Training in writing expository prose. Further instruction in expository writing in conjunction with reading literature. Satisfies the second half of the Reading and Composition requirement.

Hobbyists. Amateurs. Laypeople. Obsessionals. Devotees. Typically, when we do literary study, we look to the expert: someone who has trained for decades and is paid to know (and to teach). We will instead invest a semester in looking to the history of criticism that comes from beyond the university, and adjacent to it, tracing the relationship between those who are paid to know, and those who do it without compensation. We will look at (and write in) the forms of critique produced by “amateurs” and para-academics: the personal essay, the hot take, the blog, the scrapbook. With a focus on questions of work, what it means to belong (or not), and the effects of the digital age, we will read a wide variety of critics, whether they be canonized, minor, or even—internet influencers.

Requisites

• Previously passed an R_A course with a letter grade of C- or better. Previously passed an articulated R_A course with a letter grade of C- or better. Score a 4 on the Advanced Placement Exam in English Literature and Composition. Score a 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Exam in English Language and Composition. Score of 5, 6, or 7 on the International Baccalaureate Higher Level Examination in English.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills