JUNIOR WRITING:
WRITING FOR CRITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS
STPEC 393A
Wednesdays, 4:40 - 7:10pm
Ethan Myers
ec_myers@yahoo.com
Machmer E-27
Thursdays 1 - 3pm
Writing for Critical Consciousness fulfills the Junior Writing requirement for the Social Thought
and Political Economy program. In this course, we will work toward gaining comfort and skill
examining your own writing with the goal of exercising more control over it. The path from textual
analysis to textual creation is long and rocky; perhaps because of the effort involved, those who
carefully analyze and examine their written work have the power to grow and develop as writers
long after they leave this classroom.
Many of us have had the experience that, when a due date looms, we collect lots of information,
eat some junk food, then “just bang it out.” Some writers may believe such a process is the only
way they can write. It gets results. And it may sometimes be necessary given the material realities of
our lives. But the problem for us, at least this semester in this classroom, is that this approach to
writing weighs heavier on content than on expression. We’ll shift that weight in this course as we
linger on the “bang it out” part of writing. To dwell in the process of creation is not merely to
humor a writing nerd’s advice for producing “good writing,” but is to orient oneself in the political
action and power of rhetoric: how a writer says what she says pulls as much gendered, racial,
cultural, historical and political weight as what she says. A good writer, to my mind, understands
the power of language, and can control it. To write and to think nothing of how language functions
is to forfeit your voice, and so also your power.
The emphasis of this course is on expository writing. We will consider global issues like matters of
analysis and organization, and local issues like word choice; issues of style and form; the politics of
language; and rhetorical conventions. What you write about will be largely up to you. Because the
landscape of “writing” is particularly dynamic, as we move through the semester we’ll broaden the
scope of “writing” to “composing.” You can think of the beginning of the semester having fixed
boundaries around “good writing,” but once we’ve explored those boundaries and the territory
they draw, we’ll work to transgress them and to map new territories, or, at any rate, to map familiar
territories in new ways.
TEXTS
The majority of texts for this class have been selected not for what they say, but for how they say it.
Most texts will be made available to you via Google Drive. If you don’t have one already, please
create a Google account so that you’ll be able to access important files and texts for this course.
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Two actual physical texts are available at Food For Thought in Amherst. Food For Thought is a
wonderful bookstore. It is a worker’s collective, and they rely on our support. Strunk and White’s
little book is not expensive, and is easy to find used. I suspect you can find used copies of
Working, too. If you choose not to purchase the texts, you must secure access to them some other
way. It’s possible to find both in area libraries. As for Working, be sure to get the recent, graphic
adaptation by Harvey Pekar, not the Nixon-era Studs Terkel original.
Pekar, Harvey. Studs Terkel’s Working: A Graphic Adaptation. Peter Buhle, ed.
Strunk, William and White, E.B. The Elements of Style
Work
Late assignments are not accepted. This applies to all assignments, whether it seems like a
“formal” or “major” assignment, or not. If you are having trouble, or a personal emergency has
come up, let me know as soon as possible. Extensions are rare, but if you would like one and feel
that you have a compelling reason, speak with me at least 24 hours before the due date. Be
prepared to show me your work and have a sound case for an extension. Extensions will not be
granted if it is clear that you have done no or only minimal work toward the finished project.
Assignments in this class are spaced intentionally to correspond with readings and discussions, and
to allow time to work on them. One late assignment causes a train wreck of overdue papers further
down the line. It’s best to stay on top of your work. The reading load is quite light so that you can
focus on your own research and writing; you will have a writing assignment due nearly every week.
Incompletes are possible in extreme cases only, for example in the case of serious illness.
Moodle
We have a Moodle page. We’re all new to Moodle, and I hope it goes smoothly. Please let me
know as soon as you can about any problems you encounter, and I’ll bumble through my very
limited techie skill set, or find someone else, to try to fix it.
Nearly every week you will have a Moodle assignment. In part, this will help us to keep in touch
with each other and our work during the long stretches between class sessions. But it’s also a venue
for you to develop your ideas and your essays. Participation on the Moodle page is mandatory.
20% of your final grade is based on your Moodle contributions. This is a percentage significant
enough to make or break your final grade.
Weekly Moodle assignments may vary somewhat, but basically they’ll look like this:
1. Write a 250-word summary of the week’s reading.
2. Identify and provide an example of at least two rhetorical moves made by the author.
3. Propose two essay topics, one that stems from the reading’s content, the other from one of the
moves you identified in 2, above.
Moodle assignments will be due on Monday nights at 11:59 pm.
Peer Review
We will spend some time reviewing each other’s writing. Many of us have known peer review to
be a frustrating experience, but I believe it has wonderful potential for building community,
helping us to develop as writers, and resisting colonial and patriarchal conventions of the
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classroom. In order for the process to be effective, everyone must participate enthusiastically. I
encourage you to peer review papers for your other courses as well. Evidence of peer review
with a partner from our class is mandatory for a passing grade.
Essays
Essays for this course will range from approximately five to fifteen pages in length. We will create
most of the essays in chunks, so you’ll not infrequently bring working drafts and sections of essays
to class. Some topics will emerge from the course readings, others you will discover in
extracurricular experiences and readings. The weekly Moodle assignments should help to guide
you through the process of creating your formal essays, and help solidify content and style.
All papers should be written at the college level. Proper grammar and appropriate citations are a
given. Never turn in an essay of any length without a title and a works cited page. All final, hard
copies of essays must be professionally presented. They must be stapled, with pages numbered,
and margins adjusted to one inch. I will deduct points from essays that fail to meet these criteria.
To receive a grade and the benefit of my feedback your paper must be handed in by the due date
either in hard copy or via Moodle. I will not grade emailed papers.
Plagiarism is passing off another author’s work as your own, paraphrased or copied verbatim.
Plagiarism is considered a strict offense by me and by the University and carries strict penalties.
Attribute all ideas, work, and language to the source.
Participation
Come to class, arrive on time, contribute to class discussions and to peer review sessions, come to
scheduled meetings with me, turn in your work. Simply fulfilling these most basic elements of
school will earn you a full 10% toward your final grade.
Grades
A 93-100
A- 90-92
B+ 87-89
B 83-86
B- 80-82
Projects
Essay 1 (5-7pp; due 10.2)
Essay 2 (5-7pp; due 11.2)
Essay 3 (15pp; due 12.5)
Essay 4 (6-8pp; due 12.14)
Moodle
Participation
C+ 77-79
C 73-76
C- 70-72
D+ 67-69
D 60-66
F <60
10%
15%
30%
15%
20%
10%
Schedule
All readings and assignments must be completed by the date that they appear on the syllabus. So,
before class on Wednesday, September 12 you should read and prepare to discuss George
Orwell’s “Politics and the English Language,” James Baldwin’s “The White Problem,” and
Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style. Don’t forget the Moodle assignment, too, which will
be due on the Monday night prior to our class.
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Wednesday, Sept 5
David Foster Wallace on fish, liberal arts, thinking, adulthood, the genre of the
commencement address, self-centeredness
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vET9cvlGJQw&feature=related
Zadie Smith from “That Crafty Feeling”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_uAav8L5EY
(For the text version, see Chapter 7 in Changing My Mind)
Wednesday, Sept 12
George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language”
James Baldwin, “The White Problem”
Strunk and White
50 Rhetorical Devices: http://www.dailywritingtips.com/50-rhetorical-devices-forrational-writing/
Wednesday, Sept 19
June Jordan, “Nobody Means More to Me than You and the Future Life of
Willie Jordan”
Strunk and White, continued
The Slave Narratives: choose one to read and present to the class
Moodle: Write a Strunkandwhitist critique of the lessons that Jordan’s class develops.
Bring to class three possible essay ‘angles,’ along with evidence/support for each.
In class writing: the politics of documentary and representation
Wednesday, Sept 26
Ed Abbey “Polemic: Industrial Tourism and the National Parks” and “Water” from
Desert Solitaire
Strunk and White
Discussions of form and function: why do we write the way we write? The effects of
style. Polemics.
Due: Draft of Essay 1 for in-class workshop
Tuesday, Oct 2 5pm
DUE: Final version of Essay 1
Wednesday, Oct 3
Magazine Nonfiction
William Finnegan, “Letter from Mexico” in The New Yorker (2011)
David Remnick, “Bruce Springsteen at 62” in The New Yorker (2012)
(Monday, Oct 8th: Columbus Day; Tuesday, Oct 9th: Monday Schedule)
Wednesday, Oct 10
Rebecca Solnit TBD
Barry Lopez “Flight”
Bring to class goals, hopes, inspiration for Essay 2
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In class: What do you think worked/didn’t work on Essay 1?
Wednesday, Oct 17
Memes of Resistance (TBD)
Bring to class three topics for Essay 2, along with analogies, narrative possibilities, and
your own connection to the topic (or your bias).
Wednesday, Oct 24
Workshop: Enlisting extended metaphors, personal narrative; connecting disparate topics
Continue working on Essay 2
Wednesday, Oct 31 (Halloween)
Studs Terkel’s Working
Essay 2 Revisions: polishing, local edits
Friday, Nov 2, 5pm
DUE: ESSAY 2
Wednesday, Nov 7
Working, continued
Discuss Essay 3 Proposals (bring your formal proposal to your meeting with Ethan)
Wednesday, Nov 14 Monday Schedule – NO CLASS
Individual Meetings with Ethan This Week and Next – sign up for a time!
Researching and Writing: Keep working on Essay 3!
Wednesday, Nov 21 Thanksgiving Break begins AFTER class
Wednesday, Nov 28
Expanding the Borders: other kinds of essays
Workshop: Essay 3 – form and function
Wednesday, Dec 5 Last Class
DUE: Essay 3
Course wrap-up, reflections, evaluations and essay presentations
Wed, Dec 14: DUE: Essay 4 -- reflection, self-critique, future goals and opportunities
All Work Due No Later Than 5pm, Wednesday, Dec 14th
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