WRI 101 - Course list for Writing in the Liberal Arts, Spring 2017

Spring 2017 Writing 101 Courses

WRI 101 [A]: Lost in Translation
TR 9:40 - 10:55
Denham

Translation is everywhere and nowhere - ubiquitous in our daily lives, yet rarely acknowledged. “Lost in Translation” offers an opportunity to explore the history, theory, and process of literary translation, and grapple with the legacies of colonialism, the negotiation of power, and the dynamics of domestication and foreignization inherent in all literary translation. We will explore translation across languages and cultures, including but not limited to issues of genre, adaptation, register, period, colonial and post-colonial literary and cultural relations, canonicity and innovation. Students are neither expected nor required to have a second language to succeed in this course.

As a WRI 101 seminar, “Lost in Translation” adheres to the goals of Davidson’s Writing Program: reading texts closely and critically for analytic and rhetorical purposes; making fair and effective use of the work of others; drafting and revising arguments; and drawing upon multimodal and archival resources (visual, auditory, textual, digital) to serve specific rhetorical goals.

The two sections of “Lost in Translation” (Denham & Ewington) will share some common assignments, meet occasionally as a larger group, and engage in peer-review across sections.

WRI 101 [B]: Lost in Translation
TR 9:40 - 10:55
Ewington

Translation is everywhere and nowhere - ubiquitous in our daily lives, yet rarely acknowledged. “Lost in Translation” offers an opportunity to explore the history, theory, and process of literary translation, and grapple with the legacies of colonialism, the negotiation of power, and the dynamics of domestication and foreignization inherent in all literary translation. We will explore translation across languages and cultures, including but not limited to issues of genre, adaptation, register, period, colonial and post-colonial literary and cultural relations, canonicity and innovation. Students are neither expected nor required to have a second language to succeed in this course.

As a WRI 101 seminar, “Lost in Translation” adheres to the goals of Davidson’s Writing Program: reading texts closely and critically for analytic and rhetorical purposes; making fair and effective use of the work of others; drafting and revising arguments; and drawing upon multimodal and archival resources (visual, auditory, textual, digital) to serve specific rhetorical goals.

The two sections of “Lost in Translation” (Denham & Ewington) will share some common assignments, meet occasionally as a larger group, and engage in peer-review across sections.

WRI 101 [C]: The Art of Prose
MWF 9:30 - 10:20
Nelson

This course helps students develop the skills of writing in the liberal arts: critical analysis of texts, exploration of and deliberation about public and intellectual issues; familiarity with research strategies; understanding the conventions for using with integrity the work of others; and crafting of inventive, correct, and rhetorically sophisticated prose.

WRI 101 [D]: Writing about World Music
TR 12:15 - 1:30
Weinstein

This course explores musical cultures from around the world through a focused study of how those cultures are represented in journalistic and ethnographic writing. While the course will obviously not be a comprehensive look at “world music”-this is not a survey course-it will nonetheless engage with a wide range of non-Western musical values and practices. Further, as a writing course, it aims to unpack the conventions of writing about musical cultures: how research is executed, how arguments are structured, and how the discourse of ethnomusicology unfolds historically and culturally. To that end, the course will be organized in four thematic units, each centered on an ethnographic monograph and supplemented with appropriate reading and writing assignments.
 

WRI 101 [F]: Astrobiology - Life in the Universe
MWF 8:30 - 9:20
Thompson

Are we alone?  Is there life elsewhere in the Universe?  These questions have much public interest, and the answers to them would have profound scientific, religious, and philosophical implications.  To fully appreciate any answer that may be found, we must first explore a different question:  what is life?  The answer to this seemingly straightforward question is not simple at all and has been one of great debate among scientists.  Is there one definitive answer as to what constitutes life?  Does the answer to this question depend upon where in the Universe the life in question resides?  In this course, we will explore life on a variety of scales, including life on Earth, life in Earth orbit, life on Mars, life in the Solar System, and life in the Universe.  As we move farther into space away from our Earthly home, science has provided less evidence and we therefore must rely more heavily on our own beliefs, knowledge, and creativity to formulate meaningful stances about the possibility of life on the grandest of scales.  In this course, we will discuss the current state of knowledge about what life is, where we believe it may exist, and how we hope to search for it.  The course will be organized in five sections, each exploring the meaning and current understanding of life on the scales mentioned above, from Earth to the Universe at large, with students completing writing projects that complement each topic.

WRI 101 [G]: Luck & Chance
MWF 12:30 - 1:20
McKeever

Our lives are shaped by luck and require us to manage chance and uncertainty.  Our talents and abilities are due to, among other things, our genetics, our parents, and the economic and social circumstances into which we are born.  Yet none of these things are within our control, nor can they be awarded on the basis of desert.  Those born healthy to loving parents and times of peace and plenty can count themselves lucky; not everyone is.    And however lucky we should count ourselves, navigating the world requires managing chance and uncertainty.   In this course, we will explore the practical significance of luck and chance; we will touch on issues of psychology, philosophy, ethics, mathematics, and public policy. 

WRI 101 [H]: The Trial of Jesus
MWF 12:30 - 1:20
Krentz

This course will focus on the historical question: Why was Jesus executed? We will examine the canonical and non-canonical evidence for Jesus’s life, as well as the history of Roman Palestine. The course aims to engage students as active learners, emphasizing the close reading of texts, extensive writing and revision, and meaningful conversations with each other both in and out of class. You should improve your ability to read critically, think analytically, and articulate your ideas clearly, confidently, and creatively. You will gain experience critiquing other written work. You will write, in various formats, for almost every class, and in many classes as well. Some assignments will ask you to prepare to write. Others will ask for various kinds of essays, including a researched paper on some aspect of the trial. Still others will focus on revision

WRI 101 [I]: Religion in the Public Square
MWF 8:30 - 9:30
Blum

The role of religion in society has reemerged as a flashpoint of public debate. This class will examine a variety of questions concerning the proper role of religion in contemporary American culture and politics, such as: is our democracy healthier when people keep their religion “privatized” (i.e., out of public debate)? Does religion play a special role in providing a moral compass for politics or society? Should religious individuals or groups receive special legal protections? The class will draw on a variety of philosophical, religious, ethical, and political perspectives (many of which disagree with each other) that speak to these fundamental questions about the rights, freedoms, and responsibilities that citizens have, and the role that religion plays in those challenging questions.

WRI 101 [K]: The U.S. in an Age of Fracture
TR 8:15 - 9:30
Wertheimer

Many observers worry that the sense of national community in the United States has declined over the past several decades.  In the eyes of some critics, as political debate has polarized, and as wealth has concentrated, the nation’s commitment to community responsibility, eroded by such forces as identity politics and market-based individualism, has shrunk to ever-smaller circles.  This course will explore the so-called “Age of Fracture” in recent U.S. history, paying close attention to debates among public thinkers on both the political right and the political left.

WRI 101 [L]: Religion in the Public Square
MWF 11:30 - 12:20
Blum

The role of religion in society has reemerged as a flashpoint of public debate. This class will examine a variety of questions concerning the proper role of religion in contemporary American culture and politics, such as: is our democracy healthier when people keep their religion “privatized” (i.e., out of public debate)? Does religion play a special role in providing a moral compass for politics or society? Should religious individuals or groups receive special legal protections? The class will draw on a variety of philosophical, religious, ethical, and political perspectives (many of which disagree with each other) that speak to these fundamental questions about the rights, freedoms, and responsibilities that citizens have, and the role that religion plays in those challenging questions.

WRI 101 [M]: Evaluating News and Commentary
TR 8:15 - 9:30
Perry, D.

Thomas Jefferson among the Founders was one of the strongest proponents of freedom of the press. He worried greatly about the tendency of government authorities to censor and control the news to suit their purposes, and saw independent journalists as a vital bulwark against tyranny. But he also knew that objective news reporting was futile if citizens were unable to read critically, and lamented “the mass of the people who have no means of distinguishing the false from the true paragraphs of a newspaper.” Today we are in both a better and worse situation than were Jefferson’s contemporaries. Although the vast majority of Americans are fairly literate and have ready access to news and commentary in multiple media (newspapers, magazines, television, radio, blogs etc.), the quality of news reporting and the objectivity of commentary are often woefully poor, and we are daily at risk of being overwhelmed with too much information, or swayed by irresponsible pundits who have no interest in sincere, constructive dialogue. We also worry today not only about the power of overweening government, but also about the ability of wealthy individuals, corporations, and interest groups openly or covertly to push narrow agendas-political, economic and social. So it remains vitally important for citizens in democracies to acquire the knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary to evaluate news and commentary with the care required for responsible civic engagement in public life, which is vital to preserving and promoting basic individual rights.
 

WRI 101[N]:  Injustice in the American Justice System
MWF 1:30 pm
Boddery

This course examines the disproportionate impact the American justice system has on certain segments of society.  The course begins with a discussion on the meaning of justice and the government’s role in fostering it and then transitions to in-depth analyses of various aspects of the present-day justice system, including government procedure, individual civil rights and liberties, and the law.  Throughout the semester students will have informed debates and will draft intellectually rigorous and compelling arguments on the system’s shortcomings and the need for proposed reforms.