Course Description
Hide and seek, chess, Texas hold ’em, Monopoly, Catan, LEGOs, Bratz, Squinkies, Pokémon, The Sims, Grand Theft Auto, Candy Crush—the list goes on of all the toys and games we play. From infancy through childhood and into our adult lives we play. It comes so naturally we don’t even think about the meaning of play. This class will ask you to do exactly that: to think critically about toys and games and what they mean. We will explore the history of toys and games, survey theories of play, and situate play within a broader cultural dynamic that includes race, gender, identity, and power. Along the way we will practice writing about toys and games in multiple styles and forms. The analytical and writing skills you develop in Writing 101 will be instrumental to your success at Davidson and beyond, and applicable to almost any discipline—not just the study of toys and games.
Intellectual Writing
Believe it or not, you can write about toys and games in an intellectual or scholarly way. In this regard, games are no different from any other artifact from pop culture: literature, films, video games. What makes writing intellectual or not is not the subject matter, but rather, the analytical approach and argumentative moves of the writing. All intellectual writing—whether it’s about Moby Dick or Pokémon Go—shares key characteristics:
- It positions itself in relation to previous thinking about the subject;
- It strives to reveal something new about the subject;
- It addresses an issue that can led reasonable people to differing conclusions;
- It is attentive to the details and context of the object of study;
- It makes use of evidence and rhetorical moves to support its central claim;
- It recognizes its own assumptions and limits.
This—informed, revealing, evidence-based writing about toys and games—is what we aim for in Writing 101.
Goals of WRI 101
First year students enter Davidson with plenty of reading and writing experience. In Writing 101 you have the opportunity to take these skills to a new level, developing the analytical and argumentative practices you need on your intellectual journey through Davidson. Every section of Writing 101 embraces four goals:
- Reading texts and artifacts closely and critically for analytical and rhetorical purposes;
- Making fair and effective use of the works of others;
- Drafting and revising arguments;
- Drawing upon multimodal and archival resources to serve specific rhetorical goals.
The way we attain these goals include the following practices:
- Drafting and revising texts—approximately 40 pages of prose throughout the semester, including informal writing, drafts, and revisions;
- Giving and receiving generous feedback on your writing from both your peers and me;
- Experimenting with various techniques for reading and writing critically;
- Encountering texts and artifacts that can be approached from multiple perspectives with varying intellectual stakes;
- Working with others to find materials—online and off—that can deepen your engagement and understanding of toys and games.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the semester you will be able to:
- Think about toys and games critically, which means asking questions, attempting answers, and recognizing historical and cultural patterns in toys and games;
- Identify a critical question raised by toys and games that has intellectual, social, political, historical, scientific, or aesthetic significance;
- Locate authoritative resources that can help you answer or respond to a critical question;
- Compose an argument that articulates a core idea or question, situates it in a larger conversation, and asserts a clear, focused answer or hypothesis;
- Select, explain, and represent fairly and accurately relevant supporting and contradictory evidence;
- Adapt your writing style to various audiences and platforms.