CWP 117
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.
Reviews
Eileen had obvious personal judgements against students, particularly female students whom she did not think were similar to her. I do not recommend taking any of her classes.
10/23/2024
4-6 hrs/week
Dr. Slaughter is so amazing! She is a great teacher and wants each of her students to succeed. I actually felt like I grew as a writer this semester, and I liked the content of the readings as well as the conversations they generated. Definitely recommend!
5/22/2024
4-6 hrs/week
Grady is an AMAZING professor. If you get her, you will have fun in this class. She is a very fair grader, gives good feedback, and if you put the work in you will get a good grade. Her office hours are also extremely helpful :)
5/22/2024
2-4 hrs/week
Great largely discussion based class which really helps get the foundations of writing down. No busy work and really enjoyed all of the assignments.
5/19/2024
She places a great deal of emphasis on in-class participation, so be sure to contribute regularly if you want to be on her good side. Although feedback on drafts can come off as harsh, it clearly outlines how she wants you to revise your essay to get an A. Also, prepare for heavy readings until there is a quarter of the semester left. She has cats!
5/5/2024
A delight to have as a college writing professor. A lot of people dread CW, but with her I highly enjoyed it and feel that I grew as a writer, thinker, researcher, and overall student under her professorship. She supports and challenges ideas in fascinating ways & gives INCREDIBLE feedback. With her as a professor, you're sure to be a better writer
4/26/2024
Cannot express how wonderful this professor is. So funny. I along with other girls from my class still maintain a relationship with her over a year later. You would be so lucky to have prof taylor for college writing!
2/21/2024
Prof. Slaughter is a fantastic college writing teacher. While other students complained about their different CWP class/prof, I never shared that sentiment. I enjoyed the creative control and discussions within class. There's a lot of readings, and I can tell you that the more you read and engage in class, the better/easier your papers will be.
1/6/2024
By far my favorite class this semester! I took a first-year seminar from him called Utopianism in American Literature. Professor Blanc is great at facilitating class discussions and summarizing ideas/concepts. The directions for essays were straightforward, and the feedback that he gave was very helpful. Highly recommend!
1/4/2024
Although I hated power and commodity culture I'm glad I had it with Dr. Slaughter. I don't know if I would've been able to get through the class if she wasn't the one leading it. She's very understanding and gives back great feedback on assignments.
12/16/2023
One of the kindest individuals you will ever meet and best professor at Washu thus far. She makes class time interesting by choosing readings and topics that are heavily based in pop culture/social justice and has authentic discussions in class. Definitely not an "easy A" english class where you can cram a paper in a night but one worth taking.
12/14/2023
G'Sell is an effective professor for skill improvement. Offers prompt and constructive feedback, is supportive during office hours, and fair in grading. Not an easy A, but reasonable. The readings in Power and Commodity are interesting; participation and effort are key for success despite the initial reading load.
12/4/2023
If you actually interested in becoming a good writer take her class. If not drop the class.
12/1/2023
Terri Taylor is an absolute gem. She cares about her students and picks out exciting content while being hilarious and fun. I continue to recommend her class to every first-year student! The WashU College Writing requirement shouldn't feel like a burden. Thanks to Professor Taylor, it was my favorite class that semester.
8/30/2023
Great teacher and facilitated discussion well. Class was mainly discussion and workshop based. Slaughter gives extensions for anything (as long as she's told a little bit in advanced) and is very helpful with feedback
6/1/2023
Slaughter is great. She is understanding of students' needs and gives great feedback on essays. The readings assigned are really interesting and I have learned how to become a better writer. Surprisingly made college writing my favorite class of freshman year.
5/17/2023
Eileen G'sell is a nice professor; however, if you want an A in this class, I would recommend taking this class with a different professor.
5/16/2023
I highly recommend switching out of this class if you have this teacher. Even if that means that you have take citizen scientist; don't have Eileen G'Sell as your teacher!
5/16/2023
Eileen Gsell can not teach and is the harshest grader. Don't take any class with her.
5/13/2023
Also, her office hours were in-person at 8:30 in the engineering-part of campus. That says enough.
5/13/2023