First Year Writing Curriculum

FIRST YEAR WRITING SUBJECTS

Students write frequently, give and receive feedback on work in progress, improve their work by revising, read the work of accomplished writers, and participate actively in class discussions and workshops. Short oral presentations are also required. Emphasizes writing with an awareness of audience and purpose. Writing and Rhetoric focuses on forms of exposition, including narration, critique, argument, and persuasion, to develop students' ability to write clear and effective prose. Writing and Experience focuses on the ways writers transform experience into finished and polished writing in the forms of essay, memoir, and autobiography. Science Writing and New Media focuses on writing about science and new media to develop students' ability to write clear and effective prose for a range of media. Readings and assignments vary by subject and focus on themes relevant to each genre. Enrollment in each subject is limited to 18.

21W.011 (CI-HW) Writing and Rhetoric: Rhetoric and Contemporary Social Issues - Andrea Walsh
Spring - Section 1 TR 12:30-2:00/ Section 2 TR 3:00-4:30

This course provides the opportunity for students-- as readers, viewers, writers and speakers ---to engage with social and ethical issues that they care deeply about. Over the course of the semester, through discussing the writing of authors such as Marian Wright Edelman, Charles Dickens, Alan Dershowitz, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., Jonathan Kozol and Susanna Kaysen, we will explore different perspectives on a range of social issues such as the responsibilities of citizens, freedom of expression, poverty and homelessness, mental illness, the challenges of an aging society, the politics of food and racial and gender inequality. Throughout the semester, we will discuss different rhetorical strategies that aim to increase awareness of social problems, to educate the public about different perspectives on contemporary issues, and to persuade readers of the value of particular positions on or solutions to social problems. In addition, we will analyze selected photographs, as well as documentary and feature films that represent or dramatize social problems or issues. In assigned essays, students will have the opportunity to write about social and ethical issues of their own choice. For the three major assignments, students will revise each piece. This course aims to help students to grow significantly in their ability to understand and compare arguments, to use different rhetorical strategies, to integrate secondary print and visual sources and to craft vibrant, well-reasoned and elegant essays and grant proposals. Students will also do regular homework assignments and give oral presentations. In class we will discuss assigned texts, explore strategies for successful academic writing, freewrite and respond to one another's writing.

21W.012 (CI-HW) Writing and Rhetoric: Food for Thought - Karen Boiko
Fall - Section 1 TR 11:00-12:30 / Section 2 TR 3:00-4:30

If you are what you eat, what are you? Food is at once the stuff of life and a potent symbol; it binds us to the earth, to our families, and to our cultures. Food is a necessity, a comfort, a delight, a temptation—and, increasingly, an issue discussed and debated in mainstream media. In this class, we explore many of the fascinating issues that surround food as both material fact and personal and cultural symbol. We read non-fiction works by Toni Morrison, Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser, Wendell Berry and others on such topics as family meals, food’s ability to awaken us to “our own powers of enjoyment” (M.F.K. Fisher), and eating as an “agricultural act” (Berry). We read Michael Pollan’s best-selling In Defense of Food and discuss the issues this book raises about America’s food supply and its eating habits as well as the rhetorical strategies it employs. Assigned essays will grow out of personal experience and the texts we read, and will include narratives, analytical essays, and essays that depend on research. Revision of essays and workshop review of writing in progress are an important part of the course.

21W.013 (CI-HW) Writing and Rhetoric: Introduction to Contemporary Rhetoric - Don Unger
Fall - Section 1 MW 3:00-4:30

Through reading contemporary rhetorical theory and evaluating practices of rhetoric—in political speeches, scientific arguments, and popular media—this class studies rhetoric as a body of knowledge that offers a means of developing persuasive arguments, a method of analyzing written, oral, and visual texts, and a mode of human inquiry. We will consider how rhetoric shapes current, large-scale issues. Students write analyses that consider how other writers use rhetoric, and apply rhetorical principles while constructing their own persuasive arguments, both written and oral.

21W.021 (CI-HW) Writing and Experience - MIT - Inside, Live - Lucy Marx
Fall - Section 1 MW 1:30-3:00 / Section 2 MW 3:30-5:00

We at MIT are justifiably proud of MIT’s unparalleled reputation among institutes of science and technology. We’re aware, of course, of the record number of Nobel Prize winners MIT has nourished, but even more important, we know they represent only the tip of the iceberg—the vast range of intellectual discovery and practical accomplishment that has been housed at MIT since its inception in 1861. So what has made MIT such an inspiring place? And what, actually, is the experience of MIT undergraduates now, in 2011?  Acting as participant-observers, our class will investigate MIT’s history and culture as we roam the infinite corridor, explore the MIT archives, visit MIT’s museums, tour some of MIT’s fantastic architecture, and—who knows?—perhaps even track some of the hidden byways of MIT’s hackers. Along the way, we’ll chronicle our experiences and insights through a variety of writing projects—a report on some facet of MIT that particularly intrigues you, a journal of your own MIT experiences, and reviews of some of the MIT sites we visit and literature we read. At the end of the semester, you will gather your best writing into a portfolio—your own version of MIT.2011: Inside, Live.

21W.022 (CI-HW) Writing and Experience: Reading and Writing Autobiography - William Corbett
Spring - Section 1 TR 12:30-2:00

This course draws on a wide range of autobiographical writing and on my own memoir, Furthering My Education. The essays you write will focus on your own experience, exploring such topics as your intellectual growth and development, your childhood and high school years, life at MIT, the influence of place upon your personality and character, the role politics and religion play in your life, and topics of your own choice. The emphasis will be on clarity, specificity and structure. We will investigate several modes of writing--narrative, analytical, expository--suitable to the task at hand.

21W.023 (CI-HW) Writing and Experience: Heroes in the Post Modern World - Shariann Lewitt
Fall AY'12 only - Section 1 MW 9:00-10:30

Heroes have been declared dead or irrelevant since the middle of the Twentieth Century; Sandman has replaced Superman and we study the flaws of the great leaders of earlier times.  Yet, from Che Guevara to Harry Potter, the image of the hero influences our world view, informs our choices and functions as metaphor in ethical dilemmas.  In class we will explore questions such as the characteristics that define the hero, and how those have  changed over time.  Why is King Arthur a hero?  Mother Teresa?  Nelson Mandela? Batman? Why do their deeds remain compelling and how does the nature of the hero fit in the post-modern world?  We will examine heroes in literature and history by reading essays, stories, plays, graphic story, and watching film and media.  You will write four essays or three essays and a story which will grow out of your examination of the concept of the hero in society and as a literary creation.  We will use the writer’s tools of workshop and revision to practice the craft of turning ideas and experience into powerful written communication.

21W.024 (CI-HW) Writing and Experience: Culture Shock! - Rebecca Faery
Fall - Section 1 TR 11:00-12:30

This course is an introduction to writing prose for a public audience—specifically, prose that is both critical and personal, that features your ideas, your perspective, and your voice to engage readers. The focus of our reading and your writing will be American popular culture, broadly defined. That is, you will write essays that critically engage elements and aspects of contemporary American popular culture and that do so via a vivid personal voice and presence. In the coming weeks we will read a number of pieces that address current issues in popular culture. These readings will address a great many subjects from the contemporary world to launch and elaborate an argument or position or refined observation. And you yourselves will write a great deal, attending always to the ways your purpose in writing and your intended audience shape what and how you write. The end result of our collaborative work will be a new edition, the eighth, of Culture Shock!, an online magazine of writings on American popular culture, which we will post on the web for the worldwide reading public to enjoy.

21W.025 (CI-HW) Writing and Experience: Border Crossings - Rebecca Faery
Fall - Section 1 TR 3:00-4:30

In this era of globalization, many of us have multi- or bi-cultural, multilingual or bilingual backgrounds, and even if we don’t have such a background, we need urgently to understand the experiences of people who do.  You will very likely work outside the United States at some point in your future; you will almost certainly work with people who speak more than one language, whose ancestry or origins are in a country other than the U.S., who have crossed borders of nation, language, culture, to amalgamate into the large and diverse culture that is America.  In this class we will read the personal narratives of bilingual and bicultural writers, some of whom have struggled to assimilate, others of whom have celebrated their own contributions to a culture of diversity.  You will write four personal essays of your own for the class, each of which will receive workshop discussion in class and response from me; you will then revise the essays to polish them for possible publication.  One of your essays will be an investigative one, where you will focus on a subject of your choice, investigate it thoroughly, and then write with authority about it.  The process of the class will encourage you to both improve your writing significantly and gain a greater understanding of experiences of people who are in some way like you as well as those who are in some way different.

21W.031 (CI-HW) Science Writing and New Media: Explorations in Communicating about Science and Technology - Janis Melvold
Spring - Section 1 TR 12:30-2:00

Proficiency in communicating about science and technology comes from both knowledge and practice, and this course emphasizes both.  Through a variety of reading and writing assignments, we will examine general principles of good writing, as well as principles associated specifically with scientific and technical writing. We will also explore the effects of new media as avenues for communicating about science.  To help you become more proficient in assessing, revising, and editing your writing, the course emphasizes the importance of the writing process. Class time will involve discussions of scientific articles and essays, as well as small group workshops in which students offer feedback on each other’s writing. Assignments will include, for example, a critical review, a science essay for the general public, and a research or service project proposal.  The topics you write on will be of your own choosing, reflecting your background and interests. While the primary emphasis will be on writing, oral communication will also be important. You will have the opportunity to practice oral communication skills in class discussions, as well as through formal and informal presentations.

21W.032 (CI-HW) Science Writing and New Media: Introduction to Digital Media - Edward Barrett
Fall - Section 1 TR 1:00-2:30

This subject focuses on digital media production and associated written and oral reports. Students, singly and in small collaborative teams, create a variety of digital media projects throughout the term, culminating in a larger final project of their choosing.  Assignments include audio and video essays, web site design, games and interactive fiction, mobile technology, and class readings.  Writing assignments include bi-weekly short essays analyzing your digital projects, a proposal, a progress report and a completion report for the final project. Open to all students; normally required for science writing majors.

21W.033 (CI-HW) Science Writing and New Media: Engineering Communication in Context - Dave Custer
Fall - Section 1

Introduces writing, graphics, meetings, reading, oral presentation, collaboration, and design as tools for product development. Students work in teams to conceive, design, prototype, and evaluate energy-related mechanical engineering products. Instruction focuses on communication exercises that are integral to the design process, including design notebooks, email, informal and formal presentations, meeting etiquette, literature searches, white papers, proposals, and reports. Other assignments address the cultural situation of engineers and engineering in the world at large.

21W.034 (CI-HW) Science Writing and New Media: Perspectives on Medicine and Public Health - Cynthia Taft
Fall - Section 1 MW 1:00-2:30

Like other scientists, medical researchers and clinicians must be capable of presenting their work to an audience of professional peers.  Unlike many scientists, however, physicians must routinely translate their sophisticated knowledge into lay terms for their own patients and for the education of the public at large.  A surprising number of physicians write for less utilitarian reasons as well, choosing the narrative essay as a means of exploring the non-technical issues that emerge in their clinical practice.  Over the course of the semester we will explore the full range of writings by physicians and other health practitioners.  Some of the writer/physicians that we encounter will be Atul Gawande, Danielle Ofri, Jerome Groopman, Rafael Campo, and William Carlos Williams.  Students need have no special training, only a general interest in medicine or in public health issues such as AIDS, asthma, malaria control, and obesity.  The writing assignments, like the readings, will invite students to consider the distinctive needs of different audiences.  Assignments will include a critical review of two articles from the New England Journal of Medicine or another similar journal, a literature review geared toward an audience of health professionals, a report suitable for general publication, two oral presentations, an autobiographical narrative, a resume, and a job application letter.  Students will learn to respond constructively to the work of others and to revise their own work in the light of comments from the instructor and from their peers.

21W.035 (CI-HW) Science Writing and New Media: Elements of Science Writing for the Public - Karen Boiko
Spring - Section 1 MW 3:30-5:00

An introduction to writing about science (including medicine, technology, and engineering) for general readers.  Each writing assignment will focus on a different popular form, such as news article, interview, essay, short feature.  Writing, and the background research essential to it, is the focus of this course; students will revise most assignments and workshop them in class.  Reading the work of accomplished science writers will play an important part as well, as will oral communication. Ideas into Words: Mastering the Craft of Science Writing by Elise Hancock  Open to all students; normally required for majors in science writing. 

21W.041J (CI-HW) - Writing about Literature

Noel Jackson / Fall - Section 1 MW 10:30-12:00

This CI-HW subject is primarily designed to strengthen your skills in self-expression and communication, both written and oral.  We will pursue this goal through intensive focus on the reading and writing skills used to analyze literary texts, especially poetry, by Emily Dickinson, Shakespeare, Elizabeth Bishop, and many others.  The course is designed not only to prepare you for further work in humanities if you choose, but also to provide increased confidence and pleasure in your reading, writing, and analytical skills.  Students write or revise essays on a regular basis.

Wyn Kelley / Fall - Section 2 MW 9:30-11:00


Students, scholars, bloggers, reviewers, fans, and book-group members write about literature, but so do authors themselves.  Through the ways they engage with sources, sampling and remixing as they go, writers reflect on and inspire questions about the creative process.  This course will allow students to observe their own habits as readers and writers; to study the ways authors recombine materials to create new works; and to develop tools for evaluating their own literary interpretations and arguments in workshops that involve free-writing, team presentations, group discussion, and peer  review. We will examine Shakespeare’s adaptation of his European sources in Romeo and Juliet; Mary Shelley’s reshaping of Milton, German fairy tales, and her own husband’s poems to make Frankenstein; Melville’s redesign of a travel narrative into a Gothic novella in Benito Cereno; and Alison Bechdel’s rewriting of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest in her graphic novel Fun Home.  Showings of film versions of some of these works will allow us to project forward in the remixing process as well. 

21W.042J (CI-HW) Writing with Shakespeare


Diana Henderson / Fall - Section 1 TR 3:30-5:00

William Shakespeare didn’t go to college. If he could time-travel like Dr. Who, he would be stunned to find his words on a university syllabus.  However, he would not be surprised at the way we will be using those words in this class, because the study of rhetoric was essential to all education in his day.  We too will focus on communication using words, with Shakespeare as a capacious model and inspiration for dialogue, self-presentation and writing.
By writing “with” Shakespeare—creatively, critically, in groups and in response to performances and commentary in a variety of formats and media—you will have ample opportunity to explore the elements and occasions that shape effective, meaningful communication.  In addition to famous speeches and sonnets, we will consider film versions of Much Ado About Nothing and the challenges of social exchange in Othello.  You may come to understand the enduring interest and power of Shakespeare as a writer, and as a cultural source across the globe. However, our aim is less to appreciate Shakespeare as an end in itself than to draw on his writing (the vocabulary, the variety, the verbal command), and the debates prompted by his works in order to help you improve your own writing, speaking, analytic thinking, use of resources, and understanding of current media.