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.

There are few times and places in recent history more mythologized than New York City in the seventies. When President Gerald Ford refused to grant the city a federal bailout in 1975, the New York Post’s notorious headline “Ford to City: Drop Dead” captured the contempt and fear that the city inspired in the rest of the country. Yet for all that New York was perceived as a hotbed of corruption, sin, violent crime, and urban unrest, the creative and political life of the city was extraordinary. At a time when the city is increasingly unlivable for artists, we have increasingly come to romanticize a period when rent was cheap and radical creative and political communities thrived. Punk, hip-hop and new wave were born, while New Hollywood and Blaxploitation films captured the city at its grimiest. The women’s and gay liberation movements became important political forces and fostered new, explicitly queer modes of artistic production. This class will take a multimedia approach to space and place, exploring literature, political writing, film, music, and visual art. We will work towards de-mystifying this place and time, as well as asking ourselves why it remains so compelling to us today and what it can teach us about the intersection between art and politics. Regular in-class workshops will cover the key skills necessary to research and write confidently at a college level. Reading and composition classes offer the rare opportunity to take your time with writing, reflect on your process, and learn from your mistakes. Your essays will build on a series of lower-stakes drafts and revisions, with detailed feedback at every stage.

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