Semester.ly

Johns Hopkins University | AS.060.139

Expository Writing: the Narrative Essay

3.0

credits

Average Course Rating

(4.59)

Telling stories is one of the first and most important ways that human beings try to make sense of the world and their experience of it. The narrative art informs fiction and nonfiction alike, is central to the writing of history, anthropology, crime reports and laboratory reports, sports stories and political documentaries. What happened? The answer may be imagined or factual, but it will almost certainly be narrative. This course focuses on the narrative essay, a nonfiction prose form that answers the question of “what happened” in a variety of contexts and aims to make sense not only of what happened but how and why. We will begin by summarizing narrative essays, will move to analyzing them, and in the second half of the course you will write two narrative essays of your own, the first based on a choice of topics and sources, the second of your own design. Authors may include James Baldwin, Annie Dillard, Chang Rae Lee, Danielle Ofri, George Orwell, Richard Rodriguez, Richard Selzer, and Abraham Verghese. You will learn the power of narrative to inform and persuade as you test that power in your own writing.

Fall 2013

(4.3)

Spring 2014

(4.57)

Spring 2015

(4.9)

Fall 2013

Professor: Patricia Kain

(4.3)

The best aspects of this course included the writing conferences and one-on-one sessions with the professor to help students get individual feedback and advice on how to improve their writing. Many students felt that their writing improved after taking this class, and liked the way the professor presented each topic. Suggestions for improvement included more interactive group discussions, as students often felt that conversations were limited between only a few people. Prospective students should expect a moderate course load for a writing-intensive class, and be prepared to work on improving their writing skills.

Spring 2014

Professor: Patricia Kain

(4.57)

Many students agreed that the professor for this course offered great feedback and was very knowledgeable about writing. The small classroom offers a more personal relationship between students and their peers and also between students and the professor. Occasionally, the material became repetitive and boring according to students. Suggestions for improvement include more class discussions and more peer reviewing. Prospective students should take this course if they are seeking a good narrative writing foundation.

Spring 2015

Professor: Patricia Kain

(4.9)

The best part of this course was the professor’s dedication to ensuring that students did wel in the course. Some students felt having conferences again near the end of the semester would have been beneficial to get feedback on the final essay. This course could be improved by having more supplemental resources posted on blackboard and more evenly distributed assignments throughout the semester. Prospective students should know that this class will challenge and develop students as writers.