ENGL 151-07, Fakes, Frauds, and Forgeries, Fall 2008

Abstract

When we read a novel or watch a movie, we recognize that no matter how "real" the story seems, it's a manmade work of fiction. But how do we interpret fictions presented as fact? This introduction to college writing and argument explores a variety of fakes, frauds and forgeries, including con artists, circus sideshows, photographs of fairies, blackface minstrels, and writers working under assumed identities. Some of our subjects - like counterfeit money - have joined the real world without being seen, while others - like artists who adopt alternate personas - raise questions about the very nature of "the real". Our course material, which spans some three-hundred years of history, won't provide us with a comprehensive history of fakers, but it will help us investigate issues of authenticity, identity, authorship, performance, and that trusty old standby, reality. In addition to a final research project, you will write three shorter essays related to the course material and work closely on improving your own rhetoric and style. In your prose, you'll practice that smooth presentation that helps you take down your mark. Successful academic argument shares some of the skills of the confidence man.