Speaking Truth to Power: Life Writing and Civic Engagement

Catalog description

In this course, students will examine the role of active citizenship in participatory democracy, particularly when considering what the American Association of Colleges and Universities refers to as the "unscripted problems" of the 21st-century on local, national, and global scales. "Unscripted" here implies that the story about how these problems will be solved and by whom remains untold, and we will look to the life-writing (memoir and biography) of previous change-makers and justice­seekers to examine the relationship of the individual to a community and institutions when participating on social movements in varying scopes. The course will focus on the tools, concepts, and background needed to assess a societal problem and determine the possibility for individual and collective contributions toward change. A service learning project with a community partner is required. Prerequisite Course(s): Prerequisite: Take one course in each group: Group 1 (FCWR 101 or FCWR 111 or WRIT 101 or WRIT 111) and Group 2 (FCWR 151 or FCWR 161 or WRIT 151 or WRIT 161) Classroom Hours - Laboratory and/or Studio Hours – Course Credits: 2-2-3