Subject: AIQS
Term: Fall 2023
AIQS 100: The Local and Global in Cleveland Popular Music (100/11564)
MWF 09:30-10:20 AM Aug 28-Dec 08
Blake, G
For all its celebrated connection to rock and roll, Cleveland is home to a wide variety of musical genres: jazz, polka, hip-hop, punk, R&B, blues, pop, among many others. Cleveland is also a home on the move, a city of immigration and outmigration, and a city of waterways, bridges, and commuter rails. Yet Cleveland is a city of enclaves, borders, and social distance despite geographic nearness. In this seminar, we will ask a fundamental question: is music like a bridge that connects different people in the city or is it a border that structures divisions? To answer this question, we will explore recordings, obituaries, journalism, and archival material to understand the sound of the city over time. We will examine the links between dominant and subcultural music, analyze music's relationship to tourism, and reflect on how music defines Cleveland's place in the global imagination. Music, at once rooted in identity and as rootless as radio waves, presents an alternate lens for understanding the routes and rifts shaping urban life.
AIQS 100: Urban Environmental Practices (102/11571)
TR 02:30-03:45 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Burkhart, M
At a time when more than 70% of U.S. residents live in metropolitan areas, efforts to regenerate the social and environmental health of urban spaces emerge as a paramount concern. This course addresses how many urban populations are pushing back against legacies of industrial pollution, chronic underinvestment, and food scarcity. Our course readings, films, and field experience suggest how regenerative urban ecological practices can model strategies for reclaiming the vitality of forgotten spaces while also providing a vehicle for community self-determination. Cleveland, as a city undergoing cultural and economic redefinition, stands as an ideal place to engage the work of contemporary environmental writers, filmmakers, community organizers, and urban planners. While we will focus on environmental transitions taking place in Cleveland, we will consider how similar dynamics play out in other deindustrializing cities. This seminar's driving questions include: How have people in cities forged meaningful relationships with urban environments? How do global histories, carried through the legacies of enslavement, immigration, and refugee resettlement affect the ways that current communities interact with urban environments? How might communities regenerate blighted city spaces, through practices such as urban farming, developing climate resiliency, and restoring green spaces? How might these locally driven community revitalization efforts unfold without displacing long standing residents through "green gentrification"? Through discussion-driven inquiry, writing (including journal entries and three more fully developed essays), as well as individual and small group presentations, this seminar offers nuanced understandings of the environmental histories that have shaped city spaces. Vitally, this course also offers critical perspectives that might contribute to the shaping of more equitable, environmentally just conditions in contemporary cities.
AIQS 100: Urban Environmental Practices (103/11572)
TR 04:00-05:15 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Burkhart, M
At a time when more than 70% of U.S. residents live in metropolitan areas, efforts to regenerate the social and environmental health of urban spaces emerge as a paramount concern. This course addresses how many urban populations are pushing back against legacies of industrial pollution, chronic underinvestment, and food scarcity. Our course readings, films, and field experience suggest how regenerative urban ecological practices can model strategies for reclaiming the vitality of forgotten spaces while also providing a vehicle for community self-determination. Cleveland, as a city undergoing cultural and economic redefinition, stands as an ideal place to engage the work of contemporary environmental writers, filmmakers, community organizers, and urban planners. While we will focus on environmental transitions taking place in Cleveland, we will consider how similar dynamics play out in other deindustrializing cities. This seminar's driving questions include: How have people in cities forged meaningful relationships with urban environments? How do global histories, carried through the legacies of enslavement, immigration, and refugee resettlement affect the ways that current communities interact with urban environments? How might communities regenerate blighted city spaces, through practices such as urban farming, developing climate resiliency, and restoring green spaces? How might these locally driven community revitalization efforts unfold without displacing long standing residents through "green gentrification"? Through discussion-driven inquiry, writing (including journal entries and three more fully developed essays), as well as individual and small group presentations, this seminar offers nuanced understandings of the environmental histories that have shaped city spaces. Vitally, this course also offers critical perspectives that might contribute to the shaping of more equitable, environmentally just conditions in contemporary cities.
AIQS 100: Children's Picture Books (105/11574)
TR 10:00-11:15 AM Aug 28-Dec 08
Byrne, C
Children's picture books not only introduce young children to basic ideas like what sounds animals make and how to count to ten but also to their culture's belief systems. In this course, we will take seemingly simplistic children's picture books and analyze the underlying messages and the "hidden adult" present in their illustrations and text. From The Cat in the Hat to Last Stop on Market Street to The 1619 Project: Born on the Water, we will analyze both well-known best-sellers and recent picture books with timely messages. To deepen our understanding of the picture books we study, we will also collaborate with local second grade students and community members who read, create, and/or distribute these books. The key questions we will explore and answer together include: What is a "children's picture book"? How do we analyze the visual arguments in picture books? What assumptions are made about the readers of these books? What function do the adult producers/ purchasers/ distributors of these books serve in the creation and circulation (or banning) of these texts? How are complex and difficult topics (like racism, death, and war) explored in works for children? By examining the underlying messages in these deceptively simple books, we can uncover surprisingly complicated visions of the world.
AIQS 100: Children's Picture Books (106/11575)
TR 08:30-09:45 AM Aug 28-Dec 08
Byrne, C
Children's picture books not only introduce young children to basic ideas like what sounds animals make and how to count to ten but also to their culture's belief systems. In this course, we will take seemingly simplistic children's picture books and analyze the underlying messages and the "hidden adult" present in their illustrations and text. From The Cat in the Hat to Last Stop on Market Street to The 1619 Project: Born on the Water, we will analyze both well-known best-sellers and recent picture books with timely messages. To deepen our understanding of the picture books we study, we will also collaborate with local second grade students and community members who read, create, and/or distribute these books. The key questions we will explore and answer together include: What is a "children's picture book"? How do we analyze the visual arguments in picture books? What assumptions are made about the readers of these books? What function do the adult producers/ purchasers/ distributors of these books serve in the creation and circulation (or banning) of these texts? How are complex and difficult topics (like racism, death, and war) explored in works for children? By examining the underlying messages in these deceptively simple books, we can uncover surprisingly complicated visions of the world.
AIQS 100: Human Remains in American Museums (108/11577)
TR 10:00-11:15 AM Aug 28-Dec 08
Daniel, V
Museums around the world house thousands of human specimens that are studied and displayed for educational purposes. Recent public discussions, however, have raised challenging questions about the ethics of such collections. Where did these specimens come from? Were they obtained with consent? Should we continue to put these bodies on display or keep them in museum storage, or is it time to lay them to rest? This course will use case studies of controversial collections to explore the historical origins and contemporary complexities surrounding the collection, display, and storage of human remains in American museums. We will investigate how the scientific aims of these collections raise important questions about race, gender, and national identity. The course will also investigate how activists and scholars have criticized perceived social injustices embedded in remains collections and how museums have responded to such criticisms. Finally, our writing assignments will allow you to explore your individual perspectives on these issues and offer substantial, well-supported positions on controversial topics.
AIQS 100: Human Remains in American Museums (109/11578)
TR 01:00-02:15 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Daniel, V
Museums around the world house thousands of human specimens that are studied and displayed for educational purposes. Recent public discussions, however, have raised challenging questions about the ethics of such collections. Where did these specimens come from? Were they obtained with consent? Should we continue to put these bodies on display or keep them in museum storage, or is it time to lay them to rest? This course will use case studies of controversial collections to explore the historical origins and contemporary complexities surrounding the collection, display, and storage of human remains in American museums. We will investigate how the scientific aims of these collections raise important questions about race, gender, and national identity. The course will also investigate how activists and scholars have criticized perceived social injustices embedded in remains collections and how museums have responded to such criticisms. Finally, our writing assignments will allow you to explore your individual perspectives on these issues and offer substantial, well-supported positions on controversial topics.
AIQS 100: Reading Japanese Fiction in Translation (110/11579)
MW 12:45-02:00 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
DeLong, J
For this course we will read works of Japanese fiction, with a focus on contemporary authors such as Banana Yoshimoto, Yukiko Motoya, and Nobel Prize-contender Haruki Murakami. Our semester will begin by exploring the question of what it means to read works of literature in translation, and students will learn about literary translation as an art form in its own right. Similarly, students will learn about and gain practice in additional forms of writing that let them engage with our readings as literary critics: literary scholarship, book reviews, and even creative writing. We will also discuss cultural concepts such as bushido and senpai that can enrich your understanding and appreciation of Japanese literature. Overall, this course aims to provide you with an entertaining and thought-provoking selection of Japanese fiction while also helping you think more deeply and intentionally about the relationship between your writing and reading practices.
AIQS 100: Reading Japanese Fiction in Translation (111/11580)
MW 03:20-04:35 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
DeLong, J
For this course we will read works of Japanese fiction, with a focus on contemporary authors such as Banana Yoshimoto, Yukiko Motoya, and Nobel Prize-contender Haruki Murakami. Our semester will begin by exploring the question of what it means to read works of literature in translation, and students will learn about literary translation as an art form in its own right. Similarly, students will learn about and gain practice in additional forms of writing that let them engage with our readings as literary critics: literary scholarship, book reviews, and even creative writing. We will also discuss cultural concepts such as bushido and senpai that can enrich your understanding and appreciation of Japanese literature. Overall, this course aims to provide you with an entertaining and thought-provoking selection of Japanese fiction while also helping you think more deeply and intentionally about the relationship between your writing and reading practices.
AIQS 100: Global Food Challenges: Climate, Health, & Equity (112/11581)
MWF 09:30-10:20 AM Aug 28-Dec 08
Fejes, N
In this seminar, we will examine the environmental, social, and health consequences of our food choices. Among other topics, we delve into the history of agriculture and industrial agriculture; the impact of the global food system on climate change; food insecurity; environmental racism in the food system; Black and Indigenous ecologies; and food waste. We look at the food system as both a significant cause of ongoing social, health, and environmental issues and a crucially important lever to optimize environmental sustainability and human health through community-centered regenerative and transformative solutions. Students will also engage with food and sustainability initiatives on campus and in our Cleveland community and visit a farmer's market nearby.
AIQS 100: Global Food Challenges: Climate, Health, & Equity (113/11582)
MWF 10:35-11:25 AM Aug 28-Dec 08
Fejes, N
In this seminar, we will examine the environmental, social, and health consequences of our food choices. Among other topics, we delve into the history of agriculture and industrial agriculture; the impact of the global food system on climate change; food insecurity; environmental racism in the food system; Black and Indigenous ecologies; and food waste. We look at the food system as both a significant cause of ongoing social, health, and environmental issues and a crucially important lever to optimize environmental sustainability and human health through community-centered regenerative and transformative solutions. Students will also engage with food and sustainability initiatives on campus and in our Cleveland community and visit a farmer's market nearby.
AIQS 100: Race and Racism in Shakespeare (114/11583)
MWF 03:20-04:10 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Higgins, J
This class will use several of Shakespeare's plays to introduce students to central questions surrounding the scholarly examination of race. Several decades ago, many scholars argued that race as a social category was not really present in Shakespeare's plays or his culture; clearly there were prejudices in both, but these literary scholars and historians argued that these prejudices were not based in "race" as it has come to be understood in a modern sense. More recent scholars have challenged this view, however, and argued that racial categories provide a powerful tool for explaining what goes on in Shakespeare's plays. This class will look at several Shakespeare plays with central characters who, in a modern understanding, seem to come from racial minorities. We will ask whether or not Shakespeare and his culture seem to understand these people as belonging to a distinct "race" of people. We will also ask whether Shakespeare's plays present race as a biological reality or a social construction, and whether the plays seem to endorse the prejudices articulated by characters within them. We will also discuss how race intersects with gender, sexuality, and class; and examine several modern adaptations of the plays that we read, to see how more contemporary writers, actors and directors have engaged with the potentially troubling implications of how Shakespeare represented minority characters.
AIQS 100: You Are Here: Perspectives on the City (115/11584)
MWF 10:35-11:25 AM Aug 28-Dec 08
Jim, B
This course examines the city as a physical space and a human experience that shapes our interaction with the world. Students will explore the topic of urban history from a variety of academic disciplines, literary genres, and ways of writing about our experience with cities. How and why are cities formed? How do we live in them? How do they shape our thinking and our beliefs about ourselves and the world? Students will engage with content from history, sociology, anthropology, and aesthetic philosophy to gain a rhetorical awareness of how scholars find meaning -- and write about it --in the ever-changing phenomenon of cities. "You Are Here" is about acknowledging the advantages and limitations of one's position relative to the built world and using that as an opportunity and starting point for developing critical thinking skills and authorial agency. Students will refine their process of composing through assignments that ask them to reflect upon their experiences with cities; analyze the social, economic, and technological forces that inform the urban experience; and imagine the city of the future.
AIQS 100: You Are Here: Perspectives on the City (116/11585)
MWF 11:40-12:30 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Jim, B
This course examines the city as a physical space and a human experience that shapes our interaction with the world. Students will explore the topic of urban history from a variety of academic disciplines, literary genres, and ways of writing about our experience with cities. How and why are cities formed? How do we live in them? How do they shape our thinking and our beliefs about ourselves and the world? Students will engage with content from history, sociology, anthropology, and aesthetic philosophy to gain a rhetorical awareness of how scholars find meaning -- and write about it -- in the ever-changing phenomenon of cities. "You Are Here" is about acknowledging the advantages and limitations of one's position relative to the built world and using that as an opportunity and starting point for developing critical thinking skills and authorial agency. Students will refine their process of composing through assignments that ask them to reflect upon their experiences with cities; analyze the social, economic, and technological forces that inform the urban experience; and imagine the city of the future.
AIQS 100: Monster Studies (118/11587)
TR 01:00-02:15 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Kapelle, R
Pop-culture and scholarship alike have embraced the monster. Monster stories remain popular across many forms of media, with familiar characters reappearing again and again even as new creatures emerge to trouble our sleep. Meanwhile, scholars, fans, and other cultural critics discuss their significance. This course examines a set of medieval and contemporary monster stories and films for insight into the worldview that produced them, insight such as how a culture distinguishes between good and evil and where it places the boundaries of humanity. Course readings also include scholarly works and other analyses that explore the meanings and cultural uses of monsters. What kinds of fears do monster stories express? How can we explain the mix of attraction and revulsion that these tales evoke? How have particular monsters evolved to fit changing times? Assignments will include an essay in which students interpret a literary text using concepts from a foundational work of "monster studies." The semester will culminate with a project in which students construct an argument about a new story, placing it in relation to a tradition and a cultural context.
AIQS 100: Digital Literature (119/11588)
MWF 10:35-11:25 AM Aug 28-Dec 08
Kelly, K
Digital literature refers to literary works designed to be read or experienced on a computer. Such works encourage readers' active participation and often provoke multi-sensory engagement, asking readers to interact with the story through words, images, sounds, touch, and movement. In this class, we read various kinds of digital literature, including choose-your-own-adventure-style stories, narrative games, and media-rich interactive stories. We write about how these works use visual media, interactive features, and digital technology to tell their stories or make their claims in ways that promote readers' agency and engagement. Through seminar discussions, a wide range of reading and playing experiences, and substantial exploratory and analytical writing, we will consider how digital literature helps us understand our digital, networked culture.
AIQS 100: Digital Literature (120/11589)
MWF 02:15-03:05 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Kelly, K
Digital literature refers to literary works designed to be read or experienced on a computer. Such works encourage readers' active participation and often provoke multi-sensory engagement, asking readers to interact with the story through words, images, sounds, touch, and movement. In this class, we read various kinds of digital literature, including choose-your-own-adventure-style stories, narrative games, and media-rich interactive stories. We write about how these works use visual media, interactive features, and digital technology to tell their stories or make their claims in ways that promote readers' agency and engagement. Through seminar discussions, a wide range of reading and playing experiences, and substantial exploratory and analytical writing, we will consider how digital literature helps us understand our digital, networked culture.
AIQS 100: Narratives of Migration (121/11597)
MW 12:45-02:00 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Kenan, Y
Why do people migrate? What is the impact of the circumstances and context of such moves? How do immigrants write about moving to new locations -- leaving their old home and arriving at a new one? In this seminar we explore the ways in which people narrate their experiences of migrating in a variety of contexts, as well as the political and cultural significance of such movement. We consider multilingualism and translation, identity, borders, and cultural encounters and differences -- topics that continue to pervade our public discourse. In the first part of the seminar, we will examine a variety of reasons and contexts in which people migrate, and the implications of terms like immigration, asylum and exile. Then, in the second part of the seminar, we will apply these questions to one particular site, the United States, and consider the history and politics of immigration in the U.S. Our sources include literary texts, historical and legal documents, journalistic writing, personal narratives and film. We discuss these readings and the choices made in them in terms of word choice, audience and tone, in order to critically examine topics such as home, belonging and navigating cultural differences. Reflecting on these themes and choices, students formulate their own ideas, employing writing skills such as close reading, argument, and engaging with secondary sources.
AIQS 100: Narratives of Migration (122/11598)
MW 03:20-04:35 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Kenan, Y
Why do people migrate? What is the impact of the circumstances and context of such moves? How do immigrants write about moving to new locations -- leaving their old home and arriving at a new one? In this seminar we explore the ways in which people narrate their experiences of migrating in a variety of contexts, as well as the political and cultural significance of such movement. We consider multilingualism and translation, identity, borders, and cultural encounters and differences -- topics that continue to pervade our public discourse. In the first part of the seminar, we will examine a variety of reasons and contexts in which people migrate, and the implications of terms like immigration, asylum and exile. Then, in the second part of the seminar, we will apply these questions to one particular site, the United States, and consider the history and politics of immigration in the U.S. Our sources include literary texts, historical and legal documents, journalistic writing, personal narratives and film. We discuss these readings and the choices made in them in terms of word choice, audience and tone, in order to critically examine topics such as home, belonging and navigating cultural differences. Reflecting on these themes and choices, students formulate their own ideas, employing writing skills such as close reading, argument, and engaging with secondary sources.
AIQS 100: The Bioethics of Horror (124/11600)
MWF 08:25-09:15 AM Aug 28-Dec 08
Larson, S
When is a person really dead? What obligations do clinicians have to patients? Should we prioritize bodily autonomy or community good in the face of a deadly outbreak? These questions are paramount not only to the field of bioethics -- a branch of philosophy concerned with healthcare, medicine, and advances in biotech and science -- but are also central concerns of the horror genre. In this course we will use writing to explore the ways horror fiction and film deal with biomedical ethical, social, and legal issues. We'll explore topics like genetics, disability, medical decision-making, and public health ethics through texts by authors like Stephen King, Octavia Butler, John Carpenter, and Shirley Jackson. Our goal as a class will be to consider how we can use our writing about the widely popular and accessible genre of horror to explore and communicate the ideas and arguments of biomedical ethics across modalities and audiences.
AIQS 100: The Bioethics of Horror (125/11601)
MWF 09:30-10:20 AM Aug 28-Dec 08
Larson, S
When is a person really dead? What obligations do clinicians have to patients? Should we prioritize bodily autonomy or community good in the face of a deadly outbreak? These questions are paramount not only to the field of bioethics -- a branch of philosophy concerned with healthcare, medicine, and advances in biotech and science -- but are also central concerns of the horror genre. In this course we will use writing to explore the ways horror fiction and film deal with biomedical ethical, social, and legal issues. We'll explore topics like genetics, disability, medical decision-making, and public health ethics through texts by authors like Stephen King, Octavia Butler, John Carpenter, and Shirley Jackson. Our goal as a class will be to consider how we can use our writing about the widely popular and accessible genre of horror to explore and communicate the ideas and arguments of biomedical ethics across modalities and audiences.
AIQS 100: What Is College For? (126/11602)
TR 04:00-05:15 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Lucas, D
Why are we here? Not on this planet -- that's another course -- but here, at this university? What is the purpose of a university? What do we -- as students, as faculty, as different communities -- expect of such an institution? And what should those institutions expect from us? In this course we will explore historical and contemporary ideas of the university, and in our seminar discussions we will measure our own experiences against that history and those theories. We will place particular emphasis on the current state of the idea of the university, and the subsequent effects of those ideas on current university students. We will ask, for example, how cultural and societal notions of the university's purpose affect our expectations for our own time and work there. How and why do debates about the university present a stage for some of our most contentious societal questions? We will acquaint ourselves with the histories and contexts of some of these debates in order to address the complexities of our present moment. We will take up this debate ourselves in our daily seminar conversations. We will write and think in a variety of genres, including personal essays, critical analyses, and individual and group oral presentations.
AIQS 100: What Is College For? (127/11603)
TR 05:30-06:45 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Lucas, D
Why are we here? Not on this planet -- that's another course -- but here, at this university? What is the purpose of a university? What do we -- as students, as faculty, as different communities -- expect of such an institution? And what should those institutions expect from us? In this course we will explore historical and contemporary ideas of the university, and in our seminar discussions we will measure our own experiences against that history and those theories. We will place particular emphasis on the current state of the idea of the university, and the subsequent effects of those ideas on current university students. We will ask, for example, how cultural and societal notions of the university's purpose affect our expectations for our own time and work there. How and why do debates about the university present a stage for some of our most contentious societal questions? We will acquaint ourselves with the histories and contexts of some of these debates in order to address the complexities of our present moment. We will take up this debate ourselves in our daily seminar conversations. We will write and think in a variety of genres, including personal essays, critical analyses, and individual and group oral presentations.
AIQS 100: Housing Justice in the United States (128/11604)
MWF 11:40-12:30 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Lusher, K
Is having a home a fundamental human right? If so, why are so many people in America currently unhoused or struggling to make rent or cover a mortgage payment? Housing costs in American cities are at an all-time high, making it impossible for many to afford to live in the places where they work. In this course, we will explore social, political, and economic issues that impact affordable housing in urban areas. Affordable housing is defined as "housing on which the occupant is paying no more than 30 percent of gross income for housing costs, including utilities," according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). However, about half of Americans struggle to find affordable housing where they live. We will explore the myriad of issues that have caused this housing crisis--lack of affordable housing, racial and economic inequalities, foreclosures, government regulations (and lack of)--through assigned readings and research-based assignments, including a study of a local Cleveland neighborhood and a mapping project. Some topics we will cover include gentrification, urban displacement, redlining, and homelessness.
AIQS 100: Housing Justice in the United States (129/11605)
MWF 02:15-03:05 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Lusher, K
Is having a home a fundamental human right? If so, why are so many people in America currently unhoused or struggling to make rent or cover a mortgage payment? Housing costs in American cities are at an all-time high, making it impossible for many to afford to live in the places where they work. In this course, we will explore social, political, and economic issues that impact affordable housing in urban areas. Affordable housing is defined as "housing on which the occupant is paying no more than 30 percent of gross income for housing costs, including utilities," according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). However, about half of Americans struggle to find affordable housing where they live. We will explore the myriad of issues that have caused this housing crisis--lack of affordable housing, racial and economic inequalities, foreclosures, government regulations (and lack of)--through assigned readings and research-based assignments, including a study of a local Cleveland neighborhood and a mapping project. Some topics we will cover include gentrification, urban displacement, redlining, and homelessness.
AIQS 100: The Art of the Graphic Memoir (130/11606)
MW 12:45-02:00 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Magearu, A
Graphic memoirs represent a unique genre of autobiographical comics exploring questions related to identity, history, and politics through the mediums of experimental art and literary storytelling. In this course, we will read three powerful graphic memoirs -- Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, Thi Bui's The Best We Could Do, and Nora Krug's Belonging -- which detail diverse migration journeys, as well as the historical upheavals, cultural tensions, and family connections that shape one's memory and sense of self. Through our class discussions and writing assignments, we will delve deeper into the art of the graphic memoir and analyze the ways in which authors represent their illustrated selves and their family relationships, engage with key historical events, rewrite dominant political narratives, and convey complex affective memories through visuals and textuality. We will take inspiration from these graphic memoirs in order to delve deeper into our personal and family histories and find creative ways to tell our own stories. Throughout the class, students will identify a key moment in their own past or in their family history and research it at length so as to produce their own autobiographical comic strips, zines, collages or visual narratives as part of their final projects. The research process may include consulting old diaries, browsing through family photograph albums, interviewing family members or friends, and placing the story in its historical, cultural, and political context through an analysis of its broader implications. Students will first draft a personal narrative paper, then put together a script for their creative project, and assemble their comic strips or zines. No previous arts experience is required for this class. Besides our explorations of key graphic memoirs, we will hold multiple in-class workshops on storytelling, visual techniques, and arts practices in which students will be able to develop their own creative approaches for their final projects.
AIQS 100: The Art of the Graphic Memoir (131/11607)
MW 03:20-04:35 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Magearu, A
Graphic memoirs represent a unique genre of autobiographical comics exploring questions related to identity, history, and politics through the mediums of experimental art and literary storytelling. In this course, we will read three powerful graphic memoirs -- Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis, Thi Bui's The Best We Could Do, and Nora Krug's Belonging -- which detail diverse migration journeys, as well as the historical upheavals, cultural tensions, and family connections that shape one's memory and sense of self. Through our class discussions and writing assignments, we will delve deeper into the art of the graphic memoir and analyze the ways in which authors represent their illustrated selves and their family relationships, engage with key historical events, rewrite dominant political narratives, and convey complex affective memories through visuals and textuality. We will take inspiration from these graphic memoirs in order to delve deeper into our personal and family histories and find creative ways to tell our own stories. Throughout the class, students will identify a key moment in their own past or in their family history and research it at length so as to produce their own autobiographical comic strips, zines, collages or visual narratives as part of their final projects. The research process may include consulting old diaries, browsing through family photograph albums, interviewing family members or friends, and placing the story in its historical, cultural, and political context through an analysis of its broader implications. Students will first draft a personal narrative paper, then put together a script for their creative project, and assemble their comic strips or zines. No previous arts experience is required for this class. Besides our explorations of key graphic memoirs, we will hold multiple in-class workshops on storytelling, visual techniques, and arts practices in which students will be able to develop their own creative approaches for their final projects.
AIQS 100: Taking Literary Adaptation Seriously (134/11610)
TR 10:00-11:15 AM Aug 28-Dec 08
Newlin, J
What makes an adaptation -- or a "remake," or a "reboot" -- good? Do you like it when an adaptation is as "close" to its source material as possible, replicating the original narrative and offering up recognizable "Easter eggs" to please the fans (such as the recent HBO series based on the video game The Last of Us)? Or do you prefer when an adaptation radically reworks its source material (such as the recent horror movie version of Winnie the Pooh, titled Blood and Honey)? These are the questions at the heart of the *fidelity debate* in intertextual studies: should scholars gauge adaptations according to how faithful they are to their source material? Is fidelity across media -- such as when video games are adapted as TV shows; or books as theatrical productions; or songs as movies -- even possible? What happens when you translate a work of art into an entirely different cultural, or national, milieu? In this class, we will consider examples of popular adaptation alongside controversial works of scholarship from adaptation studies, to learn how to discuss these issues as scholars do. We will work on skills of writing within a scholarly discourse; addressing an academic audience; and on devising original arguments. We will consider instances of transmedia adaptation both as a class and in original research presentations, in order to clarify what we talk about when we talk about adaptation.
AIQS 100: Taking Literary Adaptation Seriously (135/11611)
TR 08:30-09:45 AM Aug 28-Dec 08
Newlin, J
What makes an adaptation -- or a "remake," or a "reboot" -- good? Do you like it when an adaptation is as "close" to its source material as possible, replicating the original narrative and offering up recognizable "Easter eggs" to please the fans (such as the recent HBO series based on the video game The Last of Us)? Or do you prefer when an adaptation radically reworks its source material (such as the recent horror movie version of Winnie the Pooh, titled Blood and Honey)? These are the questions at the heart of the *fidelity debate* in intertextual studies: should scholars gauge adaptations according to how faithful they are to their source material? Is fidelity across media -- such as when video games are adapted as TV shows; or books as theatrical productions; or songs as movies -- even possible? What happens when you translate a work of art into an entirely different cultural, or national, milieu? In this class, we will consider examples of popular adaptation alongside controversial works of scholarship from adaptation studies, to learn how to discuss these issues as scholars do. We will work on skills of writing within a scholarly discourse; addressing an academic audience; and on devising original arguments. We will consider instances of transmedia adaptation both as a class and in original research presentations, in order to clarify what we talk about when we talk about adaptation.
AIQS 100: Science in Literature (136/11612)
TR 02:30-03:45 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Pecastaings, A
Science in Literature explores the treatment of scientific themes and the depiction of scientists in literature. This is not a course about science fiction: instead of envisioning future scientific advancements, Science in Literature pays close attention to the ways in which literary texts comment upon ongoing scientific debates and respond to the questionings of science. Science lives in the world, not aside from it, and literature shines a light on this truth precisely because it engages with scientific findings in ways that are often outside the purview of science itself. For instance, literary texts can consider the following questions: How do scientists factor in other, non-scientific facets of their lives (e.g., their fear of death or political pressures bearing on them) into their work? How does a given scientific item inflect our lived experiences and our understanding of our place in the universe? What is it like to live with such knowledge? What is it like to live in awareness of what we do not know about the natural world? Our readings will include Arcadia, Einstein's Dreams, and QED.
AIQS 100: High Art & Guilty Pleasures (137/11613)
TR 10:00-11:15 AM Aug 28-Dec 08
PInkerton, S
How, and why, do we draw distinctions between art and entertainment? Lowbrow and highbrow? A crowd-pleasing "flick" and a critic-approved "film"? This seminar will explore the logic of this common sorting process, as well as its consequences. After all, such distinctions have historically been linked with other forms of discrimination--often amplifying or silencing certain voices on the basis of gender, race, or class. In this course we will investigate these connections between critical evaluation and broader social dynamics, while also engaging critically with our own tastes, values, and received ideas. What makes "The Great Gatsby" so great? Is there any value in keeping up with the Kardashians? Who determines the criteria that make one work a "classic," the other a "guilty pleasure"? Traversing a range of artworks, novels, comics, and movies, we'll work both the high and the low ends of the cultural spectrum, paying special attention to works that seem to blur or combine the usual categories -- compelling us to ask whether great art and guilty pleasures can sometimes be one and the same.
AIQS 100: High Art & Guilty Pleasures (138/11614)
TR 08:30-09:45 AM Aug 28-Dec 08
PInkerton, S
How, and why, do we draw distinctions between art and entertainment? Lowbrow and highbrow? A crowd-pleasing "flick" and a critic-approved "film"? This seminar will explore the logic of this common sorting process, as well as its consequences. After all, such distinctions have historically been linked with other forms of discrimination--often amplifying or silencing certain voices on the basis of gender, race, or class. In this course we will investigate these connections between critical evaluation and broader social dynamics, while also engaging critically with our own tastes, values, and received ideas. What makes "The Great Gatsby" so great? Is there any value in keeping up with the Kardashians? Who determines the criteria that make one work a "classic," the other a "guilty pleasure"? Traversing a range of artworks, novels, comics, and movies, we'll work both the high and the low ends of the cultural spectrum, paying special attention to works that seem to blur or combine the usual categories -- compelling us to ask whether great art and guilty pleasures can sometimes be one and the same.
AIQS 100: Democracies in Crisis, Past and Present (139/11615)
MW 12:45-02:00 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Reader, L
What do you think of when you think about democracy? A voting system? Majority rule? A commitment to equal rights? Too much talk? A system that no longer works? For the past decade or so, global sentiment about democracy, particularly liberal, western-style democracy, has turned increasingly sour. This negativity is most apparent amongst Gen Z'ers and millennials. Some commentators argue that democracy is in crisis. One academic has even characterized our present moment as one of democratic recession. But is this accurate? In this course, we will explore the history of democracy, discussing the ways in which our understanding of this term continues to evolve and the ways in which democracy has been represented in popular culture. We will also explore the main challenge to democracy in the United States: nativist populism, a political movement or ideology that focuses on protecting the rights and well-being of the people who were born in a country (the natives) and promotes the idea of a strong national identity, often through criticism of existing political structures that reach directly to the people. Lastly, we will consider what, if anything, distinguishes our current democratic discontent from examples from the past.
AIQS 100: Democracies in Crisis, Past and Present (140/11616)
MW 03:20-04:35 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Reader, L
What do you think of when you think about democracy? A voting system? Majority rule? A commitment to equal rights? Too much talk? A system that no longer works? For the past decade or so, global sentiment about democracy, particularly liberal, western-style democracy, has turned increasingly sour. This negativity is most apparent amongst Gen Z'ers and millennials. Some commentators argue that democracy is in crisis. One academic has even characterized our present moment as one of democratic recession. But is this accurate? In this course, we will explore the history of democracy, discussing the ways in which our understanding of this term continues to evolve and the ways in which democracy has been represented in popular culture. We will also explore the main challenge to democracy in the United States: nativist populism, a political movement or ideology that focuses on protecting the rights and well-being of the people who were born in a country (the natives) and promotes the idea of a strong national identity, often through criticism of existing political structures that reach directly to the people. Lastly, we will consider what, if anything, distinguishes our current democratic discontent from examples from the past.
AIQS 100: Making Belief: Facts & Writing in a Post-Truth Age (141/11617)
TR 02:30-03:45 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Redekop, S
In this course, we will examine how facts, storytelling, and other means of persuasion shape our beliefs about the contemporary issues that matter to us. Considering topics ranging from fact-checkers to scam artists, civil rights to climate change, and AI to pop-culture fandom, we will ask: what is the role of evidence and the status of truth in today's public conversations? Together, we will reflect on what kinds of evidence are appropriate and compelling in different contexts; we will practice asking good questions of the facts and stories that we find around us; and we will learn to handle evidence effectively and ethically in our own arguments. We will spend our time writing, giving and receiving feedback, and discussing thought-provoking examples of literature, cultural criticism, and science writing. Through it all, our goal will be to develop tools for navigating our "post-truth" era, a time when "objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief" (OED).
AIQS 100: Making Belief: Facts & Writing in a Post-Truth Age (142/11618)
TR 04:00-05:15 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Redekop, S
In this course, we will examine how facts, storytelling, and other means of persuasion shape our beliefs about the contemporary issues that matter to us. Considering topics ranging from fact-checkers to scam artists, civil rights to climate change, and AI to pop-culture fandom, we will ask: what is the role of evidence and the status of truth in today's public conversations? Together, we will reflect on what kinds of evidence are appropriate and compelling in different contexts; we will practice asking good questions of the facts and stories that we find around us; and we will learn to handle evidence effectively and ethically in our own arguments. We will spend our time writing, giving and receiving feedback, and discussing thought-provoking examples of literature, cultural criticism, and science writing. Through it all, our goal will be to develop tools for navigating our "post-truth" era, a time when "objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief" (OED).
AIQS 100: Death, Mourning, & Immortality (143/11619)
MWF 10:35-11:25 AM Aug 28-Dec 08
Wiehl, J
Poems about death, mourning, and immortality have long been a staple of literature, and in this course we will discuss British poetry from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries. Loss, and poetically revisiting that loss, drove writers to construct some of the most interesting and compelling verses. These losses were frequently (but not always) about death, and so we will occasionally consider what it means to mourn a still-living hero or to mourn the passing of a moment in time. The poem becomes the "moment's monument" in one apt description. We will think about what it means to write yourself or others into immortality. By reading poetry in the classroom, in the Cleveland Museum of Art, and in Lakeview Cemetery we will make some of those lost live again in our words. We will also briefly consider mourning across genres, outside of the purely poetic form. Understandings of religious belief, sex/desire, and gender will inform our discussions. You don't have to be a good reader of poetry or literature to take this course -- we will start with the basics and improve over time.
AIQS 100: Death, Mourning, & Immortality (144/11620)
MWF 02:15-03:05 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Wiehl, J
Poems about death, mourning, and immortality have long been a staple of literature, and in this course we will discuss British poetry from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries. Loss, and poetically revisiting that loss, drove writers to construct some of the most interesting and compelling verses. These losses were frequently (but not always) about death, and so we will occasionally consider what it means to mourn a still-living hero or to mourn the passing of a moment in time. The poem becomes the "moment's monument" in one apt description. We will think about what it means to write yourself or others into immortality. By reading poetry in the classroom, in the Cleveland Museum of Art, and in Lakeview Cemetery we will make some of those lost live again in our words. We will also briefly consider mourning across genres, outside of the purely poetic form. Understandings of religious belief, sex/desire, and gender will inform our discussions. You don't have to be a good reader of poetry or literature to take this course -- we will start with the basics and improve over time.
AIQS 110: Writing, the University and the Public Sphere (100/11513)
MWF 11:40-12:30 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Higgins, J
In this section of Foundations of College Writing, we will explore the relationship between writing, the university, and the "public sphere." Some of the questions that we will ask include: what is a "public" and what are the different ways that writing constructs and appeals to the public? How does a "public" prove similar to and different from a "counterpublic," an ostensibly narrower group of people who still encounter one another through writing and other forms of media? What role does the university play in creating and shaping publics and counterpublics? How does writing disseminate knowledge to a public? What role does writing play in shaping and moving public opinion and problems of public concern? In order to answer these questions we will read academic and non-academic writing discussing "the public," scholarly and non-scholarly articles that work to disseminate knowledge to publics, explore public spaces and public art, and read short excerpts, articles and documentaries where writers and public thinkers talk about writing and its ability to reach audiences. In some sense, the course topic is writing and its ability to reach an audience, and this will not only provide us with discussion and writing topics, but also help us develop and reflect on our current writing strategies and our ability to participate in academic conversations.
AIQS 110: Writing and Political Literacy (101/11514)
TR 10:00-11:15 AM Aug 28-Dec 08
Hoeynck, J
This Academic Inquiry Seminar provides an introduction to various dimensions of academic life. It will be characterized by intense yet open-ended intellectual inquiry, guided by reading from primary as well as secondary sources, and will include practice in written and oral communication in small groups. The goals are to enhance basic intellectual skills of academic inquiry, such as critical reading, thoughtful analysis, and written and oral communication; to introduce basic information literacy skills; to provide a foundation for ethical decision-making; to encourage a global and multidisciplinary perspective on the learning process; to facilitate faculty-student interactions; and, in the most general sense, to provide a supportive common intellectual experience for first-year students at CWRU. More specifically, this Foundations Seminar will focus on writing literacy and political literacy with the broad struggles of the twentieth century as frameworks, including fascism, communism, liberal democracy, racism, and climate change. We will also explore our own relationships to writing (bad and good) while also investigating popular representations of writers in memoirs and essays. At its best, writing allows us to formulate academic arguments about situations that matter deeply to issues of personhood and justice. To that end, readings have also been incorporated which address complicated and violent political topics as well, so that students can begin to learn to incorporate their own interests in specific issues as a means of developing their expressive skills.
AIQS 110: Critical Literacy and Student Voices (102/11515)
TR 10:00-11:15 AM Aug 28-Dec 08
Iammarino, D
The course structure of this section allows for us to spend more time and attention on your individual needs and goals as writers. You will learn academic writing conventions, rhetorical techniques, and various processes that you might apply in new writing situations. For our class, specifically, we shall investigate the broad questions: What is academic literacy? What is critical literacy? How is education power? How can students create change? In order to answer these questions, we shall read literacy narratives; explore academic and non-academic essays about the current state of the university, education, and activism; watch documentaries about literacy, language, and education; and perform archival research about the history of student voices at CWRU.
AIQS 110: Literacy and Life Stories (103/11516)
MWF 11:40-12:30 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Wolfe, M
Our section of AIQS 110 will focus on literacy narratives. We will explore questions such as: What is literacy? What does it mean to be able to read and write? How does the process of literacy learning shape our lives and our sense of self? Who gets to tell their own stories in their own languages? Who gets to teach (or even impose) their own views of language? We will discuss how autobiographers such as Jacqueline Woodson, Malcolm X, Frederick Douglass, and Richard Rodriguez interpret their life stories through the lens of literacy. We will read theories from scholars of literacy such as Deborah Brandt, Mary Louise Pratt, and James Paul Gee. Finally, we will reflect on how literacy has affected our own lives and how we can use these texts to better understand our own reading and writing as well as to contribute to others' literacy journeys.
AIQS 110: Writing, the University and the Public Sphere (104/11517)
MWF 02:15-03:05 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Higgins, J
In this section of Foundations of College Writing, we will explore the relationship between writing, the university, and the "public sphere." Some of the questions that we will ask include: what is a "public" and what are the different ways that writing constructs and appeals to the public? How does a "public" prove similar to and different from a "counterpublic," an ostensibly narrower group of people who still encounter one another through writing and other forms of media? What role does the university play in creating and shaping publics and counterpublics? How does writing disseminate knowledge to a public? What role does writing play in shaping and moving public opinion and problems of public concern? In order to answer these questions we will read academic and non-academic writing discussing "the public," scholarly and non-scholarly articles that work to disseminate knowledge to publics, explore public spaces and public art, and read short excerpts, articles and documentaries where writers and public thinkers talk about writing and its ability to reach audiences. In some sense, the course topic is writing and its ability to reach an audience, and this will not only provide us with discussion and writing topics, but also help us develop and reflect on our current writing strategies and our ability to participate in academic conversations.
AIQS 110: Writing and Political Literacy (105/11518)
TR 01:00-02:15 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Hoeynck, J
This Academic Inquiry Seminar provides an introduction to various dimensions of academic life. It will be characterized by intense yet open-ended intellectual inquiry, guided by reading from primary as well as secondary sources, and will include practice in written and oral communication in small groups. The goals are to enhance basic intellectual skills of academic inquiry, such as critical reading, thoughtful analysis, and written and oral communication; to introduce basic information literacy skills; to provide a foundation for ethical decision-making; to encourage a global and multidisciplinary perspective on the learning process; to facilitate faculty-student interactions; and, in the most general sense, to provide a supportive common intellectual experience for first-year students at CWRU. More specifically, this Foundations Seminar will focus on writing literacy and political literacy with the broad struggles of the twentieth century as frameworks, including fascism, communism, liberal democracy, racism, and climate change. We will also explore our own relationships to writing (bad and good) while also investigating popular representations of writers in memoirs and essays. At its best, writing allows us to formulate academic arguments about situations that matter deeply to issues of personhood and justice. To that end, readings have also been incorporated which address complicated and violent political topics as well, so that students can begin to learn to incorporate their own interests in specific issues as a means of developing their expressive skills.
AIQS 110: Critical Literacy and Student Voices (106/11519)
TR 01:00-02:15 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Iammarino, D
The course structure of this section allows for us to spend more time and attention on your individual needs and goals as writers. You will learn academic writing conventions, rhetorical techniques, and various processes that you might apply in new writing situations. For our class, specifically, we shall investigate the broad questions: What is academic literacy? What is critical literacy? How is education power? How can students create change? In order to answer these questions, we shall read literacy narratives; explore academic and non-academic essays about the current state of the university, education, and activism; watch documentaries about literacy, language, and education; and perform archival research about the history of student voices at CWRU.
AIQS 110: Literacy and Life Stories (107/11520)
MWF 02:15-03:05 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Wolfe, M
Our section of AIQS 110 will focus on literacy narratives. We will explore questions such as: What is literacy? What does it mean to be able to read and write? How does the process of literacy learning shape our lives and our sense of self? Who gets to tell their own stories in their own languages? Who gets to teach (or even impose) their own views of language? We will discuss how autobiographers such as Jacqueline Woodson, Malcolm X, Frederick Douglass, and Richard Rodriguez interpret their life stories through the lens of literacy. We will read theories from scholars of literacy such as Deborah Brandt, Mary Louise Pratt, and James Paul Gee. Finally, we will reflect on how literacy has affected our own lives and how we can use these texts to better understand our own reading and writing as well as to contribute to others' literacy journeys.
AIQS 120: Computers and Society (100/11521)
MW 04:50-06:05 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
DeLong, J
What would your life look like without tech? What risks does AI pose, and what exciting possibilities might it offer? How can colleges increase the number of women majoring in computer science? We'll consider these questions and more as our readings and discussion explore computer technology's multifaceted impact on modern life. Students will gain practice in reading, writing, and speaking in an English-language academic context, with assignments such as an essay about promoting diversity in computer science and a presentation on a genre of video games.
AIQS 120: Adapting Narratives Across Time, Culture, & Medium (101/11522)
TR 10:00-11:15 AM Aug 28-Dec 08
Kapelle, R
The adaptation of pre-existing stories is one of the oldest techniques in literature, and this practice continues to flourish in the contemporary media environment. Books become television programs, films morph into video games (and vice versa), and franchises are incarnated as theme parks. Studying adaptations allows us to explore differences in values and consider how narratives are constructed. In this course, we will examine examples of adaptation across time, cultures, and media. We will also read works of scholarship that analyze challenges, techniques, and trends in adaptation. How are narratives adapted to particular contexts or the characteristics of specific media? What ethical concerns are raised when a story is transferred from one culture to another? How do scholars categorize adaptations, and why are these categories important? Over the course of the semester, students will take both scholarly and creative roles. Assignments will include an essay in which students contribute to the discussion of a controversial adaptation, and another in which they research adaptations of a story over time. The semester culminates in a project in which students will compose a pitch for an adaptation of their own devising.
AIQS 120: Moving Across Languages and Cultures (102/11533)
TR 01:00-02:15 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Pecastaings, A
This course investigates the linguistic and cultural challenges that expatriates of all stripes - immigrants, students, even travelers - face when they step into a foreign country. Course materials will include autobiographical accounts, works of fiction, as well as scholarly articles and books. Over the semester, course participants will collaboratively tackle the following questions (and more): What are the perks and drawbacks of being proficient in more than one language? Does being bilingual mean equally mastering and using two languages? To what extent does linguistic competence overlap with insight into cultural codes? Does the linguistic hegemony of English as the world's lingua franca necessarily imply cultural hegemony as well?
AIQS 120: How Language Works (103/11534)
MW 03:20-04:35 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Demeter, G
This course will focus on academic writing through the investigation of language as a concept. Some of the questions students will engage with include: How did language begin and how is a new language born? How does it change over time? How does language shape our identity and how does our identity shape the way we use language? How does language shape the way we think? Why and how do some languages become endangered and then extinct while other languages become dominant or global? Students will start by writing a language autobiography, an essay in which they reflect on the history of their relationship with language - including both their mother language(s) and learning (an)other language(s). Later in the semester, students will also learn how artificial languages are constructed (such as Elvish in "The Lord of the Rings", Na'vi in "Avatar", or Dothraki in "Game of Thrones") and will have the opportunity to use their creativity to construct their own language. Finally, students will develop their writing skills (such as summarizing, synthesizing, and argumentative writing) as well as other academic skills (such as critical thinking and reading, participating in academic discussions and debates).
AIQS 120: Linguistic Diversity and Social Justice (104/11535)
MWF 08:25-09:15 AM Aug 28-Dec 08
Mohammed, R
This course investigates the relationship between linguistic diversity, identity performance, and issues of linguistic and social justice in the US context. We will examine the histories of linguistic discrimination, marginalization, and stigmatization/stereotyping towards minority, immigrant, and marginalized communities and the implications of these histories on their current identities, linguistic practice, and societal positions. Students will learn academic writing skills such as synthesizing and argumentation, engaging different types of audience, and evaluating/integrating sources into their writings. Students will be exposed to various textual and multimodal genres written/produced by diverse authors and will engage in critical linguistic and rhetorical analyses of how language is used to include/exclude, emphasize and/or marginalize/stigmatize, and promote/demote certain groups, languages/dialects, and identities. The course is divided into three units. In Unit 1, students will think critically about the course theme and participate in defining essential concepts (diversity, justice, equity, discrimination, ideology, etc.) as they study the historical, social, and linguistic contexts that deem certain languages/dialects and their speakers as more/less prestigious than others. In doing so, students will also reflect on their positionality as diverse speakers studying in a foreign context and practice their authorial agency by critically analyzing how their linguistic and rhetorical choices are defined, negotiated, and oftentimes shaped by genres and writing situations. In Unit 2, students will engage in discussions of language perceptions and their role in forming exclusionary practices (linguistic and otherwise). In Unit 3, students will use their writing as a space for acknowledging our collective roles in disrupting language ideologies for social and linguistic justice.
AIQS 120: Digital Citizenship (105/11536)
TR 01:00-02:15 PM Aug 28-Dec 08
Wu, X
What is digital citizenship? How does it relate to social media and Internet regulations? What are the debates surrounding the digital world? How do these affect us, collectively and individually? In this class, we invite students from different disciplines to explore these questions. Course texts may include scholarly articles from different disciplines (e.g., business, engineering, psychology), news reports, and film/documentary. Students will participate in student-centered class discussions, which are designed to help them to think critically and make connections between their lives and the readings. Through free writing, reflection, peer feedback, revision and an argumentative research paper, students will understand academic writing as a process, and they will develop academic writing skills such as building arguments and conducting critical analysis. Students are encouraged to use multimodal ways (video, posters, etc.) to present their final projects.