21L.325  Small Wonders: The Sketch

This class, a 6-unit "Sampling," runs from September 5 until October 17. 

 Although the term implies spontaneity, haste, improvisation, and ephemerality, the sketch has endured and flourished for centuries as a literary and artistic form.  Sketches appear in many genres and media and with different aims (satiric, romantic, political, biographical, comic). This class samples American writers ranging from Benjamin Franklin to David Sedaris, including a wide selection of contemporary comic artists. Students will read authors’ works, view clips, and discuss materials intensively in class; keep a sketchbook (four written responses with a final cover letter, for a minimum of 1500 words); present a ten-minute in-class report on an author or comedy sketch artist; and write a final essay of 1500 words.