| source MIT (X) |
level |
department Writing and Humanistic Studies (X) |
21W.730 Writing on Contemporary Issues ( , ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Recitation: MW3-4.30 ( 1-134 ) or TR3-4.30 ( 1-132 ) or MW3-4.30 ( 1-246 ) or TR11-12.30 ( 14N-112 , 1-134 ) Focuses on forms of exposition, including narration, critique, argument, and persuasion, to develop students? ability to write clear and effective prose. Readings and assignments vary by section; each section focuses on a specific theme such as contemporary social problems, the culture of food, and forms of popular culture. Students write frequently, give and receive feedback on work in progress, improve their work by revising, read the work of accomplished writers, and participate actively in class discussions and workshops. Requires short oral presentations. Emphasizes writing with an awareness of audience and purpose. See departmental website for complete descriptions of sections. Limited to 18. Staff
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page
21W.731 Writing and Experience ( , ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Recitation: TR9.30-11 ( 8-119 ) or TR11-12.30 ( 8-119 ) or MW3.30-5 ( 1-136 ) or MW1.30-3 ( 1-242 ) or MW3-4.30 ( 1-132 ) Focuses on the ways writers transform experience into finished and polished writing in the forms of essay, memoir, and autobiography. Students write frequently, give and receive feedback to work in progress, improve their writing by revising, read the work of accomplished writers, and participate actively in class discussions and workshops. Requires short oral presentations. Emphasizes writing with an awareness of audience and purpose. Readings and specific writing assignments vary by section. See departmental website for complete descriptions of sections. Limited to 18. Staff
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page
21W.732 Science Writing and New Media ( , ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Recitation: TR3-4.30 ( 1-134 ) or MW3-4.30 ( 24-407 ) or TR9.30-11 ( 1-134 ) or TR11-12.30 ( 1-273 ) or TR3-4.30 ( 56-180 ) Focuses on writing about science and new media and emphasizes developing students' ability to write clear and effective prose for a range of media. Readings and assignments vary by section; each section focuses on a specific theme such as technical and scientific writing, writing about science for a public audience, the environment, digital media, and others. Students write frequently, give and receive feedback on work in progress, improve their writing by revising, read the work of accomplished writers, and participate actively in class discussions and workshops. Requires short oral presentations. See departmental website for complete descriptions of sections. Enrollment limited. Staff
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page
21W.734J Writing About Literature ( , ) (Same subject as 21L.000J ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: MW2.30-4 ( 1-277 ) Intensive focus on the reading and writing skills used to analyze literary texts such as poems by Emily Dickinson, Shakespeare or Langston Hughes; short stories by Chekhov, Joyce, or Alice Walker; and a short novel by Melville or Toni Morrison. Designed not only to prepare students for further work in writing and literary and media study, but also to provide increased confidence and pleasure in their reading, writing, and analytical skills. Students write or revise essays weekly. Enrollment limited. Fall: W. Kelley Spring: I. Lipkowitz
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page
21W.754J Playwriting I ( , ) (Same subject as 21M.604J ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: M2-5 ( 4-144 ) Introduces the craft of writing for the theater. Through weekly assignments, in class writing exercises, and work on a sustained piece, students explore scene structure, action, events, voice, and dialogue. Examine produced playscripts and discuss student work. Emphasis on process, risk-taking, and finding one's own voice and vision. L. Harrington
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page
21W.755 Writing and Reading Short Stories ( , ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Recitation: MW1-2.30 ( 4-251 ) or TR1-2.30 ( 4-146 ) Introduction to the short story. Students write stories and short descriptive sketches. Readings from European and American stories from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Class discussion of students' writing and of the assigned stories in their historical and social contexts. Fall: S. Lewitt, H. Lee Spring: S. Lewitt
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page
21W.756 Writing and Reading Poems ( , ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: MW1-2.30 ( 1-136 ) Examination of the formal structural and textual variety in poetry. Extensive practice in the making of poems and the analysis of both students' manuscripts and texts from 16th- through 20th-century literature. Attempts to make relevant the traditional elements of poetry and their contemporary alternatives. Weekly writing assignments, including some exercises in prosody. W. Corbett
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page
21W.735 Writing and Reading the Essay ( ) Prereq: 21W.730 , or excellent writing sample and permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9 You must enter the HASS-D lottery to take this subject. Lecture: TR3-4.30 ( 2-103 ) Exploration of formal and informal modes of writing nonfiction prose. Extensive practice in composition, revision, and editing. Reading in the literature of the essay from the Renaissance to the present, with an emphasis on modern writers. Classes alternate between discussion of published readings and workshops on student work. Individual conferences. more information ... R. Faery
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page
21W.736 News Writing ( ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: T EVE (7-10 PM) ( 14-0637 ) An introduction to the basics of print journalism, including an overview of journalistic ethics and life in the newsroom. Students learn basic reporting techniques, interviewing, and news writing, with an emphasis on accuracy, clarity, and brevity. Most writing done in class whereby students learn to write under time pressure, as well as in a distracting environment. Techniques of investigative reporting — including interviewing and research into public and private sources — are assigned on a weekly basis for outside classroom work. B. D. Colen
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page
21W.739J Darwin and Design ( ) (Same subject as 21L.448J ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 You must enter the HASS-D lottery to take this subject. Lecture: TR9.30-11 ( 56-180 ) or MW8.30-10 ( 14E-310 ) In The Origin of Species , Darwin provided a model for understanding the existence of objects and systems manifesting evidence of design without positing a designer, and of purpose and mechanism without intelligent agency. Texts deal with pre-Darwinian and later treatment of this topic within literature and speculative thought since the 18th century, with some attention to the modern study of feedback mechanism in artificial intelligence. Readings in Hume, Voltaire, Malthus, Darwin, Butler, Hardy, H. G. Wells, and Freud. more information ... A. Kibel, J. Paradis
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page
21W.740 Writing Autobiography and Biography ( ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Writing an autobiography is a vehicle for improving one's style while studying the nuances of the language. Literary works are read with an emphasis on different forms of autobiography. Students examine various stages of life, significant transitions, personal struggles, and memories translated into narrative prose, and discuss: what it means for autobiographer and biographer to develop a personal voice; and the problems of reality and fiction in autobiography and biography. K. Manning
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page
21W.741J Black Matters: Introduction to Black Studies ( ) (Same subject as 24.912J , SP.417J , 21A.114J , 21H.106J , 21L.008J , 21M.630J ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 You must enter the HASS-D lottery to take this subject. Lecture: W1-2.30 ( 4-145 ) Recitation: M1-2.30 ( 4-145 ) or M EVE (7-8.30 PM) ( 4-145 ) Interdisciplinary survey of people of African descent that draws on the overlapping approaches of history, literature, anthropology, legal studies, media studies, performance, linguistics, and creative writing. Connects the experiences of African-Americans and of other American minorities, focusing on social, political, and cultural histories, and on linguistic patterns. Includes lectures, discussions, workshops, and required field trips that involve minimal cost to students. more information ... T. DeFrantz, S. Alexandre, C. Capozzola
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page
21W.742J Writing about Race ( ) (Same subject as SP.575J ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 The issue of race and racial identity have preoccupied many writers throughout the history of the US. Students read Jessica Abel, Diana Abu-Jaber, Lynda Barry, Felicia Luna Lemus, James McBride, Sigrid Nunez, Ruth Ozeki, Danzy Senna, Gloria Anzaldua, Judith Ortiz Cofer, Carmit Delman, Stefanie Dunning, Cherrie Moraga, Hiram Perez and others, and consider the story of race in its peculiarly American dimensions. The reading, along with the writing of members of the class, is the focus of class discussions. Oral presentations on subjects of individual interest are also part of the class activities. Students explore race and ethnicity in personal essays, pieces of cultural criticism or analysis, or (with permission of instructor) fiction. All written work is read and responded to in class workshops and subsequently revised. Enrollment limited. more information ... K. Ragusa
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page
21W.745 Advanced Essay Workshop ( ) (Subject meets with SP.576 ) Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9 For students with experience in writing essays and nonfiction prose. Focuses on negotiating and representing identities grounded in gender, race, class, nationality, and sexuality in prose that is expository, exploratory, investigative, persuasive, lyrical, or incantatory. Authors include James Baldwin, Minnie Bruce Pratt, Audre Lorde, Richard Rodriguez, Alice Walker, John Edgar Wideman, Diana Hume George, bell hooks, Margaret Atwood, Patricia J. Williams, and others. Designed to help students build upon their strengths as writers and to expand their repertoire of styles and approaches in essay writing. R. Faery
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page
21W.746 Humanistic Perspectives on Medicine: From Ancient Greece to Modern America ( ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 For students with experience in nonfiction prose and interest in the non-science side of medicine. Advanced study of the art of essay (form, style, techniques of persuasion) and practice of that form. Students required to write substantial essays and revise their work. Students read and discuss the writings of distinguished physicians from antiquity to the late 20th century. more information ... K. Manning
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page
21W.747 Rhetoric ( , ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 You must enter the HASS-D lottery to take this subject. Recitation: MW3-4.30 ( 12-134 ) or TR1-2.30 ( 12-134 ) or TR11-12.30 ( 12-134 ) For students with a special interest in learning how to make forceful arguments in written form. Studies the forms and structures of argumentation, including organization of ideas, awareness of audience, methods of persuasion, evidence, factual vs. emotional argument, figures of speech, and historical forms and uses of arguments. more information ... Fall: S. Strang, L. Perelman, M. Poe Spring: S. Strang, L. Perelman
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page
21W.749 Documentary Photography and Photojournalism: Still Images of a World in Motion ( ) (Subject meets with CMS.935 ) Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9 Designed to increase students' understanding of, appreciation for, and ability to do documentary photography and photojournalism. Each three-hour class is divided between a discussion of issues and readings, and a group critique of students' projects. Students must have their own photographic equipment and be responsible for processing and printing: either by student or commercial lab. Students must show basic proficiency with their equipment. Readings include Susan Sontag, Robert Coles, Ken Light, Eugene Richards, and others. Previous photographic experience required. Enrollment limited to 15. B. D. Colen
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page
21W.757 Fiction Workshop ( , ) Prereq: 21W.755 Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: MW11-12.30 ( 4-251 ) For students interested in developing their understanding of the craft of fiction. Weekly workshop discussions of students' work focus on analysis of structure, style, and characterization. Emphasis on editing and revision. Reading and discussion of 19th- and 20th-century authors, such as Babel, Carver, Chekhov, Faulkner, Kafka, Orwell, Marquez, and Woolf. H. Lee
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page
21W.758 Genre Fiction Workshop ( ) Prereq: A subject in writing short fiction or comparable writing experience Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: TR3.30-5 ( 8-119 ) Students read stories from various genres about catastrophes, natural and human-made, and write stories in specific genres, although not necessarily about the reading topic. Readings include The Last Days of Pompeii (historical fiction), The Tin Roof Blowdown (suspense), Road (fantasy), and the science fiction novels No Blade of Grass and A Canticle for Leibowitz . Students consider genre protocols and how to write within the restrictions and freedoms associated with each genre. Students write a short reaction to each novel, and one short story within a genre or between genres for round-table workshopping. Enrollment limited to 15. J. Diaz
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page
21W.759 Writing Science Fiction ( ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: T EVE (7-10 PM) ( 4-253 ) Students write and read science fiction and analyze and discuss stories written for the class. For the first eight weeks, readings in contemporary science fiction accompany lectures and formal writing assignments intended to illuminate various aspects of writing craft as well as the particular problems of writing science fiction. The rest of the term is given to roundtable workshops on students' stories. J. Haldeman
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page
21W.762 Poetry Workshop ( , ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: W EVE (7-10 PM) ( 56-167 ) For students with some previous experience in poetry writing. Frequent assignments stress use of language, diction, word choice, line breaks, imagery, mood, and tone. Considers the functions of memory, imagination, dreams, poetic impulses. Throughout the term, students examine the work of published poets. Revision stressed. Fall: E. Funkhouser Spring: E. Barrett
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page
21W.763J Transmedia Storytelling: Modern Science Fiction ( ) (Same subject as CMS.309J ) (Subject meets with CMS.809 ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 URL: http://cms.mit.edu/academics/courseInfo.php?courseID=CMS.309 Lecture: M EVE (7-10 PM) ( 2-147 ) Students investigate the genre of science fiction across different media that include the short story, the screenplay, moving image, and games. Students write critical essays and their own works of science fiction, and submit critical analyses of each other's efforts in a roundtable workshop environment. B. Coleman
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page
21W.766J Contemporary US Women of Color: Writing and Reading Short Stories ( ) (Same subject as SP.574J ) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Students read short stories by Native American, Latina, African-American, and Asian-American women writers and write their own stories and descriptive sketches. Writing assignments and discussions focus on these themes: reclaiming, reconstructing, and preserving culture; cultural heritage as a source of power and resistance; storytelling as a means of celebration and survival; shifting, contending, and multiple identities; the costs and advantages of breaking silence; and tensions between assimilation and maintaining cultural practices. H. Lee
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page
21W.769J Playwrights' Workshop ( ) (Same subject as 21M.785J ) (Subject meets with 21M.789 ) Prereq: 21M.604 , 21W.754 or permission of instructor Units: 3-2-7 Continues work in the development of play scripts for the theater. Writers work on sustained pieces in weekly workshop meetings, individual consultation with the instructor, and in collaboration with student actors, directors, and designers. Fully developed scripts eligible for inclusion in the Playwrights' Workshop production. A. Brody
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page
21W.770 Advanced Fiction Workshop ( , ) Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: TR1-2.30 ( 24-112 ) For students with some experience in writing fiction. Write longer works of fiction and short stories which are related or interconnected. Read short story collections by individual writers, such as Sandra Cisneros, Raymond Carver, Edward P. Jones, and Tillie Olsen, and discuss them critically and analytically, with attention to the ways in which the writers' choices about component parts contribute to meaning. In-class exercises and weekly workshops of student work focus on sources of story material, characterization, structure, narrative voice, point of view and concrete detail. Concentration on revision. Fall: J. Diaz Spring: H. Lee
Score: 12.186989 Details | Listing | Web page