Stern College Syllabi -- Spring and Fall 2021-2022 courses --- ENGL (English)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12202/7163

Pixaby/ Girl / https://pixabay.com/photos/girl-english-dictionary-read-2771936/ Pixabay License. Free for commercial use. No attribution required.

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 75

Restricted
ENG 1200H-C: Composition and Rhetoric
(Stern College for Women, Yeshiva University, 2022-09) Spencer, Stephen
Utopian and Dystopian Fiction In the twenty-first century, utopian and dystopian fiction is everywhere. This type of fiction portrays imaginary worlds that are either “utopian”—societies that are ideal but that may not be realistically achievable in the real world—or “dystopian”—societies that intensify the most troubling aspects of the real world and serve as warnings for audiences. Sometimes, however, artists will create worlds that blur the boundaries between utopia and dystopia, prompting us to question our own preconceived notions about individual morality, social justice, and the power of fiction itself. In this course, we will engage with a sampling of utopian and dystopian poems, short stories, and films, and you will learn the fundamentals of college-level writing as you compose argumentative essays about these works.¶ Course Objectives and Goals¶ This course is an introduction to college-level writing that will teach you to develop, organize, and present your ideas. It will begin with a close reading essay of a poem: either Wisława Szymborska’s “Utopia” or Alicia Ostriker’s “Utopian.” Following this will be an essay comparing Ursula Le Guin’s short story “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” to N.K. Jemisin’s “The Ones Who Stay and Fight,” a reimagining of Le Guin’s story. The course will conclude with a research argument about one of the primary sources covered in the course, including the film adaptation of The Hunger Games, or a topic of your choosing. Throughout, we will emphasize that writing is an ongoing process of thinking and learning. This process begins when you ask questions about a text or subject, continues through note taking and other forms of pre-writing, and develops into a presentable product through cycles of drafting, feedback, and revision. These techniques will apply to writing beyond this course, to any subject demanding clear, logical, and cogent exposition. ¶By the end of the course, students will: • Become more effective writers in their academic and professional lives • Learn to assess the content and quality of their own ideas • Develop sound research skills to structure and inform their thinking • Practice critical thought in relation to classic works of literature
Restricted
ENG 2903: French women writers from enlightenment to existentialism
(Stern College for Women, Yeshiva University, 2022-09) Mesch, Rachel
¶This course will trace how French women writers explore key questions surrounding their female identity by engaging with the literary movements of their time. As we make our way through a series of fascinating novels from the eighteenth to the twentieth century, we will see how these writers explored the ideological questions of their day by centering the place of women’s roles in French society. Each module of the class will be organized around the central question of the novel at hand: We’ll ask What Is Love? as we read Françoise de Graffigny’s Letters from a Peruvian Woman (1747), a story in letters exchanged between an Incan princess kidnapped by European invaders and her fiancé, who may or may not be waiting for her. Next we’ll consider ¶What Is Marriage? with George Sand’s Indiana (1832), the story of a young woman unhappily married to a violent man, and the drama that unfolds in a series of unexpected love triangles that traverse race and class. Then we’ll turn to What is Madness? in Rachilde’s Monsieur Vénus (1884), which draws on popular medical literature and leaves the reader wondering who decides a woman’s sanity. We’ll ask What is Independence? with Colette’s The Vagabond (1910) in which a woman attempts to support herself after the end of her tumultuous marriage to a cheating husband. Finally, we’ll explore What is Liberty? in Simone de Beauvoir’s A Woman Destroyed (1968) a novella in which a woman considers her own destiny as she grapples with choices she has made, and whether she had any choice at all. The novels will be contextualized in a variety of ways: through excerpts from contemporary feminist critics, early French medical and scientific texts about women, and nineteenth- and twentieth-century French women’s magazines. Students will gain an understanding for the sweep of French literary tradition, while examining how fiction can function as a mode of feminist critique. In the process, they will develop their own literary analysis and close reading skills, as well as an appreciation for how cultural and historical context can frame their literary interpretations. ¶In recognition of the current challenges that students (and faculty!) face, we have "pauses" built into the syllabus. These breaks will mean less reading or no reading for class, and films to watch or images to examine instead of novels to study. They are marked by the pink highlighting below. They are structured around when papers are due and/or we've just completed a long novel. This should allow you to catch up if you've fallen behind, or just get a chance to reset before we continue. Of course, there may be unforeseen events and interruptions over the course of the semester. Please reach out to me if you are having any difficulties and we will work out a solution.
Restricted
ENGL 1010 Essentials of Writing
(2021-01) Trapedo, Shaina
Course Description Welcome to English 1010. This course will introduce you to the conventions and expectations of writing at the college level. Since careful reading leads to stronger writing, we will spend time examining texts closely to understand what makes them effective (or ineffective) pieces of communication, and you will be given ample practice in applying those techniques in your own work. This semester, our reading and writing will focus on the general theme of "Going Rogue." While the term “rogue” has been attached to villains and cheats for centuries, today, “going rogue” suggests individual behavior that expresses independence and resists the status quo. In our primary texts we'll encounter figures who disregard conventions (whether cultural, legal, moral, literary, etc.) and examine how characters—and writers— make use of various rhetorical strategies to resist, exploit, and/or survive situations that they perceive as unaccommodating, unfair, or just plain oppressive. In many ways, learning how to write requires a keen understanding of audience expectations and genre conventions. Throughout this course, you will study the writing process and produce several original essays that demonstrate your ability to understand and respond to a text, develop and defend your ideas, and integrate and synthesize sources with your own thinking—all of which are essential skills required across disciplines. We will also consider mechanical and grammatical issues, and you will be responsible for observing the rules of standard English as you develop your craft and style. Reading and writing are time-consuming endeavors; however, if done well, this course will be a highly rewarding experience (as with any worthwhile educational venture) since the skills you will learn here will serve you in and beyond your other academic pursuits. Goals and Objectives The goal of this class is for students to develop proficiency in textual analysis and academic writing in preparation for English 1100. Instruction simultaneously focuses on writing strategies, such as revision, summarizing, structuring, as well as the usage of academic English. Upon successful completion of this course students will: • Understand rhetorical contexts for their writing by establishing the writer’s role, the target audience, and the purpose of the communication act. • Identify and discuss the key elements of successful paragraphs and essays. • Paraphrase and summarize the main idea and supporting details from a variety of texts without plagiarizing. • Read and respond to various texts for purposes of interpretation, analysis, synthesis, evaluation, and argumentation. • Use recursive writing processes that include collecting information, focusing, ordering, drafting, proofreading, revising, and editing. • Demonstrate the techniques and skills of research, integration of source material, and documentation. • Write more effective sentences by improving coordination/subordination, eliminating fragments and run-on sentences, and addressing any other needs of fundamental English mechanics and usage. ___ Essential Employability Skills • Use a variety of thinking skills to anticipate and solve problems. • Respond to written, spoken, or visual messages in a manner that ensures effective communication. • Analyze, evaluate, and apply relevant information from a variety of sources. • Show respect for diverse opinions, values, belief systems, and contributions of others. • Interact with others in ways that contribute to effective working relationships and goal achievement. • Manage the use of time and other resources to complete projects. • Take responsibility for one's actions, decisions, and consequences.
Restricted
ENGL 1100 - A Composition and Rhetoric
(2021-01) Grimaldi, Gina
This class focuses on five 19th- and 20th-century short stories by women writers. These stories have relevance to our current world because they are thematically concerned with confinement and claustrophobia, gender and race, mental health, scapegoating, good and evil, and groupthink. We will be studying: “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Mark on the Wall” by Virginia Woolf, “Sweat” by Zora Neale Hurston, “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson, and “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates. Class time will divide into exploring these texts and learning college-level academic writing practices. _____ GOALS AND OBJECTIVES The primary goal of this class is for you to learn to write a thesis-driven academic essay that articulates a complete, clear, logical thesis, and supports that thesis through a logical series of claims supported by well-chosen evidence and effective analysis. Throughout the term, we will develop composition skills with the foundational premise that the best writing results from an ongoing process of asking genuine questions, developing arguments, cultivating structures for putting ideas into words, and rethinking and revising our work. Since this class is interdisciplinary, the techniques of analysis and formal writing practice should prepare you for college-level academic work in any field. Specifically, we will approach writing as a process of developing genuine questions through documenting textual evidence; developing an approach to this material; analyzing our evidence; and from all that work building a central claim, or thesis—all to be molded into a cohesive structure. The process is called “Academic Discourse.” We will discuss practical strategies to help you begin, write, revise, and polish formal written work, as well as research and citation techniques.
Restricted
ENGL 1100 - B & D1 Composition and Rhetoric
(2021-01) Spencer, Stephen
In the twenty-first century, dystopian fiction is everywhere. From Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale to Suzanne Collins’s Hunger Games trilogy, which were recently adapted for television and film, this type of fiction portrays imaginary societies that are “dystopian”: societies that intensify the most troubling aspects of the real world (political authoritarianism, encroaching technocracy, environmental degradation) in order to create fictional “bad places” that serve as warnings for audiences. As these particular examples suggest, dystopian fiction by and about women is of particular interest in the twenty-first century. Though Atwood and Collins construct dystopian societies and texts, their heroines—Offred and Katniss Everdeen—provide hope that we can characterize as “utopian”: hope that their dismal situation (and ours) can be transformed for the better, into something resembling a “good place.” In this course, we will read dystopian short stories and film, and you will learn the fundamentals of college-level writing as you compose argumentative essays about these works. ___ Course Objectives and Goals This course is an introduction to college level writing that will teach you to develop, organize, and present your ideas. It will begin with a close reading essay on Ursula Le Guin’s short story “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas,” followed by an essay comparing the film adaptation of The Hunger Games to Shirley Jackson’s short story “The Lottery.” The course will conclude with a research argument on Charlotte Perkin Gilman’s short story “The Yellow Wallpaper.” Throughout, we will emphasize that writing is an ongoing process of thinking and learning. This process begins when you ask questions about a text or subject, continues through note taking and other forms of pre-writing, and develops into a presentable product through cycles of drafting, feedback, and revision. These techniques will apply to writing beyond this course, to any subject demanding clear, logical, and cogent exposition. By the end of the course, students will: • Become more effective writers in their academic and professional lives • Learn to assess the content and quality of their own ideas • Develop sound research skills to structure and inform their thinking • Practice critical thought in relation classic works of literature
Restricted
ENGL 1100 - K Composition and Rhetoric
(2021-01) Nachumi, Nora
COURSE DESCRIPTION The reading in this course is organized around the idea of crime and community. Over the course of the semester, we will divide our time between exploring the assigned texts and learning college-level academic writing practices. The techniques you will learn in this course will apply to every subject that demands clear, logical and cogent exposition. ______ GOALS AND OBJECTIVES The primary goal of this class is for you to learn to write a thesis-driven academic essay that articulates a complete, clear, logical thesis, and supports that thesis through a logical series of claims supported by well-chosen evidence and effective analysis. Throughout the term, we will develop composition skills with the foundational premise that the best writing results from an ongoing process of asking genuine questions, developing arguments, cultivating structures for putting ideas into words, and rethinking and revising our work. Since this class is interdisciplinary, the techniques of analysis and formal writing practice should prepare you for college-level academic work in any field. Specifically, we will approach writing as a process of developing genuine questions through documenting textual evidence; developing an approach to this material; analyzing our evidence; and from all that work building a central claim, or thesis—all to be molded into a cohesive structure. The process is called “Academic Discourse.” We will discuss practical strategies to help you begin, write, revise, and polish formal written work, as well as research and citation techniques.
Restricted
ENGL 1100 - K2 Composition and Rhetoric
(2021-01) Trapedo, Shaina
Course Description In 1967, as the civil rights and feminist movements continued to make waves, Gerry Goffin and Carole King co-wrote “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman,” and Aretha Franklin turned their song it into a power ballad for the ages. While artists including Celine Dion and Adele have covered this anthem of female agency and self-acceptance, the chorus begs the question: who is the “you”? Why must the “natural woman” rely on another to “feel” authentic in her own womanhood? Although the lyrics imply that the “you” is an individual man, what happens when we read “you” as a collective pronoun? While the selected readings for this class will only scratch the surface in addressing these questions, we will engage with writers who consider how the notion of a “natural woman” is defined in relation to patriarchal order, science and medicine, the media and fashion industries, and other social norms. The premise of this course is that critical thinking and careful reading are the bedrock of successful writing, and we will do plenty of writing. In discussions and assessments, you will examine texts as products of the writer’s decision-making process, and then be given ample practice in applying those techniques in your own work to create a distinctive verbal style, convey meaning, and project identity. By approaching writing as a process involving multiple stages, this challenging course will strengthen English language and grammar proficiency as it trains the student writer to present and develop a thesis-driven argument in a clear, logical, and convincing manner. While I look forward to the intellectual engagement and aesthetic pleasures literature affords, the primary goal of this course is to equip students with analytical tools, writing skills, and heightened self-awareness through humanistic inquiry that will serve you across disciplines and beyond. ____ Goals and Objectives The goal of this class is for students to develop proficiency in textual analysis and academic writing. Instruction simultaneously focuses on writing strategies, such as revision, summarizing, structuring, as well as the usage of academic English. Upon successful completion of this course: 1. Students will be able to apply strategies for the developing and revising of their academic essays. a. create an outline or plan of ideas for an academic essay. b. show evidence of idea development through peer review and collaboration. c. demonstrate successful revision strategies. 2. Students will be able to produce clear writing that employs appropriate conventions for academic discourse. a. produce clear and effective organization, paragraphs, and transitions. b. demonstrate mastery of syntax, grammar, punctuation, and spelling. c. choose evidence and detail consistent with the purpose of the essay. d. follow MLA formatting instructions. e. understand the audience for whom they write and employ appropriate diction and tone. 3. Students will be able to locate, identify, and integrate primary and secondary material into their own writing and cite it accordingly. a. locate and identify primary and secondary sources relevant to their topic. b. summarize the argument of a primary or secondary text accurately. c. quote from and integrate citations from literary or cultural texts and from literary criticism or other secondary sources accurately into their own writing. d. create a Works Cited page in MLA format that includes all primary or secondary works cited. 4. Students will be able to demonstrate mastery of academic argument structure, i.e., developing a significant set of ideas (a thesis) through a logical sequence of claims supported by appropriate evidence and analysis. a. create a clear and debatable thesis b. incorporate alternate views or counterarguments. c. provide the necessary background information on the topic. d. present a logical sequence of claims about the topic. e. identify and use appropriate evidence to support their claims. f. craft a conclusion that summarizes and offers new reflections. g. indicate a specific approach to the topic and account for why this approach is important to knowledge. _______ Essential Employability Skills • Use a variety of thinking skills to anticipate and solve problems. • Respond to written, spoken, or visual messages in a manner that ensures effective communication. • Analyze, evaluate, and apply relevant information from a variety of sources. • Show respect for diverse opinions, values, belief systems, and contributions of others. • Interact with others in ways that contribute to effective working relationships and goal achievement. • Manage the use of time and other resources to complete projects. • Take responsibility for one's actions, decisions, and consequences.
Restricted
ENGL 1100 - L Composition and Rhetoric
(2021-01) Blau, Rivkah
Course Description: “Facing Challenges” Goal: The goal is for you to write an academic essay that articulates a clear, logical thesis and supports that thesis through well-chosen evidence and effective analysis. We will revise our work. We will study research and citation techniques. We will make every word count. I have based this statement on Gina Grimaldi’s outline in her syllabus and added my concern with “no clutter.”
Restricted
ENGL 1100-D1: Composition and Rhetoric: Utopian and Dystopian Fiction
(Stern College for Women, Yeshiva University, 2022-09) Spencer, Stephen
In the twenty-first century, utopian and dystopian fiction is everywhere. This type of fiction portrays imaginary worlds that are either “utopian”—societies that are ideal but that may not be realistically achievable in the real world—or “dystopian”—societies that intensify the most troubling aspects of the real world and serve as warnings for audiences. Sometimes, however, artists will create worlds that blur the boundaries between utopia and dystopia, prompting us to question our own preconceived notions about individual morality, social justice, and the power of fiction itself. In this course, we will engage with a sampling of utopian and dystopian poems, short stories, and films, and you will learn the fundamentals of college-level writing as you compose argumentative essays about these works.¶ Course Objectives and Goals ¶This course is an introduction to college-level writing that will teach you to develop, organize, and present your ideas. It will begin with a close reading essay of a poem: either Wisława Szymborska’s “Utopia” or Alicia Ostriker’s “Utopian.” Following this will be an essay comparing Ursula Le Guin’s short story “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” to N.K. Jemisin’s “The Ones Who Stay and Fight,” a reimagining of Le Guin’s story. The course will conclude with a research argument about one of the primary sources covered in the course, including the film adaptation of The Hunger Games. Throughout, we will emphasize that writing is an ongoing process of thinking and learning. This process begins when you ask questions about a text or subject, continues through note taking and other forms of pre-writing, and develops into a presentable product through cycles of drafting, feedback, and revision. These techniques will apply to writing beyond this course, to any subject demanding clear, logical, and cogent exposition. By the end of the course, students will: • Become more effective writers in their academic and professional lives • Learn to assess the content and quality of their own ideas • Develop sound research skills to structure and inform their thinking • Practice critical thought in relation to classic works of literature
Restricted
ENGL 1100: Composition and Rhetoric
(Stern College for Women, Yeshiva University, 2022-01) Nachumi, Nora; 0000-0002-4151-9605
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This class will explore the various assumptions and protocols of academic writing. Academic writing is your passport to success, both within the academy and in much of the professional world. It is a form of writing with its own codes and rules, and it is imperative that we begin our semester acknowledging that no one is born a good academic writer, just as no one is born already knowing English, French, Chinese or Hebrew. Academic writing must be learned by the hard work of practice and requires the skills of dedication and patience. The other forms of writing at which you are already adept—personal essays, emailing, blogging, texting, notetaking, etc.—will be of help with academic writing, but always be aware that academic composition is its own unique form.¶ Academic writing is defined by its methods, not by its chosen subjects. You can write academically about professional wrestling, and writing about literature is not automatically academic. Through an exploration of various forms of expression, students will learn key aspects of academic writing such as ways to strengthen ideas and lines of inquiry, support argument positions and write clear and persuasive arguments. The essay sequence, which builds on itself, is designed for students to demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of a particular skill. In the first essay, students will close a short story and generate a thesis. The second essay will offer the opportunity for students to showcase their comparative analysis strategies by putting in relation two short stories. The third and final essay, a research paper, asks students to demonstrate an ability to engage with secondary sources and enter into the ongoing academic conversation about literature. Each of the essays will stem from a genuine question about the texts that students develop through their reading of the material, a question that arises through intrigue, confusion or curiosity and is revised, honed and reframed through discussions, prewriting exercises and revisions.
Restricted
ENGL 1200H-E Freshman Honors Seminar
(2021-01) O'Malley, Seamus
This class will explore the various assumptions and protocols of academic writing. Academic writing is your passport to success, both within the academy and in much of the professional world. It is a form of writing with its own codes and rules, and it is imperative that we begin our semester acknowledging that no one is born a good academic writer, just as no one is born already knowing English, French, Chinese or Hebrew. Academic writing must be learned by the hard work of practice and requires the skills of dedication and patience. The other forms of writing at which you are already adept—personal essays, emailing, blogging, texting, note-taking, etc.—will be of help with academic writing, but always be aware that academic composition is its own unique form. Academic writing is defined by its methods, not by its chosen subjects. You can write academically about professional wrestling, and writing about literature is not automatically academic. Through an exploration of various forms of expression, students will learn key aspects of academic writing such as ways to strengthen ideas and lines of inquiry, support argument positions and write clear and persuasive arguments. The essay sequence, which builds on itself, is designed for students to demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of a particular skill. In the first essay, students will close read a chosen advertisement. The second essay will offer the opportunity for students to showcase their comparative analysis strategies by putting in relation two short stories. The third and final essay, a research paper, asks students to demonstrate an ability to engage with secondary sources and enter into the ongoing academic conversation about a poem. Each of the essays will stem from a genuine question about the images and texts that students develop through their reading of the material, a question that arises through intrigue, confusion or curiosity and is revised, honed and reframed through discussions, prewriting exercises and revisions.
Restricted
ENGL 1200H: Writing in Academic Prose
(Stern College for Women, Yeshiva University, 2022-09) O'Malley, Seamus
This class will explore the various assumptions and protocols of academic writing. Academic writing is your passport to success, both within the academy and in much of the professional world. It is a form of writing with its own codes and rules, and it is imperative that we begin our semester acknowledging that no one is born a good academic writer, just as no one is born already knowing English, French, Chinese or Hebrew. Academic writing must be learned by the hard work of practice and requires the skills of dedication and patience. The other forms of writing at which you are already adept—personal essays, emailing, blogging, texting, note-taking, etc.—will be of help with academic writing, but always be aware that academic composition is its own unique form.¶ Academic writing is defined by its methods, not by its chosen subjects. You can write academically about professional wrestling, and writing about literature is not automatically academic. Through an exploration of various forms of expression, students will learn key aspects of academic writing such as ways to strengthen ideas and lines of inquiry, support argument positions and write clear and persuasive arguments. The essay sequence, which builds on itself, is designed for students to demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of a particular skill. In the first essay, students will close a short story and generate a thesis. The second essay will offer the opportunity for students to showcase their comparative analysis strategies by putting in relation two short stories. The third and final essay, a research paper, asks students to demonstrate an ability to engage with secondary sources and enter into the ongoing academic conversation about literature. Each of the essays will stem from a genuine question about the texts that students develop through their reading of the material, a question that arises through intrigue, confusion or curiosity and is revised, honed and reframed through discussions, prewriting exercises and revisions.
Restricted
ENGL 1501: News Writing
(Stern College for Women, Yeshiva University, 2022-01) Gewirtz, Jason
Fundamentals of journalism, featuring news writing skills and reporting techniques. This course will teach the basics of news writing.
Restricted
ENGL 1502 - FGW Feature Writing
(2021-01) Lieber, Chavie
Focuses on the skills and techniques to write articles or stories for newspapers, magazines or news websites. 3.000 Credit hours
Restricted
ENGL 1502: Feature Writing
(Stern College for Women, Yeshiva University, 2022-09) Gewirtz, Jason
This class focuses on writing digital news features on digital journalism platforms. We will start with journalism basics but you will soon be writing feature articles. We will cover idea generation, pitches, story production, ethics, basic photography, graphics production and what is sometimes referred to as second day stories… where we take news of the day or breaking news and then pull a specific thread to explore a cause or personal story impacted by that day-of or breaking news story. We have also made an agreement with the student editors of the YU Observer this year that will allow students in this course to work with the news-site to pitch feature stories to the newspaper when appropriate.
Restricted
ENGL 1651 - FGM Developing Effective Messages
(2021-01) Schleuter, Deborah Brown
SYLLABUS Explore how to break through the clutter with public relations techniques to help ensure your key audience is listening to your message. The course will include individual papers, workshops, and a team project that focuses on creating effective messages and influencing audiences. Goal: Students will understand why certain messages are effective and resonate with consumers and how to develop messages for a client’s product or service. Objective 1: Students will learn how to use specific PR tools such as surveys and focus groups to develop message direction/positioning. Objective 2: Students will learn how to write a persuasive argument. Objective 3: Students will learn how to write messages in a problem/solution format and how to develop a strong message platform. Objective 4: Students will learn how to develop insights and create a new product, as a team, to break through a crowded marketplace.
Restricted
ENGL 1721 - M Topics: Media Photojournalism / ARTS 3970 - M Topics: Photojournalism
(2021-01) Shannon, Kathleen
Course Description: How can photography act as a witness? How can an image empower change? In this course we will consider these questions and more as we examine core ideas for understanding the creation, gathering, and dissemination of information via journalistic photography. Through various lectures, discussions, assignments, and critiques, students will fine tune skills of editing and composition as they advance their photographic practice. In addition to developing a nuanced understanding of the values and purpose of photojournalism, special attention will be given to increasing students' visual literacy, and covering the ethics of documentary photography.
Restricted
ENGL 1805: Reading, Writing, and Blogging Poetry
(Stern College for Women, Yeshiva University, 2022-01) Miller, Matt
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES:¶ Teachers cannot create poets, but we can create the conditions for poetry to emerge. Like any art form, an important part of poetry involves understanding craft, though in an art as diverse as this one, precisely where the line lies between inspiration and craft—imagination and technique—is never entirely clear. This course in reading, writing, and writing about poetry starts with the basics, emphasizing prosody (the way poets use sound in language), sharp visceral imagery, and approaches to the poetic line (or lack thereof). Working with the belief that writers must first understand conventions before they can meaningfully oppose them, students will develop more sophisticated understandings of poetry’s tools, such as symbolism, metaphor, and rhyme, as well as more recent experimental techniques. We will read widely from the best and most representative poetry in the language, understanding that developments in our writing emerge from engaged reading. Because writing poetry helps you write more effectively in general, we will explore connections between poetry and other uses of language, such as tweets, blog posts, short speeches, advertising copy, and song lyrics.¶ In addition to writing and analyzing poetry, students will create blogs to share their work and comment on others' writing and media. The course will guide students through the process of posting and sharing work online, as well the best practices for using images, video, and audio to enhance online creations. Students will respond to other students' work via their blogs, and we will collectively establish an overall web site for Stern's creative writers to share their best work.¶ GOALS for the class include developing a better understanding of language as an artistic medium, coming to a fuller and more “interior” understanding of literature, developing the knowledge and skills for effectively using online resources, and producing work that students can look back upon, knowing it pushed their natural human potential for creativity.
Restricted
ENGL 1811: Writing for Television
(Stern College for Women, Yeshiva University, 2022-01) Mintz, Erik
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Each week, mostly on that other sunnier coast, writers gather and get paid to trade jokes (on sitcoms) and introduce exciting plot twists and tension (on one-hour dramas) all in the pursuit of bringing entertainment to our TV screens.¶ Each week, we’ll try and simulate that process in class. Students will learn about the craft of television writing through analysis of existing shows and by writing an episode of your own. As the script emerges from premise, to story beats, to a fully-realized episode, students will present the work in progress and will critique your fellow would be TV writers in class as you learn to defend your work.¶ COURSE OBJECTIVE: Because a serious career in Hollywood (or maybe even Long Island City?) means persistence, and the often painstaking process of writing several drafts and then several different spec (or speculative) scripts, students will also engage in that activity as their first steps toward writing for television. By the end of the course, students will get a taste for what the television writing process is all about, appreciate the examples of professional television writing presented in class, understand how to introduce your script to the powers-that-be and how to get them interested in it, and write an entire half-hour or one-hour script.
Restricted
ENGL 1815: Writing Women’s Lives
(Yeshiva University, 2022-09) Peters, Ann Marie
In this course we will study examples of women writing about their lives and practice writing our own autobiographical narratives. The goal of the course is two-fold: first, we will examine the characteristics of the memoir genre and consider the way 20th and 21st Century women writers explore and represent selfhood; second, we will work on telling our own stories. We’ll be asking a number of questions in the course. Can a personal story really be just about “me?” How much of our stories are really about others—family and community? What happens when we take the seemingly shapeless events of our lives and try to shape them into a story? Can we say that a memoir is really true? What part does fiction play in the writing of a life story, and what part does autobiography play in some writers’ fiction? In the course, we will be reading works by Lynda Barry, Elizabeth Bishop, Ilana Blumberg, Joan Didion, Annie Dillard, Natalia Ginzburg, Patricia Hampl, Maxine Hong Kingston, Mary McCarthy, Maggie Nelson, Cynthia Ozick, Zadie Smith, Virginia Woolf, and in translation the French writer Colette. You will write one final autobiographical essay (at least ten pages) and five shorter pieces, each at least three pages. I will be giving periodic short reading quizzes. A significant portion of your grade will be based on your engagement and participation in class discussions and writing workshops.