2025 - Summer

Writing the Personal Essay (2 credit) (Session 2)

Course Number: SS2: JOUR-UA 25.TK

Day & Time: Mon/Wed 1:00-3:00 pm

Location: 20 Cooper Sq.

Instructor: Mathew Rodriguez

Albert Class Number: TK

Newswriting, opinion writing and personal essays have much more in common than you might think; both involve the accumulation and curation of facts to weave a narrative. The tools of the journalist — observing, reporting, research and storycraft — are helpful in the crafting of all three. Writers have used these tools for ages to tell personal stories and make arguments that incorporate their own viewpoints. And in today’s marketplace, the personal essay is an essential skill.

In this class, you’ll work on reporting and researching your own opinions and life experiences. You’ll read and write “think pieces” from the digital age, as well as blogs, Substacks, personal narratives and video essays to help you better understand how to build a cogent and cohesive argument. The syllabus will likely include essayists such as Montaigne and James Baldwin, as well as contemporaries such as Roxane Gay, Jia Tolentino and Lindy West.