Course Descriptions
Undergraduate Only
ENG 105-0 – Expository Writing
Expository Writing is designed for any student who wants a strong introductory course in college-level writing. Students write three or four extended pieces of expository writing, developing each through a process of planning, drafting, revising, and editing. Students also complete several briefer exercises in which they experiment with specific writing techniques or use informal writing as a tool for exploring ideas. Class meetings are conducted as seminar discussions and workshops. In addition, the instructor meets regularly with students in individual conferences.
ENG 105-0-20-FQ26 – American Fear: The Things That Scare Us
Government corruption, public speaking, nuclear weapons, murder by a stranger—recent surveys demonstrate that Americans are more afraid, and have more things to be afraid of, than ever before. How did we come to be so afraid, and how can we understand the things that scare us? We experience fear when we identify a threat to our safety or wellbeing, but these threats don't just make themselves known by going bump in the night. Fear is learned, and more often than not, we learn fear through writing. We unwind from school by watching a scary movie, or start the day by reading the news, or try to ignore texts in class from an anxious roommate who keeps asking, "do u think we will die alone?". In other words, one of the main reasons that we experience fear is because, at some point, we encountered the work of a writer who has made the argument that we should be afraid.
The readings in this course will explore how Americans express fear as individuals and as a collective. Through class discussion, we will evaluate the techniques used by writers, journalists, and poets to communicate with different audiences, and we will engage with the texts that we read by making some arguments of our own.
ENG 105-7-21-FQ26 – The Great American Graphic Novel
The Great American Graphic Novel explores the representation of the multiple perspectives of the American experience and US history through popular graphic novels. The central question of this seminar is: How do graphic novels and comics illustrate American identity? Through a robust reading schedule (comics read fast, so we can read many of them!), we will encounter unique and varied views on the themes of religion, (dis)ability, immigration, race, ethnicity, sexuality, age, and citizenship, and how those ideas have changed conceptions of Americanness over time. Students will enhance their reading of examples of multiple subgenres of the form-superhero comics, graphic nonfiction, web comics, and all ages comics-with scholarly, journalistic, and popular culture criticism. This seminar transitions students into college-level inquiry and into being conscientious and ethical members of a learning community composed of diverse perspectives. Students will demonstrate their new knowledge about graphic novels and comics and American identity through drafting and revising journal entries, analytical papers, and creative assignments.
ENG 105-7-22-FQ26 – Language & Everyday Experience
This seminar explores language as part of our everyday social experience. We'll consider such questions as: What's the difference between a language and a dialect? Why do some people think you have an accent while others think you don't? Has your own language changed since you came to Northwestern? What patterns govern the conversations we have, and how do we create social relationships, communities, and identities in those conversations? Why do some of us mix multiple languages? Is it, like, ok for me to, like, use like so much? What about um or ya know? Students will formulate and consider their own questions about language and social life in papers and presentations.
ENG 105-7-23-FQ26 – Literatures of Addiction
Ever since Pentheus's fatal decision to spy on the revels of Dionysus, audiences have had a guilty fascination with the spectacle of addiction—a fascination which crosses not only centuries but disciplines, captivating scientists, policymakers, philosophers, artists, and laypeople alike. This class will trace the evolution of literary representations of addiction across several centuries, from classical depictions of god-induced madness, through the Gothic narratives such as Stevenson\'s Jekyll and Hyde, temperance classics such as Ten Nights in a Barroom (whose impact has often been compared to that of Uncle Tom's Cabin), to the twentieth- and twenty-first century comedies and confessionals that make the bestseller lists today.
Through these readings and related critical texts, we will examine the ways that such literature provides a staging ground for public controversy and emerging theories about the artistic, cultural, ethical, and scientific significance and ramifications of addiction. Course readings/viewing will include works of fiction, journalism, and writings from the natural and social sciences as well as popular films. We will also consider practical topics such as how University library resources and experts can help students locate and evaluate key sources and develop authoritative arguments.
ENG 105-7-24-FQ26 – Immigrant Stories
We live in a time when hostility toward immigrants has made many Americans forget that, as Barack Obama said, "We are and always will be a nation of immigrants. We were strangers once, too." This hostility has obscured the complex reality of the lives of immigrants. In this course, we will study fiction and poetry by immigrants and their children in order to understand that complex reality. We will explore such questions as: How do social attitudes and institutions impact the lives of immigrants as they seek to pursue the "American Dream"? What happens to the relationships between parents and children through the process of acculturation into American society? How do differences in national origin connect with other differences, particularly gender, race, ethnicity, and class?
ENG 105-7-25-FQ26 – In Praise of Boredom
What if boredom isn't the enemy we think it is? In our age of constant connectivity and endless stimulation, this college seminar challenges students to reconsider one of our most avoided experiences. Through an eclectic mix of readings, discussions, and hands-on experiments, we'll explore boredom as both cultural phenomenon and personal experience. Topics range from the mundane to the profound: waiting in line, social media scrolling, reality television, meditation traditions, the neuroscience of attention, "boring" art and literature, slow food movements, digital detox culture, and the creative potential of empty time.
In exploring these topics, you will engage with contemporary writers and thinkers alongside classic texts, but more importantly, you will conduct your own investigations—from deliberate disconnection experiments to mindful observation exercises. Through traditional academic writing, creative projects, and reflective practices, you will develop critical thinking skills while learning to sit with discomfort and discover what emerges in the spaces between stimulation. This seminar serves as both intellectual exploration and practical training in the lost art of being present, preparing students for deeper engagement with their academic and personal lives.
ENG 105-7-26-FQ26 – Ordinary to Extraordinary: Narratives of Transformation
Embark on a captivating exploration of heroic journeys, including your own journey into Northwestern University. In this course, we'll examine bestselling novels and blockbuster movies. Through immersive discussions, written analyses, and interactive activities, we'll unravel the archetypal stages of the hero's journey - from the call to adventure to the ultimate showdown with destiny. More than an academic pursuit, this seminar is a call to adventure, an invitation to embark on your own heroic odyssey. In this course, you'll craft your own hero's journey narrative, exploring themes of courage, resilience, and personal growth as they apply to your journey into college. The hero's journey you create will become a time capsule - your professor will email it back to you in four years so you can relive the heroic journey you took during your first quarter at Northwestern.
ENG 105-7-27-FQ26 – Race and Technology: Being Human in the Post-Racial United States
Welcome to "Race and Technology: Being Human in the Post-Racial United States". This course is designed to introduce and prepare you for college life at Northwestern University. The primary goal is to equip you with the academic skills necessary for success, including identifying and utilizing essential university resources. This course will focus on three interconnected themes: race, college writing, and the impact of technological advances such as generative AI and social media on each. We will explore how power, class, and technology influence the performance of race, ethnicity, and culture. Racial ideology, a complex and integral part of the American experience, will be examined through storytelling, academic articles, news items, personal experiences, and research data. We will also explore how modern technological advances shape our collective thinking and relationships. We will address critical questions such as: How do social media, search engines, and generative AI alter our perceptions of the world? Can technological developments in late capitalism help level the social playing field and end segregation? Should technology serve the best interests of all citizens in society?
Reading, writing, and research are the pillars of this course, with a special focus on the role of technology, particularly generative AI, in these practices. While we will cover the fundamentals of crafting a strong research paper or project, we will also critically reflect on the ethical and efficient use of AI tools like ChatGPT. An essential component of the class will be to discuss, assess, and evaluate what generative AI can and cannot support, and how to determine fair and ethical use of such technologies. Join us as we navigate these complex and nuanced issues, developing the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in your undergraduate journey and beyond.
ENG 105-7-28-FQ26 – Dystopian Stories
Imagining worlds gone wrong, dystopian stories plunge us into places that may seem not only unthinkable but also troublingly familiar. We'll explore a number of questions about these worlds: how do the people in them understand why things are the way they are? What stories about the past do these worlds rely on? What exactly is dystopian about these worlds, as imagined? How do the people in these worlds envision the future? What about their ways of thinking or about their practices challenges the dystopian? How do these dystopian worlds compare with worlds we already know, or with the way things were when these stories were written?
Short stories and novels may include (among others) the following: Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, "Friday Black"; Heather Lindsley, "Just Do It"; Sarah Langan, "Independence Day"; Ray Bradbury, "The Pedestrian"; Ted Chiang, "Understand"; Shirley Jackson, "The Lottery"; Ursula K. Le Guin, "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas"; Kenan Orhan, "The Beyoglu Municipality Waste Management Orchestra"; N.K. Jemison, "Walking Awake"; Robert Silverberg, "Caught in the Organ Draft"; Kazuo Ishiguro's novel, Never Let Me Go.
ENG 106-1/DSGN 106-1 – Writing in Special Contexts
Design Thinking and Communication (DTC), is a required two-quarter course for all first-year students at McCormick. It is also available to any Northwestern undergraduate student interested in design. Every section is co-taught by an instructor from the Writing Program and an instructor from engineering. Part of the Engineering First® curriculum, the course immediately puts students to work on real design problems submitted by individuals, non-profits, entrepreneurs, and industry members. In DTC, all students design for real people and communicate to real audiences.
ENG 106-2/DSGN 106-2 – Writing in Special Contexts
Design Thinking and Communication (DTC), is a required two-quarter course for all first-year students at McCormick. It is also available to any Northwestern undergraduate student interested in design. Every section is co-taught by an instructor from the Writing Program and an instructor from engineering. Part of the Engineering First® curriculum, the course immediately puts students to work on real design problems submitted by individuals, non-profits, entrepreneurs, and industry members. In DTC, all students design for real people and communicate to real audiences.
ENG 205-0 – Intermediate Composition
This course is designed to help you write more clearly, coherently, and complexly about what’s important to you. You’ll write some short exercises and you’ll write and revise several essays, after feedback from classmates and from me. We'll explore a range of writing strategies for finding and developing material and shaping it into essays. We’ll take seriously the idea that writing can change us and can change the world, and we’ll aim to create interesting, illuminating, possibly transformative essays.
ENG 205-0-1-FQ26 – Nature & the Nature of Argument
In the latter half of the twentieth century, the time-honored genre of nature writing saw the emergence of a parallel literary tradition: Writing (and other media) devoted to drawing the world's attention to impending environmental catastrophe - and the steps human beings could take to avert it. In this course, students will examine the intersection of these two genres - that of traditional nature writing and environmental activist texts - with an eye to developing a portfolio of writing and communication work that showcases their unique voices, rhetorical strategies, and perspectives on this critically important topic. We will consider how people come to develop felt relationships to the natural world and what activist strategies seem to have the greatest potential to spark positive change. To that end, students will be asked to keep a journal of observation and reflections on the natural world as a foundation for later research and argumentative work. Some classes will be held outside at a range of campus (and possibly off-campus) locations, weather permitting, to allow for in-class observation and reflection workshops.
Course readings/viewing will include some classics including authors such as Rachel Carson and Ken Saro-Wiwa (winner of the Goldman Environmental Prize), as well as selections from more recent work by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Braiding Sweetgrass), Andreas Malm (How to Blow Up a Pipeline), Johan Eklöf (The Darkness Manifesto), Alan Weisman (The World Without Us), Aimee Nezhukumatathil, and Greta Thunberg (The Climate Book). We will also look at activist documentaries such as Cooked: Survival by Zip Code and consider practical topics such as how University library resources and experts can help students locate and evaluate key sources and develop authoritative arguments.
ENG 282-0 – Writing and Speaking in Business
Across all industries, employers consistently rank written and oral communication in the top five skills that a new employee needs. However, employers also say that students overestimate their ability to communicate effectively in a workplace context. English 282 is designed to address that gap. The course is designed to help you think strategically about communication, make effective communication decisions, and produce writing and presentations that are well-organized, clear, and compelling. In addition, course assignments provide an opportunity to enhance your critical reading and thinking; your ability to communicate effectively about data; your understanding of visual communication; and your understanding of interpersonal communication. There will be no final exam. However, students must be present on the final day of class for team-based presentations.
ENG 282-0-20-FQ26 – Writing and Speaking in Business
This section of ENG 282 is a service-learning section. We will be working with Chicago Public Schools (CPS). While we will achieve the same learning outcomes as other ENG 282 sections, we will do so by working with a partner, giving all our writing an actual audience and context. The intent is that the final deliverables, a recommendation report and presentation, to Chicago Public Schools in their downtown boardroom will be useful and impactful.
ENG 282-0-21-FQ26 – Writing and Speaking in Business
Across all industries, employers consistently rank written and oral communication in the top five skills that a new employee needs. However, employers also say that students overestimate their ability to communicate effectively in a workplace context. English 282 is designed to address that gap. The course is designed to help you think strategically about communication, make effective communication decisions, and produce writing and presentations that are well-organized, clear, and compelling. In addition, course assignments provide an opportunity to enhance your critical reading and thinking; your ability to communicate effectively about data; your understanding of visual communication; and your understanding of interpersonal communication. There will be no final exam.
ENG 282-0-22+24-FQ26 – Writing and Speaking in Business
Across all industries, employers consistently rank written and oral communication in the top five skills that a new employee needs. This course is designed to help you think strategically about communication, make effective communication decisions, and produce writing and presentations that are well-organized, clear, and compelling. In addition, course assignments provide an opportunity to enhance your critical reading and thinking; your ability to communicate effectively about data; your understanding of visual communication; and your understanding of interpersonal communication. There will be no final exam. However, students must be available during the scheduled final exam time for team-based presentations on Zoom.
ENG 282-0-23-FQ26 – Writing and Speaking in Business
This section of ENG 282 is a service-learning section. We will be working with a Chicago-based food pantry, Nourishing Hope. While we will achieve the same learning outcomes as other ENG 282 sections, we will do so by working with a partner, giving all our writing an actual audience and context. Working with Nourishing Hope, we will hear and analyze needs of the organization, and the projects will be focused on meeting the needs of the organization through reports, recommendations, and portfolios. Students will be required to travel to volunteering locations in Chicago to complete up to 10 volunteer hours outside of class.
ENG 304-0 – Practical Rhetoric: Issues in the Teaching & Tutoring of Writing
Practical Rhetoric is a discussion-based course that explores the practical skills and pedagogical theories behind effective peer-to-peer tutoring in writing centers. The course is practical in that it is designed to prepare incoming tutors for their work at the Writing Place. This course also focuses heavily on both classic and current theories of the teaching of writing and of writing center-specific pedagogies. We will introduce you to classic works of writing center theory while also asking you to engage in more contemporary debates and studies in the field. Through a combination of reading about writing center pedagogies and practicing engaging with those methods in your work at the Writing Place, Practical Rhetoric seeks to prepare you to effectively coach writers at all stages of the writing process. In the spirit of the collaborative writing process that is at the heart of the Writing Place's mission, as writers this quarter, this course will ask you to regularly bring your own writing to class to workshop in a series of mock consultations and writing exercises with your classmates. You will reflect on your own positionality as a writer-- and consider what that positionality brings to your work at the Writing Place-- in a short writing assignment the first week of the quarter. You will continue to reflect on your learning in Practical Rhetoric and on your experiences working at the Writing Place in a series of weekly tutor journals. We will ask you to contribute to the work of writing center studies through your own research proposal, ideally on a topic or initiative that you can continue developing and perhaps even put into action in later quarters to improve and grow our services at the Writing Place. And at the end of the quarter, you'll bring everything you've learned together to articulate your personal tutoring philosophy.
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