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How much are we shaped by our historical times and places? How much power do we have to make our historical conditions respond to our needs and desires? These are the questions at the foundation of this course. We will examine these questions and others in the literary genre of the immigrant memoir, where they are particularly crucial. The course includes both memoir-writing and memoir-reading. We will read memoirs by various writers in order to learn from their techniques as well as to understand their concerns about history and the self. We will construct narratives about our times and selves in a series of writing workshops, using such techniques as timed responses to prompts, the effective form of the catalogue, the intertwining of narratives, the description of place, and the choice of language, etc. There will be some exercises where you will be asked to research specific aspects of your times and places. For example, you might be asked to research and write about such questions as: when and where were you born, what were the major cultural or political currents of that time, and how was your early childhood influenced by them? Or you may be asked to bring in a photograph of someone important in your personal history and write about that person. Our writing will be critiqued by the other students throughout the course, and a final project, designed in consultation with the instructor, will complete the course.
COURSE FORMAT: Lecture/Discussion
Level: UGRD Credit: 1 Gen Ed Area Dept: HA ENGL Grading Mode: Student Option
Prerequisites: NONE
Last Updated on MAR-21-2005
Copyright Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 06459