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Course description |
Writing Seminar: The Altered Individual in Contemporary Film and Literature Brian Baldi Mondays and Wednesdays, 11:30 - 12:50, D43
Be prepared for oddity and amplification. Be prepared for lonely beat cops talking to bars of soap, phantom buses with uncertain destinations, well-staffed way stations to the afterlife, and giant eloquent frogs that fight battles underneath Tokyo. Be prepared, in this class, to examine spectacular transformations of characters in contemporary film and literature. More specifically, we’ll examine how characters in these texts are compelled into surreal new circumstances and, through these new circumstances, into new emotional territories. Thus we might better scrutinize our own capacity for personal evolution in the contemporary world. Films to be considered include “Ghost World”, “Chungking Express”, “After Life”, and “The Science of Sleep”. We will supplement and spark our understanding by reading fiction that also hinges on exaggerated metaphorical spaces and radical transformation, including Colson Whitehead’s “Apex Hides the Hurt,” Haruki Murakami’s “After the Quake,” and Kelly Link’s “Magic for Beginners.” Along with these texts, we will read essays delving into film criticism, metaphor, narrative structure, revelation, and the nature of character and modernity.
Good writing exhibits clarity of communication and deliberateness of thought. In this class, we will focus on both of these things by scrutinizing the writing choices available to us so that we might better create clear, concise, and emboldened prose. During the semester we will work on three essays and numerous brief writing assignments, which will help you to:
In this course you will be graded on three essays, a number of short responses, and your participation in our community of writers. Your grade will be calculated according to the following breakdown:
The essays include a 5-page personal response to the themes and material of the course, a 6-page critical discussion of course texts, and a 9-page research paper on an approved topic. Response papers should be about a page and a half long, and are meant to spur class discussion. I’ll provide prompts the class before a response is due. Writing community membership includes your willingness to propel class discussions, help edit your peers’ work, and come prepared for every single class.In addition, you will be requiredto attend conferences with me to discuss your progress. These conferences are extremely important. Accordingly, failure to show up for one will be calculated as two class absences. Attendance: Regular attendance and preparation for class are basic expectations of the course. The class does not work unless everyone is here, on time, and prepared. Still, you are allowed three absences. Save them for the occasional emergency or illness. Aside from exceptional circumstances, being sick does not entitle you to extra absences once you have used your allotted three. Each absence beyond that will reduce your final participation grade by a half grade (A- becomes a B+). Furthermore, three instances of tardiness will equal one full absence, and coming to class unprepared (not having done the reading or applicable short responses) will result in an absence. Late Papers: All essay drafts and response papers are due on the days listed on the course calendar. Late drafts will result in a reduction of the final essay grade. Also, absences will not excuse you from an essay due date, so if you anticipate being absent make sure you arrange to have your paper turned in on time. Response papers are meant to stimulate class discussion for the day assigned. As a result, no late response papers will be accepted. Eating: Keep your snacks modest and non-distracting (i.e., nothing manifestly odorous). Formatting: I consider a page of prose to be double-spaced in a Times New Roman 12-point font (or a serif-based font of similar size) with 1-inch margins all around. Always include a title page, but don’t get cute with fonts, and certainly don’t count a title page in your page total. Works cited lists don’t count, either. Course Schedule (subject to change)
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