Section 01 (MWF 8-8:50) and
Section 02 (MWF 9-9:50): J. Paretta
Self in American Culture: Freedom, Independence, Sufficiency
These highly cherished qualities stand the test of time and have been esteemed as the foundation of success and happiness since our country’s infancy. In this course, we will address the works of authors and philosophers who deemed the “self” to be of utmost importance. We also will look at some oppressive influences that hinder the quest for “self-realization.” Texts will include Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” essay, Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” and selected chapters from Walden, Freeman’s story “The Revolt of ‘Mother’”, and King’s “I Have A Dream” speech. Writing assignments will include reflective and analytical essays.
Section 03 (MWF 10-10:50) and
Section 04 (MWF 11-11:50): P. Donahue
Writing Persuasively/Persuasively Writing
One reason why we write is to persuade others to adopt our point of view, to see the world as we see it, to undertake actions we believe in. In this section of College Writing, we will focus on the rhetoric of arguments. We will examine a range of texts in terms of why they are more or less successful in persuading readers and audience. We will look at the arguments we construct, the arguments we find in everyday life, and the arguments we confront in the academic context.
Through reading, writing, and “workshopping,” we will study the art, logic, and rhetoric of arguments.
Section 05 (MWF 1:10-2): T. Laquintano
The Value of Writing in a Changing World
This class will prepare you for college-level writing, reading, and research through a broad introduction to issues in contemporary writing and rhetorical studies. In addition to drafting, revising, and polishing substantial amounts of academic writing, we will develop a complex rhetorical vocabulary by pursuing the following questions: How does writing function as a method of communication and a means of persuasion? How does it function as a means of expression, discovery, and learning? What value does writing have in the contemporary information society? And how do people learn to write amidst rapid global, technological, and social change?
Section 06 (MWF 2:10-3): C. Rohman
Reading Film: Identity and Representation in American Culture
This section of College Writing is designed to develop your critical thinking skills and your ability to construct a complex yet clear argument or interpretation, to help you become a more discerning and critical reader of your own writing and of others’ texts, to increase your mastery of effective writing processes and to recognize the value of drafting and revising, to develop your skills in analytical and persuasive writing, and to help you recognize your own habits and patterns as a writer. Our course will examine questions of celebrity culture, race and gender in America, and filmic representation. We will work to deepen our understanding of image, identity, and contemporary popular culture as we make claims about their interconnections.
Section 07 (TR 8:00-9:15) and
Section 08 9TR 9:30-10:45): C. Havranek
Food, Glorious Food
We’ve heard of the adage “you are what you eat,” and nowadays, this is more true than ever. For many Americans, food has become the piece de resistance of the cultural conversation. We live in the land of plenty in the United States. Food is business. It’s culture. It’s politics. It’s trendy. It’s a cultural signifier. It feeds our souls, our minds, and our bodies. It transports us, making us long for home, a far-off place we once visited, or for a season. But at the end of the day, we all need to eat. What does it matter, you may ask, what we eat and how we eat it and when we eat it? Or how we talk about it? We’ll look at current thinking on the topic, from the rise in organic food to grassroots efforts such as the farm-to-table movement, along with the documentary film Food, Inc., and the cult of the celebrity chef and the Food Network. Writing assignments will range from how-to, criticism, persuasive and personal essays, to descriptive writing and blog writing. We’ll even discuss how Lafayette is getting involved, including recent sustainability projects such as “Corn on the Quad” and the resultant film Dig the Earth.
Section 09 (TR 11-12:15): C. Tatu
Professor Tatu has added you as a friend on Facebook!
This course will provide students with guided practice in writing for a variety of audiences and for different purposes. Students will draft and revise response papers, narratives, expository essays, position papers, and reflection pieces on the topic of social networking.
Topics may include the discourse of Facebook, the use of social networking sites in marketing, privacy issues, and evolving notions of intellectual property.
Section 10 (TR 1:15-2:30) and
Section 11 (TR 2:45-4): To be decided
College Writing
Writing as an intellectual act and a recursive process; ways of reading complex texts. Taken in the spring semester of the first year or the fall of the second year, the course complements and extends the writing experience of the First-Year Seminar. Required of all students except those exempted by the English Department for reasons such as success in an advanced placement program.