Course Descriptions

Term: F26W26S26Y26Z26F25W25S25F24W24S24F23W23S23Y23Z23F22W22S22Y22Z22F21W21S21Y21Z21F20W20S20Y20Z20 

Fall Quarter

Dept	Course No and Title	Instructor
LIT JRN (F26)	20  INTR LIT JOURNALISM	DEPAUL, A.
No detailed description available.
LIT JRN (F26)	20  INTR LIT JOURNALISM	DEPAUL, A.
No detailed description available.
LIT JRN (F26)	21  REPORTING LIT JOURN	DEPAUL, A.
No detailed description available.
LIT JRN (F26)	21  REPORTING LIT JOURN	DEPAUL, A.
No detailed description available.
LIT JRN (F26)	101BW  RECONSTRUCTED STORY	SIEGEL, B.
In some quarters, the practice of “reconstructing” a story is seen as suspect if not impossible. How can you write about events if you weren’t present when they happened? How can you know what other people think or feel? Doesn’t reconstruction border on fiction? In this workshop, students will explore such questions—and learn just how literary journalists manage to practice the art of reconstruction in entirely ethical, accurate ways. Students will read exemplary models of reconstructed narrative by writers such as Laura Hillenbrand and Michael Paterniti. They will see why reconstruction plays such a crucial, honorable role in the field of literary journalism. They will also do a good deal of their own reconstruction (learning, along the way, what Tom Wolfe meant when he said that “entering people’s minds” was just “one more doorbell a reporter had to push.”) This course is an advanced writing workshop: Students will regularly share their work with classmates in a constructive process of peer-review, then revise based on that feedback. By the end of the quarter, students will have produced a major example of reconstructed narrative writing.
LIT JRN (F26)	101BW  ART OF FACT	GOFFARD, C.
No detailed description available.
LIT JRN (F26)	101BW  NARR OFF THE NEWS	HAYASAKI, E.
No detailed description available.
LIT JRN (F26)	103  WRITING RACE	TOBAR, H.
Course is cross-listed as an English 105. This course is a survey of nonfiction writing about race in the United States of America, from the 19th century to the present. We will examine how writers have tackled issues of racial inequality and discrimination, and constructed narratives centered on the lives of people of color in various nonfiction genres, including: newspaper and magazine journalism, investigative reporting, essays, criticism, documentary film, and memoirs. Readings will include works by Ida B. Wells, W.E.B Du Bois, James Baldwin, Carey McWilliams, Ta-Nehisi Coates and others. Part of the aim of this class is what we can learn about the craft of writing as a tool of social engagement and change. How do writers construct works that cut through the falsehoods of prejudice and ignorance? How do they work to defend the humanity of those who have been marginalized or oppressed by dominant cultures? How do they express the joy and fortitude unseen or unknown by outsiders? As a final requirement, students will produce their own work of cultural reportage or criticism. Students will work on this project in several stages throughout the quarter, producing a 2,000-word piece by finals’ week. In addition, students will produce four, 300-word “responses” to the readings
LIT JRN (F26)	103  CRIME LITERATURE	CORWIN, M.
True crime, at its best, it not just about cops and killers, but can tell us much about the world in which we live. While the crimes may animate the narratives – which make for gripping reading – the best books transcend the genre by giving readers a strong sense of place,an insight into the criminal mind, a window into the cops’ world, a feel for the agony of the victims, and the impact on the community. Every crime contains three major players that provide the cornerstone for compelling character studies: a perpetrator, a victim, and an investigator. In this class we will discuss the ethnical challenges true crime writers encounter, the difficulties they face during the reporting, and the decisions they make during the writing. We will explore the psychology of criminals; the effect their behavior has on society, the legal world and the criminal justice system; and the social implications of their crimes. Homicide detectives, former prison inmates, and true crime writers will visit the class, give presentations and answer questions. Some writers whose works we will read include David Grann, Norman Mailer, and John Berendt.
LIT JRN (F26)	103  JOURNALISM ON EDGE	CORWIN, M.
From the slums of Mumbai, to the gang neighborhoods of Watts; from the classrooms of South Central Los Angeles and the remote villages of the Amazon, to the war-torn streets of Iraq, journalists seek out places most people avoid, and they return to tell stories that shed light on important issues and serious social problems. The books we read follow the paths of these journalists who enter dangerous and unfamiliar areas, report at their peril and return to illuminate misunderstood parts of the world. As we shadow the writers on these journeys, we discuss how they were able to obtain access into these worlds, gain the trust of the residents, transcend stereotypes, and tell stories that were not simply dry recitations of facts, problems and solutions, but compelling narratives. We discuss poverty, discrimination, and inequality in this class. We also study the art of storytelling, including how to engage the reader, how to create a page-turning story arc, how to make characters come alive. We break down the books in order to understand the writers' styles and their approaches. This class will be helpful for those who are interested in becoming writers, as well as students who simply love good writing and good storytelling. Several of the writers we read will visit the class and discuss the dangers they faced, the risks they encountered and their research methods and writing techniques.
LIT JRN (F26)	198  LIFE STORIES	PIERSON, P.
No detailed description available.
LIT JRN (F26)	199  INDEPENDENT STUDY	STAFF
No detailed description available.
LIT JRN (F26)	199  INDEPENDENT STUDY	STAFF
No detailed description available.
LIT JRN (F26)	199  INDEPENDENT STUDY	STAFF
No detailed description available.
LIT JRN (F26)	199  INDEPENDENT STUDY	STAFF
No detailed description available.
LIT JRN (F26)	199  INDEPENDENT STUDY	STAFF
No detailed description available.
LIT JRN (F26)	199  INDEPENDENT STUDY	STAFF
No detailed description available.