Writing About Politics

Writing About Politics

ENGL S1021 (CRN: 30067)

Instructors: Seth Walls
Dates: Session B, June 29 - July 31, 2026
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: ENGL 1014, 1020, or other intro WR course; HS students: College-level writing class or AP English score of 4 or 5 strongly recommended. 1 Credit. Session B: June 29 – July 31. (This course is included in the YSS Program in Politics, which also requires enrollment in PLSC S3437, Nationalism and Democracy. Program Cost: $10,805. Please refer to the program website for more details.)

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