My classes and my writing tend to focus on the way people fail to communicate on sensitive subjects--usually as applies to their beliefs on politics, religion and personal ethics. I am interested in how cultivating empathy subverts and redefines an audience's values--and usually, without them noticing.
Courses Typically Taught:
- Writing 50
Themes Typically Taught:
- Confessional Writing
Course Description:
- My classes are obsessed with the rhetoric of personal confessions, and all the ways that confessional techniques can be used to connect with an audience and change their minds, whether in the context of political speech, stand-up comedy, philosophical writing, pop-culture blogging, or endless others. My classes focus on how writing impacts real-life audiences, which means that my lessons extend beyond confession and demonstrate how the techniques discussed in class have practical application for all sorts of writing, both academic and non.
Textbooks Needed:
- A wide array of shorter texts, written by authors who are sharing gossip, secrets, personally embarrassing stories, highly controversial opinions, or sometimes even legally incriminating evidence against themselves. (This includes some essays, fiction, autobiography, poetry, short film, videos of speeches and stand-up comedy.)
Email: dkiklowi@uci.edu