Writing and Public Discourse

WRT 110 Writers on Writing: An Introduction to the Craft and Business of Writing Narratives (1 Credit)

In a series of seven lectures, writers-creative nonfiction authors, playwrights, novelists, screenwriters, documentarians and short story writers-provide an overview of the practice of creating narratives from specific disciplinary perspectives. Editors, publishers, agents and producers reflect on the publication and production process. Speakers discuss researching, revising, publishing and producing texts and read from their work to provide examples. They also explore questions of style, voice and genre. S/U only. Arts

Spring

WRT 118ap Colloquium: Topics in Writing-Abolishing Prisons and Police (4 Credits)

As instruments of white supremacy, police and prisons disproportionately target Black and Brown people. The abolition movement, which gained more mainstream support after the 2020 George Floyd protests, demands to defund and ultimately abolish prisons and police, instead investing in communities to eliminate the conditions that lead to violence. But abolition is primarily about building, not just dismantling. It offers a vision of a liberated world in which everyone can thrive and justice does not equal punishment. Readings foreground the voices of Black and LGBTQ+ writers and serve as a departure point for the students' own writing. Restrictions: WRT 118 may be repeated once with a different topic. Enrollment limited to 15. (E) WI

Fall, Spring, Variable

WRT 118hm Colloquium: Topics in Writing-No, Seriously...What's So Funny? Writing about Humor (4 Credits)

Nietzsche called maturity the rediscovered seriousness of a child at play. What is the meaning of comedy in light of this “seriousness of the child at play?” Why do people laugh, at what and in what way? How does one distinguish silly comedy from serious comedy? This course examines such questions on comic platforms including film, music, videos, short stories and cartoons. Students explore the “structure” of the comic moment as viewer or listener encounters surprise, transgression or enchantment, especially in 20th-century comedy, and the affectivity of the comic encounter from pure “clowning” to savage social commentary. Restrictions: WRT 118 may be repeated once with a different topic. Enrollment limited to 15. WI

Fall, Spring, Variable

WRT 118lf Colloquium: Topics in Writing-Liberating the Future (4 Credits)

In the era of rapid climate change, global migration, enormous income disparities driven by capitalism’s greed for profit and a pandemic that disproportionately affects Black, Brown and low-income people, the future has become an urgent concern. Although media reports can feel apocalyptic, this concern has also inspired visions of a world free from capitalism, police and injustice. This course delves into innovative, liberating responses to this moment of crisis, including Black feminist lessons from marine mammals and Indigenous peoples’ restorative responses to climate change. Our readings foreground African American, Indigenous and LGBTQ+ voices in various nonfiction genres. Restrictions: WRT 118 may be repeated once with a different topic. Enrollment limited to 15. WI

Fall, Spring, Variable

WRT 118lg Colloquium: Topics in Writing-Language and Gender (4 Credits)

How people speak – the words they choose, the way they structure their sentences, the pitch of their voices, even their gender while speaking – is constantly judged by those around them. Examining the interaction of gender and language leads to questions, such as how does gender shape the way people use language, how does gender affect others’ perceptions of speech (both written and verbal), what variation occurs across cultures with regards to gender and language? This course uses the topic of language and gender to expand upon and improve rhetorical and writing skills. Restrictions: WRT 118 may be repeated once with a different topic. Enrollment limited to 15. WI

Fall, Spring, Variable

WRT 118nw Colloquium: Topics in Writing-Nature and Wilderness: Science, Meaning and Space (4 Credits)

The human relationship with nature is one of the most important questions in the world. Are humans part of nature? Are humans destroying it? Can humans save it? Can nature save humanity? And what is nature, anyway? Is it the opposite of “human” or is it the truth at the core of humanity? This course delves into these philosophical and practical questions, entering into ongoing conversations in the humanities, science, literature and activism on topics ranging from the value of “wilderness” to controversies around GMOs and the question of what harm humans may do by “colonizing” uninhabited planets. Restrictions: WRT 118 may be repeated once with a different topic. Enrollment limited to 15. (E) WI

Fall

WRT 118st Colloquium: Topics in Writing-The Art of the Steal: Remixing, Originality and Identity (4 Credits)

This class explores the contemporary “remix culture” to ask pressing questions about creativity, originality and identity. Students explore the remix as a necessary tool for cultural transformation and look at their own experience of race, gender, sexual orientation, class and ability as an opportunity to reimagine and transform old ideas. Students make a case for the remix as a place for critical updates to the culture and discuss the possibilities of how remixing contributes to a richer production of cultural ideas. The work combines academic writing with multimedia “remix” projects and class discussion. Restrictions: WRT 118 may be repeated once with a different topic. Enrollment limited to 15. WI

Fall, Spring, Variable

WRT 119rp Colloquium: Writing Roundtable Topics-Restoring the Planet (4 Credits)

Climate change affects everyone, but Black, Indigenous, and low-income populations are especially vulnerable to its impact. These populations have also led the efforts to combat climate change by protesting capitalist extraction, building food sovereignty and leading ecological restoration projects. This course centers Indigenous and Black climate action, especially efforts to restore traditional, anti-capitalist and decolonial practices of land and water stewardship, fishing and farming. This course includes visits to the Smith College Art Museum, the Botanic Garden, the Boutelle-Day Poetry Center and the MacLeish Field Station. Enrollment limited to 15. (E) WI

Fall, Spring, Variable

WRT 119wf Colloquium: Writing Roundtable Topics-What's for Dinner? Writing about Food (4 Credits)

Michael Pollan writes in Omnivore’s Dilemma that the U.S. suffers from a “national eating disorder”—that essentially, Americans don’t know what to eat. This course examines that confusion, considering which of the many diets available to us—vegan, slow food, locavore—is truly healthy; what roles ethnicity, gender, and class play in food choices; and how pervasive hunger is in the United States. Students read from the spectrum of food writing and hone their own writing in a variety of genres ranging from academic essays to restaurant reviews. Enrollment limited to 15. WI

Spring

WRT 132 Public Speaking: Presentation of Self, Rhetorical Choices and Agency (4 Credits)

History attests that powerful speeches can mobilize a generation, start and end wars, sway elections, elevate ideals--in other words, generally bring about social change. This course covers the process of oral argumentation: picking and researching a topic, staking a position, writing scripts and delivering speeches. Students develop their writing, verbal and nonverbal communications skills, ability to present to an audience and ability to adapt to different speaking contexts. The course aims to help students cultivate their unique voices in the public speaking challenges they face in their academic and professional careers. Enrollment limited to 16.

Fall, Spring, Variable

WRT 145 Process, Prose and Pedagogy (1 Credit)

This class helps students become effective peer writing tutors. They explore the theoretical and practical relationships among writing, learning, and thinking by reading in the fields of composition studies, rhetoric, literacy studies, cognitive psychology, and education. Students gain the skills necessary for helping others with writing: they learn to draw on pedagogical techniques; become aware of the diverse ways in which other students write, learn, and think; and have a broader understanding of the conventions and expectations for writing in a range of disciplines. S/U only. Instructor permission required.

Fall

WRT 172 Colloquium: Grammar and Stylistics for Writers (4 Credits)

How do writers exploit the structure of English? This course seeks to answer this question by examining the linguistic structure of English, various types of spoken and written texts (both formal and informal) and how grammar and style interact. The course explores what rules are inherent to the language, what rules have been imposed upon the language, and how these rules affect writing choices. The course also discuss the beliefs people have about and the values associated with the English language in a variety of settings and the impact this has on writing. Enrollment limited to 25. (E)

Spring, Alternate Years

WRT 212 Writing Reality: Journalism in the Age of Donald Trump and Fake News (4 Credits)

How should the media cover Donald Trump? How did the Internet, the 24- hour news cycle and polarization change the nature of journalism and lead to an era of “Fake News” accusations in which Americans exposed to different sources came away with different facts? This class studies the impact and consequences of today's digital and partisan media -- how to consume it and how to write for it. What is truth? What happens to democracy when Americans can’t agree on facts? Against the backdrop of the 2024 campaign, students examine how journalism arrived here and where it goes next. Enrollment limited to 25. (E) Social Science

Fall

WRT 291 Colloquium: Topics: Lakes Writing Workshop (4 Credits)

Topics Course. An intermediate-level workshop in which writers develop their skills through intensive reading, writing, revising, and critique. Topic changes annually. Emphasis on narrative writing, broadly defined to include a variety of genres, depending on the interests of the current holder of the Lakes writing residency. Enrollment limited to 12. Literature

Fall, Spring, Variable

WRT 400 Special Studies (1-4 Credits)

Normally open to juniors and seniors only. Written project description required. Instructor permission required.

Fall, Spring