Writing

Courses in: Writing Seminar (098) | Writing Seminar (100)

College of Arts & Sciences

For classes in Creative Writing see additional listings under English.

College of Arts & Sciences Writing Program

The purpose of the CAS Writing Program is to help students read challenging works with critical discernment, to write with a refined sense of style, and to speak with appropriate eloquence. Although the topics of the seminars differ, all seminars are designed to foster lively discussions about works of literature that serve as models for effective writing. Every writing seminar teaches grammatical correctness and stylistic versatility. All seminars lead students through a common assignment sequence that stresses the process of revision. Students enrolled in the College of Arts & Sciences are required to complete two courses of formal instruction in writing, reading, research, and speaking. The two-course sequence CAS WR 100 and WR 150 is the usual means of satisfying this requirement. WR 097 (not offered in summer) and WR 098 are reserved for ESL (English as a Second Language) students whose score on the ESL Writing Placement Test indicates a need for preparatory work prior to enrolling in WR 100-150.

Tutorial assistance is available to students enrolled in summer composition courses. To make an appointment with a tutor, please go to http://www.bu.edu/cas/writing/tutoring.html or call 617-358-1500.

Writing Seminar (098)

Introduction to College Reading and Writing in English (English as a Second Language Only)

CAS WR 098

Intended for students whose first language is not English. Emphasis on analytical and persuasive writing. Intensive study of prose mechanics and essay structure. Grammar and punctuation; patterns for composing sentences and paragraphs; proper citation of sources in support of a thesis. Extensive reading, including one long reading and works that exemplify a variety of styles. Individual conferences. 4 cr. Tuition: $2340

Summer 2 (July 1-August 8)

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Writing Seminar (100)

Imaginative engagement through reading and writing with a theme or topic in literature, thought, and society. Emphasis on assimilation of challenging readings into essays that are clear, accurate, persuasive, and engaging. Practice in classroom discussion of ideas and refinement of speaking skills. Special attention to comparison and synthesis. Individual conferences.

Writing Seminar

CAS WR 100

Topic: The American Short Story. Explores the evolution of the American short story from its early forms to contemporary experiments. Our concern is to understand both the formal qualities of the short story (plot, setting, characterization, point of view) and the range of themes that have found expression in this brief but potent prose genre. Considers short stories as individual entities and as works grouped together into collections. Compares American short stories with British and European models. Readings are selected from the stories of Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, Washington Irving, Herman Melville, Mark Twain, Henry James, Kate Chopin, O. Henry, Willa Cather, Jack London, Ernest Hemingway, Flannery O’Connor, John Edgar Wideman, Eudora Welty, John Gardner, John Updike, and William Gass, among others. In some sections, films based on short stories are viewed. 4 cr. Tuition: $2340

Summer 2 (July 1-August 8)

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Writing Seminar

CAS WR 100

Topic: Boston in Film and Literature. Boston has captivated writers and artists for centuries. This seminar explores Boston as subject and setting of a number of very different works in order to understand the social, political, historical, and artistic forces that have shaped this great American city. Texts include the fiction of Henry James, Sylvia Plath, and Dennis Lehane; the poetry of e.e. cummings, Robert Lowell, and Elizabeth Bishop; and the films of Peter Yates, Clint Eastwood, and Martin Scorsese. 4 cr. Tuition: $2340

Summer 2 (July 1-August 8)

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