In this course we will read and write about the consequences of knowing spaces and places through texts. Places will include Gary Snyder's mountaintops, Walt Whitman's antebellum America, Spike Lee's vision of Brooklyn, Aphra Behn's New World, the workplaces of Melville and Kafka, and the suburbia of Raymond Carver. The readings will provide the groundwork for the writing of several short analytic essays through which you will learn to recognize and use many forms of argument and rhetoric.
Exploratory writing is messy because thought is messy.
Research has shown that this kind of writing can help many students become more productive and more focused thinkers, and consequently, better readers and writers. In addition there will be a series of smaller, informal writing assignments and listserv posts. Attendance is mandatory unless you have a medical or family emergency that requires hospitalization or an extended absence from campus. Plagiarism will be dealt with in a harsh manner. Do not expect to pass the class if you plagiarize.