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ENGL 151-03, The Figure of the Citizen, Spring 2008
Newstok, Scott L.
Newstok, Scott L.
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English, Department of, Syllabus, Curriculum, Academic departments, Text, 2008 Spring
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Abstract
What is a citizen? How is the notion of citizenship formed and informed by rhetorical
persuasion? This section of the writing course explores the ‘figure’ of the citizen, often placed
in opposition to a range of non-citizens (women, slaves, immigrants, aliens, strangers, enemies,
friends). While we will examine selected excerpts from classical and contemporary political
theories addressing citizenship, we will be concentrating on the ways in which citizens get
figured in texts. To this end, readings might include the play Antigone, Pericles’ funeral oration,
More’s Utopia, and poetry by Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, W. H. Auden, and Seamus
Heaney. Less conventionally ‘literary’ texts will also be drawn from genres such as legal
documents, letters, government exams, and journalism. We’ll touch upon debates surrounding
the figure of the citizen in classical Greece, Renaissance England, and the United States; research
projects will involve work at the National Civil Rights Museum.
In common with other 151 classes, the course has three broad aims: to enable you to read
critically, to encourage you to think independently, and to help you produce accurate and
compelling prose in support of a thesis. Course requirements will include three essays, one
longer research paper, and brief writing (and revising) assignments for every class session.
Description
This syllabus was submitted to the Rhodes College Office of Academic Affairs by the course instructor.