OWC 203 C — Memoir I: Themes and Scenes
Quarter: Winter
Instructor(s): Alison Singh Gee
Date(s): Jan 15—Mar 19
Class Recording Available: Yes
Class Meeting Day: Thursdays
Grade Restriction: Letter grade only
Class Meeting Time: 6:00—7:15 pm (PT)
Tuition: $1240
Refund Deadline: Jan 17
Unit(s): 2
Enrollment Limit: 14
Status: Open
Quarter: Winter
Day: Thursdays
Duration: 10 weeks
Time: 6:00—7:15 pm (PT)
Date(s): Jan 15—Mar 19
Unit(s): 2
Tuition: $1240
Refund Deadline: Jan 17
Instructor(s): Alison Singh Gee
Grade Restriction: Letter grade only
Enrollment Limit: 14
Recording Available: Yes
Status: Open
This course is not open to the public, but rather by admission only. For more information on the Writing Certificate Program and is application process, please click here.
The focus of this course is on crafting compelling memoir openings. Through close analysis of a variety of published memoirs, we will assess the impact of various strategies for beginning personal narrative. We will examine both prologues and first chapters, studying how they engage readers while revealing underlying themes. Reading assignments, structured discussions and thought-provoking prompts will nurture the development of vivid scenes, enabling you to generate content without needing to structure your entire memoir yet. Seeking to uncover the central theme of your story will provide you with a guiding principle as you continue to select material to include. You will finish this course with an intentionally crafted beginning and a collection of thematically connected scenes.
The focus of this course is on crafting compelling memoir openings. Through close analysis of a variety of published memoirs, we will assess the impact of various strategies for beginning personal narrative. We will examine both prologues and first chapters, studying how they engage readers while revealing underlying themes. Reading assignments, structured discussions and thought-provoking prompts will nurture the development of vivid scenes, enabling you to generate content without needing to structure your entire memoir yet. Seeking to uncover the central theme of your story will provide you with a guiding principle as you continue to select material to include. You will finish this course with an intentionally crafted beginning and a collection of thematically connected scenes.
ALISON SINGH GEE
Visiting Lecturer, Writing & Rhetoric, Scripps College
Alison Singh Gee is the author of the memoir Where the Peacocks Sing: A Palace, a Prince, and the Search for Home, a National Geographic Traveler Book of the Month that is being adapted as a streaming series. An international journalist for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, InStyle, and Vanity Fair, she received the Amnesty International Award for Feature Writing and a silver Lowell Thomas Award for foreign travel writing. She teaches at Scripps College. Textbooks for this course:
There are no required textbooks; however, some fee-based online readings may be assigned.