Techniques of Nonfiction
ENGL 292
Fall 2022
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01
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In this course, we will learn how to craft and revise short pieces of nonfiction writing that draw on our own life experiences and our observations of the world around us. To achieve this goal, we will constantly be creating and editing our own prose, and we will perform various writing exercises. Moreover, we will read our colleagues' nonfiction prose and offer them thoughtful, generous feedback. Finally, we will read various published nonfiction essays--memoirs, musings, reviews, and reportage--and we will analyze these pieces in order to understand how veteran authors narrate "real-life" stories in a way that is engaging, beautiful, and meaningful. Upon completing this course, you will have a deeper knowledge of how to construct resonant nonfiction narratives, and a better understanding of various literary concepts, including pacing, arc, imagery, place, and character. You will have learned how to harvest experiences and observations from your own life in order tell a story that reveals subtle but acute information about the larger world. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA ENGL |
| Course Format: Discussion | Grading Mode: Student Option |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (ENGL)(ENGL-Creative W)(ENGL-Literature) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 50% - 74% |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Writers studied include: Zadie Smith, James Baldwin, James Foster Wallace, Pres. Barrack Obama, Natalie Goldberg, Jean-Paul Sartre, Alexander Chee, Maggie Nelson, Elif Batuman, Pankaj Mishra, and others.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Two long-form submissions to the workshop.
Five short writing assignments.
One revision. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Student Option Grading Mode: If planning to pursue the Creative Writing path in English, students should choose the graded option for this class to fulfill requirements.
This course depends on student participation, which itself depends on meeting assignment deadlines. Students must also make every effort to attend the events with visiting writers who are on campus during the semester. (Q & A sessions usually scheduled Wednesday afternoons at 4:30 and readings at 8:00 p.m.).
This course fulfills the Creative Writing requirement and contributes to the Creative Writing path of the English major (but not 300-level course or upper-level workshop), elective.
The English department highly recommends that students be enrolled in only one CW course in a semester. If you are admitted to more than one CW course, the department requests that you choose one and let the instructors know during Adjustment Period. By doing so you will be considerate of instructors and other students. |
| Instructor(s): Eisenberg,Emma Copley Times: ...W... 01:20PM-04:10PM; Location: CRT285; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 15 | | SR major: 3 | JR major: 6 | | |
| Seats Available: 0 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 1 | JR non-major: 1 | SO: 4 | FR: 0 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 10 | 1st Ranked: 1 | 2nd Ranked: 2 | 3rd Ranked: 2 | 4th Ranked: 1 | Unranked: 4 |
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