First-Year Seminar (101-6-20)

Topic

Narratives of College

Instructors

Elizabeth Fekete Trubey

Meeting Info

University Hall 118: Mon, Wed, Fri 9:00AM - 9:50AM

Overview of class

Why go to college? To become educated? To stay up all night thinking deep thoughts? To prepare for a career? To party? Is college a straight and narrow path through requirements and electives to graduation, or is the story more complicated, more open-ended? What happens when the story ends (or doesn't end) at graduation? Does attending college even matter today? The stories we tell about the college experience shape our expectations and our experiences at a university - as do current debates about the value of a liberal arts education.

Learning Objectives

To get you thinking critically about why you chose Northwestern and what you hope to achieve here; to hone your close reading skills by examining contemporary texts (fiction, non-fiction essay, film) that tell different stories about college; to understand today's debates about the liberal arts; to introduce you to new ideas about how to learn and thrive in college; to introduce you to Weinberg College and its resources; to hone your skills as a writer of college-level work. Optimistically: as we think our stories about a/the College Experience, you will begin to write the story of your own.

Evaluation Method

Regular 2-page response papers; short, ungraded writing assignments; participation.

Class Materials (Required)

Chad Harbach, The Art of Fielding 9780316126670
Brown, Roedinger, and McDaniel, Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning 0674729013
Graff and Birkenstein, They Say/I Say 0393631672
Students may opt for paperback, e-book, or other editions of these texts
Other readings available on Canvas

Texts will be available at: Norris

Class Attributes

WCAS First-Year Seminar

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Reserved for First Year & Sophomore only
Add Consent: Department Consent Required
Drop Consent: Department Consent Required