The Scriptorium, a “place for writing,” is a class for writers interested in improving their critical essay-writing skills. We will read to write and write to read. Much of our time will be occupied with writing and revising—essai means “trial” or “attempt”—as we work to create new habits and productive strategies for analytical writing. As we write in various essay structures with the aim of developing a persuasive, well-supported thesis statement, we will also revise collaboratively, improve our research and citation skills, and study grammar and style. Our learning goals include practicing to write with complexity, imagination, and clarity. We will read and do close readings in the literary genre of the short story. We will also study critical essays and theory to provide a framework for our discussions. This is not a Creative Writing course. Our readings may include the following short story writers: Margaret Atwood, James Baldwin, Honoré de Balzac, Lucia Berlin, Jorge Luis Borges, Octavia Butler, Italo Calvino, Angela Carter, Ted Chiang, Danielle Evans, Manuel Gonzales, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Zora Neale Hurston, Shirley Jackson, Franz Kafka, Paul La Farge, Ursula K. Le Guin, Clarice Lispector, Nina MacLaughlin, Guy de Maupassant, Herman Melville, Lorrie Moore, Alice Munro, Alissa Nutting, Dorothy Parker, Helen Phillips, Deesha Philyaw, Genevieve Plunkett, and Edgar Allen Poe. And, we will read from the following authors for their relevant critical or personal essays, philosophy, and theory: Judith Butler, Jeffrey Jerome Cohen, Mary Douglas, Michel Foucault, bell hooks, Laura Mulvey, and Riki Anne Wilchins.
Learning Outcomes:
• Close read and analyze a variety of short stories and critical or personal essays, representing a range of voices and styles
• Learn about and practice grammar, revision, and research and citation skills
• Write in various styles, including personal reflections, critical explications, and longer, revised essays
• Engage with your colleagues to create a productive writing community
• Use inquiry to create a persuasive, well-supported thesis statement
• Use the resources, including the databases, in Crossett Library
• Work collaboratively with your colleagues to revise and edit your writing
• Try new and productive habits of reading and writing
Delivery Method: Fully in-person
Course Level: 2000-level
Credits: 4
T/F 10:30AM - 12:20PM (Full-term)
Maximum Enrollment: 15
Course Frequency: Every 2-3 years
Categories: 2000 , All courses , Course Code Update , Four Credit , Fully In-Person , Updates , Writing
Tags: collaboration , critical race theory , critical writing , film studies , gender studies , grammar , literature , reading and writing , research , revision , short stories