COLLEGE WRITING in Spring 2025 (EN1010C)

There is something uniquely fascinating about peeking behind the curtain to see how another family functions, even if they are fictional .

This College Writing course will do just that --peek behind the curtain -- and explore family dynamics, for better or worse , and how families define, nourish and sometimes smother each other. Can families truly be ‘happy’? Maybe so, but what happens when desertion and neglect, betrayal, jealousy and disapproval rear their ugly heads? What, if anything, do family members owe each other? The texts and films for this course explore families set in a variety of contexts, from 16th century Spain to Victorian England to1950s Harlem to contemporary Iran, and by a range of protagonists including orphans, mad scientists, vampires, and heroin addicts. Close reading will be encouraged, and we will work extensively on the skills involved in constructing strong academic papers.