THE CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL ESSAY
English 417.002 - Deborah Shaller
Fall 1996
This course (catalog title: Writing about Politics) will explore
the persuasive practices of such contemporary social critics as
Noam Chomsky, Katha Pollitt, Shelby Steele, Patricia Williams,
and a range of other writers and thinkers. Students will analyze
rhetorical strategies and critical assumptions, examining the
interactions of vision and voice; will write five essays, conduct
selected research, and prepare reports for class discussion. The
course will also stress skills for negotiating difference--which
is to say that we'll value careful, critical thought and equally
careful civil debate. We will define "politics" broadly to
include the kinds of cultural critique regularly at play in
contemporary writing. I would especially like to attract
students interested in discursive forms of social activism and
social justice.
Questions? Call Deborah Shaller, x2655.