Writing and Culture

An intensive seminar, enrolling no more than 15 students, focused on developing students’ ability to use writing as a tool for inquiry, to develop their writing through an iterative process, and to practice writing in different rhetorical situations. Students should take this course as early as possible and no later than the end of the sophomore year. The Writing and Culture Seminar helps students develop their ability to: • read critically in ways that are attentive to language, context, and form • write in ways that are appropriate for different rhetorical situations, with awareness of genre, context, and technology • deploy language’s many resources, including its figurative power as well as conventions of grammar, punctuation, syntax, and semantics, to shape and communicate meaning with clarity and fluency • research, evaluate, and synthesize appropriate evidence in order to build and support effective analyses and arguments On the surface, social media promises connection: a tool that lets us communicate across physical, cultural, and generational divides. In practice however, it's much more complicated. This semester, you’ll hone your critical reading and writing skills by diving into those complications. We’ll unpack what happens when a new form of communication springs up within the space of a single generation - with a specific focus on the challenges and problems social media has brought. We’ll think about how we navigate these social spaces, and how our behavior and identity differs across different digital spaces, as well as how it compares to how we present ourselves in the physical world. Just as importantly, I'll be challenging us to think about why those differences matter, and what they mean for us as citizens (and, for some of us) future designers and gatekeepers of the ever-expanding digital world. “I’m Not Owned! I’m Not Owned!”: Argument, Audience, and Empathy A popular YouTube genre has emerged in which arguments are said to take place, and in which one party—never the one posting the video, it seems—gets “OWNED” or “ABSOLUTELY DESTROYED.” The idea is that one of these parties is so good at argument that they’re able to disprove and destroy their opposition. But is this really argument? What’s the goal of argument? Is it about winning? Informing? Persuading? Entertaining? If it’s about anything other than winning, how receptive can we expect a destroyed, owned opposition and/or audience to be? In “I’m Not Owned! I’m Not Owned!” students will view the world of academic writing through an underused and often maligned argumentative lens: empathy. Rooted in Lisa Blankenship’s theory of rhetorical empathy, this section of WRT-015 will trace the history of empathy’s role in argument across different eras, cultures, and schools of thought as a means of learning to think and write persuasively through attempting to enter the opposition’s shoes. Along the way, students will draw from a diverse collection of texts, music, and films to hone critical thinking and reading skills, explore academic and professional research techniques, and develop the tools required to successfully navigate the world of college-level writing across genres and disciplines. Expect lively in-class discussion in a courteous, relaxed, and inclusive environment. Not an English major? Not a problem! This tuition includes housing, up to 19 meals per week, and all program fees.