Personal and Expository Writing:
Course Description:
The primary goal of this course is to hone the tools necessary for lively expository and personal writing. The idea of being “lively” may seem at odds with the basic tasks of expository prose: informing, explaining, examining, discussing, illustrating. But some of the most vital, most crucial, and even the most creative writing we do is about our lives, in and outside of school, and centers on these writing skills. Through responding to a variety of prompts and through reading numerous inspiring texts, we will seek to make the essay as welcome and ready a vehicle for passion and creativity as other literary modes. Because the topics of creative non-fiction come from the real world, there will some various trips outside the classroom to gather material and spark creativity. So whether you want to practice a college essay that will command attention, craft a piece about the rain forest that will convince your senator to change her vote, analyze a film for its social commentary or cinematic presentation, write clearly and convincingly about that poem that you have always loved, or capture a moment at the ballgame with your grandfather, you’ll find the opportunity. If there are any writers whose work inspires and guides you, please let me know and I’ll do my best to work that author into the class.
Course Text:
Course Goals:
My goals for this course are for you to:
learn to approach writing as a process, recognizing that it usually takes multiple drafts to complete a successful essay;
gather and use strategies for brainstorming, drafting, and revising essays;
hone your skills in the basic elements of writing (effective vocabulary, sentences, and paragraphs);
recognize how purpose and audience influence style and content, and write essays that reflect various purposes (narration, definition, cause and effect, persuasion);
and gain confidence in your ability to write.