This course develops thinking, reading and writing skills by focussing on the literary study of nonfiction. Types of nonfiction studied may include personal essays, travelogues, autobiographies, biographies, science journalism, etc. The course may also include works that challenge the boundary between fiction and nonfiction.
Evaluation is conducted through written assignments and in-class examination.
The Norton Reader. Through the study of a selection of non-fictional prose works ranging in length from the essay to the book, this course will enable students to extend their critical and analytical skills and to develop an awareness of the rhetorical principles that inform effective discourse. Through exposure to a variety of prose texts, principally from the twentieth century, students will develop a critical awareness of the relationship between style and meaning. They will learn how prose can mirror changing social and philosophical views, and how writer give shape to their experience and interests.