Course Descriptions for ENGL 150: Fall 2006
C82019
MWF 9:30-10:20 Addington, Robert Wells
Creative Thinking, Critical Writing
This is a course about writing. In it, will discuss writing. And read writing. And,
lest we forget, do writing. We will ask important questions, such as, what is writing?
What is good writing? What do we do with this called writing? Ought we be suspicious
of people running around calling themselves writers? These are all pertinent questions,
but too much haste in answering them is sure to lead to disappointment or—worse—
general confusion. Rather than tossing out easy explanations, this course seeks to explore
these questions (among others) with the ultimate goal of achieving an understanding
about writing. To guide us, we will read essays by writers such as Mark Twain,
Randolph Bourne, H. L. Mencken, Susan Sontag and George Orwell. There will be four
formal papers (three short, one longer), weekly summations of the readings, and perhaps
a surprise or two tossed in for variety.
02725esl
MWF 9:30-10:20 Grgorinic, Natalija
Negotiating One’s Place in the World
Everything we know about the world can be put in words, but the ways in which our
knowledge is expressed shapes and determines the world itself. Through the course of the
semester this class will analyze a number of relevant historical, literary and current events
texts to reveal what gets communicated through them, and for what purpose. We’ll
further apply our findings to the subject of English Composition and make them a basis
for our study of written expression.
In the course of the semester students will work on four major essays, as well as on a
number of exercises the purpose of which will be to develop academic writing while
expanding critical thinking and research skills. Particular emphasis will be put on
participation in class discussions and active shaping of the class’ trajectory.
This section of English 150 is reserved for ESL students. Enrollment is by permit only.
Please contact Dr. Kurt Koenigsberger at writing@case.edu for more information.
Required literature: Lunsford, Andrea A. The Everyday Writer. 3rd edition. Boston: St.
Martin’s, 2005. All other readings will be provided in digital format.
96340
MWF 9:30-10:20 Hane, Tasia
HIV/AIDS: Kitsch, Culture, and Myth
In this section of ENGL 150, we will discuss the HIV/AIDS pandemic and what it
means to disqualify a portion of society—and how that disqualification affects everyone,
from people across the globe to people across the street. Furthermore, through our
examinations of the course materials and through classroom discussions we will learn to
construct well-reasoned, informed arguments about potentially explosive topics while
avoiding ideologically based arguments and circular logic. Among other possible texts,
we will be reading and discussing the following: Heaven’s Coast by Mark Doty, Pedro
and Me by Judd Winick, and various nonfiction prose pieces and poetry. Course
requirements include a 7–9-page research paper, various short-form writing assignments,
and weekly Blackboard posts.
96374
MWF 3:00-3:50
Stuart, Jason
Controversies and Debates in Higher Education
In this class, conflicts and controversies in the contemporary university provide the
starting point for classroom discussion and writing assignments. Students will consider
such topics as women's athletics and Title IX, file sharing on campus, rights management
and open access, the "academic freedom" debate and the "culture wars," online sources
and resources, and social networks. While practicing writing, revision, and research
skills, students will be encouraged to reconsider tools likely familiar - blogs, wikis,
podcasts - in order to understand how they are being used to facilitate responsible (and
irresponsible) scholarly communication.