CWP 1507
College Writing: Power & Commodity Culture
How does fancy mustard relate to hip-hop? How might your taste in potato chips relate to your choice in winter coat? How does writing itself contribute to larger cultural conversations? This course will explore how our choices as consumers, creators, and writers are mediated by broader cultural forces such as foodways, fashion, music, advertisement, art, and social media. "Commodity culture" refers to what aspects of culture can be evaluated in terms of supposed "worth" or economic value. Here students will think critically, draft, take risks, and revise to present work that has been elevated to college-level writing and argumentation. Readings will explore a range of rigorous scholarship and multimedia texts -- whether it's the importance of cultural capital in college admissions, the role of social media in the rise of self-branding, recognizing accessibility in our known environment, Taylor Swift's connection to "rainbow capitalism," or the blurred line between high art and Instagram. As avid readers and writers, we will delve into the details of rhetorical context to approach both published media and our own essays as instances of cultural production. No prior knowledge of foodways, art history, or media studies is necessary for this course, but students are expected to develop a nuanced appreciation of how something as seemingly innocuous as cultural output intersects with larger structures of status, power, and social justice. THIS COURSE SATISFIES THE FIRST-YEAR WRITING REQUIREMENT FOR ALL DIVISIONS.
Instructors
Eileen GSell, Kasey Grady, Marc Blanc, Maria Kane, Rachel Slaughter, Slaughter, Stephen Reaugh, Taylor, Terri Taylor, Willow Mullins
Reviews
very passive aggressive! whenever you speak up in class and she didn't agree with what you said you will be shut down immediately. additionally i felt like she was very demeaning if u spoke out in class and she didn't agree w u + made it very hard for me to speak up after being belittled in front of the whole class. change ur cw teacher if u can.
7/1/2026
I loved Dr. Slaughter, she was awesome! From someone who is not an english major and struggles to write in general since high school, this class was amazing. The workload is very manageable and she is always there for help. If you have any worries about an essay, just go to office hours and she will help you!
6/30/2026
unnecessarily tough grader for a freshman writing course. Graded us like we were scholars and wasn't the best at giving advice/feedback to students in a receivable manner. She challenged me as a writer and had to visit her office hours for every assignment- she did make me a better writer but if you're just looking for a easy CW section avoid her
6/22/2026
She gives out grades within like a 5 point range for every student in the class. You have to tailor your writing to EXACTLY how she wants it to get a DECENT grade; highest score for nearly every assignment in the entire class was a 93. If she doesn't like your topic or agree with it, you're getting a bad grade. Take another CW class or theme.
5/11/2026
G'Sell wants you to write the way she would write. She has an idea in her head of how an essay should be, and if your idea is not hers, your grade will reflect that. Get ready to be constantly interrupted and misunderstood in class and during office hours. She picks favorites, and if you aren't one, good luck.
5/11/2026
Dr Slaughter was very lenient with deadlines and gave very good feedback to the point where the essays almost wrote themselves. I think giving out a rubric for every assignment would have been beneficial.
5/9/2026
I would definely recommend taking college writing with Prof. Taylor. The readings are engaging, she gives good feedback on essays, and isn't a harsh grader. She grades participation so be prepared to engage. She's also super funny and is so chic, I love her sense of fashion.
4/24/2026
Don't try to have your own ideas, interests or thoughts, it'll cost you. Make sure whatever you're writing is interesting to HER, what you think doesn't matter all that much. She's also the supreme lord of passive aggressiveness.
4/4/2026
Overall extremely passive aggressive, does not provide insightful feedback.
3/31/2026
Expectations are super clear, its really easy to excel in this class if you show up and put effort in.
1/12/2026
If you're more introverted and don't really talk during class, then you might find yourself disadvantaged here. Participation really matters because the in-class discussions make up the bulk of class. They're also the reason why class is so much fun! She's also super easy to get in touch with outside of class and gives really constructive feedback.
12/16/2025
College Writing was enjoyable with professor Taylor. She was very enthusiastic, funny, and clearly had a deep knowledge of the subject. Her feedback on essays was direct and helpful. I strongly recommend taking college writing with Professor Taylor. To be successful, my advice is to participate during class and get and ahead on papers.
12/14/2025
Every class was a treat. While we often got derailed from the reading we were originally analyzing, the discussions were always engaging and insightful; I always felt like I learned something walking out of class. Also, she is such a wonderful person to talk to, so much so that I'm proud to say I've found a mentor in her. Take her if you can!
12/14/2025
Dr. Slaughter raises the bar for WashU professors. If you want to learn something in CWP, take it with her.
12/4/2025
Great professor, loves to teach and loves teaching this class.
11/21/2025
She's so funny and genuine PLEASE take her class. She gives such great and direct feedback and will help you one one one with assignments.
11/14/2025
Amazing college writing professor. Very lenient with deadlines as long as you show her you're putting effort into the class
11/6/2025
Professor Grady is an engaging lecturer and fair grader. Though some of the readings were a bit boring, she does a good job of breaking them down in class and relating the topics to our lives.
5/7/2025