COAS INTENSIVE WRITING SECTION 


OPEN TO HONORS STUDENTS ONLY.  OBTAIN AUTHORIZATION FROM THE HONORS
DIVISION, 324 N. JORDAN AVENUE.


We will examine a variety of works, ranging from 16th-century poetry
to modern fiction, film, and contemporary advertising.  Our close
engagement with texts will lead us to raise questions concerning the
ways in which texts ask to be read and the ways in which we as a group
and as individuals arrive at an understanding or interpretation of
what we read.


Some of the questions we will address include:  What constitutes a
valid response?  How are some responses better than others?  How do an
author's real or perceived intentions influence our readings?  How
might the reader's reenactments of a text distance her or him from the
author's intentions?  What are the referential powers of literature?
How might literature deepen our sense of self and our place in the
world?  What claims to "truth" (if any) does literature make?  How do
we distinguish between "dumb" and "smart" texts, good and bad
literature?  To what extent do texts rely on other, preexisting texts
to create meaning?  In what ways do particular texts give us pleasure
or pain?

	
Required texts will probably include: The Norton Anthology of
Poetry, Joyce's Dubliners , Tim O'Brien's  The Things
They Carried , and Yusef Komunyakaa's Neon Vernacular .


Since this will be a discussion class, full participation and regular
attendance are essential.  Throughout the semester, students will be
asked to write several brief papers (of about 2-4 pages), to offer
oral presentations, and to perform various writing activities in
class.  The final exam will be in the form of an out-of-class essay.
I'll be pleased to talk with anyone about the course.