THE ART OF FICTION: Hearing Voices: Point of View in Fiction

Rosellen Brown

WRIT 301-0
M/W 2:30 - 4 p.m.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: No choice is more fundamental to a story (or novel) than its narrative voice (or voices). By the time your readers reach the bottom of page one, they must be certain of a good many things -- who speaks, in what tone, at what distance, with what scope and for what (if any) purpose. On the assumption that there are a good many more challenging possibilities than you have previously considered, we will investigate and practice as many approaches as time allows by reading some exemplary models, doing exercises from a variety of perspectives, discussing the process of choice, and writing and revising a few completed stories.

THE ART OF EXPOSITORY PROSE: Telling Stories: The Art of Narrative Nonfiction

Alex Kotlowitz

WRIT 303-0
M/W 2 - 4 p.m.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course will -- through both reading and writing -- explore the art form of what is often called literary or narrative nonfiction. How do we go about looking for story? What makes for a compelling yarn? How best to tell it? We'll explore the craft of reporting and research -- as well as work rigorously on the art of writing. We'll read nonfiction books and magazine articles. And we'll work in this class as a professional writer might, from draft to draft. There will be regular writing assignments, including one larger paper, all in the hope of making you better wordsmiths, better story tellers.

MODES OF WRITING: The Bible and its Transformations

Seeskin, George Harmon, Marcia Gealey, Bob Gundlach, and Pat Dean

WRIT 114-5
M/W 2 - 3:20 p.m.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course is designed as a two-quarter, team-taught sequence for freshmen only. Its goals are twofold: to explore an important theme in Western intellectual history and to help students become effective writers. Students will examine five themes that arise in Biblical literature and then ask how these themes were taken up or transformed by later writers. The themes include: (1) creation, (2) the fall from grace, (3) the demands of faith, (4) innocent suffering, (5) sin and the return to grace. It should be emphasized that this is not a standard course in Biblical criticism. It is rather an attempt to see how ancient themes provided the background or foundations for a new way of looking at the world. In each case, a stretch of Biblical text will be paired with one or more passages from poets, philosophers, fiction or essay writers. The course is interdisciplinary in the sense that the authors represent a wide range of backgrounds and genres.

The lecture part of the course will meet once a week for 90 minutes a session. Since the material is provocative, and the enrollment should total no more than 50 students, these sections will also include class discussion of the material. The class will then break down into three writing seminars that will meet once a week for 90 minutes as well.

Through both quarters, students will write steadily, both to improve their communication skills and to deepen their understanding of the issues being discussed. In the first quarter, students will write three essays of intermediate length, along with several briefer response pieces. The second quarter, each student will complete a longer research paper on a topic of individual interest. Research projects will be organized in stages, with students receiving instruction and coaching on developing a proposal, conducting research, analyzing material, formulating an argument, drafting, revising, and editing.

Important note: Students are expected to enroll for both quarters of this course. For Weinberg College freshmen, the two quarters together will confer one unit of credit toward the distribution requirement in Area V, Values, and one unit of Freshment Seminar credit.

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