Courses

TRAVEL WRITING

WRIT4320S001 • 3 pts • Session A

Section/Call Number 001/10379

How does the traveler become the travel writer? What makes good travel writing? Why does it matter today? This course examines and breaks down the very specific craft of travel writing. Simply because we like to travel, does it qualify us to write about it? Everywhere has been written about, so how do we find something fresh to say about… Paris, or even Patagonia? In this course, we both dispel, and prove, some of the myths of travel writing. Students learn to find an angle in order to uncover destinations anew and make them personal— it’s in the personal that the universal is revealed. From crafting a compelling lede and understanding the need for a strong “nut graph,” to knowing the value of dialogue in propelling the story forward, and then finding the ideal kicker to send the reader away satisfied, students dissect published stories and are sent out into “the field” (of New York City) to craft their own. Travel writing is more than, “I went here, I did this, I ate that.” From front-of-book and service pieces, to destination features, we discuss magazine and newspaper travel writing in depth, as well as touch on longer form travel writing. Finally, through exercises and assignments, students learn to craft a compelling pitch in order to approach editors.

Instructor

Porter Fox

Modality

In-Person

Day/Time

Mo 17:30-20:40
We 17:30-20:40

Enrollment

9 of 15

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Culture and History in NYC

Visiting students can take this course as part of a Focus Area.

The Culture and History in NYC Focus Area leverages the artistic hub of NYC with insights from Columbia’s faculty, making it ideal for students who are interested in art history, creative arts, and those who are interested in enhancing their portfolio for an MFA program or graduate studies. Students enhance their academic experience through specialized co-curricular activities exclusive to the city and may earn a Certification of Participation.

Learn more about this Focus Area

WRITING NEW YORK CITY

WRIT4325W001 • 3 pts • Session A

Section/Call Number 001/10648

In this course, we’ll take literary and literal tours of New York City as readers and writers. We will consider New York City as both the subject of a variety of literatures and as a style of writing. How have poets, fiction writers, essayists, playwrights, and journalists documented and imagined the city in the 20th and 21st centuries? What literary movements and communities were born or reimagined here? What larger ideas about urban life or American culture have been established or challenged by New York City literature? We will read and write works across genres and across the city in an effort to engage deeply and creatively with some of the varied histories and practices of writing (in and about) New York City.

Instructor

Deborah Paredez

Modality

In-Person

Day/Time

Mo 10:00-13:10
We 10:00-13:10

Enrollment

9 of 15

View this in the Directory Courses

Culture and History in NYC

Visiting students can take this course as part of a Focus Area.

The Culture and History in NYC Focus Area leverages the artistic hub of NYC with insights from Columbia’s faculty, making it ideal for students who are interested in art history, creative arts, and those who are interested in enhancing their portfolio for an MFA program or graduate studies. Students enhance their academic experience through specialized co-curricular activities exclusive to the city and may earn a Certification of Participation.

Learn more about this Focus Area

HOW TO WRITE FUNNY

WRIT4810S001 • 3 pts • Session A

Section/Call Number 001/10382

In this class we will consider the various forms and functions of humor in written prose, discussing techniques and approaches to humor writing. Students will write their own humorous stories and essays which we will read and discuss in class, focusing not only on what is or isn't funny, but on how humor can be advantageously used to increase the power of an overall piece. The class will also break down stories, novels, and essays from a variety of authors-Bill Hicks' political satire; the darkly comedic fiction of Barry Hannah and Paul Beatty; the absurd humor of Tina Fey and Baratunde Thurston; Anthony Lane's charming British snarkiness; Spy Magazine's sharply parodic voice; Woody Allen's one-liners; Lena Dunham's zeitgeist comedy-in an effort to better understand what makes their humor work. Students will be asked to write stories inspired and influenced by these authors. As we critique each other's work, we will investigate strategies related to the craft of humor writing, including self-deprecation, political satire, humor and the other, going blue, dark comedy, schtick, humor as a means vs. humor as an end, crossing the line, and how to write funny without sacrificing substance.

Instructor

Patricia Marx

Modality

In-Person

Day/Time

Mo 13:30-16:40
We 13:30-16:40

Enrollment

9 of 17

View this in the Directory Courses

Culture and History in NYC

Visiting students can take this course as part of a Focus Area.

The Culture and History in NYC Focus Area leverages the artistic hub of NYC with insights from Columbia’s faculty, making it ideal for students who are interested in art history, creative arts, and those who are interested in enhancing their portfolio for an MFA program or graduate studies. Students enhance their academic experience through specialized co-curricular activities exclusive to the city and may earn a Certification of Participation.

Learn more about this Focus Area

Course Options