Numbers in parentheses refer to the number of copies to be turned in by the student.
| Lec # | TOPICS | ASSIGNMENTS DUE | IN-CLASS ACTIVITies |
|---|---|---|---|
Unit One: First Essay; Writing Focus: Personal Narrative |
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1 |
Intro to the Class as a Writing Community Writing about Social and Ethical Issues |
Distribute: Syllabus, Course Calendar, Writer's Letter assignment, Course information sheet, Exercise 1.1, Essay Assignment 1 |
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2 |
Reasons to Believe: The Roots of Ethical and Social Values Introducing Personal Essays |
Exercise 1.1, Notebook Exercise on Edelman, Writer's Letter |
Discuss: Sample student essay |
3 |
Reasons to Believe and Act |
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4 |
Developing and Sustaining Ethical and Social Values The Personal Essay: Crafting Engaging and Effective Introductions |
2 Notebook Exercises (lec 3, lec 4) |
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5 |
The Writer as Social Activist: A Literary Tradition |
Draft Essay 1 (2 copies + cover letter.) (Due two days after lec 5) Workshop students: email drafts (as Word documents) to classmates |
Read/Discuss: Assigned readings Bring in: Introductions, Essay 1 (4 copies) Workshop Preparation; Distribute Workshopping Letter |
6 |
Writing Workshop, Draft Essay 1; The Craft of Revision |
Workshop letters to classmates. (Copies to instructor) |
Distribute: Handouts on revision (3) |
Unit Two: Second Essay; Writing Focus: Investigative Essay/Comparative Analysis |
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7 |
Representing Social Issues and Problems; Images |
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8 |
Narratives of Poverty and Homelessness |
Notebook Exercise: Comment comparatively on the power of Marin's and Kozol's essays (1½-2 pp.) Revision, Essay 1. (2 copies + cover letter and marked-up Draft) (Due two days after lec 8) |
Review: Essay 2 assignment. Introduction to Community Research |
9 |
The Writer as Witness, Participant and Investigator: Inside the World of Poverty and Low-wage Labor |
Proposals, Essay 2. (Five copies) Notebook Exercise on Ehrenreich |
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10 |
The Writer as Interpreter of Social Issues: The Value Of Comparative Analysis: Research Strategies |
Pairs Workshops: Proposals 2 Library Session |
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11 |
Writers Engage With Media Culture and Beauty Imagery |
Read/Discuss: Assigned readings (distributed in lec) |
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12 |
Writers Address Contemporary Debates: Race, Gender and Issues of Equality Approaches to Comparative Analysis: Options in Introductions/Conclusions |
Notebook Assignment: Compare Takaki and Faludi |
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13 |
Writers Confront Contemporary: Educational Inequality, Past and Present: Individual Portraits |
Notebook assignment: Compare Rose and Kozol or Angelou Draft, Essay 2 (2 copies + cover letter) (Due two days after lec 13) |
Distribute: Workshop 2 letter |
14 |
Writing Workshop, Draft, Essay 2 |
Workshop Letters |
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Unit Three: Third Essay; Writing Focus: Investigative/Advocacy Essay |
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15 |
Writers as Investigators and Advocates: Modern Classics in the Literature of Social Change |
Notebook Exercise on Friedan or Carson |
Review essay 3 assignments |
16 |
Reading Films Critically |
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17 |
Writers Explore Contemporary Issues: Mental Health |
Notebook Assignment: Girl, Interrupted Proposals, Essay 3 (5 copies) |
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18 |
Writers Define Contemporary Issues and Advocate Solutions: Education |
Notebook Assignment on Hirsch and Orwell Revision, Essay 2. (2 copies, coverletter + marked-up Draft) (Due two days after lec 18) |
Small Workshops: Proposals, Essay 3 |
19 |
View Dead Man Walking |
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20 |
Writers Debate Policy Issues: Capital Punishment Incorporating Personal and Public Voices |
Notebook Exercise, Dead Man Walking Incorporating Interview Material and Secondary Sources Models of Advocacy Essays: Student Essay (MURJ) Conclusions |
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21 |
Writers Debate Policy Issues: Capital Punishment Incorporating Personal and Public Voices (cont.) |
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22 |
Approaches To Advocacy |
Oral presentations |
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23 |
Writers as Visionaries: Fiction as a Laboratory for Utopian Ideas and Dystopian Critiques |
Oral presentations |
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24 |
Writers as Visionaries: Fiction as a Laboratory for Utopian Ideas and Dystopian Critiques |
Notebook Exercise: Compare your own Visions of utopia and dystopia Drafts, Essay 3 (Due one day after lec 24) |
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25 |
Revision Strategies for Advocacy Essays |
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26 |
Advanced Revision/Publication Workshop |
Oral presentations |
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27 |
Advanced Revision/Publication Workshop (cont.) |
Workshop, Draft Essay 3 |
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28 |
Presentations and Course Evaluations |
Oral presentations Course Evaluations |
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29 |
Last Class: Celebration |
Portfolios due by end of day (with revision 3) |
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