Most readings have corresponding written assignments. Readings are discussed in class, seminar style.
| SES # | TOPICS | READINGS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to the Course: Why Write Autobiographically? | No readings |
| 2 | Beginning to Tell Our Stories | Student Readings: First Assignments |
| 3 | Crafting the Self: Experience and the Shaping Of Identity; Writer and Audience |
Walker, Alice. “Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self.” In Uncommon Knowledge: Exploring Ideas Through Reading and Writing. Edited by Rose Hawkins and Robert Isaacson. Wadsworth Publishing, 1995. ISBN: 9780395709580. Rauch, Jonathan. “Caring for Your Introvert.” The Atlantic, March 2003. Shepherd, Susan. “Daughters Without Borders.” Angles, 2008. |
| 4 | Crafting the Self: Experience and the Shaping Of Identity |
Orwell, George. “Shooting an Elephant.” Charles’ George Orwell Links. Orwell, George. Excerpt from Nineteen Eighty-Four. Penguin Random House. Hamilos, Alison. “The Starting Line.” Angles, 2010. Nwosu, Kelechi. “Zero Beach.” Angles, 2010. |
| 5 | Family Relationships, Language, Legitimacy and the Writer’s Craft | Tan, Amy. “Mother Tongue.” (PDF - 1.9MB) 1990. |
| 6 | Workshop: Essay 1 | No readings |
| 7 | The Self and the Community |
Edelman, Marian Wright. “A Family Legacy.” In The Measure of Our Success: A Letter to My Children & Yours. HarperCollins Publishers, 1993. ISBN: 9780060975708. Marin, Peter. “Helping and Hating the Homeless: The Struggle at the Margins of America.” Harper’s Magazine, January 1987. |
| 8 | Work and Education |
Douglass, Frederick. “Learning to Read and Write.” Excerpt from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2014. ISBN: 9781497573567. Nelson, Anita. “Fast Food, Living Fast.” Angles, 2010. |
| 9 | Work: Creativity and Integrity |
Atwood, Margaret. “A Path Taken, With All the Certainty of Youth.” New York Times, March 11, 2002. Witherspoon, Abigail. “This Pen for Hire.” Harper’s, June 1995. |
| 10 and 11 | Self-Writing / Speaking: Captivity and Advocacy |
Frank, Anne. “At Home, In School, In Hiding.” In Fields of Reading: Motives for Writing. 7th ed. Edited by Nancy R. Comley, David Hamilton, et al. Bedford/St. Martin’s Press, 2003. ISBN: 9780312412579. Truth, Sojourner Truth. “Ain’t I A Woman?” December 1851. Fordham University. King, Jr., Martin Luther. “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” April 16, 1963. Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, Stanford University. |
| 12 | Workshop I (Large Group): Essay 2 | No readings |
| 13 | Workshop II (Small Groups): Essay 2 | No readings |
| 14 |
How to Tell a Story of War or Struggle: Writing About Groups Oral Presentations |
O’Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. Mariner Books, 2009. ISBN: 9780618706419. Martinez, Demetria. “Inherit the Earth.” In Confessions of a Berlitz-Tape Chicana. University of Oklahoma Press, 2005. ISBN: 9780806137063. ———. “The Things They Carried.” In Confessions of a Berlitz-Tape Chicana. University of Oklahoma Press, 2005. ISBN: 9780806137063. |
| 15 | How to Tell a Survival Story | Eggers, Dave. Excerpt from A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. Vintage, 2001. ISBN: 9780375725784. |
| 16 | Oral Presentations | No readings |
| 17 | Writing About Illness (1) | No readings |
| 18 |
Writing About Illness (2) Oral Presentations |
Ehrenreich, Barbara. “Welcome to Cancerland.” (PDF) Harper’s, November 2001, 43-53. Engelberg, Miriam. Cancer Made Me a Shallower Person. Harper Perennial, 2006. ISBN: 9780060789732. |
| 19 | Writing about Mental Illness (1) | Kaysen, Susanna. Excerpt from Girl, Interrupted. Vintage, 1994. ISBN: 9780679746041. |
| 20 | Workshop: Essay 3 | No readings |
| 21 |
Writing about Mental Illness (2) Oral Presentations |
Thompson, Tracy. “Seeking the Wizards of Prozac.” Saturday Evening Post 266, no. 2 (1994): 50-95. |
| 22 | Writing About Mental Illness: Autobiographically Inspired Fiction / Beyond the Known: Autobiographical Travel Writing | Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. “The Yellow Wallpaper.” New England Magazine, 1892. |
| 23 | Workshop: Essay 3 | No readings |
| 24 | Beyond the Known: Autobiographical Travel Writing (cont.) / The Challenge of Closure in Autobiography | No readings |
| 25 | Online Course Evaluations | No readings |
| 26 | Course Overview / Celebration | No readings |
