IDND 022 - Writing

Type of Course: Topics Workshop

Writing The Beats

The Beat Generation’s influence on American culture is still evident today, over 50 years after a group of young men - Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs and others—first met in New York City. These radical writers shook up the literary world with their disregard for traditional literary styles and themes and their blatant rejection of the cultural values of postwar America. This class will introduce students to the major writers and works of the Beat Generation, focusing particularly on the following: notions of defiant individuality; alternative conceptions of religion, sexuality, and politics; the glorification the drug culture and of criminality; and how pop culture factors into the texts. Among the works studied in this class are Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl,” and William S. Burroughs’ Naked Lunch. Fulfills the Verbal Expression requirement. Ms. Plante/Offered annually

Sense of Place: Writings of Place and Nature

“It is not down in any map; true places never are,” Herman Melville wrote in “Moby Dick.” We are increasingly disconnected from the spirit of the natural world and our sense of place in this burgeoning technological age. The goal of this course is to reawaken our inherent connection to the earth, and place, in order to helps us see the world more clearly and understand it more deeply. We will study “nature writing” by those who have a special connection to the earth anchored a certain place—from Emerson and Thoreau to contemporary authors. As time permits we will conduct field studies, a film study, and be visited by an author. This course will explore what place can teach us, how it shapes our vision and sense of self along with our world view. Through reading and discussing essays, poems, and works of nonfiction, we will learn how we can be more aware of the world that sustains and surrounds us. Writing for this class will include creative pieces as well as analytical essays, and there will be a final project addressing a place of your choosing. Ms. Robert/Offered annually

Writing About Race

This is an opportunity to learn to write thoughtfully about one of the most critical issues facing our country. In this course, we will read and write about race, with the goal of understanding its influence - visible and invisible - in our lives and in American culture. We will read widely in history, psychology, critical whiteness studies, poetry, and memoir, studying texts by African Americans, Latinos, Asian Americans, white Americans, and recent immigrants. We will write personal essays and analytical essays, examining the role of race in our family histories, in the media, and in the recent presidential campaign. Students will be expected to write four papers.

Instructor: Ms. Sands

When Offered: Offered annually

Faculty: Jennifer Plante, M.A. –