About the Course

This basic writing course explores the themes of documentation, community, and culture. Throughout the quarter, we will engage in a variety of analytical and research activities: reading written as well as cultural texts, producing texts in a variety of media, doing ethnographic field work in a community.

Questions to be explored include: What does it mean to document a culture? How are documentation and interpretation different and similar? What constitutes a community? How can you "read" a culture? How does medium affect the nature of representation? What are the ethics of (ethnographic) research?

As these questions are explored and you conduct ethnographic studies of communities, you will develop the ability to comprehend, analyze, and evaluate information; to make connections between similar types of behaviors, situations, and texts; to summarize the words of others; to describe places, people, and objects in detail; and to make focused and organized arguments based upon evidence you observe. All of these abilities will prepare you for work in other university classes and for reading, writing, and speaking opportunities you might encounter outside of the classroom.

Download complete syllabus (Word format)