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.

“The forest was the only refuge for those who had no place…” -Trifonia Melibea Obono, La Bastarda “If you endeavor to trace in your mind the image of a tree in general, you never attain to your end. In spite of all you can do, you will have to see it as great or little, bare or leafy, light or dark, and were you capable of seeing nothing in it but what is common to all trees, it would no longer be like a tree at all.” -Jean-Jacques Rousseau, “Discourse on Inequality” Whether figured as the classical ‘locus amoenus’ (a pleasant place), as a vast and pristine cradle for Rousseau’s man prior to society, or as a dangerous hiding place for would-be wrongdoers and things that go bump in the night, forests frequently serve as literary and conceptual boundaries. In this course, we will pay special attention to how authors narrate the literary space of the forest to evoke such limit zones, between culture and nature, for example. We will also consider how representations of those who dwell within the forest relate to questions of gender, race, class, and normative modes of living. What lurks beyond the tree line, at the edge of civilization, beyond the here and now of dominant ways of being human? Finally, so as not to miss the trees for the forest, we will examine works of art that zoom-in on the details of trees in order to expand or alter conventional ways of perceiving the world. In the same manner, this course will approach close-reading and writing as significant tools for pushing conceptual boundaries and expanding perception. As this class fulfills the university’s requirement for Reading and Composition, this is a writing-intensive course that will work toward developing an essential skill: the academic research essay and/or project. Students will become familiar with various stages and tools in the research process, including outlining, annotated bibliographies, and citation practices.

Requisites

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

Credit Restrictions

Students will receive no credit for COM LIT R1B after completing COM LIT N1B, COM LIT S1B, COM LIT H1B, or COM LIT 1B.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills