1. Writing One
Instructor: Michael Zhai
mzhai@cca.edu
“Writing Across Borders”:
-- specifically, the borders between individuals, between countries, languages, cultures, ethnicities,
genders, eras, worldviews, between different stages of one's life, between personal experience and
abstract ideas, between talking and writing, between creative and analytical writing, between everyday
language and academic jargon.
The official goal of the class is for you to write a three-to-four page essay analyzing a work of art
(your own or another's). The unofficial goal is to work hard and enjoy the process of developing your
sensibility as a writer, within a community of writers (your classmates and me). We will have many
discussions as a class, in small groups and one on one. The ideas from these discussions will form the
basis of our writing.
Though the focus of this class is on the analytical essay, we will look to a variety of literary genres for
inspiration, including fiction, poetry, nonfiction and comics / graphic novels. We will also study
works of visual art and music, always using writing as a way of linking different worlds.
Required Books:
A Writer’s Reference, by Diana Hacker, 7th
Edition (recommended)
Love in a Fallen City, by Eileen Chang, translated by Karen Kingsbury
Ghost World, by Daniel Clowes
Course Reader available at Green Copy
Your grade is based on:
Attendance – Come regularly and on time. ~20%
Participation – You need to involve yourself. ~20%
Written Work – Writing is held to a very high standard in this class. ~60%
Office Hours:
I’ll be in the Café on campus for an hour after class. I am also available for appointments by email.
(mzhai@cca.edu)
I want everyone to succeed, so please talk to me if you have any questions / problems that are not
addressed during class!

2. Class Structure:
In order to enrich our in-class discussions, you will keep a journal of “quotable quotes,” or ideas that
you have either read (in class or out of class) or overheard. Every day, Monday through Friday, you
will jot down one idea that struck your fancy in some way. You will also have to properly cite where
that idea came from—a conversation, a lecture, a scientific article, a newspaper, a fellow student. You
won’t believe me now, but this will make writing much easier.
The first half of the class will be focused on finding your voice as a writer. We will alternate writing
workshops and in-class discussion. After the first week of November, you will focus on writing your
3~4 page essays on a topic of your choice. The class will take on a more fluid form, and I will work
with you one-on-one to complete your final projects.
Accessibility and Wellness:
If you have any disabilities, including learning disabilities that require special accommodations, please
talk to me at your earliest convenience. You can also contact Suzanne Raffeld, Director of Access and
Wellness Services (e-mail: sraffeld@cca.edu or phone: (510) 594-3775), to answer any questions or
for assistance. For more information, consult CCA’s webpage at:
http://www.cca.edu/students/resources/disability.
Learning Resource Center
If you need help with any aspect of this class, whether it is taking notes, completing the writing
assignments, preparing for the exams, or reading a text critically, your first resource should be the
Learning Resource Center, which is located in Irwin Hall, Room #207. Further resources can be
found on their webpage (http://www.cca.edu/students/resources) or you maycontact them via phone:
(510) 594-3756.
Important Dates:
9/22 First essay due (2 pgs)
10/20 Second essay due (2 pgs)
12/8 Final essay due (3~4 pgs)
Tentative Schedule:
9/3 Introductions – Interview classmates: “How did we get here?” – Fill out survey on writing
experience.

3. Homework: Write an artist's profile for your interviewee (1 pg). Read James Baldwin on the artist
(Handout); watch the video of Alain de Botton talking about art.
9/8 Look at examples of visual art and discuss our ideas of the purpose of art. First essay assigned.
Homework: Write a list of artists / works of art that express your aesthetic views. Research life and
times of James Baldwin.
9/10 Go over our lists in class; introduce Baldwin. Workshop first essay
Homework: Read Baldwin, “Equal in Paris” and “Stranger in the Village” (Reader) “Encounter on
the Seine” and “A Question of Identity.” (Handouts)
9/15 Discuss Baldwin and the minority expat experience. Introduce Toni Morrison
Homework: Read Morrison, “James Baldwin: His Voice Remembered” and “Nobel Prize Lecture”
9/17 Discuss Morrison and the uses of language. Workshop first essay.
Homework: Work on first essay.
9/22 Turn in first essay; listen to the first movement of Beethoven's 3rd
Symphony and Leonard
Bernstein's commentary.
Homework: Read “Listen to This” by Alex Ross (Reader).
9/24 Discuss Ross and writing about music as an art object. Second essay assigned.
Homework: Write your own musical listening history (1pg).
9/29 Workshop music essays; introduce Eileen Chang. Read in class “Preface to the 1942 Edition”
(from book), selection from “A Language of One’s Own.” (handout)
Homework: Read Eileen Chang, first half of Aloeswood Incense (from book). Research life and times
of Eileen Chang
10/1 Discuss Eileen Chang. Workshop second essay.
Homework: Read Eileen Chang, second half of Aloeswood Incense and Love in a Fallen City.
10/6 Discuss Eileen Chang. Introduce Haruki Murakami
Homework: Read Murakami, “A Slow Boat to China”
10/8 Discuss Murakami. Workshop second essay.

4. Homework: Make a chart of connections between the readings so far. Read Daniel Clowes, “Art
School Confidential” (handout) and first half of Ghost World
10/13 One-on-one midterm meetings.
Homework: Read second half of Ghost World.
10/15 Watch first half of Ghost World movie. Discuss the movie and the comic.
Homework: Work on second essay.
10/20 Turn in second essay. Watch second half of Ghost World movie. Discuss the movie and the
comic.
Homework: Read Chuang Tzu, chapters 1 and 2 (handout). Research the schools of early Chinese
philosophy and that period of history.
10/22 Discuss Chuang Tzu and his style as an essayist. Third essay assigned. Write to music.
Homework: Write speculative essays in the style of Chuang Tzu (1 pg).
10/27 Discuss the texts read in class so far. Workshop third essay.
Homework: Work on final essay.
10/29 Discuss texts read in class so far. Workshop third essay
Homework: Read W. G. Sebald, first chapter from The Rings of Saturn. Research life and works of
Sebald.
11/3 Discuss Sebald. In class writing.
Homework: Write an associative essay in the style of Sebald. (1 pg)
11/5 Workshop papers
11/10 ~ 11/26 One-on-one meetings; do research for your paper
12/1 ~`12/3 Writing Workshops
12/8 Turn in final essay. Celebrate.