The Art and Craft of the Essay 3700-AL-ACE-OG

This course is offered to students who are willing to learn about the history of the literary essay, read and discuss literary essays in English, and learn how to write a literary essay by following the writing styles of major essayists. This course is a collaborative effort. It will be team-taught online by Dr. David Rudrum (University of Huddersfield) and on site by Dr. Paweł Wojtas (University of Warsaw, Faculty of Artes Liberales). The tutors will offer instruction in the history and theory of the literary essay by introducing students to the life and works of the essayists discussed in the class.
The student’s work will be divided into three components:
The first is the critical reading component. The students will be asked to read selected literary essays and other online resources (see the The List of Topics and Bibliography sections below for further details) and discuss them in class on a regular, class-to-class basis. Students will be offered guidance in techniques of critical analysis of selected literary essays. This reading practice is intended to help students identify major creative techniques of essay writing in order to implement them in their own creative writing work.
The second is the creative writing component. Students will complete and submit two writing assignments: the learning journal and the final essay. The learning journal is conceived as a continual assignment. Students will be asked to make critical notes on the writing styles of selected essayists and submit them to their tutors for revision. This task is intended to encourage self-reflection and help students monitor their writing progress.
The third component, called ‘Shut Up and Write’, involves a series of two in-class creative writing and critical rewriting workshops.
Students will also complete and submit their final assignment: the literary essay of 1200 words.
To sum up, the course is conceived as a venue for the exchange of ideas about the art and craft of the literary essay based on regular critical reading and creative writing sessions and assignments.

Type of course

general courses

Prerequisites (description)

(in Polish) Students with a good and confident command of English (B2+ or better) as well as basic knowledge about the literary essay are welcome to enrol.

Course coordinators

Paweł Wojtas

Learning outcomes

The graduate student:
Knowledge / methods:
K_W02 knows advanced terms and concepts in literary studies. In-class discussions. Reading, assignments.
K_W06 knows how to use various methods of analysis and interpretation of literary essays. Reading assignments.
K_W09 demonstrates a good knowledge about English and related culture. In-class discussions and readings.

Skills:
K_U01 can select and critically assess information adopted from various academic publications, popular science, and popular press. Reading assignments.
K_U04 knows how to formulate a research problem in writing. Writing assignments.
K_U08 knows how to analyse scholarly publications in humanities and literary essays. Reading assignments.
K_U09 has a good command of English at the upper-intermediate level. Reading and writing assignments, in-class performance in speaking and writing.

Social competencies:

K_K01 is prepared to foster lifelong learning. Critical discussions.
K_K02 is competent to carry out a self-appointed task using appropriate solutions and methods. The Learning Journal and Final Essay assignments.
K_K05 is empathetic and respects the cultural diversity of a community.

Assessment criteria

Graded credit is based on a successful completion of the following requirements:
1. satisfactory attendance record (up to two absences allowed; absences 3-4 must be certified and/or made up; absences 5 and over result in failure to pass the course),
2. active in-class performance,
3. completion of regular reading and in-class writing assignments,
4. timely submission of writing assignments:
a. Learning journal (3 assignments)
Literary essay (1200 words)

Bibliography

Primary sources:
Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. We Should All Be Feminists. Fourth Estate, 2014.
Eddo-Lodge, Reni. Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race. New York: Bloomsbury, 2019.
Fisher, Mark (as K-Punk). Blog. http://k-punk.abstractdynamics.org/
Frankfurt, Harry G. "On Bullshit". The Importance of What We Care About: Philosophical Essays. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1988.
Hitchens, Christopher. Letters to a Young Contrarian. Basic Books, 2005.
Lopate, Phillip (ed.). The Art of the Personal Essay: An Anthology from the Classical Era to the Present. New York: Doubleday, 1994.
Moore, Michael. Bowling for Columbine. EuroVideo Medien, 2012.
Orwell, George. George Orwell: Essays. Penguin, 2014.
Omar Saif, Ghobash. Letters to a Young Muslim. Picador, 2017.
Schama, Simon. Scribble, Scribble, Scribble - Writing on Ice Cream, Obama, Churchill and M. Vintage, 2011.
Spurlock, Morgan. Super Size Me. Culver City, Calif: Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, 2004.
Smith, Zadie. “Zadie Smith on the Rise of the Essay.” YOU MIGHT FIND YOURSELF, 22 Nov. 2009. www.youmightfindyourself.com/post/252362834/zadie-smith-on-the-rise-of-the-essay
Woolf, V. Selected Essays. Oxford University Press, 2008.

A Point of View. BBC Radio 4. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qng8/episodes/player

The Essay. BBC Radio 3. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006x3hl/episodes/player

Secondary sources:
Chevalier, T., Encyclopaedia of the Essay. Routledge, 2012.
Foster, P., Porter, J., Understanding the Essay. Broadview Press, 2012.
Gigante, D., The Great Age of the English Essay: An Anthology. Yale University Press, 2008.
Warburton, N., The Basics of Essay Writing. Routledge, 2006.

Additional information

Information on level of this course, year of study and semester when the course unit is delivered, types and amount of class hours - can be found in course structure diagrams of apropriate study programmes. This course is related to the following study programmes:

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 3700-AL-ACE-OG in USOSweb