An intensive, accelerated course satisfying concurrently the requirements of the UC Entry Level Writing Requirement and the first half of Reading and Composition. Readings will include imaginative, expository and argumentative texts representative of the range of those encountered in the undergraduate curriculum and will feature authors from diverse social and cultural backgrounds and perspectives. Instruction in writing a range of discourse forms and in the revision of papers.

This interactive experiential course focuses on “Perspective-Taking: (How) Can We Reach Common Ground?” We’ll delve into the lives of two complex individuals: Robert Oppenheimer and George Floyd, as well as explore tense opposing perspectives on current events: the mining controversy at Oak Flat on Apache Land as well as the influential US presidential election. You will engage in discussions of science and ethics, politics and law, racism and activism, civil rights and indigenous land rights, mainstream media and social media, education and democracy, technology and medicine. As a member of a community of writers, you will have the opportunity to write from these different angles to interpret what most interests you in each text – crafting a film analysis after viewing UC Berkeley’s On the Same Page selection: the movie Oppenheimer and then writing text analysis essays on two books – one a cradle-to-grave biography and another that combines diverse written genres while also weaving in illustrations; finally, you’ll use Lakoff’s nation as family metaphor theory as a lens through which to compose a rhetorical analysis comparing two politicians’ speeches. Ultimately, you will revise selected pieces to design and publish a reflective multimodal portfolio showcasing your best work of the course! Book List: Oak Flat: A Fight for Sacred Land in the American West, Lauren Redniss (2020) His Name is George Floyd: One Man’s Life & the Struggle for Racial Justice, Robert Samuels & Toluse Olorunnipa (2022) In addition to the two books, you will read excerpted chapters from George Lakoff’s Don’t Think of an Elephant & Robin Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass, as well as other hyperlinked articles available on bCourses.

Enrollment is limited to students whose first or primary language is not English.

Open to students who have not fulfilled the Entry Level Writing Requirement.

Requisites

• Only open to students who have not completed the ELWR.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills