ENGL 151-05-06, Negotiating Limits, Spring 2008

Abstract

This class doesn't ask you to think for yourself; it requires it. As part of a community of writers with shared goals and problems, your own experiences and ideas will be fodder for writing, reading,a nd discussionY. our first taskw ill be apractical,c ollaborativee xplorationo f how classroomb oundariesa re seta nd experiencedT. ogetherw ith your classmatesy,o u will investigate the range of your personal evaluative experiences as you negotiate a self-constituting document for the class.I nsightsw e gain from this processw ill thenb e broughtt o bearo n other questions: How can language be both a prisonhouse, constraining our ability to comprehend and communicatea, nd the key to breakingo ut? How do societiess ubsumet he identitieso f the people that comprise them? How does human interaction with nature find limits? Readings, films, and discussionw ill augmento ur experiencea, sw e considers uchs pecificp roblemsa s the placeo f performance-enhancingd rugs in sports,h ow people and plants cultivate propertiesi n eacho ther, and if we can distinguish between our role in nature and a responsibility to the environment.