Do you consider yourself a writer? Whether the answer to that question is yes or no, writing is a fundamental practice to our everyday lives. Regardless of if we recognize it or not, we write all the time: text messages or social media posts to our friends and family; emails to our instructors or bosses; diaries or journals to keep track of our own well-being; and perhaps even creative projects to fulfill our expressive needs. In many respects, taking stock of the writing we do can be a way of understanding the kind of lives we are living.

Do you consider yourself a writer? Whether the answer to that question is yes or no, writing is a fundamental practice to our everyday lives. Regardless of if we recognize it or not, we write all the time: text messages or social media posts to our friends and family; emails to our instructors or bosses; diaries or journals to keep track of our own well-being; and perhaps even creative projects to fulfill our expressive needs. In many respects, taking stock of the writing we do can be a way of understanding the kind of lives we are living.

American prisons have produced an extraordinary body of literature with a unique historical significance and cultural influence. This course introduces students to a representative sample of the poetry, memoirs, essays and novels written by incarcerated people about the prison experience. Some of the authors we will read are quite famous while others are virtually unknown. Reading about prison from an incarcerated person's point of view will help students explore the meanings of imprisonment.

What is Gay Culture? Is there even a consensus on whether or not Gay Culture exists? Despite many buzzing articles and claims that it lays dead or dormant, anyone who watches an episode of RuPaul?s Drag Race or attends a Lady Gaga concert knows right away that there is a deeply-rooted, self-reflexive community at work here, alive and well, complete with its own dialect, social patterns, and community expectations. This course seeks to introduce students to the ins and outs of Gay Culture, its origins, and what it represents today.

What is Gay Culture? Is there even a consensus on whether or not Gay Culture exists? Despite many buzzing articles and claims that it lays dead or dormant, anyone who watches an episode of RuPaul?s Drag Race or attends a Lady Gaga concert knows right away that there is a deeply-rooted, self-reflexive community at work here, alive and well, complete with its own dialect, social patterns, and community expectations. This course seeks to introduce students to the ins and outs of Gay Culture, its origins, and what it represents today.

In this course, we'll discuss the past, present, and future of Art in a technologically driven world, artistry in a digital age, and the role of technology in redefining creativity. We'll consider specific moments in history where a technological invention has disrupted the art world and artistic processes. We'll focus on how artists have adapted and co-opted several inventions to create art, as well as how many artists have taken the role of inventors to improve and progress their niche.

In this course, we'll discuss the past, present, and future of Art in a technologically driven world, artistry in a digital age, and the role of technology in redefining creativity. We'll consider specific moments in history where a technological invention has disrupted the art world and artistic processes. We'll focus on how artists have adapted and co-opted several inventions to create art, as well as how many artists have taken the role of inventors to improve and progress their niche.

This seminar offers first-year students the opportunity to free themselves from content-specific writing prompts, audience expectations, the blue light of screens, and even the confines of the classroom. Instead, we will spend time engaged in the act of putting pen to paper to see what happens, where the writing goes, and how it feels. Students will try out different ways of writing that feel comfortable (except for the occasional hand cramp!), creative, calming (or, alternatively, energizing), and maybe even cathartic.

This seminar offers first-year students the opportunity to free themselves from content-specific writing prompts, audience expectations, the blue light of screens, and even the confines of the classroom. Instead, we will spend time engaged in the act of putting pen to paper to see what happens, where the writing goes, and how it feels. Students will try out different ways of writing that feel comfortable (except for the occasional hand cramp!), creative, calming (or, alternatively, energizing), and maybe even cathartic.

HFA Opportunity Scholars seminar encourages the development of the skills students need in order to become engaged and informed members of the campus community, as well as leaders and essential members of the new communities that they encounter or create during their time on campus. Students will discover what it means to be a self-learner, receive individualized support towards reaching their desired goals and establish the tools and understanding that will empower them to successfully navigate the complexities of life as a student and beyond.