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Course 21W: Writing |
 | | | 21W.000-21W.749 | | | 21W.750-21W.999 plus Thesis, UROP | | |  |
21W.750 Experimental Writing
  ( ) 
Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 
Students use innovative compositional techniques, focusing on new writing methods rather than on traditional lyrical or narrative concerns. Writing experiments, conducted individually, collaboratively and during class meetings, culminate in chapbook-sized projects. Students read, listen to, and create different types of work, including sound poetry, cut-ups, constrained and Oulipian writing, uncreative writing, sticker literature, false translations, artists' books, and digital projects. N. Montfort 21W.752 Making Documentary: Audio, Video, and More
()
Prereq: 21A.550, 21W.786, or permission of instructor Units: 3-6-3 Credit cannot also be received for 21W.824  Lecture: TR1-2.30 (2-103)
Focuses on the technical demands of long-form storytelling in sound and picture. Students build practical writing and production skills through a series of assignments: still photo-text works, audio-only documentaries, short video projects (4-6 minutes), and a semester-long, team-produced video science documentary (12-15 minutes). Readings, screenings and written work hone students' analytical capacity. Students taking the graduate version complete additional assignments. Students from the Graduate Program in Science Writing center their work on topics in science, technology, engineering, and/or medicine. T. Levenson No textbook information available 21W.753[J] Phantasmal Media: Computer-Based Art Theory and Practice
() Not offered regularly; consult department (Same subject as CMS.314[J]) (Subject meets with CMS.814) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
Engages students in theory and practice of using computational techniques for developing expressive digital media works. Surveys approaches to understanding human imaginative processes, such as constructing concepts, metaphors, and narratives, and applies them to producing and understanding socially, culturally, and critically meaningful works in digital media. Readings engage a variety of theoretical perspectives from cognitive linguistics, literary and cultural theory, semiotics, digital media arts, and computer science. Students produce interactive narratives, games, and related forms of software art. Some programming and/or interactive web scripting experience (e.g., Flash, Javascript) is desirable. Students taking the graduate version complete a project requiring more in-depth theoretical engagement. Staff 21W.754[J] Playwriting Fundamentals
()
(Same subject as 21T.150[J]) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: F2-5 (W97-267)
Introduces the craft of writing for the theater, with special attention to the basics of dramatic structure. Through weekly assignments and in-class exercises, students explore character, conflict, language and plasticity in scenes and short plays. In workshop format, students present individual work for feedback and heavily revise their work based on that response. Readings include a variety of plays. K. Tarker No textbook information available 21W.754[J] Playwriting Fundamentals
()
(Same subject as 21T.150[J]) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: F2-5 (W97-267)
Introduces the craft of writing for the theater, with special attention to the basics of dramatic structure. Through weekly assignments and in-class exercises, students explore character, conflict, language and plasticity in scenes and short plays. In workshop format, students present individual work for feedback and heavily revise their work based on that response. Readings include a variety of plays. K. Tarker No textbook information available 21W.754[J] Playwriting Fundamentals
()
(Same subject as 21T.150[J]) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: F2-5 (W97-267)
Introduces the craft of writing for the theater, with special attention to the basics of dramatic structure. Through weekly assignments and in-class exercises, students explore character, conflict, language and plasticity in scenes and short plays. In workshop format, students present individual work for feedback and heavily revise their work based on that response. Readings include a variety of plays. K. Tarker No textbook information available 21W.754[J] Playwriting Fundamentals
()
(Same subject as 21T.150[J]) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: F2-5 (W97-267)
Introduces the craft of writing for the theater, with special attention to the basics of dramatic structure. Through weekly assignments and in-class exercises, students explore character, conflict, language and plasticity in scenes and short plays. In workshop format, students present individual work for feedback and heavily revise their work based on that response. Readings include a variety of plays. K. Tarker No textbook information available 21W.755 Writing and Reading Short Stories
(,  )
Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: TR11-12.30 (14N-112) or TR1-2.30 (14N-112)
An introduction to writing fiction. Students write their own stories and study essays and short stories by contemporary authors from around the world. Discussion focuses on students' writing and on assigned works in their historical and social contexts. Limited to 15 per section. Fall: F. Abbas Spring: Sender, C. No required or recommended textbooks 21W.756 Writing and Reading Poems
() Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
Examination of the formal structural and textual variety in poetry. Extensive practice in the making of poems and the analysis of both students' manuscripts and texts from 16th- through 20th-century literature. Attempts to make relevant the traditional elements of poetry and their contemporary alternatives. Weekly writing assignments, including some exercises in prosody. Staff 21W.757 Fiction Workshop
(, ) 
Prereq: 21W.755 Units: 3-0-9 TBA.
Intermediate class for students with some experience in writing fiction. Students write short stories and complete other writing exercises. Readings include short story collections by contemporary writers such as Sandra Cisneros, Benjamin Percy, Leila Lalami, Laura Pritchett, Bret Anthony Johnston, and Edward P. Jones. Discussions focus on sources of story material, characterization, setting, architecture, point of view, narrative voice, and concrete detail. Fall: H. Lee Spring: J. Barkan No textbook information available 21W.758 Genre Fiction Workshop
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9 URL: https://cmsw.mit.edu/21w-758-genre-fiction-workshop-young-adult-fiction/ Lecture: TR3-4.30 (66-144)
Students read texts in genres such as fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, noir, and horror, typically focusing on one genre exclusively in a given semester. Formats may include short stories, novels, films, TV shows and other narrative media. Considers genre protocols and how to write within the restrictions and freedoms associated with each genre. Students write fiction within a genre (or "between" genres) for roundtable workshopping. Intended for students with prior creative writing experience. Limited to 15. S. Lewitt No textbook information available 21W.759 Writing Science Fiction
()
Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: TR1-2.30 (66-144)
Students write and read science fiction and analyze and discuss stories written for the class. For the first eight weeks, readings in contemporary science fiction accompany lectures and formal writing assignments intended to illuminate various aspects of writing craft as well as the particular problems of writing science fiction. The rest of the term is given to roundtable workshops on students' stories. S. Lewitt No textbook information available 21W.762 Poetry Workshop
(, )
Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: M EVE (7-10 PM) (66-160) or T EVE (7-10 PM) (66-160)
For students with some previous experience in poetry writing. Frequent assignments stress use of language, diction, word choice, line breaks, imagery, mood, and tone. Considers the functions of memory, imagination, dreams, poetic impulses. Throughout the term, students examine the work of published poets. Revision stressed. Fall: E. Barrett Spring: E. Barrett No required or recommended textbooks 21W.763[J] Transmedia Storytelling: Modern Science Fiction
()
(Same subject as CMS.309[J]) (Subject meets with CMS.809) Prereq: None Units: 3-2-7
Explores transmedia storytelling by investigating how science fiction stories are told across different media, such as the short story, the novel, the screenplay, moving image, and games. Students consider issues of aesthetics, authorship, and genre, while also contextualizing discussion within the broader framework of the political issues raised by film, TV, and other kinds of science fiction texts. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. S. Lewitt 21W.764[J] The Word Made Digital
() Not offered regularly; consult department (Same subject as CMS.609[J]) (Subject meets with CMS.846) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
Video games, digital art and literature, online texts, and source code are analyzed in the contexts of history, culture, and computing platforms. Approaches from poetics and computer science are used to understand the non-narrative digital uses of text. Students undertake critical writing and creative computer projects to encounter digital writing through practice. This involves reading and modifying computer programs; therefore previous programming experience, although not required, will be helpful. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 18. N. Montfort 21W.765[J] Interactive Narrative
()
(Same subject as 21L.489[J], CMS.618[J]) (Subject meets with CMS.845) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
Provides a workshop environment for understanding interactive narrative (print and digital) through critical writing, narrative theory, and creative practice. Covers important multisequential books, hypertexts, and interactive fictions. Students write critically, and give presentations, about specific works; write a short multisequential fiction; and develop a digital narrative system, which involves significant writing and either programming or the structuring of text. Programming ability helpful. N. Montfort 21W.766 Writing Fantasy
()
Prereq: One subject in Writing or permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9
Explores the popularity and structure of Fantasy as a genre in films, games, and literature. Students read articles and novels and write exercises and stories in the genre. Intended for students with prior creative writing experience. Limited to 10. S. Lewitt 21W.768[J] Games and Culture
() 
(Same subject as CMS.616[J], WGS.125[J]) (Subject meets with CMS.868) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: W EVE (7-10 PM) (56-180)
Examines the social, cultural, economic, and political aspects of digital games. Topics include the culture of gameplay, gaming styles, communities, spectatorship and performance, gender and race within digital gaming, and the politics and economics of production processes, including co-creation and intellectual property. Students taking graduate version complete additional readings and assignments. T.L. Taylor No textbook information available 21W.770 Advanced Fiction Workshop
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: M2-5 (1-136)
For students with some experience in writing fiction. Write longer works of fiction and short stories which are related or interconnected. Read short story collections by individual writers, such as Sandra Cisneros, Raymond Carver, Edward P. Jones, and Tillie Olsen, and discuss them critically and analytically, with attention to the ways in which the writers' choices about component parts contribute to meaning. In-class exercises and weekly workshops of student work focus on sources of story material, characterization, structure, narrative voice, point of view and concrete detail. Concentration on revision. Limited to 15. Sender, C. Textbooks (Fall 2024) 21W.771 Advanced Poetry Workshop
(, )
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: M EVE (7-10 PM) (4-253)
For students experienced in writing poems. Regular reading of published contemporary poets and weekly submission of manuscripts for class review and criticism. Students expected to do a substantial amount of rewriting and revision. Classwork supplemented with individual conferences. Fall: C. Garcia Roberts Spring: C. Garcia Roberts No required or recommended textbooks 21W.773 Writing Longer Fiction
 ()
Prereq: A fiction workshop or permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: TR3-4.30 (14N-112)
Designed for students who have some experience in writing fiction and want to try longer forms like the novella and novel. Students interested in writing a novel are expected to produce at least two chapters and an outline of the complete work. Readings include several novels from Fitzgerald to the present, and novellas from Gogol's <em>The Overcoat</em> to current examples. Students discuss one another's writing in a roundtable workshop, with a strong emphasis on revision. Limited to 15. F. Abbas Textbooks (Fall 2024) 21W.774[J] Playwriting Methods
()
(Same subject as 21T.250[J]) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
Builds understanding of the methods playwrights use to transform an idea - drawn from their own lives, news and current events, even the plays of other writers - into a reality. Students use a variety of inspiration to write their own new scenes and short plays. Examines how research can help develop an idea for a new play and discusses ways to adapt a classic text for the contemporary stage. Writers also conduct personal interviews and use the transcript as source material for a new scene. Enrollment limited. K. Urban 21W.774[J] Playwriting Methods
()
(Same subject as 21T.250[J]) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
Builds understanding of the methods playwrights use to transform an idea - drawn from their own lives, news and current events, even the plays of other writers - into a reality. Students use a variety of inspiration to write their own new scenes and short plays. Examines how research can help develop an idea for a new play and discusses ways to adapt a classic text for the contemporary stage. Writers also conduct personal interviews and use the transcript as source material for a new scene. Enrollment limited. K. Urban 21W.774[J] Playwriting Methods
()
(Same subject as 21T.250[J]) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
Builds understanding of the methods playwrights use to transform an idea - drawn from their own lives, news and current events, even the plays of other writers - into a reality. Students use a variety of inspiration to write their own new scenes and short plays. Examines how research can help develop an idea for a new play and discusses ways to adapt a classic text for the contemporary stage. Writers also conduct personal interviews and use the transcript as source material for a new scene. Enrollment limited. K. Urban 21W.774[J] Playwriting Methods
()
(Same subject as 21T.250[J]) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
Builds understanding of the methods playwrights use to transform an idea - drawn from their own lives, news and current events, even the plays of other writers - into a reality. Students use a variety of inspiration to write their own new scenes and short plays. Examines how research can help develop an idea for a new play and discusses ways to adapt a classic text for the contemporary stage. Writers also conduct personal interviews and use the transcript as source material for a new scene. Enrollment limited. K. Urban 21W.775 Writing about Nature and Environmental Issues
()  
Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
Focuses on traditional nature writing and the environmentalist essay. Students keep a web log as a journal. Writings are drawn from the tradition of nature writing and from contemporary forms of the environmentalist essay. Authors include Henry Thoreau, Loren Eiseley, Annie Dillard, Chet Raymo, Sue Hubbel, Rachel Carson, Bill McKibben, and Terry Tempest Williams. Limited to 18. K. Ragusa 21W.776[J] Screenwriting
(, )
(Same subject as 21T.251[J]) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: R2-5 (W97-267)
Explores the fundamentals of screenplay writing. Presents skills to create compelling characters and stories in different dramatic genres (comedy, drama). In addition to their own writing, students read a selection of screenplays and watch short films that form the basis of class discussion early in the term. Class is modeled on a professional development workshop in which participants, over the course of the term, write a short screenplay, including a final draft. Enrollment limited. Fall: K. Urban Spring: K. Urban No textbook information available 21W.776[J] Screenwriting
(, )
(Same subject as 21T.251[J]) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: R2-5 (W97-267)
Explores the fundamentals of screenplay writing. Presents skills to create compelling characters and stories in different dramatic genres (comedy, drama). In addition to their own writing, students read a selection of screenplays and watch short films that form the basis of class discussion early in the term. Class is modeled on a professional development workshop in which participants, over the course of the term, write a short screenplay, including a final draft. Enrollment limited. Fall: K. Urban Spring: K. Urban No textbook information available 21W.776[J] Screenwriting
(, )
(Same subject as 21T.251[J]) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: R2-5 (W97-267)
Explores the fundamentals of screenplay writing. Presents skills to create compelling characters and stories in different dramatic genres (comedy, drama). In addition to their own writing, students read a selection of screenplays and watch short films that form the basis of class discussion early in the term. Class is modeled on a professional development workshop in which participants, over the course of the term, write a short screenplay, including a final draft. Enrollment limited. Fall: K. Urban Spring: K. Urban No textbook information available 21W.776[J] Screenwriting
(, )
(Same subject as 21T.251[J]) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: R2-5 (W97-267)
Explores the fundamentals of screenplay writing. Presents skills to create compelling characters and stories in different dramatic genres (comedy, drama). In addition to their own writing, students read a selection of screenplays and watch short films that form the basis of class discussion early in the term. Class is modeled on a professional development workshop in which participants, over the course of the term, write a short screenplay, including a final draft. Enrollment limited. Fall: K. Urban Spring: K. Urban No textbook information available 21W.777 Science Writing in Contemporary Society
()
Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
Drawing in part from their own interests and ideas, students write about science within various cultural contexts using an array of literary and reportorial tools. Studies the work of contemporary science writers, such as David Quammen and Atul Gawande, and examines the ways in which science and technology are treated in media and popular culture. Discussions focus on students' writing and address topics such as false equivalency, covering controversy, and the attenuation of initial observations. Emphasizes long-form narratives; also looks at blogs, social media, and other modes of communication. Not a technical writing class. K. Weintraub 21W.778 Science Journalism
()
Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: MW1-2.30 (14N-112)
An introduction to print daily journalism and news writing, focusing on science news writing in general, and medical writing in particular. Emphasis is on writing clearly and accurately under deadline pressure. Class discussions involve the realities of modern journalism, how newsrooms function, and the science news coverage in daily publications. Discussions of, and practice in, interviewing and various modes of reporting. In class, students write numerous science news stories on deadline. There are additional longer writing assignments outside of class. Enrollment limited. T. Levenson No textbook information available 21W.780[J] Writing the Full-Length Play
()
(Same subject as 21T.350[J]) (Subject meets with 21T.550) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 URL: https://mta.mit.edu/theater/class-schedule Lecture: W EVE (7-10 PM) (W97-267)
Students write and extensively revise a full-length play, from an initial idea to a revised draft. For our purposes, any script longer than thirty minutes and under a hundred minutes is considered a full-length play. Students respond to each other's work using a method inspired by dancer Liz Lerman, giving non-prescriptive advice and feedback to their fellow writers. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 10. K. Urban No textbook information available 21W.780[J] Writing the Full-Length Play
()
(Same subject as 21T.350[J]) (Subject meets with 21T.550) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 URL: https://mta.mit.edu/theater/class-schedule Lecture: W EVE (7-10 PM) (W97-267)
Students write and extensively revise a full-length play, from an initial idea to a revised draft. For our purposes, any script longer than thirty minutes and under a hundred minutes is considered a full-length play. Students respond to each other's work using a method inspired by dancer Liz Lerman, giving non-prescriptive advice and feedback to their fellow writers. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 10. K. Urban No textbook information available 21W.780[J] Writing the Full-Length Play
()
(Same subject as 21T.350[J]) (Subject meets with 21T.550) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 URL: https://mta.mit.edu/theater/class-schedule Lecture: W EVE (7-10 PM) (W97-267)
Students write and extensively revise a full-length play, from an initial idea to a revised draft. For our purposes, any script longer than thirty minutes and under a hundred minutes is considered a full-length play. Students respond to each other's work using a method inspired by dancer Liz Lerman, giving non-prescriptive advice and feedback to their fellow writers. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 10. K. Urban No textbook information available 21W.780[J] Writing the Full-Length Play
()
(Same subject as 21T.350[J]) (Subject meets with 21T.550) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 URL: https://mta.mit.edu/theater/class-schedule Lecture: W EVE (7-10 PM) (W97-267)
Students write and extensively revise a full-length play, from an initial idea to a revised draft. For our purposes, any script longer than thirty minutes and under a hundred minutes is considered a full-length play. Students respond to each other's work using a method inspired by dancer Liz Lerman, giving non-prescriptive advice and feedback to their fellow writers. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 10. K. Urban No textbook information available 21W.781[J] Race, Place, and Modernity in the Americas
( ) 
(Same subject as 21L.592[J], WGS.247[J]) Prereq: None Units: 3-3-3
Students travel to São Paulo for three weeks. Examines the relationship between race and place in the formation of modern Brazil and the US through comparative analysis and interdisciplinary study. In addition to participating in class discussions on literature, film, and visual art, students visit key cultural and historical sites; interact with archives and museum collections; and, most importantly, engage in dialogue with local activists, religious leaders, community organizers, and scholars. Focusing on the work of Black and Indigenous people, particularly women, places a strong emphasis on the ways in which art and cultural activism can have an impact on racial justice issues. Taught in English; no Portuguese needed. Contact Women's and Gender Studies about travel fee, possible funding opportunities, and other details. Enrollment limited to 20. Application required. J. Terrones 21W.786[J] Social Justice and The Documentary Film
()
(Same subject as CMS.336[J]) (Subject meets with CMS.836) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
Explores the history and current state of social-issue documentary. Examines how cultural and political upheaval and technological change have converged at different moments to bring about new waves of activist documentary film production. Particular focus on films and other non-fiction media of the present and recent past. Students screen and analyze a series of key films and work in groups to produce their own short documentary using digital video and computer-based editing. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 18. S. Ascher 21W.787 Film, Music, and Social Change: Intersections of Media and Society
() Not offered regularly; consult department (Subject meets with CMS.837) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
Examines films from the 1950s onward that document music subcultures and moments of social upheaval. Combines screening films about free jazz, glam rock, punk, reggae, hip-hop, and other genres with an examination of critical/scholarly writings to illuminate the connections between film, popular music, and processes of social change. Students critique each film in terms of the social, political, and cultural world it documents, and the historical context and effects of the film's reception. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 18. V. Bald 21W.788[J] South Asian America: Transnational Media, Culture, and History
()
(Same subject as CMS.334[J]) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
Examines the history of South Asian immigration, sojourning, and settlement from the 1880s to the present. Focuses on the US as one node in the global circulation, not only of people, but of media, culture and ideas, through a broader South Asian diaspora. Considers the concept of "global media" historically; emphasis on how ideas about, and self-representations of, South Asians have circulated via books, political pamphlets, performance, film, video/cassette tapes, and the internet. Students analyze and discuss scholarly writings, archival documents, memoirs, fiction, blogs and films, and write papers drawing on course materials, lectures, and discussions. Limited to 18. V. Bald 21W.790[J] Short Attention Span Documentary
()
(Same subject as CMS.335[J]) (Subject meets with 21W.890) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: TR1-2.30 (5-232)
Focuses on the production of short (1- to 5-minute) digital video documentaries: a form of non-fiction filmmaking that has proliferated in recent years due to the ubiquity of palm-sized and mobile phone cameras and the rise of web-based platforms, such as YouTube. Students shoot, edit, workshop and revise a series of short videos meant to engage audiences in a topic, introduce them to new ideas, and/or persuade them. Screenings and discussions cover key principles of documentary film - narrative, style, pace, point of view, argument, character development - examining how they function and change in short format. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 16. V. Bald No textbook information available 21W.791[J] Critical Internet Studies
()
(Same subject as CMS.614[J], WGS.280[J]) (Subject meets with IDS.405) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9  Subject Cancelled
Focuses on the power dynamics in internet-related technologies (including social networking platforms, surveillance technology, entertainment technologies, and emerging media forms). Theories and readings focus on the cultural, social, economic, and political aspects of internet use and design, with a special attention to gender and race. Topics include: online communication and communities, algorithms and search engines, activism and online resistance, surveillance and privacy, content moderation and platform governance, and the spread of dis- and misinformation. Instruction and practice in written and oral communication provided. Students taking the graduate version complete additional readings and assignments. T. L. Taylor 21W.792 Science Writing Internship
(, ,  )
Prereq: None Units: 0-12-0 TBA.
Students developing professional writing and publishing skills in part-time internships with Boston area media companies can apply to receive credit. Students planning to take this subject must contact the instructor by the end of November (if they are applying for spring semester) or the end of May (if they are applying for the fall semester). Fall: Staff Spring: Staff No required or recommended textbooks 21W.794 Graduate Technical Writing Workshop
 ()
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 1-0-2
Designed to improve the student's ability to communicate technical information. Covers central communication concepts and techniques, including audience, discourse, and genre analysis; strategies for effectively managing, integrating, and documenting information from sources; and methods of structuring information for coherence and credibility. Assignments include an abstract, a literature review, and an oral presentation; students provide feedback to each other. Limited to graduate engineering students based on results of the Graduate Writing Exam. A. Karatsolis 21W.798, 21W.799 Independent Study in Writing
(, , , )
Prereq: None Units arranged 21W.798: TBA.
21W.799: TBA.
Primarily for students pursuing advanced writing projects with the assistance of a member of the Writing Program. Students electing this subject must secure the approval of the director of the Writing Program and its Committee on Curriculum. Normal maximum is 6 units; exceptional 9-unit projects occasionally approved. 21W.798 is P/D/F. Fall: Staff IAP: Staff Spring: Staff Summer: Staff 21W.798: No required or recommended textbooks 21W.799: No required or recommended textbooks Graduate Subjects21W.820[J] Writing: Science, Technology, and Society
()
(Same subject as STS.477[J]) Prereq: 21H.991 Units: 3-0-9
Examination of different "voices" used to consider issues of scientific, technological, and social concern. Students write frequently and choose among a variety of non-fiction forms: historical writing, social analysis, political criticism, and policy reports. Instruction in expressing ideas clearly and in organizing a thesis-length work. Reading and writing on three case studies drawn from the history of science; the cultural study of technology and science; and policy issues. K. Manning 21W.822 Science Writing Thesis Development and Workshop
()
Prereq: None. Coreq: 21W.THG Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: TR EVE (5.30-7.30 PM) (14N-112)
Develops abilities to produce long-form pieces of science-based journalism, with a focus on constructing multiple narratives, source building and interview techniques, rewriting and working with editors. Students also hone their ability to shape their classmates' work. S. Mnookin No required or recommended textbooks 21W.823 Lab Experience for Science Writers
(, , )
Prereq: 21W.825 Units: 0-2-1 TBA.
During the fall or IAP, students conduct 20 hours of observation in a lab of their choosing that is outside their previous scientific experience. Participation in the work of the lab encouraged. In the spring, students make an in-class presentation and submit a written report of publication quality. Preference to students in the Graduate Program in Science Writing. Fall: C. Couch IAP: staff Spring: C. Couch No textbook information available 21W.824 Making Documentary: Audio, Video, and More
(, )
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-6-3 Credit cannot also be received for 21W.752 Lecture: TR1-2.30 (2-103)
Focuses on the technical demands of long-form storytelling in sound and picture. Students build practical writing and production skills through a series of assignments: still photo-text works, audio-only documentaries, short video projects (4-6 minutes), and a semester-long, team-produced video science documentary (12-15 minutes). Readings, screenings and written work hone students' analytical capacity. Students taking the graduate version complete additional assignments. Students from the Graduate Program in Science Writing center their work on topics in science, technology, engineering, and/or medicine. Limited to 7. Fall: T. Levenson Spring: T. Levenson No textbook information available 21W.825 Advanced Science Writing Seminar I
()
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 6-0-18 Lecture: MWF10-12 (14N-112)
First term of year-long graduate sequence in science writing offers students intensive workshops and critiques of their own writing, and that of published books, articles, and essays; discussions of ethical and professional issues; study of science and scientists in historical and social context; analysis of recent events in science and technology. Emphasis throughout on developing skills and habits of mind that enable the science writer to tackle scientifically formidable material and write about it for ordinary readers. Topics include the tools of research, conceived in its broadest sense- including interviewing, websites, archives, scientific journal articles; science journalism, including culture of the newsroom and magazine-style journalism; science essays. Considerable attention to science writing's audiences, markets, and publics and the special requirements of each. Staff No required or recommended textbooks 21W.826 Advanced Science Writing Seminar II
()
Prereq: 21W.825 or permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9
Topics include research for writers, science journalism, and essays; literary science writing, and the social and historical context of science and technology. Includes seminars, lectures, and student writing workshops. Special emphasis on the science essay and on literary and imaginative science writing that employs traditionally fictive devices in nonfiction, including scene-setting and storytelling. Assignments cover science essays, writing on particular disciplines, and investigative and critical science journalism. Graduate Program Faculty 21W.890 Short Attention Span Documentary
()
(Subject meets with 21W.790[J], CMS.335[J]) Prereq: None Units: 3-0-9
Focuses on the production of short (1- to 5-minute) digital video documentaries: a form of non-fiction filmmaking that has proliferated in recent years due to the ubiquity of palm-sized and mobile phone cameras and the rise of web-based platforms, such as YouTube. Students shoot, edit, workshop and revise a series of short videos meant to engage audiences in a topic, introduce them to new ideas, and/or persuade them. Screenings and discussions cover key principles of documentary film - narrative, style, pace, point of view, argument, character development - examining how they function and change in short format. Students taking graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 16. Staff 21W.892 Science Writing Internship
(, , , )
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 0-12-0 [P/D/F] TBA.
Field placements tailored to the individual backgrounds of the students enrolled, involving varying degrees of faculty participation and supervision. C. Couch No required or recommended textbooks (Summer 2024); No textbook information available (Fall 2024) 21W.898 Graduate Independent Study in Writing
(, , )
Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged TBA.
Opportunity for advanced independent study of writing under regular supervision by a faculty member. Projects require prior approval, as well as a written proposal and a final report. Fall: staff IAP: staff Spring: staff No textbook information available 21W.899 Graduate Independent Study in Writing
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Prereq: Permission of instructor Units arranged [P/D/F] TBA.
Opportunity for advanced independent study of writing under regular supervision by a faculty member. Projects require prior approval, as well as a written proposal and a final report. D. Solomon No required or recommended textbooks 21W.S60 Special Subject: Writing
(, ) Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: None Units arranged
Seminar or lecture on a topic that is not covered in the regular curriculum. Fall: Staff Spring: staff 21W.S61 Special Subject: Writing
() Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: None Units arranged
Seminar or lecture on a topic that is not covered in the regular curriculum. Staff 21W.S62 Special Subject: Writing
() Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: None Units arranged
Seminar or lecture on a topic that is not covered in the regular curriculum. Staff 21W.S63 Special Subject: Writing
() Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: None Units arranged
Seminar or lecture on a topic that is not covered in the regular curriculum. Staff 21W.S96 Special Subject: Writing
() ; partial termNot offered regularly; consult department Prereq: None Units arranged
Seminar or lecture on a topic that is not covered in the regular curriculum. S. Mnookin 21W.S97 Special Subject: Writing
() Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: None Units arranged
Seminar or lecture on a topic that is not covered in the regular curriculum. Staff 21W.S98 Special Subject: Writing
() Not offered regularly; consult department Prereq: None Units arranged
Seminar or lecture on a topic that is not covered in the regular curriculum. Staff 21W.THT Writing Pre-Thesis Tutorial
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Prereq: None Units arranged TBA.
Definition of and early stage work on a thesis project leading to 21W.THU. Taken during the first term of a student's two-term commitment to the thesis project. Student works closely with an individual faculty tutor. Required of all students pursuing a full major in Course 21W. Joint majors register for 21.THT. Fall: Staff IAP: Staff Spring: Staff Summer: Staff No required or recommended textbooks 21W.THU Writing Program Thesis
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Prereq: 21W.THT Units arranged TBA.
Completion of work on the senior major thesis under the supervision of a faculty tutor. Includes oral presentation of the thesis progress early in the term, assembling and revising the final text, and a final meeting with a committee of faculty evaluators to discuss the successes and limitations of the project. Required of students pursuing a full major in Course 21W. Joint majors register for 21.THU. Fall: Staff IAP: Staff Spring: Staff Summer: Staff No required or recommended textbooks 21W.THG Graduate Thesis
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Prereq: Permission of instructor Units: 3-0-9 Lecture: TR EVE (5.30-7.30 PM) (14N-112)
Research and writing of thesis in consultation with faculty, including individual meetings and group seminars, undertaken over the course of one year. Fall: staff Spring: staff No required or recommended textbooks 21W.UR Research in Writing
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Prereq: None Units arranged [P/D/F] TBA.
Individual participation in an ongoing research project. For students in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. Fall: staff IAP: staff Spring: staff Summer: staff No required or recommended textbooks 21W.URG Research in Writing
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Units arranged TBA.
Individual participation in an ongoing research project. For students in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. Fall: staff IAP: staff Spring: staff Summer: staff No required or recommended textbooks |
| | | 21W.000-21W.749 | | | 21W.750-21W.999 plus Thesis, UROP | | | |
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