WRIT82880 - How to be a Cultural Critic

Course Description

Do you have strong opinions on culture? Do you write long Facebook posts on the shows you binge? Do you think you could review food and dining better than the professionals?

Dr. Chris Jones, director of the National Critics Institute and longtime chief theater critic and cultural columnist of the Chicago Tribune, will teach you how to write critically about culture and the arts. This workshop-style class will cover the history and practice of critical writing and will explore writing about such cultural fields as food, theater, movies, television and music. We'll look together at what makes a great review, how to avoid the main pitfalls of being a critic in the public eye and the changing face of how cultural criticism operates. We'll explore how to make your writing fresh and engaging, how to develop a workable process to produce under tight deadlines and how to cultivate readers by informing and entertaining them at the same time.

Participants will be asked to write several reviews of programming and experiences, as suggested by the instructor, and must be open to having their writing discussed in a supportive group setting with the goal of mutual improvement.