COR 334 Engaging in Public Discourse About Social and Cultural Issues

Students will learn how to express themselves articulately, intellectually and persuasively about social and cultural issues in public forums using perspectives, theories, concepts and research from their studies in the liberal arts. This capstone seminar will be structured as an interactive, interdisciplinary workshop in which students learn how to engage in discourse (especially through writing, but also speaking) in public, non-academic venues including magazine articles, op-ed pieces, social media, blogs, speaking engagements and more. Students will learn how to select a socio-cultural issue for public discourse, how to identify relevant academic knowledge, how to identify appropriate public venues, how to pitch their ideas to editors or other gatekeepers, and how to write and talk about academic ideas in language accessible to the public. Emphasis will be placed on writing as a citizen and writing to learn. Students will complete projects that will be ready for submission for public venues.