Course description

What does it mean to be a “good” reader or a “good” writer in college? In each section of this course, students receive extensive guidance from their instructors in the discovery and practice of helpful methods for fully exploring and appreciating what they read as well as guidance in planning, drafting, and writing essays about what is read and discussed in class. Each section of the course focuses on a particular topic drawn from a range of fields (e.g., literature, history, film, music). Reading assignments are limited in order to allow ample time for discussion and for personal attention to student writing.

In general, Cornell students are required to take two semesters of First-Year Writing Seminars. Also see your college requirements.

Limited to 18 students per section.

This course is open to all registrants, including undergraduates and precollege students.

Classes

Summer 2019: Ithaca campus

Section ID:ENGL 1131 103-SEM
Number:1099
Topic:The Mystery in the Story
Session:6-week Summer session
Class dates:June 24-August 6, 2019
Days/times:M-F 10 AM - 11:15 AM B04
Location:Ithaca campus
Credit:3
Grade:Graded only
Instructor:Saccamano, N. (ncs5)
Max. enroll:18
To enroll:Precollege students may take this class as part of a six-week Summer College program.

The Mystery in the Story -- What makes a story, and what makes it a mystery story? In this course we'll study and write about the nature of narratives, taking the classic mystery tale written by such writers as Arthur Conan Doyle and Raymond Chandler as typical of intricately plotted stories of suspense and disclosure that have been written and filmed in many genres: Greek tragedy, horror stories by Poe and Lovecraft, hard-boiled fiction by Hammett, Chandler, and Mosley, postmodern mysteries by Borges, and a contemporary "hipster" or "funky" detective novel by Sara Gran. We'll look at the way they hold together, the desire and fear that drive them, and the secrets they tell -- or try to keep hidden.

Summer 2019: Ithaca campus

Section ID:ENGL 1131 104-SEM
Number:1100
Topic:Challenges of Modernity
Session:6-week Summer session
Class dates:June 24-August 6, 2019
Days/times:M-F 8:30 AM - 9:45 AM B02
Location:Ithaca campus
Credit:3
Grade:Graded only
Instructor:Regenspan, B. (blr98)
Max. enroll:18
To enroll:Precollege students may take this class as part of a six-week Summer College program.

"Challenges of Modernity" -- How did developments in thinking during the era sometimes called "late modernity" (1830-1945) affect the way we act and think in the present--including ideas about love, community, race, and power? We'll study and write about some "late modern" ideas, also examining a range of contemporary influencers (including ourselves!) to speculate on how we arrived at the current socially and environmentally non-sustainable moment. This course will help you develop the skills of competent college readers and writers by embracing the process of writing and revision. It will also engage you in the ideas of thinkers such as Kant, Darwin, Marx, Freud, and Virginia Woolf, often in the light of philosopher Deborah Britzman's claim that "the confusion of education and love begins at birth."

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