We will explore the intersection of language, identity, and power through memoir, concept, and argument writing. Students will examine how race, culture, class, and gender shape the way we speak—and how we are heard. Core texts by writers like Amy Tan, Gloria Anzaldúa, James Baldwin, and Audre Lorde provide models for exploring voice, agency, and transformation. Through close reading, class discussion, and scaffolded assignments, students will develop their critical thinking and rhetorical range. The course culminates in an argumentative essay that draws from personal experience and outside research to make a claim about language and its power in the world.
- Teacher: Bob Cohen