This course will teach you how to develop and strengthen your interpretive and analytic writing skills. The emphasis will be on

giving you the story-telling skills to communicate your ideas and analyses persuasively, with effective use of evidence.

We will begin the course with critical readings and discussion about the essential elements of compelling analytic approaches to the complex issues of our time. Then we will move to the core of the course—writing. You will work on one or two works of writing, which the professor and your classmates will critique. We’ll go through the process of revisions, iterations of a story bringing it closer and closer to what you’d like to say. In the process, you’ll develop a constructively critical eye on your own and on other’s work. This will include consideration of different tonal and structural writing approaches depending on your audience.

Subject matter of the writing exercises is up to the student: You may choose to work on a writing assignment for another class, or on an original work.