In this course, we will explore the human practice of writing as a technology. This course functions as an introduction to academic writing at Amherst College, and as an Intensive Writing course, the main topic of the course is writing itself. “Writing as a Human” asks students to think about what the act of writing means today—and what we, as readers and writers, want writing to do in a rapidly changing digital landscape.
Reading across genres of poetry, fiction and memoir, this class explores how writers have described the experience of locating themselves while departing, arriving or living in between. We’ll consider how migration transforms identity and which techniques writers use to express and recreate this complex experience on the page. We’ll ask what role language and narrative technique plays in forging a sense of self and how writing might be related to refuge. The course will cover topics such as alienation, assimilation, generational memory, survival, nostalgia, hybridity, and transformation.
A double course, to be taken with permission of thesis advisor.
How to handle overenrollment: null
Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: Independent scholarly work; assessment based on completion of substantial thesis project.
Independent work on an extended academic, creative, or pedagogical project on a topic relevant to the field. Thesis progress will be assessed by the department at the end of the first semester as a precondition for entrance to the next semester of thesis work.
How to handle overenrollment: null
Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: Independent scholarly work; assessment based on completion of substantial thesis project.
Offered as EDST 213/AMST 213
EDST 210/AMST209:
Independent work under the guidance of an advisor assigned by the Department.
Requisite: ECON 498. Spring semester. The Department.
How to handle overenrollment: null
Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: TBD based on student plan with faculty advisor(s).
Independent reading course. Half course.
Admission with consent of the instructor. Fall and spring semesters.The Department.
How to handle overenrollment: null
Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: TBD based on student plan with faculty advisor(s).
Independent reading course. Full course.
Admission with consent of the instructor. Fall and spring semesters. The Department.
How to handle overenrollment: null
Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: TBD based on student plan with faculty advisor(s).
