Subject: AIQS

Term: Fall 2026

AIQS 100: Journalism and the Digital Disruption (100/6218)

MWF 11:30-12:20 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Blake, G

More than fifteen years after completing degrees from CWRU, Craig Newmark founded a company that operated a digital bulletin board. This bulletin board, Craigslist, went on to decimate a major source of revenue for newspapers: classified ads. It was one of the key moments in which the dazzling digital technology of the internet seemed to threaten the very existence of print newspapers. This was a pivotal moment in which the business of news changed in fundamental ways. However, not everyone agrees on what the digital disruption means for journalism, storytelling and truth. For some, new digital technologies mean new voices, new audiences, and new ways of telling stories - deploying data in new and compelling ways. For others, this disruption has fundamentally disrupted a venerable tradition of news journalism, pushing audience attention away from difficult subjects and compromising key values at the expense of shareability, efficiency and profit. We will explore this debate as we consider how shifting media shapes the way that journalism is undertaken and conceptualized. Students will gain exposure to long-running debates regarding journalism and society, with attention to blurring boundaries between genres of writing and tensions between profit, narrative, and independent truth-finding. Along the way, students will complete assignments that involve writing in academic as well as journalistic genres.

AIQS 100: Urban Environmental Practices (101/6219)

MW 03:10-04:25 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

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 (102/6220)

MW 12:35-01:50 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

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: Rule-Following and Rule-Breaking (103/6221)

MWF 08:15-09:05 AM Aug 24-Dec 04

Lucas, K

"CWRU attracts people who flourish within rule-bound systems. We apply rules to solve equations and write grammatical sentences; we wait patiently at the crosswalks on Euclid Avenue; we understand that constraints on personal freedom benefit both society and individuals. Going further, rule-following is even a source of daily pleasure, providing scholastic achievements, pleasant social interactions, and relief from the stress of deciding everything for ourselves. Nevertheless, many of us would love to ignore rules more often. Our entertainment preferences reveal admiration for rebels who break free of both inherited taboos and contemporary norms. Arbitrary rules, like those in the MLA Handbook, inspire indignation. Though we indulge in the pleasures of rule-breaking less often, moments of independence and rebellion often become proud memories. This class examines scholarly opinions on rule-following and rule-breaking. Through a series of discussions and workshops, we will compare writing and argumentation in the humanities, arts, and social sciences. We will examine the norms of academic debate, asking ourselves if there are any shared 'rules' for writers. In an extended independent project, you will develop a research question related to your own interests. For example, can a doctor ignore practice guidelines that contradict her professional judgment and job satisfaction? Is technological progress the result of the scientific method or the intuitions of rule-breakers? Does a film need to subvert tropes to be good? Through drafting and revision, students will internalize the conventions of different genres including academic research proposals, annotated bibliographies, presentations, and source-based essays. But the ultimate goal is to develop the good judgment and confidence needed to adapt, or even break, the rules. Adherence to rules and conventions alone does not guarantee a happy life or a just society, and neither does it ensure success in academic writing. "

AIQS 100: Rule-Following and Rule-Breaking (104/6222)

MWF 09:20-10:10 AM Aug 24-Dec 04

Lucas, K

"CWRU attracts people who flourish within rule-bound systems. We apply rules to solve equations and write grammatical sentences; we wait patiently at the crosswalks on Euclid Avenue; we understand that constraints on personal freedom benefit both society and individuals. Going further, rule-following is even a source of daily pleasure, providing scholastic achievements, pleasant social interactions, and relief from the stress of deciding everything for ourselves. Nevertheless, many of us would love to ignore rules more often. Our entertainment preferences reveal admiration for rebels who break free of both inherited taboos and contemporary norms. Arbitrary rules, like those in the MLA Handbook, inspire indignation. Though we indulge in the pleasures of rule-breaking less often, moments of independence and rebellion often become proud memories. This class examines scholarly opinions on rule-following and rule-breaking. Through a series of discussions and workshops, we will compare writing and argumentation in the humanities, arts, and social sciences. We will examine the norms of academic debate, asking ourselves if there are any shared 'rules' for writers. In an extended independent project, you will develop a research question related to your own interests. For example, can a doctor ignore practice guidelines that contradict her professional judgment and job satisfaction? Is technological progress the result of the scientific method or the intuitions of rule-breakers? Does a film need to subvert tropes to be good? Through drafting and revision, students will internalize the conventions of different genres including academic research proposals, annotated bibliographies, presentations, and source-based essays. But the ultimate goal is to develop the good judgment and confidence needed to adapt, or even break, the rules. Adherence to rules and conventions alone does not guarantee a happy life or a just society, and neither does it ensure success in academic writing. "

AIQS 100: Pursuit of Happiness: Approaches to the Good Life (105/6223)

TR 01:00-02:15 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Sattler, A

When Thomas Jefferson placed the pursuit of happiness alongside life and liberty as unalienable rights in the Declaration of Independence, he was writing into a long intellectual tradition. This course examines that tradition: both how we pursue and experience happiness, and how philosophers, artists, sociologists, psychologists, and neuroscientists have defined and studied happiness. We will read scientific research and philosophy alongside autobiographies, narratives, and other art works as we explore happiness. Then, we will collect qualitative data, synthesize our findings, write essays, and produce a multimodal presentation as we participate in the larger conversation about the pursuit of happiness.

AIQS 100: Writing Math (106/6224)

TR 06:00-07:15 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

DeLong, J

Do math and writing even belong in the same classroom?! The question of how a productive relationship between mathematics and writing could possibly exist will shape our inquiry throughout the semester. You will reflect on the importance of effectively communicating mathematical concepts, whether via cutting-edge research articles or entertaining educational videos for the general public. You will also read mathematicians' writing about their personal experiences, such as Edward Frenkel's memoir Love and Math, tracing his journey from being a young man who had to scale a fence to sneak into a math lecture in the Soviet Union to becoming a professor, author, and even actor in the United States. In addition, you will use reading and writing to explore the professional culture of mathematicians, with attention to their ideas about collaboration, fairness, and inclusivity. And, you will venture even further into interdisciplinary territory by writing about the intersection of math and art. Overall, the goal of this course is for you to gain a greater understanding of math as a richly human and social activity while also developing the writing skills and audience awareness that will help you communicate more effectively on a variety of topics, both mathematical and not.

AIQS 100: Writing Math (107/6225)

TR 04:15-05:30 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

DeLong, J

Do math and writing even belong in the same classroom?! The question of how a productive relationship between mathematics and writing could possibly exist will shape our inquiry throughout the semester. You will reflect on the importance of effectively communicating mathematical concepts, whether via cutting-edge research articles or entertaining educational videos for the general public. You will also read mathematicians' writing about their personal experiences, such as Edward Frenkel's memoir Love and Math, tracing his journey from being a young man who had to scale a fence to sneak into a math lecture in the Soviet Union to becoming a professor, author, and even actor in the United States. In addition, you will use reading and writing to explore the professional culture of mathematicians, with attention to their ideas about collaboration, fairness, and inclusivity. And, you will venture even further into interdisciplinary territory by writing about the intersection of math and art. Overall, the goal of this course is for you to gain a greater understanding of math as a richly human and social activity while also developing the writing skills and audience awareness that will help you communicate more effectively on a variety of topics, both mathematical and not.

AIQS 100: Rex Futurus: King Arthur in Culture and Commentary (108/6226)

MWF 11:30-12:20 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Kapelle, R

King Arthur retains a substantial degree of name recognition hundreds of years after he initially entered the public imagination. But he means something different to different people. Fans, writers, filmmakers, scholars of literature and history, and cultural critics all care about the legendary king but express varying perspectives on his significance. For some, he is a tragic seeker after an ideal community. For others, he is an action hero. He represents Britishness, or authority, or tradition, or equality. His story teaches valuable morals, or his story desperately needs updating. This course examines representations of Arthur's story, including Sir Thomas Malory's influential work Le Morte Darthur. The course also explores conversations about Arthur and his knights, scholarly and otherwise. We will discuss the evolution of the story over time, the various ideals that the legend has expressed, the challenges of adapting the legends to film, the perspective of scholars and reviewers of Arthurian films, and the approaches that new adaptations are taking. By the end of the course, students will have a nuanced perspective on the Arthurian legends but also an enhanced understanding of the stakeholders in a cultural tradition.

AIQS 100: Rex Futurus: King Arthur in Culture and Commentary (109/6227)

MWF 10:25-11:15 AM Aug 24-Dec 04

Kapelle, R

King Arthur retains a substantial degree of name recognition hundreds of years after he initially entered the public imagination. But he means something different to different people. Fans, writers, filmmakers, scholars of literature and history, and cultural critics all care about the legendary king but express varying perspectives on his significance. For some, he is a tragic seeker after an ideal community. For others, he is an action hero. He represents Britishness, or authority, or tradition, or equality. His story teaches valuable morals, or his story desperately needs updating. This course examines representations of Arthur's story, including Sir Thomas Malory's influential work Le Morte Darthur. The course also explores conversations about Arthur and his knights, scholarly and otherwise. We will discuss the evolution of the story over time, the various ideals that the legend has expressed, the challenges of adapting the legends to film, the perspective of scholars and reviewers of Arthurian films, and the approaches that new adaptations are taking. By the end of the course, students will have a nuanced perspective on the Arthurian legends but also an enhanced understanding of the stakeholders in a cultural tradition.

AIQS 100: What Is College For? (110/6228)

MW 12:35-01:50 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

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: Spectacle in American Culture (111/6229)

MW 06:25-07:40 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Jim, B

The Academic Inquiry Seminar (AIQS), Spectacle in American Culture, will examine the topic of spectacle chronologically and typologically to better understand the power of remarkable visual experiences to awe, entertain, persuade, and create meaning from the colonial period to the present day. Students will examine spectacle in theory and in practice, analyzing the phenomenon through their written assignments and producing a video journal of spectacular occurrences over the course of the semester. Theorists of spectacle, such as Guy DeBord and David Nye, have shown that spectacle frequently has been used to assure complicity with dominant cultural ideals. This course will encourage students to look for the operation of power oftentimes hidden behind the bright light of spectacle. We will study natural spectacles, such as the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls, and technological spectacles, such as rocket launches, fireworks, and building implosions. Students will work together to develop a theory of spectacle, and we will discuss how spectacle has changed American cities and informed the construction of personal identity. We will draw upon the disciplines of science, art history, history of technology, and sociology to help us better understand the creation of spectacle (and spectators).

AIQS 100: Spectacle in American Culture (112/6230)

MW 04:40-05:55 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Jim, B

The Academic Inquiry Seminar (AIQS), Spectacle in American Culture, will examine the topic of spectacle chronologically and typologically to better understand the power of remarkable visual experiences to awe, entertain, persuade, and create meaning from the colonial period to the present day. Students will examine spectacle in theory and in practice, analyzing the phenomenon through their written assignments and producing a video journal of spectacular occurrences over the course of the semester. Theorists of spectacle, such as Guy DeBord and David Nye, have shown that spectacle frequently has been used to assure complicity with dominant cultural ideals. This course will encourage students to look for the operation of power oftentimes hidden behind the bright light of spectacle. We will study natural spectacles, such as the Grand Canyon and Niagara Falls, and technological spectacles, such as rocket launches, fireworks, and building implosions. Students will work together to develop a theory of spectacle, and we will discuss how spectacle has changed American cities and informed the construction of personal identity. We will draw upon the disciplines of science, art history, history of technology, and sociology to help us better understand the creation of spectacle (and spectators).

AIQS 100: Caskets and Corpses: The American Funeral Industry (113/6231)

MW 12:35-01:50 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Daniel, V

What do you want to happen to your body when you die? In the United States, you can be embalmed and buried in a beautiful cemetery, donated to science, or composted. If you prefer cremation, your ashes can be placed in an urn, added to a coral reef, or pressed into a diamond. Despite this seemingly endless array of options, however, the vast majority of corpses in American have one thing in common: they are handled by the funeral industry, which generates about $20 billion in revenue every year. But this is a rather modern development: it was not until the late 1800s that the funeral industry started to replace traditional forms of death care, in which families prepared the body at home. How and why did this change occur? How did the industry become so powerful and so profitable? How has it withstood and responded to its critics, who claim that funeral directors favor profits over people? In a nation that embraces individuality, why do most Americans end up at a funeral home? In this seminar, we will examine the origins, evolution, and growth of the American funeral industry, and we will explore some emerging alternatives to learn how American can use the power of consumer choice to regain control over the business of death. Finally, your writing assignments will involve primary source analysis, as well as a position paper that asks you to consider your own final end.

AIQS 100: Digital Literature (114/6232)

TR 04:15-05:30 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

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: Public Health in the City: Equity, Access, & Comm (115/6233)

MWF 10:25-11:15 AM Aug 24-Dec 04

Deptula, A

What does it mean to live in a "healthy" city and who gets to decide? In this writing-intensive seminar, we'll explore how public health is shaped not only by data and policy but also by human stories and discourse. Grounded in Cleveland's past and present, we'll examine how race, income, and geography intersect with access to care, and how historical legacies continue to shape health outcomes today. Drawing from the fields of public health and medicine, we'll read a diverse range of texts--including personal narratives, scientific articles, and local case studies. Through critical readings, data analysis, and secondary research, students will unpack pressing questions about health equity relevant to our campus community and surrounding areas. Together, we'll ask: Who has the power to define what counts as a health "crisis"? What does "access" to care really mean beyond availability? And how can health communication serve as a tool for justice?

AIQS 100: Bicycles (116/6234)

TR 08:30-09:45 AM Aug 24-Dec 04

Chilton, E

For most of us, the bicycle seems a simple, everyday object, associated with children's toys or recreational sport. But this remarkably efficient machine has developed in distinct technological, social, and economic contexts, and these contexts are closely intertwined with community values. In this seminar, we will trace the history of bicycles and consider how we can shape public environments, including urban spaces, to better reflect the values of present and future generations. Students will work individually and in groups to explore these topics, producing formal essays as well as presentations in coordination with classmates. We will use Cleveland and University Circle as a laboratory for understanding the complexity and challenges of managing city infrastructure for different kinds of users. We will also critically examine claims that increased bicycle use can lead to better energy efficiency, less traffic, improved health, better quality of life, and more fun. By engaging with popular and scholarly sources, we will consider the significance of bicycles even for non-cyclists. Topics will include the development and engineering of bicycle technology, the aesthetic and cultural aspects of the cycling experience, the role of bicycles in the fight for women's suffrage and equality, and the place of bicycles in our transportation infrastructure. In all this, we will consider how to remake urban public spaces to accommodate all people and reflect our common values.

AIQS 100: What Is College For? (118/6236)

MW 03:10-04:25 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

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: Journalism and the Digital Disruption (119/6237)

MWF 02:05-02:55 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Blake, G

More than fifteen years after completing degrees from CWRU, Craig Newmark founded a company that operated a digital bulletin board. This bulletin board, Craigslist, went on to decimate a major source of revenue for newspapers: classified ads. It was one of the key moments in which the dazzling digital technology of the internet seemed to threaten the very existence of print newspapers. This was a pivotal moment in which the business of news changed in fundamental ways. However, not everyone agrees on what the digital disruption means for journalism, storytelling and truth. For some, new digital technologies mean new voices, new audiences, and new ways of telling stories - deploying data in new and compelling ways. For others, this disruption has fundamentally disrupted a venerable tradition of news journalism, pushing audience attention away from difficult subjects and compromising key values at the expense of shareability, efficiency and profit. We will explore this debate as we consider how shifting media shapes the way that journalism is undertaken and conceptualized. Students will gain exposure to long-running debates regarding journalism and society, with attention to blurring boundaries between genres of writing and tensions between profit, narrative, and independent truth-finding. Along the way, students will complete assignments that involve writing in academic as well as journalistic genres.

AIQS 100: Objects of Literacy: The Technology of Reading (120/6238)

MWF 02:05-02:55 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Lyons-McFarland, H

This course explores the technology behind the act of reading, from oral traditions, to clay tablets and sticks, to paper and pen, to e-books and apps. Literacy is defined as the ability to read and write, but what is reading? What is writing? And how did we get where we are, where text is continuously around us such that we barely notice it any longer? Over the semester, we will explore how we record meaning and the labor behind the end result, even as we examine our own literacy practices, the combination of audience and author that each of us embodies. We will visit Special Collections at the Kelvin Smith Library, try our hands at manual presses at the New Gutenberg Annex, and create our own "objects of literacy," wherever that takes us. In addition, we will take the opportunity to be intentional about our own experience as literate individuals. We will practice academic methods of both reading and writing, calling upon our experiences and the wealth of knowledge around us to think about and react to the objects and processes we encounter. Through critical thinking and practicing rhetorical approaches, this class will help prepare you for future critical thinking and communication both in and out of academia.

AIQS 100: Objects of Literacy: The Technology of Reading (121/6239)

MWF 03:10-04:00 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Lyons-McFarland, H

This course explores the technology behind the act of reading, from oral traditions, to clay tablets and sticks, to paper and pen, to e-books and apps. Literacy is defined as the ability to read and write, but what is reading? What is writing? And how did we get where we are, where text is continuously around us such that we barely notice it any longer? Over the semester, we will explore how we record meaning and the labor behind the end result, even as we examine our own literacy practices, the combination of audience and author that each of us embodies. We will visit Special Collections at the Kelvin Smith Library, try our hands at manual presses at the New Gutenberg Annex, and create our own "objects of literacy," wherever that takes us. In addition, we will take the opportunity to be intentional about our own experience as literate individuals. We will practice academic methods of both reading and writing, calling upon our experiences and the wealth of knowledge around us to think about and react to the objects and processes we encounter. Through critical thinking and practicing rhetorical approaches, this class will help prepare you for future critical thinking and communication both in and out of academia.

AIQS 100: Women Write War (122/6240)

TR 02:45-04:00 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Magearu, A

In the popular imagination, women are often presented in stereotypical fashion as nurturing mothers, peace-makers, or powerless victims of displacement and war. While it is true that women often bear an uneven burden of care, which may render them more vulnerable during wartime, they also play an active role in conflict and post-conflict situations as witnesses, reporters, combatants, resistance fighters, or conflict mediators. This course will critically engage with a number of key themes deconstructing the relationship between gender and war: the circulation of the phrase women and children, the role of oral history in recording gender-based violence, the weaponization of gender in nationalist or imperial discourses, women's writing as a form of witnessing, and women's participation in resistance movements against colonial oppression. We will examine a global selection of women's writings on war with a particular focus on conflicts in Eastern Europe, West Asia, and North Africa. We will read fiction, nonfiction, and poetry by a diverse set of writers documenting war crimes, retrieving the voices of women buried within colonial archives, resisting colonial encroachment on their lives, reporting on crimes against humanity, interrogating complicity in imperial wars, and fighting to survive displacement and erasure. Our readings will also be supplemented by film screenings portraying the diverse lives of women at war. Students will not only become familiarized with a variety of global conflicts and contexts, but they will also have the opportunity to delve deeper into both historical events and contemporary wars using critical postcolonial feminist lenses.

AIQS 100: Women Write War (123/6241)

TR 04:15-05:30 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Magearu, A

In the popular imagination, women are often presented in stereotypical fashion as nurturing mothers, peace-makers, or powerless victims of displacement and war. While it is true that women often bear an uneven burden of care, which may render them more vulnerable during wartime, they also play an active role in conflict and post-conflict situations as witnesses, reporters, combatants, resistance fighters, or conflict mediators. This course will critically engage with a number of key themes deconstructing the relationship between gender and war: the circulation of the phrase women and children, the role of oral history in recording gender-based violence, the weaponization of gender in nationalist or imperial discourses, women's writing as a form of witnessing, and women's participation in resistance movements against colonial oppression. We will examine a global selection of women's writings on war with a particular focus on conflicts in Eastern Europe, West Asia, and North Africa. We will read fiction, nonfiction, and poetry by a diverse set of writers documenting war crimes, retrieving the voices of women buried within colonial archives, resisting colonial encroachment on their lives, reporting on crimes against humanity, interrogating complicity in imperial wars, and fighting to survive displacement and erasure. Our readings will also be supplemented by film screenings portraying the diverse lives of women at war. Students will not only become familiarized with a variety of global conflicts and contexts, but they will also have the opportunity to delve deeper into both historical events and contemporary wars using critical postcolonial feminist lenses.

AIQS 100: Caskets and Corpses: The American Funeral Industry (124/6242)

MW 08:55-10:10 AM Aug 24-Dec 04

Daniel, V

What do you want to happen to your body when you die? In the United States, you can be embalmed and buried in a beautiful cemetery, donated to science, or composted. If you prefer cremation, your ashes can be placed in an urn, added to a coral reef, or pressed into a diamond. Despite this seemingly endless array of options, however, the vast majority of corpses in American have one thing in common: they are handled by the funeral industry, which generates about $20 billion in revenue every year. But this is a rather modern development: it was not until the late 1800s that the funeral industry started to replace traditional forms of death care, in which families prepared the body at home. How and why did this change occur? How did the industry become so powerful and so profitable? How has it withstood and responded to its critics, who claim that funeral directors favor profits over people? In a nation that embraces individuality, why do most Americans end up at a funeral home? In this seminar, we will examine the origins, evolution, and growth of the American funeral industry, and we will explore some emerging alternatives to learn how American can use the power of consumer choice to regain control over the business of death. Finally, your writing assignments will involve primary source analysis, as well as a position paper that asks you to consider your own final end.

AIQS 100: Stories of Science and Scientists (125/6243)

MWF 11:30-12:20 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Pecastaings, A

Stories of Science and Scientists 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: Mystery and the Art of Storytelling (127/6245)

MWF 09:20-10:10 AM Aug 24-Dec 04

PInkerton, S

It's hard to resist a good story, and even harder to resist a good mystery. What is it about stories of mystery and detection that makes them so compelling? What might they teach us about the nature of storytelling itself? In this course we'll discuss and write about how narrative works, taking mystery as our guide. In doing so, we'll also become better readers, viewers, and interpreters. For these stories make detectives out of us all, demanding that we evaluate textual evidence, seek out rhetorical clues, pay keen attention to detail, and even examine our own frameworks of perception. Engaging both classic and less traditional tales of mystery and detection (including a movie or two), we'll examine the logic of such narratives, the desires and fears that drive them, and the secrets they tell--or try to keep hidden.

AIQS 100: Mystery and the Art of Storytelling (128/6246)

MWF 10:25-11:15 AM Aug 24-Dec 04

PInkerton, S

It's hard to resist a good story, and even harder to resist a good mystery. What is it about stories of mystery and detection that makes them so compelling? What might they teach us about the nature of storytelling itself? In this course we'll discuss and write about how narrative works, taking mystery as our guide. In doing so, we'll also become better readers, viewers, and interpreters. For these stories make detectives out of us all, demanding that we evaluate textual evidence, seek out rhetorical clues, pay keen attention to detail, and even examine our own frameworks of perception. Engaging both classic and less traditional tales of mystery and detection (including a movie or two), we'll examine the logic of such narratives, the desires and fears that drive them, and the secrets they tell--or try to keep hidden.

AIQS 100: Essaying a Life Worth Living (131/6249)

TR 01:00-02:15 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Redekop, S

What does it mean to live well? Each week, students in this seminar will grapple with this question. Our efforts will be guided by the experimental practice of essay-writing, a centuries- old method for developing knowledge in the absence of certainty. Throughout the term, we will think with a wide range of contemporary American essayists--including journalists, scientists, and YouTubers--who attempt to address urgent questions like: What does a good life feel like?, Who do we answer to?, What should we hope for?, and What should we do when we fail? We will contextualize their essays with short readings from wide-ranging philosophical and religious traditions, identifying the ways in which these traditions provide us with "equipment for living," and then examining how essayists "test" these frameworks against the specific circumstances of their lives. Along the way, you will learn writing strategies that will empower you to formulate and test your own responses to these important questions within the particular circumstances of your life. We will spend our time together boldly asking big questions; reading widely and listening carefully in our pursuit of meaningful answers; learning through dialogue, including giving and receiving writing feedback; and developing a writing practice that empowers us to pursue the questions that matter most to us (in and beyond our future academic work).

AIQS 100: Essaying a Life Worth Living (132/6250)

TR 02:45-04:00 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Redekop, S

What does it mean to live well? Each week, students in this seminar will grapple with this question. Our efforts will be guided by the experimental practice of essay-writing, a centuries- old method for developing knowledge in the absence of certainty. Throughout the term, we will think with a wide range of contemporary American essayists--including journalists, scientists, and YouTubers--who attempt to address urgent questions like: What does a good life feel like?, Who do we answer to?, What should we hope for?, and What should we do when we fail? We will contextualize their essays with short readings from wide-ranging philosophical and religious traditions, identifying the ways in which these traditions provide us with "equipment for living," and then examining how essayists "test" these frameworks against the specific circumstances of their lives. Along the way, you will learn writing strategies that will empower you to formulate and test your own responses to these important questions within the particular circumstances of your life. We will spend our time together boldly asking big questions; reading widely and listening carefully in our pursuit of meaningful answers; learning through dialogue, including giving and receiving writing feedback; and developing a writing practice that empowers us to pursue the questions that matter most to us (in and beyond our future academic work).

AIQS 100: Death, Mourning, & Immortality (133/6251)

MWF 11:30-12:20 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

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 (134/6252)

MWF 10:25-11:15 AM Aug 24-Dec 04

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: Grief, Identity, and Belonging (135/6437)

TR 08:30-09:45 AM Aug 24-Dec 04

Bedell, A

Have you ever experienced a loss--whether through death or in another form--that profoundly shaped your sense of self or your connection to others? This course examines the wide spectrum of grief, encompassing both death-related and non-death losses. While death remains one of the most recognized and ritualized forms of loss, many people also carry grief that is less visible, less validated, and often unnamed. These non-death or disenfranchised losses may include the loss of health, the end of significant relationships, family estrangement, cultural disconnection, identity transitions, or the impact of discrimination and oppression. Together, these experiences invite us to question how we mourn, who is allowed to grieve, and what grief reveals about identity and belonging. We will explore how grief shapes our inner worlds, relationships, and communities. Topics include disenfranchised grief, ambiguous loss, collective grief, and the ways grief intersects with race, gender, sexuality, class, and culture. We also consider how systemic inequities and dominant narratives influence which kinds of grief are acknowledged, pathologized, silenced, or honored. Grounded in trauma-informed and culturally responsive approaches, this writing-intensive course draws on interdisciplinary readings, memoirs, theory, and creative work to deepen our understanding of grief's many expressions. Students will engage in writing and discussion that foster critical thinking, emotional insight, and analytical skill. Whether examining the aftermath of death or the quiet ache of unspoken loss, students will be invited to consider how grief shapes who we are, how we find meaning, and how we seek belonging in the face of change.

AIQS 100: Fight the Power: Legacies of Abolitionist Thought (136/6441)

TR 08:30-09:45 AM Aug 24-Dec 04

Druffel, M

Recently, abolition--which Ruth Wilson Gilmore defines as changing both ourselves and the world to undo bondage--has been applied beyond antislavery. Activists call for abolishing police, private property, and gender. How does abolitionism apply to such different contexts today? This course uses writing to help us 1) decide what we think about abolition, and 2) communicate our ideas so people will want to read and respond to them. To accomplish these goals, we'll explore Cleveland's antislavery history housed in the CWRU archives and analyze how abolitionist tactics in antiracist education--including proposals to abolish grades.

AIQS 100: Fight the Power: Legacies of Abolitionist Thought (137/6442)

TR 10:00-11:15 AM Aug 24-Dec 04

Druffel, M

Recently, abolition--which Ruth Wilson Gilmore defines as changing both ourselves and the world to undo bondage--has been applied beyond antislavery. Activists call for abolishing police, private property, and gender. How does abolitionism apply to such different contexts today? This course uses writing to help us 1) decide what we think about abolition, and 2) communicate our ideas so people will want to read and respond to them. To accomplish these goals, we'll explore Cleveland's antislavery history housed in the CWRU archives and analyze how abolitionist tactics in antiracist education--including proposals to abolish grades.

AIQS 100: Love and Sex in Shakespeare (138/6444)

MWF 10:25-11:15 AM Aug 24-Dec 04

Newlin, J

For many readers, William Shakespeare's works are inseparable from the concept of romantic love. Those "star crossed" sweethearts, Romeo and Juliet, are the most famous lovers in English literature, and thousands of wedding ceremonies have featured a reading of Shakespeare's Sonnet 116. But does that poem really a pledge of romantic fidelity, the oath of one promising to have and hold? Or is it, as the scholar Helen Vendler has argued, a vitriolic account of sexual jealousy? In this class, we will examine a broad cross-section of Shakespeare's plays and poems as we investigate what it was Shakespeare actually believed about the nature of romantic love and physical intimacy. What do the plays and poems have to say about "love at first sight," fidelity, jealousy, and consent? How does Shakespeare depict queer people and same-sex desire? Was Shakespeare's account of these issues reflective of his time----or did he subvert or challenge the views of love and sexual intimacy common to the Renaissance? In addition to gaining a finer understanding of Shakespeare's work and its historical context, we will examine how and why Shakespeare's account of romance and sexuality continues to resonate so strongly in the present. Students will develop skills of formal academic writing and research, as they engage these issues in a variety of formats, including traditional writing assignments and presentations.

AIQS 100: Love and Sex in Shakespeare (139/6445)

MWF 09:20-10:10 AM Aug 24-Dec 04

Newlin, J

For many readers, William Shakespeare's works are inseparable from the concept of romantic love. Those "star crossed" sweethearts, Romeo and Juliet, are the most famous lovers in English literature, and thousands of wedding ceremonies have featured a reading of Shakespeare's Sonnet 116. But does that poem really a pledge of romantic fidelity, the oath of one promising to have and hold? Or is it, as the scholar Helen Vendler has argued, a vitriolic account of sexual jealousy? In this class, we will examine a broad cross-section of Shakespeare's plays and poems as we investigate what it was Shakespeare actually believed about the nature of romantic love and physical intimacy. What do the plays and poems have to say about "love at first sight," fidelity, jealousy, and consent? How does Shakespeare depict queer people and same-sex desire? Was Shakespeare's account of these issues reflective of his time----or did he subvert or challenge the views of love and sexual intimacy common to the Renaissance? In addition to gaining a finer understanding of Shakespeare's work and its historical context, we will examine how and why Shakespeare's account of romance and sexuality continues to resonate so strongly in the present. Students will develop skills of formal academic writing and research, as they engage these issues in a variety of formats, including traditional writing assignments and presentations.

AIQS 100: Comedy, Rhetoric, and Writing (140/6446)

TR 04:15-05:30 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Robisch, K

"The most powerful weapon on Earth is not a gun or a bomb, but a well-timed joke," said John Oliver. He separately admitted "It's a great time to be doing political satire when the world is on a knife edge." Comedy is many things and differs in many situations, depending on audience, context and purpose. This class will examine questions such as: where and when does humor occur? And who or what is a comedian? Studying these contexts and purposes will help us develop our own tools for writing persuasively in academic contexts. We will examine rhetoric and humor in a variety of different mediums, focusing on how comedy helps us make sense of political and cultural situations. Through ongoing discussions and assignments, we will consider what makes something funny and to whom? We'll first hone our own analysis skills through rhetorical analysis of a specific piece of comedy, then learn to incorporate outside sources to serve as additional evidence. As we gear up for our final persuasive research paper, we'll summarize additional sources and then visually represent their connections through concept maps and infographics.

AIQS 100: Grief, Identity, and Belonging (141/6447)

TR 10:00-11:15 AM Aug 24-Dec 04

Bedell, A

Have you ever experienced a loss--whether through death or in another form--that profoundly shaped your sense of self or your connection to others? This course examines the wide spectrum of grief, encompassing both death-related and non-death losses. While death remains one of the most recognized and ritualized forms of loss, many people also carry grief that is less visible, less validated, and often unnamed. These non-death or disenfranchised losses may include the loss of health, the end of significant relationships, family estrangement, cultural disconnection, identity transitions, or the impact of discrimination and oppression. Together, these experiences invite us to question how we mourn, who is allowed to grieve, and what grief reveals about identity and belonging. We will explore how grief shapes our inner worlds, relationships, and communities. Topics include disenfranchised grief, ambiguous loss, collective grief, and the ways grief intersects with race, gender, sexuality, class, and culture. We also consider how systemic inequities and dominant narratives influence which kinds of grief are acknowledged, pathologized, silenced, or honored. Grounded in trauma-informed and culturally responsive approaches, this writing-intensive course draws on interdisciplinary readings, memoirs, theory, and creative work to deepen our understanding of grief's many expressions. Students will engage in writing and discussion that foster critical thinking, emotional insight, and analytical skill. Whether examining the aftermath of death or the quiet ache of unspoken loss, students will be invited to consider how grief shapes who we are, how we find meaning, and how we seek belonging in the face of change.

AIQS 100: Bicycles (142/6448)

TR 10:00-11:15 AM Aug 24-Dec 04

Chilton, E

For most of us, the bicycle seems a simple, everyday object, associated with children's toys or recreational sport. But this remarkably efficient machine has developed in distinct technological, social, and economic contexts, and these contexts are closely intertwined with community values. In this seminar, we will trace the history of bicycles and consider how we can shape public environments, including urban spaces, to better reflect the values of present and future generations. Students will work individually and in groups to explore these topics, producing formal essays as well as presentations in coordination with classmates. We will use Cleveland and University Circle as a laboratory for understanding the complexity and challenges of managing city infrastructure for different kinds of users. We will also critically examine claims that increased bicycle use can lead to better energy efficiency, less traffic, improved health, better quality of life, and more fun. By engaging with popular and scholarly sources, we will consider the significance of bicycles even for non-cyclists. Topics will include the development and engineering of bicycle technology, the aesthetic and cultural aspects of the cycling experience, the role of bicycles in the fight for women's suffrage and equality, and the place of bicycles in our transportation infrastructure. In all this, we will consider how to remake urban public spaces to accommodate all people and reflect our common values.

AIQS 100: You Are Your Language (143/6881)

TR 10:00-11:15 AM Aug 24-Dec 04

Vakili, P

In this seminar, we will look at language as a key component in (re)shaping our modern society in many different ways. We will examine the importance of language in the performance of personal identity, as well as how beliefs about language reflect ideas about individuals and groups. We will explore how language use can both promote and hinder social justice, particularly for minority groups within the larger national community. Some questions we will consider are: How can language serve as a gate-keeping mechanism? What is the relationship between language and power? How does linguistic prejudice contribute to social inequality? To fulfill our course objectives, we will engage with scholarly, journalistic, and literary works. We will also conduct library, media, and community research to deepen our understanding of language, identity, power, and privilege. By the end of the course, we will have the tools necessary to articulate how language use can make positive contributions to our lives and to the social systems in which we live and work.

AIQS 100: Jane Austen, Inc. (144/6899)

MWF 02:05-02:55 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Pecastaings, A

Jane Austen has gone viral. From TV series and period films to fan websites and immersive conferences reenacting early-19th century English culture, Jane Austen enjoys a busy afterlife. As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of her birth, this course invites you to (re)discover two of her novels and to explore their enduring appeal and relevance. How did Austen make sense of her own place and time? What social, cultural, and political concerns did her work address? How do recent adaptations "translate" her work for a modern audience? What do these retellings emphasize or overlook? What can the back and forth between Austen's novels and these adaptations tell us about our own place and time? We will read Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion, watch recent film adaptations of Austen's work, including updated or parodic versions such as Bridget Jones's Diary and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and explore fan websites.

AIQS 100: Jane Austen, Inc. (145/6900)

MWF 03:10-04:00 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Pecastaings, A

Jane Austen has gone viral. From TV series and period films to fan websites and immersive conferences reenacting early-19th century English culture, Jane Austen enjoys a busy afterlife. As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of her birth, this course invites you to (re)discover two of her novels and to explore their enduring appeal and relevance. How did Austen make sense of her own place and time? What social, cultural, and political concerns did her work address? How do recent adaptations "translate" her work for a modern audience? What do these retellings emphasize or overlook? What can the back and forth between Austen's novels and these adaptations tell us about our own place and time? We will read Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion, watch recent film adaptations of Austen's work, including updated or parodic versions such as Bridget Jones's Diary and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and explore fan websites.

AIQS 100: You Are Your Language (146/6915)

TR 04:15-05:30 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Vakili, P

In this seminar, we will look at language as a key component in (re)shaping our modern society in many different ways. We will examine the importance of language in the performance of personal identity, as well as how beliefs about language reflect ideas about individuals and groups. We will explore how language use can both promote and hinder social justice, particularly for minority groups within the larger national community. Some questions we will consider are: How can language serve as a gate-keeping mechanism? What is the relationship between language and power? How does linguistic prejudice contribute to social inequality? To fulfill our course objectives, we will engage with scholarly, journalistic, and literary works. We will also conduct library, media, and community research to deepen our understanding of language, identity, power, and privilege. By the end of the course, we will have the tools necessary to articulate how language use can make positive contributions to our lives and to the social systems in which we live and work.

AIQS 100: Digital Literature (147/13982)

TR 02:45-04:00 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

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 110: Linguistic Diversity and Social Justice (100/6208)

MWF 09:20-10:10 AM Aug 24-Dec 04

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 110: Writing and Political Literacy (101/6209)

TR 10:00-11:15 AM Aug 24-Dec 04

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: Reading & Writing History (102/6210)

MW 03:10-04:25 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Reader, L

Why do so many people think history is boring? One reason could be an assumption that history is a simple recitation of events and dates. The reality is much different. In this course we will look at how to read history. We will do so by considering how different perspectives on historical events can lead to a richer, more complete understanding of the past. 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.

AIQS 110: Literacy and Life Stories (103/6211)

TR 01:00-02:15 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

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 and Political Literacy (105/6213)

TR 01:00-02:15 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

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: Making "Sense" of Writing (106/6214)

MW 12:35-01:50 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Slentz, J

No matter what major you are entering into or "feeling out," or what career you have "set your sights on," there is one truth that applies to each and every one of us in this class. We ALL will have to write. We will write many different things at different times for different reasons, but we will all write something sometime. Writing is about so much more than arranging words on a page. Writing is about "seeing" the world around us, critically examining and synthesizing information to become more aware of the contexts and conversations we are speaking into. Writing is about "hearing" and listening to (because these are not always the same thing) the other voices that make up those contexts and conversations. And it is about responding in ways that are targeted towards our specific rhetorical situation and audience. In addition to the truth that we all have to write, another truth unites us. We are all human. As humans, we move through this world as sensing, feeling bodies, equipped with complex nervous systems that process and create our physical and emotional worlds. Our sensory lives, how we each individually and dynamically experience the world around us through our senses, shape our perception of reality. Our sense lives thus dictate how we read and interpret our experiences, what we respond to and why, how we listen, how we express ourselves, and ultimately, how we write. This course is designed to help you develop and hone your written communication skills. We will gain practice in the habits and processes that strong writers take up, learn about the stylistic and rhetorical choices strong writers use to "flavor" their texts and arguments, and examine tools we can use to transfer the writing practices we begin to hone in this class to our different disciplines and communities. We will also explore how we, individually and collectively, "make sense" of writing: how the embodied experiences of ourselves and our audiences inform the ways we read and write, both academically and in our lives and communities outside of class.

AIQS 110: Making "Sense" of Writing (108/6828)

MW 03:10-04:25 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Slentz, J

No matter what major you are entering into or "feeling out," or what career you have "set your sights on," there is one truth that applies to each and every one of us in this class. We ALL will have to write. We will write many different things at different times for different reasons, but we will all write something sometime. Writing is about so much more than arranging words on a page. Writing is about "seeing" the world around us, critically examining and synthesizing information to become more aware of the contexts and conversations we are speaking into. Writing is about "hearing" and listening to (because these are not always the same thing) the other voices that make up those contexts and conversations. And it is about responding in ways that are targeted towards our specific rhetorical situation and audience. In addition to the truth that we all have to write, another truth unites us. We are all human. As humans, we move through this world as sensing, feeling bodies, equipped with complex nervous systems that process and create our physical and emotional worlds. Our sensory lives, how we each individually and dynamically experience the world around us through our senses, shape our perception of reality. Our sense lives thus dictate how we read and interpret our experiences, what we respond to and why, how we listen, how we express ourselves, and ultimately, how we write. This course is designed to help you develop and hone your written communication skills. We will gain practice in the habits and processes that strong writers take up, learn about the stylistic and rhetorical choices strong writers use to "flavor" their texts and arguments, and examine tools we can use to transfer the writing practices we begin to hone in this class to our different disciplines and communities. We will also explore how we, individually and collectively, "make sense" of writing: how the embodied experiences of ourselves and our audiences inform the ways we read and write, both academically and in our lives and communities outside of class.

AIQS 110: What Makes Us Human? (109/6901)

TR 02:45-04:00 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Ring, C

The idea that writing is a distinctly human activity seems to go without saying. We might think of it together with other basic activities that characterize the human experience: cooking, talking, singing, reading. At the same time, we might think of it as a more specialized activity--like building, designing, coding, or teaching--that only some people do (i.e., do well). First-year college students are often confronted with the realization that writing falls right at that nexus of the basic and specialized: everyone who is literate can do it, but at the same time, many of us say things like "I can't write" if we feel we can't write well. Add to all this the complicating fact that artificial intelligence can now write! Or, can it? What does it actually mean to be able to write? This course takes the question of what makes us human--of what makes writing human, and what makes humans write--as an entry point for developing your own writing practice, particularly by way of three subtopics: writing as thinking, writing as social, and writing as presupposing conscious experience. Because this course is committed to reading as a catalyst for critical thinking (and therefore writing), and to writing as a process, you will habituate both critical reading and process-oriented writing practices throughout the semester. You will read in an array of disciplines and genres--from writing theory, memoir, and journalism to scientific research studies, philosophy, and short fiction--that will not only explore writing in relation to the question of what makes us human but also expose you to the different types of texts you might encounter in academia, with each genre making different demands on your attention. As you translate reading into writing, you will learn ways to lean into the process, balance high-order concerns (like complexity of ideas) with low-order concerns (like style and grammar), and ultimately give yourself permission to let your writing get messy before it gets better.

AIQS 110: What Makes Us Human? (110/6902)

TR 04:15-05:30 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Ring, C

The idea that writing is a distinctly human activity seems to go without saying. We might think of it together with other basic activities that characterize the human experience: cooking, talking, singing, reading. At the same time, we might think of it as a more specialized activity--like building, designing, coding, or teaching--that only some people do (i.e., do well). First-year college students are often confronted with the realization that writing falls right at that nexus of the basic and specialized: everyone who is literate can do it, but at the same time, many of us say things like "I can't write" if we feel we can't write well. Add to all this the complicating fact that artificial intelligence can now write! Or, can it? What does it actually mean to be able to write? This course takes the question of what makes us human--of what makes writing human, and what makes humans write--as an entry point for developing your own writing practice, particularly by way of three subtopics: writing as thinking, writing as social, and writing as presupposing conscious experience. Because this course is committed to reading as a catalyst for critical thinking (and therefore writing), and to writing as a process, you will habituate both critical reading and process-oriented writing practices throughout the semester. You will read in an array of disciplines and genres--from writing theory, memoir, and journalism to scientific research studies, philosophy, and short fiction--that will not only explore writing in relation to the question of what makes us human but also expose you to the different types of texts you might encounter in academia, with each genre making different demands on your attention. As you translate reading into writing, you will learn ways to lean into the process, balance high-order concerns (like complexity of ideas) with low-order concerns (like style and grammar), and ultimately give yourself permission to let your writing get messy before it gets better.

AIQS 110: Linguistic Diversity and Social Justice (111/6907)

MWF 10:25-11:15 AM Aug 24-Dec 04

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 130: Children's Literature in Cleveland (100/6435)

TR 08:30-09:45 AM Aug 24-Dec 04, W 12:35-01:10 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Byrne, C

"NOTE: This is a 4-credit, community-engaged section of AIQS." 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 stakeholders, including children and community members who read, create, and/or distribute these books. We will partner with 2nd graders at a local elementary school, area literacy nonprofits, and libraries to deepen our understanding of young people in Cleveland and the books they read. 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 130: Children's Literature in Cleveland (101/6436)

TR 10:00-11:15 AM Aug 24-Dec 04, W 12:35-01:10 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Byrne, C

"NOTE: This is a 4-credit, community-engaged section of AIQS." 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 stakeholders, including children and community members who read, create, and/or distribute these books. We will partner with 2nd graders at a local elementary school, area literacy nonprofits, and libraries to deepen our understanding of young people in Cleveland and the books they read. 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 130: Local Food Challenges: Health, Equity, & Envirnmnt (102/6829)

MW 08:55-10:10 AM Aug 24-Dec 04, R 01:00-02:15 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Fejes, N

In this seminar, we will be exploring the food landscape of Cleveland: its unique sets of challenges and opportunities. We will do so by getting to know places and people in our community through a variety of engagements fostering a deeper understanding of our city and our surrounding communities. We will delve into indigenous food practices and today's industrial agricultural system in Ohio. With community partners, we will investigate some of the ecological challenges of industrial food production and the health of Lake Erie. We will examine the historical roots of food inequities in Cleveland and the health of the city in general. We will interrogate the ecological and ethical issues around food waste and our city's efforts to tackle it. We will acquaint ourselves with community-centered regenerative and transformative solutions practiced by farmers and community partners who see our local food system as a crucially important lever to optimize environmental sustainability and human health.

AIQS 130: Local Food Challenges: Health, Equity, & Envirnmnt (103/6830)

MW 12:35-01:50 PM Aug 24-Dec 04, R 01:00-02:15 PM Aug 24-Dec 04

Fejes, N

In this seminar, we will be exploring the food landscape of Cleveland: its unique sets of challenges and opportunities. We will do so by getting to know places and people in our community through a variety of engagements fostering a deeper understanding of our city and our surrounding communities. We will delve into indigenous food practices and today's industrial agricultural system in Ohio. With community partners, we will investigate some of the ecological challenges of industrial food production and the health of Lake Erie. We will examine the historical roots of food inequities in Cleveland and the health of the city in general. We will interrogate the ecological and ethical issues around food waste and our city's efforts to tackle it. We will acquaint ourselves with community-centered regenerative and transformative solutions practiced by farmers and community partners who see our local food system as a crucially important lever to optimize environmental sustainability and human health.