11:15a-12:30p TR (25) 3 cr.

COAS INTENSIVE WRITING SECTION. OPEN TO HONORS STUDENTS ONLY. OBTAIN
AUTHORIZATION FROM HONORS DIVISION, 324 N. JORDAN AVENUE.
To interpret is fundamentally a process of reading a work actively, be it
a poem, a short story, a play, a novel, or--in a different medium--a film.
The primary purpose of this course, then, is to make explicit what is
involved in an activity we all have engaged in, probably more often than
we realize, with a view to developing our capacity for writing as a way of
reading, a form of interpretation. As a community of readers and writers,
we will consider not only what interpretive invitations are extended
through the conventions of form in the texts we read, but also what ways
of reading we habitually resort to, where such habits come from, and what
particular ways of reading allow us to see or do (and what they prevent us
from seeing or doing). We will also explore what other ways of reading and
writing are available to us, what they might allow us to see or do (or
prevent us from seeing or doing). Because the course covers a range of
textual media, an important part of our inquiry will be to consider how
the different media orient and predispose us as audiences, how we can
critically interact with them, and what room there might be for us to
exercise our creative, inventive intelligence. Finally, we will consider
what's at stake in certain kinds of interpretative practices, for us as
individuals, as members of varying communities, as citizens.
Texts may include Sherman Alexie's The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in
Heaven, Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber, Shakespeare's Othello, and
Paul Hunter's Introduction to Poetry. There will also be film screenings
of Smoke Signals and Othello productions. In addition to active
participation in discussions and other course activities, students will
collaborate on an inquiry project and present their findings to the class.
Written assignments include 1-page weekly written responses to readings,
an annotated bibliography to accompany the presentation, and three essays.