English CACD. The Art of Criticism

Instructor: Maggie Doherty
Thursday, 12:00-2:45pm | Location: TBD
Enrollment: Limited to 12 students

How do we know why we like, or don’t like, a book, or a TV show, or a play? What are the different ways we can write about art? What is taste, and does it matter who has it? In this workshop, we’ll consider these questions and more as we develop our skills as critics and reviewers. We’ll read and discuss criticism and reviews from a wide variety of publications, paying attention to the ways outlets and audience shape critical work. The majority of our readings will be from the last few years and will include pieces from big publications (The New York Times, The New Yorker) and smaller ones (n+1, The Drift). Students will write several short writing assignments (500-1000 words), including a straight review, during the first half of the semester and share them with peers. During the second half of the semester, each student will write and workshop a longer piece of criticism about a work of art or an artist of their choosing. Students will be expected to read and provide detailed feedback on the work of their peers. Students will revise their longer pieces based on workshop feedback and submit them for the final assignment of the class.

Supplemental Application Information: Please write a letter of introduction (1-2 pages) giving a sense of who you are, your writing experience, and your current goals for your writing. Please also describe your relationship to the art forms and/or genres you're interested in engaging in the course. You may also list any writers or publications whose criticism you enjoy reading. Please also include a 500-750-word sample writing sample of any kind of prose writing. This could be an academic paper or it could be creative fiction or nonfiction.

Apply via Submittable (deadline: 11:59pm EDT on Sunday, November 9)