Illustration by Kay Nielson, Hansel and Gretel and Other Stories by the Brothers Grimm, 1925

ENG 102: Composition II––Monsters as Other

COURSE DESCRIPTION

English 102 advances the skills and techniques mastered in English 101 to focus more specifically on persuasive and researched writing. In this course, you will develop greater skill in writing within a wide range of genres, synthesizing academic resources to support your ideas and insights. All along, you will be crafting a comprehensive writing proficiency that can flourish in any academic and professional environment.  Additionally, you will prove your ability to rise to the challenges of the writing community, demonstrating leadership skills in class discussions and activities, organization and procurement skills through completion of research and the annotated bibliography, and digital literacy skills by creating a multi-modal presentation of your research. By accomplishing these goals, you will further develop your communication skills, and prepare yourself for success as a writer and a leader. These communication skills will be an asset for you during your time in college, and later, in all your academic and professional pursuits.

English 102: Monsters as Other will challenge you to hone critical thinking and writing skills, and improve your skills with synthesizing your perspectives with those of other writers. While maintaining our focus on summary, analysis, and synthesis of texts, we will explore both traditional and alternative forms of research. We will use Carol Lea Clark’s Praxis: Food, Monsters, & (E)dentity. With a specific focus on the theme “Monsters as Other,” we will explore monsters and monstrosity as “other” or things regarded as disturbing or threateningly different. The monsters we will examine in this course will show a complex relationship with the cultures and societies from which they originated, and while you discover the stories and histories of these creatures and myths, you’ll take a closer look at the part they play in establishing our own identities.  This course will take you into archival research where you will not only display your expertise in writing and research, but also your understanding of the role the past still plays in the present, and how it influences communities today. In critically examining the concepts of monsters and monstrosity, will learn how these conventions veil the ways our cultures operate, thrive, and destroy.

For a full, printable syllabus, click here: crystals-syllabus-eng102-h021-monsters-in-the-archives2