Writing About Politics
ENGL S121 (CRN: 30211)
Instructors: Seth Walls
Dates: Session B, June 30 - August 1, 2025
Course Mode: In-Person
Meeting Times: TTh 1.00-4.15
Distributional Requirements: Writing
Eligibility: Open to pre-college and college students
In-person Course. How did politics begin? Aristotle suggested that the answer ought to be self-evident—at least to a noble audience. Citing the poet Hesiod, he also placed a priority on “speaking well.” But what if one has not been blessed from birth with noble station? And how do we decide what amounts to speaking well? Welcome to Writing About Politics! In this class, you will experiment with several forms that writers on politics have made their own over time. Profile writing, opinion-driven analysis of empirical trends, and satire will all be part of the mix. We will look at some ideas from antiquity and the Enlightenment before settling into a particular focus on the post-WWII United States. Writers whose work we will consider range from Voltaire to Sontag, from W.E.B. Du Bois to William F. Buckley, Jr., and beyond. Prerequisite: College students- ENGL 114, 120, or other intro WR course; Pre-college students- College-level writing class or completed AP English with a score of 4 or 5. Enrollment limited to 14 students. 1 Credit. Session B: June 30 – August 1. Tuition: $5270.