2021 Spring COLWRIT R4B 016 SEM 016

Spring 2021

COLWRIT R4B 016 - SEM 016

Reading, Composition, and Research

Berkeley Changemaker™: Writing the Change We Seek

Ryan R Sloan

Jan 19, 2021 - May 07, 2021
Tu, Th
12:30 pm - 01:59 pm
Internet/Online
Class #:25292
Units:4

Instruction Mode: Pending Review

Offered through College Writing Programs

Current Enrollment

Total Open Seats: 0
Enrolled: 17
Waitlisted: 1
Capacity: 17
Waitlist Max: 1
Open Reserved Seats:0

Hours & Workload

3 hours of student-instructor coverage of course materials, and 9 hours of outside work hours.

Other classes by Ryan R Sloan

Course Catalog Description

A seminar satisfying the second half of the Reading & Composition requirement, R4B offers structured and sustained practice in the processes used in reading, critical analysis, and writing. Students engage with thematically-related materials from a range of genres and media. In response, they craft short pieces leading to longer expository and/or argumentative essays. Students develop a research question, draft a research essay, gather, evaluate, and synthesize information from various sources. Elements of the research process--a proposal, an annotated bibliography, an abstract, a works cited list, etc.--are submitted with the final report in a research portfolio. Students write a minimum of 32 pages of prose.

Class Description

U.C. Berkeley has long been a place for innovative ideas and creative, out-of-the-box discovery. What role might you play on campus, in your communities and beyond as a passionate writer and thinker? In this special R4B course, in collaboration with The Berkeley Changemaker™ [https://changemaker.berkeley.edu] series, we’re going to roll up our sleeves and get into the thick of some of the most interesting and complex issues of our time. We’ll explore the extraordinary opportunities and ethical quandaries of CRISPR and bioengineering. We’ll look at big tech and social entrepreneurship in the Bay Area, balancing connectivity and access against privacy and the flood of misinformation online. We’ll learn about social justice in a time of polarization; environmental threats and opportunities for impact; public health and the rebuilding of trust in science; internet culture and personal identity; street art and social change; distance learning and the rethinking of what a liberal arts education can be. Most importantly, this course is increasingly choose-your-own-adventure: what are the issues and ideas that most motivate you? We’ll engage with an array of inspiring and provocative talks by thought leaders across U.C. Berkeley. We’ll play with new tools and practice some vital skills: gaining confidence as a writer; learning to navigate digital resources; mapping ideas with visual thinking; learning to flexibly listen while interviewing others; persuading and engaging peers with public speaking; designing dynamic slides and an interactive writing website of your own. We’ll return to this core question: what does lasting change look like — and how might your own writing serve as a means to enact it? Book List: Texts: Nearly all of our reading will be free, smaller, digital excerpts and articles collected by me in the Digital Course Reader on bCourses. • Craft of Research (Booth) -- EAN 9780226239736 • Digital Course Reader (free, accessible on our class bCourses site) Films & Video: • The Social Dilemma (2020)

Class Notes

Enrollment is restricted to students who have satisfied the first half of the Reading and Composition requirement. This course satisfies the second half of the Reading and Composition requirement.

Rules & Requirements

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

Second half of the Reading and Composition Requirement

Reserved Seats

Current Enrollment

No Reserved Seats

Textbooks & Materials

See class syllabus or https://calstudentstore.berkeley.edu/textbooks for the most current information.

Textbook Lookup

Guide to Open, Free, & Affordable Course Materials

eTextbooks

Associated Sections

None