What famous journalist took a handgun to his typewriter? Which literary lion shamelessly stole his wife's WWII press credentials? Which U.S. journalist chronicled the AIDS epidemic, but postponed the results of his own AIDS test so his reporting would not be compromised? This course is an examination of cultural history as seen by our fellow journalists. It rests on the premise that to be a great writer, one must also be a great reader. Students will go beyond the conventions and limitations of lower-level courses. With readings from Mark Twain to the present, we examine the tools and techniques that make nonfiction writing memorable. Subjects include Twain, George Orwell, Joan Didion, Ernest Hemingway, Martha Gellhorn, Tom Wolfe, Hunter S. Thompson and the great misanthrope, H.L. Mencken. 4 cr.