Writing Seminar II (111-DL-20)
Topic
The Pursuit of Happiness
Instructors
Leslie Fischer
555 Clark St., 240
With 35+ years of experience teaching English, Business Writing and Communication at Northwestern University and SPS, Fischer is an experienced mentor in writing, communication and team work. Experienced as both a student and teacher of online courses, she understands how students learn online and the particular challenges for adult students. Since 1998, Fischer has worked in Northwestern University's Writing Program, in a collaborative program with the McCormick School of Engineering and Segal Design Institute, Design Thinking and Communication. A life-long learner, she recently completed an MS in Information Design and Strategy at SPS. In addition to her work in higher education, she has significant professional experience as a career consultant, as a writer and trainer, and as an editor for publications. When she is not teaching, you'll find her hiking, cooking, going to the theatre or volunteering at the Butterfly House at the Chicago Botanic Garden.
Meeting Info
Online: TBA
Overview of class
Ever since we declared its pursuit as one of our inalienable rights, Americans have been hot on the trail of a happiness that often seems to be just beyond our grasp. The hunt takes many paths: finding love, wealth, or fame; earning an education, job, or lifestyle; attaining bliss, heaven, or a fairy tale ending. This writing class explores how we have defined, pursued and, at times, attained happiness. We ask the question: "is happiness a goal or a journey?" We examine how the ideal of happiness finds expression in our culture through philosophy, art, literature, music, and film. We also explore social phenomena such as the quest for higher education, the explosion of the self-help industry, and the ebb and flow of our consumer culture.
Writers will read a variety of sources on the pursuit of happiness and conduct their own research to reflect, shape, and argue their perspective. Writers will compose a variety of documents that will ultimately lead to a ten to twelve-page persuasive researched essay. Writers will also learn scholarly conventions that they can apply to other academic course work.
The course is conducted completely online. It will be asynchronous; students can participate in discussions and complete assignments by working at their own pace, as long as deadlines are met. A technology fee will be added to tuition.
Writing Requirement course.
Registration Requirements
NOTE: This course is limited to School of Professional Studies students only. Undergraduate students in other schools at Northwestern are not permitted to enroll in this course.
Learning Objectives
A. Research how our culture has defined, pursued and, at times, attained happiness.
B. Write and read to enhance knowledge through inquiry, learning, thinking and communicating.
C. Develop the intellectual processes and abilities to think critically, analyze ideas in context, and respond independently.
D. Understand a research writing assignment as a process of engagement with the ideas of others, including locating, evaluating, analyzing and responding to appropriate primary and secondary sources.
E. Employ flexible strategies for generating, revising and editing researched persuasive essays.
F. Acknowledge sources and understand the dialogic relationship research writers engage in with those sources.
G. Demonstrate knowledge of genre conventions, ranging from structure and paragraphing to tone and mechanics.
H. Document sources using MLA format.
Class Materials (Required)
Materials available in Canvas and Course Reserves.
Class Attributes
Asynchronous:Remote class-no scheduled mtg time