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. {A}

Spring

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, 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 118lm Colloquium: Topics in Writing-Language Myths (4 Credits)

People have all kinds of beliefs about language: Women talk more than men. Sign languages aren’t real languages. Texting ruins people's spelling. Termed “linguistic folk beliefs” or “language myths,” these beliefs are not informed by linguistic research yet are frequently and widely accepted. They even appear in the media and can perpetuate harmful cultural stereotypes. However, most of them are false. This course uses the writing process to investigate popular language myths. Students explore common language myths, examine past and current linguistic research on these myths, and develop a stronger understanding of how language actually works. Designed for multilingual students, students who are bilingual from childhood or speak/write a language other than English as their first language. Restrictions: WRT 118 may be repeated once with a different topic. Enrollment limited to 15. (E) WI

Fall, Interterm, Spring, Variable

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 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.

Spring, Variable

WRT 135pt/ ENG 135pt Topics: Introduction to Writing Creative Nonfiction-Writing about Travel, Place and Time (4 Credits)

Offered as ENG 135pt and WRT 135pt. Writing and reading assignments in this creative nonfiction course draw from the linked themes of place and travel. Students need not be a seasoned traveler to join the course; they can write about any place at all, including home. The class also uses the Smith campus and Northampton to create travel narratives and works with images and creative walking exercises ("performance writing"). Students should be prepared to write frequently in class and out, read well, participate in class discussion and be ready to explore the world with new eyes. Prerequisite: One WI course. Restrictions: ENG 135/ WRT 135 may be repeated once with a different topic. Enrollment limited to 16.

Spring

WRT 135we/ ENG 135we Topics: Introduction to Writing Creative Nonfiction-Writing for the Ear (4 Credits)

Students write exploratory nonfiction essays about music and sound, while also producing multitrack audio pieces to complement their written work. Through close reading and discussion of narrative essays, cultural criticism, and poetry, they examine the numerous ways that sound and culture infiltrate one another. Emphasis is placed on the development of core narrative writing skills, while also offering an introduction to field recording and multitrack editing. The course is divided into thirds, with each section culminating in a writing project that includes a significant audio component. Students should expect to commit nine hours per week to the course. Prerequisite: One writing intensive course. Restrictions: ENG 135/ WRT 135 may be repeated once with a different topic. Enrollment limited to 16. (E) {A}

Spring, Variable

WRT 135wp/ ENG 135wp Topics: Introduction to Writing Creative Nonfiction-Writing in Words and Pictures (4 Credits)

Offered as ENG 135wp and WRT 135wp. In the 20th century, as literacy rates rose, images disappeared from literature. Pictures were relegated to children’s books; only words were fit for adults. But the situation is changing. The internet and new printing technologies have allowed serious stories to again be told with words and images. This course examines creative nonfiction in graphic novels, hybrid and artist’s books, art labels, zines, digital platforms and more. Students need not be an artist to take this class! Students create word-image memoirs and research-based essays using photos, photocopies, digital images and hand-drawn art. This is a writing course with a visual twist. Prerequisite: One WI course. Restrictions: ENG 135/ WRT 135 may be repeated once with a different topic. Enrollment limited to 16.

Spring

WRT 135ws/ ENG 135ws Topics: Introduction to Writing Creative Nonfiction-Writing about the Senses (4 Credits)

Offered as ENG 135ws and WRT 135ws. Sight, sound, touch, smell, taste: Everything humans know is reached through their senses. Humans share a world filtered through a million sensibilities - finding the words to convey what is heard, seen, smelled, tasted and felt is one of the most fundamental skills a writer can develop. In this class, students hone their descriptive powers to go beyond the obvious and uncover language that delights and surprises. Students learn to use one sense to write about another, combine them in powerful metaphors and explore how senses shape the narratives that drive us. Prerequisite: One WI course. Restrictions: ENG 135/ WRT 135 may be repeated once with a different topic. Enrollment limited to 16.

Spring

WRT 136/ ENG 136 Journalism: Principles and Practice (4 Credits)

Offered as WRT 136 and ENG 136. In this intellectually rigorous writing class, students learn how to craft compelling "true stories" using the journalist’s tools. They research, report, write, revise, source and share their work—and, through interviewing subjects firsthand, understand how other people see the world. The course considers multiple styles and mediums of journalism, including digital storytelling. Prerequisite: One WI course. 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.

Spring, Alternate Years

WRT 220/ JNX 220 Colloquium: Investigative Journalism: Holding Power to Account (4 Credits)

This class focuses on how journalism serves as a democratic safeguard by exposing corruption, scrutinizing powerful institutions, and fact-checking public claims to prevent the misuse of power. It is centered around three institutions: the first is the electoral system, investigating who is bankrolling politicians and scrutinizing their records as they get ready to run for office in November; the second is the criminal legal system, taking a visit to the local courts to learn about police, prosecutors, judges, and incarceration; the third is city government: how bodies like city councils and mayors' offices make decisions that affect their constituents’ lives. Prerequisite: JNX 136/ WRT 136. Enrollment limited to 16. (E)

Fall, Spring, Variable

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. {L}

Fall, Spring, Variable

WRT 350/ JNX 350 Seminar: Journalism in the Field (4 Credits)

Offered as JNX 350 and WRT 350. This course provides students an opportunity to produce an extended reported project while exploring and critiquing contemporary forces shaping the media landscape. Required for senior journalism concentrators and open to all juniors and seniors, this course allows students to synthesize their previous journalistic experience. Students investigate contemporary journalism and methods and how these themes might influence their rhetorical, practical and ethical choices for their work in progress. This course serves as the Journalism concentration capstone. Restrictions: Juniors and seniors only. Enrollment limited to 12. Instructor permission required.

Spring

WRT 400 Special Studies (1-4 Credits)

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

Fall, Spring