Sherry Antonini

FYS I are theme-based writing courses designed for first-year students, with an emphasis on teaching foundational writing skills. Students will develop the intellectual skills of reading critically, and writing responsively, which forms the basis of each student's career at the School. While faculty have autonomy in determining course theme, the theme is an accessory to the writing; the balance in these classes is weighed toward explicit writing instruction and workshopping of student writing, not content. This course provides guided experience in writing college-level essays of various kinds, which may include critical, analytical and argumentative essays. A significant amount of time is devoted to the craft of writing. Grammatical and organizational strategies, argumentation, and skills in thesis/claim and idea development are explored. Students should expect to write 15-20 pages of formal, revisable writing across the course of the semester. A significant amount of time may be devoted to re-writing essays, so as to develop first drafts into final versions. In-class writing, short homework exercises, and workshopping of student work may be included. Individual meetings to discuss each student's papers should be expected.

Musicality and an exquisite choice of words, sensory detail, and form¿the elements of masterful crafting in poetry offer a flight into worlds both familiar and unfamiliar and language for experiences which are often otherwise wordless. In this course students will consider a range of poems across the timeline of literature to learn how to read poetry deeply and thoroughly, both for content and to recognize craft as it supports meaning. Some poets likely to be considered are Sappho, Gertrude Stein, Sylvia Plath, Maya Angelou, Julia Alvarez, Jericho Brown, Ocean Vuong, Jo Harjo, and Amanda Gorman, among others. The work of this course will involve assigned readings, related research, and presentations. Students will be expected to write essays based on course content that are developed from early draft through final revision stages to total 15-20 pages of writing, as well as engage in writing exercises and discussions.

In this course, we?ll read about witches across diverse forms of literature including folk and fairy tales, poetry, plays, and short stories. We?ll read writing by The Brothers Grimm, Octavia Butler, Arthur Miller, Joy Harjo, Rebecca Tamas, Jane Yolan, and Yumiko Kurahashi to trace the footsteps and flight patterns of witches as they appear in various roles such as mother, monster, healer, and teacher. In support of our investigations, we?ll also read selected critique essays from Donald Haase?s Fairy Tales and Feminism and from Emma Donoghue?s Kissing the Witch, a collection of deconstructed and reassembled fairy tales. As a FYSI course, the core emphasis of this class will be developing writing skills in preparation for FYSII courses and other writing assignments across SAIC?s curriculum. Students will engage in comprehensive discussion of these readings, conduct related research, and write response and analytical essays, with a final project that incorporates a creative component

What are the concerns that drive one's creative practice? How does one set the terms for its future development? Sophomore Seminar offers strategies for students to explore, reflect upon, and connect common themes and interests in the development of an emerging creative practice that will serve as the basis of their ongoing studies at SAIC and beyond. Students will examine historical and contemporary influences and contextualize their work in relation to the diverse art-worlds of the 21st Century. Readings, screenings, and field trips will vary each semester. Presentations by visiting artists and guest speakers will provide the opportunity for students to hear unique perspectives on sustaining a creative practice. One-on-one meetings with faculty will provide students with individualized mentorship throughout the semester. During interdisciplinary critiques, students will explore a variety of formats and tools to analyze work and provide peer feedback. The class mid-term project asks students to imagine a plan for their creative life and devise a self-directed course of study for their time at school. The course concludes with an assignment asking students to develop and document a project or body of work demonstrating how the interplay of ideas, technical skills, and formal concerns evolve through iteration, experimentation and revision.

Prerequisite: Must be a sophomore to enroll.