Class Description
It's a charged political atmosphere out there, and everyone seems to have opinions about the issues faced by our nation. But political writing doesn't have to --- and shouldn't --- be a rant. So how do you craft smart political writing, whether a short newspaper op-ed or commentary, or a longer, in-depth essay? In this intensive seminar, we'll analyze effective, persuasive, and moving examples of opinion writing, lifted from contemporary publications such as the New York Times, Slate, and WBUR's Cognoscenti, and from the ages, in a variety of styles, from writers like George Orwell, Hunter S. Thompson, Zadie Smith, Jamelle Bouie, and more. Through in-class exercises, you'll learn how to think through your ideas and angles, practice the craft of creating poignant anecdotes, and back up your arguments with smart rhetorical techniques, concrete examples, and timely statistics. All voices and all opinions are welcome, but please note, we will not use class to time to discuss politics; rather, we'll workshop the effectiveness of what you write. Feel free to bring a laptop for in-class writing and online research.
Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.
For more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting!
Zoom Participation:
Students are not required to turn their camera on, but are encouraged to participate any way they feel comfortable through functions such as the live chat, emoji reactions, and unmuting the microphone. Learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
We ask that instructors enable closed captioning and send a transcript of the session after class. You can also enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting. If your instructor forgets to send the transcript, just send ’em an email!