Jacob A Hinkson

Why are we fascinated with con artists¿both real and imagined? In this online writing intensive course, we will deepen the skills of argument-driven composition as we explore the sometimes tenuous boundary between authenticity and duplicity. We will examine the con artist as the both the protagonist and antagonist in fictional works, as well as the subject of ¿true crime¿ books and documentaries. These materials will inform multiple argument-driven essays which students will draft and revise over the course of the semester. Students should expect to write 15-20 pages of formal, revisable writing, in addition to homework exercises and in-class writing. By providing guided experience in college-level writing, this course forms the necessary foundation for FYS II and upper level Liberal Arts classes.

In this writing intensive course, we will develop the skills of argument-driven composition as we examine the aesthetic foundation of American cinema: the classic Hollywood studio system of the 1940s. What was the studio system? How was it formed, how did it function, and how did it shape the aesthetics of modern American cinema? We will look at the ways Golden Age studios developed individual identities and how they shaped their specific ¿house styles.¿ In doing this, we¿ll also track the codification of genres like the melodrama, the musical, and the film noir. Readings will include critical works by Raymond Borde and Étienne Cahumeton, Jeanine Basinger, and Ethan Mordden. These materials will inform multiple argument-driven essays which students will draft and revise over the course of the semester. In composing these essays, students will study thesis formation, rhetorical modes, and ways to incorporate outside sources into researched-based arguments. Students should expect to write 15 to 20 pages of formal, revisable writing in addition to homework exercises and in-class writing. By providing guided experience in college-level writing, this course forms the necessary foundation for FYS II and upper level Liberal Arts classes.

Why are we fascinated with con artists¿both real and imagined? In this writing-intensive course, we will deepen the skills of argument-driven composition as we explore the sometimes tenuous boundary between authenticity and duplicity. We will examine the con artist as both the protagonist and antagonist in fictional works, as well as the subject of ¿true crime¿ books and documentaries. These materials will inform multiple argument-driven essays which students will draft and revise over the course of the semester. Students should expect to write 15 to 20 pages of formal, revisable writing in addition to homework exercises and in-class writing. By providing guided experience in college-level writing, this course forms the necessary foundation for FYS II and upper level Liberal Arts classes.

In this writing intensive course, we will develop the skills of argument-driven writing as we examine film noir and the question of genre. What does it mean to look at a series of disparate cinematic texts as examples of the same textual category? Is ¿film noir¿ best defined by a pattern of visual motifs? Can the genre be better characterized by the repetition of various story structures, themes, and character archetypes? Or is ¿film noir¿ (and perhaps ¿genre¿ itself) a categorizing term which has outlived its usefulness as a way of understanding individual film texts? Students will explore these questions through an examination of three key films: The Big Sleep (1946), The Reckless Moment (1949), Devil in a Blue Dress (1995), and The Deep End (2001). Readings will include critical works by Raymond Borde, Étienne Cahumeton, Janey Place, Megan Abbott, and Joan Copjec. These materials will inform multiple argument-driven essays students will draft and revise over the course of the semester. In composing these essays, students will study thesis formation, rhetorical modes, and ways to incorporate sources into evidence-based arguments.

In this writing intensive course, we will develop the skills of argument-driven composition as we examine the aesthetic shift in American cinema from the classic Hollywood studio system of the 1940s-1950s to the ¿New Hollywood¿ of the 1960s-1970s. What was the studio system, and how did it end? What system of production took its place? In tracing the cultural and economic shifts that led to the creation of the modern Hollywood, we¿ll also track the reinvention of genres like the melodrama, the musical, and the film noir. Readings will include critical works by Raymond Borde and Étienne Cahumeton, Jeanine Basinger, and Mark Harris. These materials will inform multiple argument-driven essays which students will draft and revise over the course of the semester. Students should expect to write 20-25 pages of formal, revisable writing, in addition to homework exercises and in-class writing. FYS II will build upon the foundational writing skills students began learning in FYS I, with the introduction of more rigorous argumentation and research. Eventually, writing will be more self-directed in this FYS II class.

The Foundations Writing Workshop is a process-based writing course that serves as students' initiation to the foundations of academic writing in a school of art and design. Students engage in the writing process, learn strategies for exploring topics, and develop their knowledge of the concepts and terminology of art and design through the practice of various kinds of written compositions. Analysis of essays and active participation in writing-critiques are integral components of the Workshop.