We live in a
media centered world that inundates us with information from television,
internet, radio, digital devices, and books. We are all readers and
writers, but how often are we conscious of our positions, or our interactions
in this environment? How often do we view reading and writing as tools from a
skill set necessary to succeed in a media saturated world?
The primary goal of this course is to provide students with the necessary
reading and writing tools for your continued careers as college writers and
readers. We will examine how to be an active and critical reader of the
information we receive on a daily basis. In this course, we will look at a
variety of texts from rap lyrics and slam poetry to television, and graphic
novels. We will question our assumptions. We will study our communication
styles, and we will attempt to look at the goals and methods found behind the continuous
stream of words and images we entertain for most of our waking lives.
Required Texts:
Readings will be provided in a course reader, as handouts, or by pdf email attachments.
Course Requirements:
- Attendance and participation in class
- 1 ten-page research paper
- 2 five-page essays
- Informal writing assignments
- Peer editing and writing workshops