In this course, we will be looking at various media - print, the Internet, documentary film - to analyze, discuss, and write about how these sources reflect (and influence) the diversity and complexity of U.S. culture.  

A major purpose of our inquiry will be to determine just what it means to "document" a claim, an analysis, a report, an event.   How do we choose sources?   What constitutes a "valid" source in science, in business, in documentary film, in casual conversation?  

This is the second-year writing course, so of course we will write - two short papers and a longer multimedia documentary piece that you will present to the class, as well as shorter informal writing and weblog entries.   We will pay close attention to the words and images used to document our lives. We will be composing some of our work using digital media like Graphic Converter and Flash, but you don't need any prior experience with computers and digital cameras.