Intergenerational Writing: Exploring the American Dream
WRTG 3020, 036 Fall 2019, M/W 3:00-4:15

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

This writing class seeks to reveal how our identities and desires interact with cultural mythologies of the American dream across generations. Nineteen Boulder community members from the Baby Boomer (1946-64) and Silent Generations (1925-45) will take the course alongside undergraduates to support a richer, more nuanced conversation through co-mentorship, a central component of the class.

 

Students and community members will work closely in pairs throughout the semester to write biographical profiles of one another and identify a shared research topic about the American dream. These projects will expand analytical, rhetorical, and citation skills while providing an opportunity to explore topics of personal and intergenerational relevance. 
 

Class materials, discussions, and assignments will survey diverse perceptions and experiences of the American Dream and demonstrate how writing can be used to question, reflect upon, and convey complex ideas.  We will practice using different writing formats and rhetorical strategies to engage diverse readerships. Each of the major writing assignments will be drafted in stages and workshopped in class.
 

WRTG 3020 fulfills the General Education Upper-Division Written Communication requirement.