11 courses with the subject WRT, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
WRT 110Writers on Writing: An Introduction to the Craft and Business of Writing Narratives1
In a series of seven lectures, writers-creative nonfiction authors, playwrights, novelists, screenwriters, documentarians and short story writers-provide an overview of the practice of creating narratives from specific disciplinary perspectives. Editors, publishers, agents and producers reflect on the publication and production process. Speakers discuss researching, revising, publishing and producing texts and read from their work to provide examples. They also explore questions of style, voice and genre. S/U only. {A}
WRT 118HMColloquium: Topics in Writing-No, Seriously...What's So Funny? Writing about Humor4
Nietzsche called maturity the rediscovered seriousness of a child at play. What is the meaning of comedy in light of this “seriousness of the child at play?” Why do people laugh, at what and in what way? How does one distinguish silly comedy from serious comedy? This course examines such questions on comic platforms including film, music, videos, short stories and cartoons. Students explore the “structure” of the comic moment as viewer or listener encounters surprise, transgression or enchantment, especially in 20th-century comedy, and the affectivity of the comic encounter from pure “clowning” to savage social commentary. Restrictions: WRT 118 may be repeated once with a different topic. Enrollment limited to 15. WI
WRT 118LGColloquium: Topics in Writing-Language and Gender4
How people speak – the words they choose, the way they structure their sentences, the pitch of their voices, even their gender while speaking – is constantly judged by those around them. Examining the interaction of gender and language leads to questions, such as how does gender shape the way people use language, how does gender affect others’ perceptions of speech (both written and verbal), what variation occurs across cultures with regards to gender and language? This course uses the topic of language and gender to expand upon and improve rhetorical and writing skills. Restrictions: WRT 118 may be repeated once with a different topic. Enrollment limited to 15. WI
WRT 118LMColloquium: Topics in Writing-Language Myths4
People have all kinds of beliefs about language: Women talk more than men. Sign languages aren’t real languages. Texting ruins people's spelling. Termed “linguistic folk beliefs” or “language myths,” these beliefs are not informed by linguistic research yet are frequently and widely accepted. They even appear in the media and can perpetuate harmful cultural stereotypes. However, most of them are false. This course uses the writing process to investigate popular language myths. Students explore common language myths, examine past and current linguistic research on these myths, and develop a stronger understanding of how language actually works. Designed for multilingual students, students who are bilingual from childhood or speak/write a language other than English as their first language. Restrictions: WRT 118 may be repeated once with a different topic. Enrollment limited to 15. (E) WI
WRT 118STColloquium: Topics in Writing-The Art of the Steal: Remixing, Originality and Identity4
This class explores the contemporary “remix culture” to ask pressing questions about creativity, originality and identity. Students explore the remix as a necessary tool for cultural transformation and look at their own experience of race, gender, sexual orientation, class and ability as an opportunity to reimagine and transform old ideas. Students make a case for the remix as a place for critical updates to the culture and discuss the possibilities of how remixing contributes to a richer production of cultural ideas. The work combines academic writing with multimedia “remix” projects and class discussion. Restrictions: WRT 118 may be repeated once with a different topic. Enrollment limited to 15. WI
WRT 119WFColloquium: Writing Roundtable Topics-What's for Dinner? Writing about Food4
Michael Pollan writes in Omnivore’s Dilemma that the U.S. suffers from a “national eating disorder”—that essentially, Americans don’t know what to eat. This course examines that confusion, considering which of the many diets available to us—vegan, slow food, locavore—is truly healthy; what roles ethnicity, gender, and class play in food choices; and how pervasive hunger is in the United States. Students read from the spectrum of food writing and hone their own writing in a variety of genres ranging from academic essays to restaurant reviews. Enrollment limited to 15. WI
WRT 132Public Speaking: Presentation of Self, Rhetorical Choices and Agency4
History attests that powerful speeches can mobilize a generation, start and end wars, sway elections, elevate ideals--in other words, generally bring about social change. This course covers the process of oral argumentation: picking and researching a topic, staking a position, writing scripts and delivering speeches. Students develop their writing, verbal and nonverbal communications skills, ability to present to an audience and ability to adapt to different speaking contexts. The course aims to help students cultivate their unique voices in the public speaking challenges they face in their academic and professional careers. Enrollment limited to 16.
This class helps students become effective peer writing tutors. They explore the theoretical and practical relationships among writing, learning, and thinking by reading in the fields of composition studies, rhetoric, literacy studies, cognitive psychology, and education. Students gain the skills necessary for helping others with writing: they learn to draw on pedagogical techniques; become aware of the diverse ways in which other students write, learn, and think; and have a broader understanding of the conventions and expectations for writing in a range of disciplines. S/U only. Instructor permission required.
WRT 172Colloquium: Grammar and Stylistics for Writers4
How do writers exploit the structure of English? This course seeks to answer this question by examining the linguistic structure of English, various types of spoken and written texts (both formal and informal) and how grammar and style interact. The course explores what rules are inherent to the language, what rules have been imposed upon the language, and how these rules affect writing choices. The course also discuss the beliefs people have about and the values associated with the English language in a variety of settings and the impact this has on writing. Enrollment limited to 25.
Topics Course. An intermediate-level workshop in which writers develop their skills through intensive reading, writing, revising, and critique. Topic changes annually. Emphasis on narrative writing, broadly defined to include a variety of genres, depending on the interests of the current holder of the Lakes writing residency. Enrollment limited to 12. {L}
