Ruth M. McAdams
Sample Syllabus
COLLEGE WRITING: THE ARTS AND/IN THE PUBLIC
COURSE DESCRIPTION
What should art do? Should it do anything? Many people see the creation or consumption of
art as an act of escape—whether from the mundane concerns or the real struggles of our daily lives.
Although some people value art for this assumed separation from modern life, others dismiss the
rarified world of art as inaccessible and irrelevant to contemporary society. Debates over the role of
art consume artists as well. While some artists see the public as hostile and unappreciative, others
strive for their art to influence what people think about pressing real-world issues. This course,
associated with the Living Arts community in Bursley Hall, will study the shifting relationship
between the creative arts and the larger public. Our multi-media course materials will cover topics
such as how art has been theorized as separate from or integral to society, the effects of recent
experimentation with non-traditional artistic venues and forms, and a variety of recent artistic
scandals, ranging from Mike Daisey’s attempts to pass political theater off as journalism, to the
controversial decision to move the Barnes Foundation’s art collection from its original home in the
Philadelphia suburbs to a more easily accessible downtown location. The semester will conclude
with a consideration about how artistic works from the past can create problems in the present—
such as when Huckleberry Finn, advocating racial tolerance in the nineteenth century, uses language
that we now consider unacceptably racist.
The class will use thought-provoking discussions of the role of art in society to spur the
development of your writing. Ultimately, this class is about writing and academic inquiry. Good
arguments stem from good questions, and academic essays allow writers to write their way toward
answers, toward figuring out what they think. In this course, students focus on the creation of
complex, analytic, well-supported arguments addressing questions that matter in academic contexts.
The course also hones students’ critical thinking and reading skills. Working closely with their peers
and the instructor, students develop their essays through workshops and extensive revision and
editing. Readings cover a variety of genres and often serve as models or prompts for assigned essays,
but the specific questions students pursue in essays are guided by their own interests. We will hold
one-on-one conferences, small-group workshops, and whole-class workshops to help work through
the challenges of college-level academic writing, from developing a strong thesis to final editing. By
the end of the term, you will have written 25 pages of polished prose, and honed skills of grammar,
argumentation, and style.
Learning Goals
1) To produce complex, analytic, well-supported arguments that matter in academic contexts,
using the relationship between the arts and the public as an organizing theme
2) To read, summarize, analyze, and synthesize complex texts purposefully in order to generate
and support writing
3) To analyze the genres and rhetorical strategies that writers use in different rhetorical
situations
4) To develop flexible strategies for organizing, revising, editing, and proofreading writing of
varying lengths to improve development of ideas and appropriateness of expression
5) To collaborate with peers and the instructor to define revision strategies for particular pieces
of writing, to set goals for improving writing, and to devise effective plans for achieving
those goals
6) To hone skills at critical self-assessment and reflection on the process of writing
7) To learn about the shifting relationships between artists and their society in order to foster
artistic work
Required texts
Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say, I Say: the Moves that Matter in Academic Writing.
ISBN # 0393912752 (but any edition will do!)
All other readings provided on CTools under ResourcesRequired Readings
Course Requirements and Grade Breakdown
Introductory Essay (3 pages)
5%
Essay 1 (4 pages)
10%
Summary Assignment (1 page)
5%
Essay 2 (4 pages)
20%
Essay 3 (6 pages)
20%
Essay 4 (7 pages)
20%
Peer Responses
10%
Participation
10%
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENTS
Introductory Essay. What is your art? Who is its public?
Write a three-page essay that introduces yourself to your classmates and to me. As students
in the Living Arts program, you each come to this class as practitioners of one or more art
forms; in this course, we’ll be developing your skills in the art of writing. In this essay,
discuss your views on the proper relationship between your art form (whether it be writing
or another art) and the public. To what extent does a sense of audience influence your
creative process? Should it? Due Monday 10 September, 12:00pm (noon).
Essay 1. Review of a Live Performance.
Write a four-page review of a live performance event that describes and evaluates the
performance, while presenting background information as appropriate. Without giving away
“spoilers,” your essay should make an argument about the merits of the event that helps
readers determine whether they would like to attend. Taking into consideration the event’s
genre and aims, your essay should provide original insights into the event and its context.
Due Friday 28 September, 12:00pm (noon).
Summary Assignment.
Write a one-page summary of either “Cultivating Imagination,” by Martha Nussbaum or
“Chapter 3,” by John Berger. Without using direct quotations, paraphrase the chapter’s
argument in your own words. Do not evaluate the argument or express your opinion about
it; simply relate its key points as best you can. Due Tuesday 2 October, 10:10am (in class).
Essay 2. Textual Critique.
Write a four-page essay that critiques the argument about the relationship between the arts
and the public presented by either Plato’s Republic or Benjamin’s “The Work of Art in the
Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” Your essay must demonstrate a sophisticated
understanding of either Plato’s or Benjamin’s work and should accurately represent its
argument. At the same time, this essay should advance an argument of its own about what
Plato or Benjamin got wrong. You may use examples from our other readings or from your
own experiences to support your claims. Due Friday 26 October, 12:00pm (noon).
Essay 3. Position Paper.
Write a six-page essay that takes a position on an artistic scandal. You may choose a topic
featured in our readings or choose a topic of your own, so long as the scandal in question
involves the relationship between the arts and the public in some way. Your essay should
place itself in dialogue with what other people have had to say on this topic (thus, external
research will be required). In doing so, your essay should advance an argument that has
implications for the way we understand the scandal you choose and larger questions about
the role of art in society. Due Monday 19 November, 12:00pm (noon).
Rewrite (Optional).
This course is designed to encourage students to view writing as an ongoing process that
improves with revision and hard work. It also recognizes that the transition from secondary
to undergraduate education comes with growing pains, especially relating to writing. As such,
students may choose to do a rewrite of one already graded essay, in order to demonstrate
how their writing has continued to improve since the due date. Rewriting an essay is a
serious, time-consuming undertaking, and is to be pursued only by those who are willing to
put in the effort. See Appendix E for more information. Due Friday 30 November, 12:00pm
(noon).
Essay 4. Research Paper.
Write a seven-page essay that makes an argument about a problem posed by our artistic
heritage in the twenty-first-century world. Choose a work of art from the past (broadly
defined) whose meaning to us is significantly different from its meaning to its original
audience. I have a list of appropriate topics, but feel free to choose your own, in consultation
with me. Discuss how historical events or trends since the work’s original appearance have
fundamentally altered the way we understand the work itself. Evaluate different attitudes
toward the work in order to advance your own claims about the role of this work of art in
our contemporary world. Due Tuesday 18 December, 4:00pm.
COURSE CALENDAR
*Please note that reading assignments are due on the day they are listed.
Week 1
Tue 4 Sept
Introduction to course; surveys
Course policies
Discussion: What makes good writing?
Distribute Introductory Essay Assignment
Thu 6 Sept
“How to Read like a Writer,” Mike Bunn
“I walk into a white room” and “Rituals of Preparation,” Twyla Tharp, from The
Creative Habit (p. 1-28)
“On Storytelling, Parts 1-4,” Ira Glass (YouTube)
In class: Sign up for conferences and workshops; distribute Essay 1 assignment
Week 2
Mon 10 Sept, 12:00pm
Tue 11 Sept
Introductory Essay Due
Selected reviews of live performances:
Christopher Isherwood, “Don’t Slump: Stand, Gawk, Collaborate” The New
York Times
Alex Ross, “Block by Block: The Brooklyn Philharmonic Takes to the
Streets,” The New Yorker
Brian Seibert, “Toe Shoes that Carry a Princess to Victory,” The New York
Times
Chris Jones, “New Faces with Real Acting Chops at Second City e.t.c.,” The
Chicago Tribune
In class: Emailing your professor or GSI
Thu 13 Sept
More reviews of live performances:
Andrew Clements, “Einstein on the Beach—review,” (and the comments),
The Guardian
Susan Isaacs Nisbett, “Some Reflections on a Rare Opportunity to See
Groundbreaking ‘Einstein on the Beach,’” Annarbor.com
Ralph J. Gleason, “Aquarius Wept,” Esquire
Preparation for a practice workshop:
Jeremiah Chamberlin, “Workshop is not for you”
John Doe, “Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase: Derek Richards” (first peer
critique due!)
In class: Practice full-class workshop for John Doe’s essay
Week 3
Tue 18 Sept
Essay 1 Full-Class Workshops (2 students)
Wed 19 through Fri 21 Sept
INDIVIDUAL CONFERENCES
Thu 20 Sept
Essay 1 Full-Class Workshops (2 students)
Week 4
Tue 25 Sept
Essay 1 Small-Group Workshops (draft due)
In class: Distribute Summary Assignment
Thu 27 Sept
NO CLASS
Fri 28 Sept, 12:00pm Essay 1 Due (Essay 2 Assignment Posted)
Week 5
Tue 2 Oct
Thu 4 Oct
They Say, I Say, Introduction and Part 1 (p. 1-47)
[you don’t need to do the exercises]
Martha Nussbaum, “Cultivating Imagination: Literature and the Arts,” from Not For
Profit (p. 95-120)
John Berger, “Chapter 3,” from Ways of Seeing (p. 45-64)
Summary Assignment Due
They Say, I Say, Chapters 4-5 (p. 49-73)
Plato, The Republic (selections from the Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism,
p. 49-80)
In class: citing sources, avoiding plagiarism
Week 6
Tue 9 Oct
They Say, I Say, Chapters 6-7 (p. 74-98)
Walter Benjamin, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” from
Illuminations (p. 217-51)
Thu 11 Oct
Essay 2 Full-Class Workshops (2 students)
Week 7
Tue 16 Oct
NO CLASS (FALL BREAK)
Thu 18 Oct
Essay 2 Full-Class Workshops (2 students)
Week 8
Tue 23 Oct
Essay 2 Small-Group Workshops (draft due)
In class: Distribute Essay 3 Assignment
Thu 25 Oct
Library Session on research strategies for Essay 3
Fri 26 Oct, 12:00pm
Essay 2 Due
Week 9
Mon 29 Oct, 7:00pm Screening of The Art of the Steal (DVD)
Tue 30 Oct
The Art of the Steal
Bernard Watson, “New Movie Misrepresents the Barnes Collection and its Move to
Philadelphia,” The Philadelphia Inquirer
Lee Rosenbaum, “The Art of the Steal’ Barnes Documentary’s Gaffes and Gaps
Gaffes and Gaps,” CultureGrrl
Lee Rosenbaum, “Ott Blot: Flawed ‘Art of the Steal’ Misses the Fatal Moment,”
CultureGrrl
Thu 1 Nov
Week 10
Tue 6 Nov
“Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory, ”This American Life
“Retraction,” This American Life
They Say, I Say, Chapters 8-10 and Appendix (p. 101-135)
Essay 3 Draft Workshop (1 student)
Michael Shnayerson, “Crimes of the Art?”, Vanity Fair
Thu 8 Nov
Essay 3 Draft Workshops (2 students)
Week 11
Tue 13 Nov
Essay 3 Draft Workshops (2 students)
Thu 15 Nov
Essay 3 Small-Group Workshops (draft due)
Week 12
Mon 19 Nov, 12:00pm
Tue 20 Nov
Essay 3 Due
(Essay 4 assignment posted)
“Do Word Changes Alter ‘Huckleberry Finn’?” roundtable discussion, The New York
Times
James Baldwin, “Everybody’s Protest Novel,” from Notes of a Native Son (p. 13-23)
In class: Using quotations, your DSP essays
Thu 22 Nov
Week 13
Tue 27 Nov
Thu 29 Nov
NO CLASS (THANKSGIVING)
Esteban Buch, “Beethoven as Führer,” from Beethoven’s Ninth: A Political History (p.
201-20)
Slavoj Zizek, “‘Ode to Joy,’ Followed by Chaos and Despair,” The New York Times
Essay 4 Draft Workshop (1 student)
William Shakespeare, Henry V (Act I, Scene 2 and Act III, Scene 1)
In class: scenes from Henry V (Laurence Olivier, 1944) and Henry V (Kenneth
Branagh, 1989)
Fri 30 Nov, 12:00pm Rewrite due (if applicable)
Week 14
Tue 4 Dec
Essay 4 Draft Workshop (2 students)
Thu 6 Dec
Essay 4 Draft Workshop (2 students)
Course evaluations
Week 15
Tue 11 Dec
Essay 4 Small-Group Workshops (draft due)
Final Assignment
Tue 18 Dec, 4:00pm
Essay 4 Due
COURSE BIBLIOGRAPHY
Required Textbook
Graff, Gerald and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say, I Say. New York: Norton and Co., 2006. Print.
Video Materials
The Art of the Steal. Dir. Don Argott. Prod. Sheena M. Joyce. MAJ Productions, 2009. DVD.
Henry V. Dir. Kenneth Branagh. Perf. Kenneth Branagh, Dereck Jacobi, Simon Shepherd. MGM
Home Entertainment, 2000. DVD.
Henry V. Dir. Laurence Olivier. Perf. Laurence Olivier, Robert Newton, Leslie Banks. Criterion
Collection, 1999. DVD.
Materials Posted on CTools
Bunn, Mike. “How to Read Like a Writer.” Writing Spaces: Reading on Writing. Vol. 2. Ed. Charlie
Lowe and Pavel Zemliansky. Anderson, SC: Parlor Press, 2011. 71-86. Writingspaces.org. Web.
6 Sept 2012.
Tharp, Twyla and Mark Reiter. “Chapter 1: I walk into a white room” and “Chapter 2: Rituals of
Preparation.” The Creative Habit: Learn it and Use it for Life. New York: Simon and Schuster,
2003. 1-28. Print.
Glass, Ira. “On Storytelling, Parts 1-4.” YouTube. YouTube, 18 Aug 2009. Web. 6 Sept 2012.
Isherwood, Charles. “Don’t Slump: Stand, Gawk, Collaborate.” NYTimes.com. The New York Times,
25 Oct 2007. Web. 11 Sept 2012.
Ross, Alex. “Block By Block: The Brooklyn Philharmonic Takes to the Streets.” The New Yorker 2
July 2012: 82-83. Print.
Seibert, Brian. “Toe Shoes that Carry a Princess to Victory.” NYTimes.com. The New York Times, 12
Feb 2012. Web. 11 Sept 2012.
Jones, Chris. “New Faces with Real Acting Chops at Second City e.t.c.” Chicagotribune.com. The
Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2012. Web. 11 Sept 2012.
Doe, John. “Ann Arbor Comedy Showcase: Derek Richards.” English 125, University of Michigan,
Fall 2008. Print.
Clements, Andrew. “Einstein on the Beach—review.” The Guardian. Guardian News and Media
Limited, 6 May 2012. Web. 13 Sept 2012.
Nisbett, Susan Isaacs. “Some Reflections on a Rare Opportunity to See Groundbreaking ‘Einstein
on the Beach.’” Annarbor.com. Annarbor.com LLC, 23 Jan 2012. Web. 13 Sept 2012.
Gleason, Ralph J. “Aquarius Wept.” Esquire Aug 1970: 84-92, 48-49. Print.
Chamberlin, Jeremiah. “Workshop is Not For You.” Glimmertrain.com. Glimmer Train Press, Jan.
2009. Web. 13 Sept. 2012.
Nussbaum, Martha. “Chapter 6. Cultivating Imagination: Literature and the Arts.” Not for Profit: Why
Democracy Needs the Humanities. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2010. 95-120. Print.
Berger, John. “Chapter 3.” Ways of Seeing. New York: Penguin, 1972. 45-64. Print.
Plato. “From The Republic.” Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism. Ed. Vincent B. Leitch. New York:
Norton, 2001. 49-80. Print.
Benjamin, Walter. “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” Illuminations. Trans.
Harry Zohn. Ed. Hannah Arendt. New York: Shocken Books, 1968. 217-51. Print.
Watson, Bernard, C. “New Movie Misrepresents the Barnes Collection and its Move to
Philadelphia.” Philly.com. The Philadelphia Inquirer, 7 March 2010. Web. 30 Oct 2012.
Rosenbaum, Lee. “‘The Art of the Steal’ Barnes Documentary’s Gaffes and Gaps.” CultureGrrl: Lee
Rosenbaum’s Cultural Commentary. Arts Journal, 26 Feb 2010. Web. 30 Oct 2012.
Rosenbaum, Lee. “Ott Blot: Flawed ‘Art of the Steal’ Misses the Fatal Moment.” CultureGrrl: Lee
Rosenbaum’s Cultural Commentary. Arts Journal, 1 March 2010. Web. 30 Oct. 2012.
“Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory.” Narr. Ira Glass. This American Life. National Public Radio, 6 Jan
2012. MP3 File.
“Retraction.” Narr. Ira Glass. This American Life. National Public Radio, 16 March 2012. Web. 1 Nov
2012.
Shnayerson, Michael. “Crimes of the Art?” Vanity Fair Dec 2010: 227-35, 278-79. Print.
Nelson, Jill et al. “Do Word Changes alter ‘Huckleberry Finn’?” NYTimes.com. The New York Times,
5 Jan 2011. Web. 20 Nov 2012.
Baldwin, James. “Everybody’s Protest Novel.” Notes of a Native Son. Boston: Beacon Press, 1983. 1323. Print.
Zizek, Slavoj. “‘Ode to Joy,’ Followed by Chaos and Despair.” The New York Times 24 Dec 2007:
A17. Print.
Buch, Esteban. “Beethoven as Führer.” Beethoven’s Ninth: A Political History. Trans. Richard Miller.
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2003. 201-19. Print.
Shakespeare, William. “Henry V.” The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W. W.
Norton, 1997. 1471-1547. Print.