, statements of purpose, electronic communications, elevator pitches, project descriptions and abstracts, and online profiles (i.e., LinkedIn). Students will revise and refine their written and spoken work across the semester based on feedback from peers, instructors, and alumni. By the semester's end, students will have gained extensive experience with the communication skills expected in today's competitive environment. The class can be used to fulfill 1 of 2 required Upper-Level Writing experiences in biology or public health, and is suitable for junior and senior year biology and public health majors. NOTE: every other class will take place online. Courses in the WRTG 27X series may not be taken more than once for credit.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Dewey Room 4162 (W 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

This interactive course teaches 'real life' communication skills and strategies that help students present their best professional selves and develop a fulfilling career. Students will explore and articulate their internship, career and graduate school goals for distinct audiences and purposes as they develop a professional communication portfolio of materials such as resumes, cover letters, statements of purpose, electronic communications, elevator pitches, project descriptions and abstracts, and online profiles (i.e., LinkedIn). Students will revise and refine their written and spoken work across the semester based on feedback from peers, instructors, and alumni. By the semester's end, students will have gained extensive experience with the communication skills expected in today's competitive environment. The class can be used to fulfill 1 of 2 required Upper-Level Writing experiences in biology or public health, and is suitable for junior and senior year biology and public health majors. Courses in the WRTG 27X series may not be taken more than once for credit.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Lechase Room 182 (R 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

This interactive course teaches 'real life' communication skills and strategies that help students present their best professional selves and develop a fulfilling career. Students will explore and articulate their internship, career and graduate school goals for distinct audiences and purposes as they develop a professional communication portfolio of materials such as resumes, cover letters, statements of purpose, electronic communications, elevator pitches, project descriptions and abstracts, and online profiles (i.e., LinkedIn). Students will revise and refine their written and spoken work across the semester based on feedback from peers, instructors, and alumni. By the semester's end, students will have gained extensive experience with the communication skills expected in today's competitive environment. The class can be used to fulfill 1 of 2 required Upper-Level Writing experiences in biology or public health, and is suitable for junior and senior year biology and public health majors. Courses in the WRTG 27X series may not be taken more than once for credit.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Dewey Room 4162 (R 3:25PM - 4:40PM)

This interactive course teaches 'real life' communication skills and strategies that help students present their best professional selves and develop a fulfilling career. Students will explore and articulate their internship, career and graduate school goals for distinct audiences and purposes as they develop a professional communication portfolio of materials such as resumes, cover letters, statements of purpose, electronic communications, elevator pitches, project descriptions and abstracts, and online profiles (i.e., LinkedIn). Students will revise and refine their written and spoken work across the semester based on feedback from peers, instructors, and alumni. By the semester's end, students will have gained extensive experience with the communication skills expected in today's competitive environment. The class can be used to fulfill 1 of 2 required Upper-Level Writing experiences in biology or public health, and is suitable for junior and senior year biology and public health majors. Courses in the WRTG 27X series may not be taken more than once for credit.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Lechase Room 181 (W 10:25AM - 11:40AM)

This interactive course teaches 'real life' communication skills and strategies that help students present their best professional selves and develop a fulfilling career. Students will explore and articulate their internship, career and graduate school goals for distinct audiences and purposes as they develop a professional communication portfolio of materials such as resumes, cover letters, statements of purpose, electronic communications, elevator pitches, project descriptions and abstracts, and online profiles (i.e., LinkedIn). Students will revise and refine their written and spoken work across the semester based on feedback from peers, instructors, and alumni. By the semester's end, students will have gained extensive experience with the communication skills expected in today's competitive environment. This course is suitable for sophomores and juniors in the Hajim School; all others require permission of the instructor. Students must have completed a minimum of two engineering or CS courses in their major. Courses in the WRTG 27X series may not be taken more than once for credit.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Lechase Room 121 (F 10:25AM - 11:40AM)

This interactive course teaches 'real life' communication skills and strategies that help students present their best professional selves and develop a fulfilling career. Students will explore and articulate their internship, career and graduate school goals for distinct audiences and purposes as they develop a professional communication portfolio of materials such as resumes, cover letters, statements of purpose, electronic communications, elevator pitches, project descriptions and abstracts, and online profiles (i.e., LinkedIn). Students will revise and refine their written and spoken work across the semester based on feedback from peers, instructors, and alumni. By the semester's end, students will have gained extensive experience with the communication skills expected in today's competitive environment. This course is suitable for sophomores and juniors in the Hajim School; all others require permission of the instructor. Students must have completed a minimum of two engineering or CS courses in their major. Courses in the WRTG 27X series may not be taken more than once for credit.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Lechase Room 143 (F 11:50AM - 1:05PM)

This interactive course teaches 'real life' communication skills and strategies that help students present their best professional selves and develop a fulfilling career. Students will explore and articulate their internship, career and graduate school goals for distinct audiences and purposes as they develop a professional communication portfolio of materials such as resumes, cover letters, statements of purpose, electronic communications, elevator pitches, project descriptions and abstracts, and online profiles (i.e., LinkedIn). Students will revise and refine their written and spoken work across the semester based on feedback from peers, instructors, and alumni. By the semester's end, students will have gained extensive experience with the communication skills expected in today's competitive environment. This course is suitable for sophomores and juniors in the Hajim School; all others require permission of the instructor. Students must have completed a minimum of two engineering or CS courses in their major. Courses in the WRTG 27X series may not be taken more than once for credit.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Lechase Room 122 (F 10:25AM - 11:40AM)

This interactive course teaches 'real life' communication skills and strategies that help students present their best professional selves and develop a fulfilling career. Students will explore and articulate their internship, career and graduate school goals for distinct audiences and purposes as they develop a professional communication portfolio of materials such as resumes, cover letters, statements of purpose, electronic communications, elevator pitches, project descriptions and abstracts, and online profiles (i.e., LinkedIn). Students will revise and refine their written and spoken work across the semester based on feedback from peers, instructors, and alumni. By the semester's end, students will have gained extensive experience with the communication skills expected in today's competitive environment. This course is suitable for sophomores and juniors in the Hajim School; all others require permission of the instructor. Students must have completed a minimum of two engineering or CS courses in their major. Courses in the WRTG 27X series may not be taken more than once for credit.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Lattimore Room 431 (R 11:05AM - 12:20PM)

This interactive course teaches 'real life' communication skills and strategies that help students present their best professional selves and develop a fulfilling career. Students will explore and articulate their internship, career and graduate school goals for distinct audiences and purposes as they develop a professional communication portfolio of materials such as resumes, cover letters, statements of purpose, electronic communications, elevator pitches, project descriptions and abstracts, and online profiles (i.e., LinkedIn). Students will revise and refine their written and spoken work across the semester based on feedback from peers, instructors, and alumni. By the semester's end, students will have gained extensive experience with the communication skills expected in today's competitive environment. This course is suitable for sophomores and juniors in the Hajim School; all others require permission of the instructor. Students must have completed a minimum of two engineering or CS courses in their major. Courses in the WRTG 27X series may not be taken more than once for credit.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Bausch & Lomb Room 315 (T 11:05AM - 12:20PM)

This interactive course teaches 'real life' communication skills and strategies that help students present their best professional selves and develop a fulfilling career. Students will explore and articulate their internship, career and graduate school goals for distinct audiences and purposes as they develop a professional communication portfolio of materials such as resumes, cover letters, statements of purpose, electronic communications, elevator pitches, project descriptions and abstracts, and online profiles (i.e., LinkedIn). Students will revise and refine their written and spoken work across the semester based on feedback from peers, instructors, and alumni. By the semester's end, students will have gained extensive experience with the communication skills expected in today's competitive environment. This course is suitable for sophomores and juniors in the Hajim School; all others require permission of the instructor. Students must have completed a minimum of two engineering or CS courses in their major. Courses in the WRTG 27X series may not be taken more than once for credit.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Hylan Building Room 206 (T 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

This interactive course teaches 'real life' communication skills and strategies that help students present their best professional selves and develop a fulfilling career. Students will explore and articulate their internship, career and graduate school goals for distinct audiences and purposes as they develop a professional communication portfolio of materials such as resumes, cover letters, statements of purpose, electronic communications, elevator pitches, project descriptions and abstracts, and online profiles (i.e., LinkedIn). Students will revise and refine their written and spoken work across the semester based on feedback from peers, instructors, and alumni. By the semester's end, students will have gained extensive experience with the communication skills expected in today's competitive environment. This course is suitable for sophomores and juniors in the Hajim School; all others require permission of the instructor. Students must have completed a minimum of two engineering or CS courses in their major. Courses in the WRTG 27X series may not be taken more than once for credit.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Bausch & Lomb Room 315 (R 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

This interactive course teaches 'real life' communication skills and strategies that help students present their best professional selves and develop a fulfilling career. Students will explore and articulate their internship, career and graduate school goals for distinct audiences and purposes as they develop a professional communication portfolio of materials such as resumes, cover letters, statements of purpose, electronic communications, elevator pitches, project descriptions and abstracts, and online profiles (i.e., LinkedIn). Students will revise and refine their written and spoken work across the semester based on feedback from peers, instructors, and alumni. By the semester's end, students will have gained extensive experience with the communication skills expected in today's competitive environment. This course is suitable for sophomores and juniors in the Hajim School; all others require permission of the instructor. Students must have completed a minimum of two engineering or CS courses in their major. Courses in the WRTG 27X series may not be taken more than once for credit.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Meliora Room 209 (W 11:50AM - 1:05PM)

This interactive course teaches 'real life' communication skills and strategies that help students present their best professional selves and develop a fulfilling career. Students will explore and articulate their internship, career and graduate school goals for distinct audiences and purposes as they develop a professional communication portfolio of materials such as resumes, cover letters, statements of purpose, electronic communications, elevator pitches, project descriptions and abstracts, and online profiles (i.e., LinkedIn). Students will revise and refine their written and spoken work across the semester based on feedback from peers, instructors, and alumni. By the semester's end, students will have gained extensive experience with the communication skills expected in today's competitive environment. This course is suitable for sophomores and juniors in the Hajim School; all others require permission of the instructor. Students must have completed a minimum of two engineering or CS courses in their major. Courses in the WRTG 27X series may not be taken more than once for credit.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Genesee Hall Room 309 (R 3:25PM - 4:40PM)

This interactive course teaches 'real life' communication skills and strategies that help students present their best professional selves and develop a fulfilling career. Students will explore and articulate their internship, career and graduate school goals for distinct audiences and purposes as they develop a professional communication portfolio of materials such as resumes, cover letters, statements of purpose, electronic communications, elevator pitches, project descriptions and abstracts, and online profiles (i.e., LinkedIn). Students will revise and refine their written and spoken work across the semester based on feedback from peers, instructors, and alumni. By the semester's end, students will have gained extensive experience with the communication skills expected in today's competitive environment. This course is suitable for sophomores and juniors in the Hajim School; all others require permission of the instructor. Students must have completed a minimum of two engineering or CS courses in their major. Courses in the WRTG 27X series may not be taken more than once for credit.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Meliora Room 206 (W 3:25PM - 4:40PM)

This interactive course teaches 'real life' communication skills and strategies that help students present their best professional selves and develop a fulfilling career. Students will explore and articulate their internship, career and graduate school goals for distinct audiences and purposes as they develop a professional communication portfolio of materials such as resumes, cover letters, statements of purpose, electronic communications, elevator pitches, project descriptions and abstracts, and online profiles (i.e., LinkedIn). Students will revise and refine their written and spoken work across the semester based on feedback from peers, instructors, and alumni. By the semester's end, students will have gained extensive experience with the communication skills expected in today's competitive environment. This course is suitable for sophomores and juniors in the Hajim School; all others require permission of the instructor. Students must have completed a minimum of two engineering or CS courses in their major. Courses in the WRTG 27X series may not be taken more than once for credit.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Lattimore Room 431 (W 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

This interactive course teaches 'real life' communication skills and strategies that help students present their best professional selves and develop a fulfilling career. Students will explore and articulate their internship, career and graduate school goals for distinct audiences and purposes as they develop a professional communication portfolio of materials such as resumes, cover letters, statements of purpose, electronic communications, elevator pitches, project descriptions and abstracts, and online profiles (i.e., LinkedIn). Students will revise and refine their written and spoken work across the semester based on feedback from peers, instructors, and alumni. By the semester's end, students will have gained extensive experience with the communication skills expected in today's competitive environment. This course is suitable for sophomores and juniors in the Hajim School; all others require permission of the instructor. Students must have completed a minimum of two engineering or CS courses in their major. Courses in the WRTG 27X series may not be taken more than once for credit.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Dewey Room 4162 (F 11:50AM - 1:05PM)

This interactive course teaches 'real life' communication skills and strategies that help students present their best professional selves and develop a fulfilling career. Students will explore and articulate their internship, career and graduate school goals for distinct audiences and purposes as they develop a professional communication portfolio of materials such as resumes, cover letters, statements of purpose, electronic communications, elevator pitches, project descriptions and abstracts, and online profiles (i.e., LinkedIn). Students will revise and refine their written and spoken work across the semester based on feedback from peers, instructors, and alumni. By the semester's end, students will have gained extensive experience with the communication skills expected in today's competitive environment. This course is suitable for sophomores and juniors in the Hajim School; all others require permission of the instructor. Students must have completed a minimum of two engineering or CS courses in their major. Courses in the WRTG 27X series may not be taken more than once for credit.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Frederick Douglass Room 403 (F 11:50AM - 1:05PM)

This interactive course teaches 'real life' communication skills and strategies that help students present their best professional selves and develop a fulfilling career. Students will explore and articulate their internship, career and graduate school goals for distinct audiences and purposes as they develop a professional communication portfolio of materials such as resumes, cover letters, statements of purpose, electronic communications, elevator pitches, project descriptions and abstracts, and online profiles (i.e., LinkedIn). Students will revise and refine their written and spoken work across the semester based on feedback from peers, instructors, and alumni. By the semester's end, students will have gained extensive experience with the communication skills expected in today's competitive environment. This course is suitable for sophomores and juniors in the Hajim School; all others require permission of the instructor. Students must have completed a minimum of two engineering or CS courses in their major. Courses in the WRTG 27X series may not be taken more than once for credit.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Meliora Room 284 (R 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

This interactive course teaches 'real life' communication skills and strategies that help students present their best professional selves and develop a fulfilling career. Students will explore and articulate their internship, career and graduate school goals for distinct audiences and purposes as they develop a professional communication portfolio of materials such as resumes, cover letters, statements of purpose, electronic communications, elevator pitches, project descriptions and abstracts, and online profiles (i.e., LinkedIn). Students will revise and refine their written and spoken work across the semester based on feedback from peers, instructors, and alumni. By the semester's end, students will have gained extensive experience with the communication skills expected in today's competitive environment. The class can be used to fulfill 1 of 2 required Upper-Level Writing experiences in psychology, and is suitable for junior and senior psychology majors; all others require instructor permission. Courses in the WRTG 27X series may not be taken more than once for credit.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Lechase Room 182 (W 2:00PM - 3:15PM)

This interactive course teaches 'real life' communication skills and strategies that help students present their best professional selves and develop a fulfilling career. Students will explore and articulate their internship, career and graduate school goals for distinct audiences and purposes as they develop a professional communication portfolio of materials such as resumes, cover letters, statements of purpose, electronic communications, elevator pitches, project descriptions and abstracts, and online profiles (i.e., LinkedIn). Students will revise and refine their written and spoken work across the semester based on feedback from peers, instructors, and alumni. By the semester's end, students will have gained extensive experience with the communication skills expected in today's competitive environment. The class can be used to fulfill 1 of 2 required Upper-Level Writing experiences in psychology, and is suitable for junior and senior psychology majors; all others require instructor permission. Courses in the WRTG 27X series may not be taken more than once for credit.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Dewey Room 4162 (R 9:40AM - 10:55AM)

This interactive course teaches 'real life' communication skills and strategies that help students present their best professional selves and develop a fulfilling career. Students will explore and articulate their internship, career and graduate school goals for distinct audiences and purposes as they develop a professional communication portfolio of materials such as resumes, cover letters, statements of purpose, electronic communications, elevator pitches, project descriptions and abstracts, and online profiles (i.e., LinkedIn). Students will revise and refine their written and spoken work across the semester based on feedback from peers, instructors, and alumni. By the semester's end, students will have gained extensive experience with the communication skills expected in today's competitive environment. The class can be used to fulfill 1 of the 2 required Upper-Level Writing experiences in mathematics, and is suitable for juniors and seniors. Courses in the WRTG 27X series may not be taken more than once for credit.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Lattimore Room 431 (T 12:30PM - 1:45PM)

This interactive course teaches 'real life' communication skills and strategies that help students present their best professional selves and develop a fulfilling career. Students will explore and articulate their internship, career and graduate school goals for distinct audiences and purposes as they develop a professional communication portfolio of materials such as resumes, cover letters, application essays, electronic communications, elevator pitches, project descriptions and abstracts, and online profiles (e.g., LinkedIn). Students will revise and refine their written and spoken work across the semester based on feedback from peers, instructors, and alumni. By the semester's end, students will have gained extensive experience with the communication skills expected in today's competitive environment. Course is designed for juniors and seniors with an interest in law, policy, and social good careers. This course may not be used to satisfy any major or minor requirements in Political Science or International Relations. Courses in the WRTG 27X series may not be taken more than once for credit.

Prerequisite: Completion of the Primary Writing Requirement

Location

Bausch & Lomb Room 315 (W 3:25PM - 4:40PM)

In this course, we will investigate how virtual and augmented reality technologies shape us as writers, arguers, and citizens. Virtual, augmented, and mixed reality technologies, collectively known as extended reality (XR), build on existing digital networking models and are also immersive. Research is ongoing about how networked digital spaces, such as social media, foster or destroy community, create or alleviate loneliness, and contribute to new knowledge or greater confusion. Understanding the impact of these technologies on our communications grows even more important as the possibility of the metaverse, a space where we would lead digital-first lives in XR, advances. We will read research from across disciplines, including philosophy, legal studies, data science, and engineering. Our investigation won't be limited to scholarship - venture capitalists have written some of the most recent and influential books about the metaverse, the term was coined in Stephenson's 1992 science fiction novel Snow Crash, and no metaverse course would be complete without a viewing of The Matrix. As we explore the impact of XR, we will also investigate how the proliferation of digital spaces increases our reliance on digital communications tools and engagement with artificial intelligence (Al). Students will create short written projects throughout the semester that experiment with writing in extended reality and with Al tools. The semester will culminate in a final project centered around student interests in XR and communication.

Location

Dewey Room 4162 (TR 11:05AM - 12:20PM)