Expository writing based on analysis of selected masterpieces of ancient and modern literature. R1A satisfies the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement, and R1B satisfies the second half.

In this class, we read works that employ and defy literary conventions to unsettle social categories. Examining a work’s literary contours ultimately involves an examination of the contested borders of race, class, gender, language, and geography. As a class, we attend to how figurative language (and especially metaphor) can reveal the shifting terrain upon which supposedly categorical distinctions are founded. We find that writers who take seemingly abstract, fantastical, or aesthetic categories as their subject are also critiquing and remaking the social order. The works we read originate from a variety of languages and periods: The novel Interior Chinatown (Charles Yu, 2020) crosses over into the genre of a screenplay to reveal how a society’s stereotypes affect an individual’s interior. Conversely, the novel demonstrates that a literary exploration of the interior can challenge one-dimensional tropes. In The Alienist (Machado de Assis, 1882), a deeply satirical “study of madness” serves as an indictment of social and political propriety. In The Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka, 1915), Gregor’s Samsa’s transformation into “some sort of monstrous insect” probes what constitutes a human behavior or relationship. As part of the University’s R&C sequence, this course is designed, above all, to help students improve their critical reading and analytical writing skills. Students learn how to write with clarity, precision, and nuance throughout all stages of the writing process, from brainstorming to proofreading. We read literary texts closely to develop interpretive arguments and write convincing and well-constructed essays. In addition to regular attendance, reading, and participation, course requirements include a diagnostic paper and a series of essays—drafts and deep revisions—as well as bCourses posts and reading quizzes. This is a reading- and writing-intensive course.

Enrolled students must attend the first two weeks of class. If a student must miss a class OR cannot access the class's bcourses site, they must communicate with the instructor, or they may be subject to an instructor drop.

Requisites

• UC Entry Level Writing Requirement or UC Analytical Writing Placement Exam. 1A or equivalent is prerequisite to 1B.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills