Deborah S. Hochgesang

Notable speeches in English from various historical periods and from diverse cultures will form the basis for this seminar, in which students will develop and advance their critical thinking, critical reading, and critical writing skills. Examples of such speeches include ¿Ain¿t I a Woman¿ by Sojourner Truth and ¿The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro¿ by Frederick Douglass. In addition, other examples of effective and convincing argumentation such as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.¿s ¿Letter from Birmingham Jail¿ will also be considered. Students will analyze these speeches and other texts in their historical or contemporary contexts as exemplars of rhetorical argumentation and learn, through discussion, oral presentations, and writing assignments, how to write successful argumentative essays that include arguments, counter-arguments and refutation. Students should expect to write 15-20 pages of formal, revisable writing in addition to homework and in-class workshops. First Year Seminar I provides students with guided experience in college-level writing, thereby forming the necessary foundation for First Year Seminar II and upper-level Liberal Arts classes.

This seminar will use Voices of a People¿s History of the United States by Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove to explore how ordinary people in American history spoke out and fought for social justice. Their voices have not been included in the conventional historical narrative of the United States, and students will learn from their speeches, letters, poems and songs how they viewed and shaped the major social justice movements in American history. Additional materials will expand the scope of this historical survey as needed. Students should expect to write 20-25 pages of formal, revisable writing in addition to homework and in-class workshops. First Year Seminar II provides students with guided experience in college-level writing, thereby forming the necessary foundation for upper-level Liberal Arts classes.