The essay has never been a unified genre, nor has the essay been the exclusive domain of printed media. Indeed, much of the crafted, non-fictional writing that we consume today doesn’t reach us in the form of printed text. We receive the written word through podcasts, documentaries across platforms, and online videos both professional and amateur. This course explores the confluence of classic essay forms with everyday personal technology. By leveraging these new platforms, we can develop more flexible communication skills and engage with a wider array of audiences.
 
This course includes three writing projects that employ popular media genres: a photo essay, an audio essay, and a short video essay. Building on the traditions of the personal essay, we will use the technology of modern life (the smartphone, the personal computer) to create well-researched, nonfiction, multimodal essays grounded in traditional prose. We will develop and hone each of these assignments through a process of planning, drafting, peer-based workshops, and final revisions. Unlike other 300-level essay courses in the English department, English 345 fulfills a creative expression--rather than upper-level writing--requirement. As such, we hope you’ll approach these projects creatively, to satisfy some curiosity, to discover or amuse.
 
Note: Prior completion of a first-year writing course will help you to succeed in this course. However, no formal experience with photography, podcasting, or video-recording is necessary; each unit of the course will include basic instruction for using relevant forms of everyday technology. Our focus here is not technological—rather our goal will be to let technology enhance our essay-writing. Some of the most engaging and powerful multimodal essays feature very simple production values.

Note: The two sections of English 345 (001 and 002) occur concurrently. In general, both sections will meet together, collaborate, and share instructors. You can register for either section.