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WRITING 201

  2. ★ Writing Support
  3. Writing Guides
  4. Courses
    1. WRITING 160
    2. WRITING 200
    3. WRITING 201
    4. WRITING 220
    5. WRITING 229
    6. WRITING 300
    7. WRITING 301
    8. WRITING 305
    9. WRITING 350
    10. WRITING 400
    11. WRITING 405
    12. WRITING 420
  6. Minor in Writing
  7. Peer Writing Consultant Program
  8. Writing Prizes
  9. First-Year Writing Requirement
  10. Upper-Level Writing Requirement
  11. International Students
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Writing with Digital and Social Media Mini-Courses

Credits: 1 | May be elected 3 times for credit | May be elected more than once in the same term

In WRITING 201, students analyze and apply rhetorical principles in their writing with digital media. A variety of topics and innovation in pedagogy are hallmarks of this course. Why pay attention to multimedia in a writing course? As members of a media-saturated culture, we know that print text is only one form of "writing" and communication, and sometimes it is not the most effective choice. Because all of us make sense of texts and issues in a variety of ways, this course will ask students to utilize multimodal (visual, aural, kinetic, etc.) forms of communication and become more informed and critical consumers of digital media writing themselves.

WRITING 201 - LSA COURSE GUIDE LINK

Writing 201.001 - What Makes an Influencer

Ten years ago, “influencer” was not even really a common term used to describe a person. Almost no one could say “influencer” was their career. With the advent of highly democratized and multimodal mass communication, especially via YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, becoming an “influencer” is now the pinnacle of self-made social media greatness, and some influencers enjoy celebrity on par with major artists and actors.

How did this happen? What are the ingredients to success? In this course, we’ll investigate the influencer phenomenon via closely studying one particular influencer’s career and compositional style. You’ll choose an influencer relevant to a hobby or other cultural area that you care about, and we’ll analyze them and learn their tricks over this mini-course. 

Writing 201.002 - Art of Zines

Do you like making things?

Are your ideas waiting for a way to be expressed?

You may be ready to make some zines. Our making-centered course will include a glimpse into zine history so far and why zines can matter to individuals, communities and movements. We will explore zines from DIY culture, punk, and Riot Grrrl, including photo zines by Eric Nakamura of Giant Robot, comic zines by Ben Passmore, and perzines by Alex Wrekk and many others. We will build our own zines in a series of experiments (perzine/manifesto/image) with writing, drawing (stick figures welcome!) and doodling, collage, and photographs in the mix. Our class will focus on process and experimenting, with feedback and time for revision, as we self-publish our own zines. Our class also will experiment with building zine community on campus, and have the opportunity to host a Zine Happening.

Writing 201.004 - Art of Photobooks

A photobook can be a way to investigate our relationship to images, a way to discover ideas within a series of images, and a way to tell our own stories. We will consider the photobook as an artistic endeavor, as well as a possible lens for social commentary. We will look at The Americans  (1959) by Robert Frank, and, by using it as inspiration, you will make your first experiment titled The Wolverines. We also will look at a range of photobooks and photozines and may have an opportunity to see rare photobooks from the Library’s Special Collections, including Edward Ruscha’s Every Building on the Sunset Strip.

In our making-centered course, we will build our own photobooks and photozines in a series of experiments. Our class will focus on process and experimenting, with feedback and time for revision, as we work toward the final project to self-publish your own photobook. 

Writing 201.005 - Attention and Digital Landscapes

Are you paying attention? To what, and why? Are you happy about how you're spending your precious and limited hoard of attention? The digital landscape clamors for our attention, begging–or forcing–us to spend it, with dazzling images, juicy tidbits of information, and, of course, the stealthy algorithms that deliver all of this amazing content right to our devices, just for us. In this course, we'll take a step outside of this landscape so we can pay more attention to how we're traversing it, and ask ourselves whether the attention we pay online is well spent. We'll spend time in class experimenting with different modes of reading, observing, and writing–some digital, some analog; some inside and some outside the classroom–to discover more about what can help us pay more, or a better kind, of attention to the world around us.

Outside of class, you'll write about these experiences and read what other writers and artists have to say about attention. Expect weekly readings and informal writing assignments, one major project due at the end of class, and a project proposal due at the midpoint, with regular attendance and participation during class sessions comprising a non-trivial portion of your grade. 

Sweetland Center for Writing
105 S. State Street
1310 North Quad
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1285
734.764.0429
734.763.9148
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