Rereading America: An Unconventional Introduction to Critical Reading and Writing

This semester, we'll spend a lot of time with a text that is anything but traditional in undergraduate composition classrooms. It's called Rereading America by Columbo, Cullen, and Lisle.

Many professors and students use this book, but it's not a routine choice. So, what makes it different? Simply this: the readings are organized according to what the authors call dominant American myths, e.g., the myth of success, of progress, of equality, of the American Dream, of the traditional family, and so on. Readings challenge these myths and ask you to critically respond to the myths and to the ways that many writers deconstruct them. More traditional, perhaps conservative, viewpoints are also included.

It is not important whether you agree or disagree with the readings. Rather, the important considerations will be your ability to engage with the texts, think about them critically, and respond to the readings with sound arguments articulated in writing that is mechanically solid, logically coherent, and superbly organized. I think you'll enjoy this unconventional approach to learning to read closely, carefully, and critically. I'm eager to learn what you think of the book.