aCademiC Catalog 2013-2014 - Lorenzo de Medici

allows the students to develop a critical awareness of their
own writing as well as following the inspirational and editing
process of fellow classmates. Mid-term and final projects will
reflect students’ writing progress. This course may be taken
by students of English as a second language with advanced
writing skills.
Prerequisites: WRI 150 Writing for College, or equivalent
Exploring Tuscania through Creative Writing
WRI 285 T
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
With its roots dating back to the Bronze Age, Tuscania has been
inhabited by ancient cultures, from the Etruscans to the Romans
and medieval civilizations. Their influence can still be felt in the
present-day life of Tuscania, from wedding ceremonies held in
the Romanesque church of San Pietro to the continuation of
traditional agricultural customs by local farmers. But how else
does Tuscania’s past continue to influence the daily lives and
values of its citizens? How does living amid such great historical
and archaeological sites affect the perceptions and lifestyles
of visiting students? In this course, students will tackle such
questions through a writer’s lens. Creative writing, both fiction
and nonfiction, provides students with a way to synthesize
their impressions of Tuscania’s rich, variegated past with their
own personal experiences of the town’s present, everyday life.
Through class discussions, workshops, assigned readings and
excursions to local historical sites, such as Etruscan tombs and
medieval churches, students will take part in an intense form of
intellectual and artistic engagement, and produce works that
depict their evolving personal response to their surroundings.
Through weekly writing workshops, students will have the
opportunity to share and discuss their creative work with their
instructor and peers, in a supportive environment that offers
both encouragement and constructive criticism.
Prerequisites: WRI 150 Writing for College, or equivalent
School of Arts & Sciences TUSCANIA
Travel Writing
WRI 290 T
Cr: 3; Contact hrs: 45
Throughout history, Italy has inspired writers and poets to wax
lyrical in ways that few other countries have done. Countless
English-language novels, stories and poems have woven a
bel paese of words around the Italian experience. This course
provides an opportunity for students to focus first-hand on
the art and craft of travel writing, with particular emphasis on
cities in Italy, but also with excursions into other worlds - real or
imaginary. Through reading, writing, and visits in and around
the city center, students will explore places of historic, artistic,
cultural and personal interest. They will learn “by example” from
a selection of great travel literature from the world in general,
and from Italy in particular. And they will learn “by doing”,
via a series of guided exercises and assignments that explore
the distinctive qualities of travel writing – its combination of
history, culture, information, rumination, musings and memory
– and the ways in which this particular art can lead to a deeper
understanding of their own experiences and cultural identity.
Prerequisites: WRI 150 Writing for College, or equivalent
LdM Academic Catalog 2013-2014
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