To register for these remote courses
Building an Argument in Writing and Speech
Being able to deliver a sound, reasonable argument to persuade others toward accepting an individual point of view is a valuable academic skill that opens doors of opportunity beyond the classroom. In this six-session course, students will select a personal area of interest for which they have strong viewpoints and develop a carefully crafted persuasive speech in English to deliver to peers and instructors.
In a supportive and encouraging class atmosphere, students will hone their critical thinking and communication skills through practice in writing and speaking, as well as through reading a series of short analytical pieces and viewing videos of engaging persuasive speeches. In addition, students will have short, interesting asynchronous tasks to complete in time for daily lessons.
To develop a convincing argument, students will select subjects that matter to them personally. They can begin thinking about possible topics before the course begins: for example, perspectives related to music, technology, sports, fashion, health, education, history, science, travel, animals, food.
By the end of the course, students will have developed confidence in written and oral communication in English and will receive individual commentary from instructors as well as a certificate of course completion from the Bay Area Writing Project in the Graduate School of Education at UC Berkeley.
To participate, students should have achieved a TOEFL score of >80.
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John Levine has been on the College Writing Programs faculty at UC Berkeley since 1997, where he has taught composition, public speaking, creative writing, and pedagogy courses. He has been a teacher-consultant for the UC Berkeley Bay Area Writing Project (BAWP) since 2000. Through BAWP, he taught writing and public speaking workshops for high school students at Nansha College Preparatory Academy in Nansha, China, for two consecutive summers. He has a B.A. in English from Oberlin College and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from San Francisco State University. He also coordinates the long-running Berkeley Writers at Work(link is external) series in which he interviews professional writers about their creative process. Before becoming a teacher, he worked in radio and television. An award-winning playwright, John has had plays produced throughout the U.S., as well as internationally. |
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Amy Crawford has taught English and English Language Development (ELD) to students in grades 9-12 since 1994. Currently she teaches Advanced Placement English Language & Composition at Berkeley High School, and works with pre-service teachers through the University of San Francisco. A UC BerkeleyBay Area Project Teacher Consultant since 2000, she has also led teacher workshops and coached teachers in Berkeley, Oakland, and San Francisco schools on effective practices for teaching ELD and has also supervised pre-service teachers in the Graduate School of Education at UC Berkeley. In addition she has taught BAWP summer writing camps at Nansha College Preparatory Academy in Nansha, China. Ms. Crawford received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin and Masters degree from Mills College. She also co-authored Great Books for High School Kids. |
Future Fiction Now
It is one thing to understand the human, political, technological and environmental challenges facing humans in the 21st century. It’s quite another to synthesize that knowledge into a coherent and creative vision of the future. This class is a chance for us to use our knowledge and our questions to imagine a future that can reflect our hopes and fears for each other and planet Earth.
Students will have the opportunity to explore diverse genres within the science fiction umbrella, including climate fiction, steampunk and Afrofuturism. We’ll discuss story elements and look closely at published authors to understand their craft. In welcoming and supportive small groups, students will have time to write, share and discuss their own science fiction stories.
By the end of the course, students will have developed greater confidence in written and oral communication in English. They will have produced a written piece examining a current issue through the lens of science fiction. Students will receive individual commentary from instructors as well as a certificate of course completion from the Bay Area Writing Project in the Graduate School of Education at UC Berkeley.
To participate, students should have achieved a TOEFL score of >80.
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Terrance Amsler has taught high school English, History, Journalism and Debate for over 20 years. He is a National Board Certified teacher and has mentored new teachers from UC Berkeley, Stanford University and the University of San Francisco. He has held school and department leadership roles and was a member of San Francisco’s Teacher Leader Fellowship program. While continuing to teach at June Jordan School for Equity, since 2018, Mr. Amsler has been a teacher consultant with the Bay Area Writing Project. He has taught summer courses both in the San Francisco Bay Area and at Nansha College Preparatory school In Nansha, China. Mr. Amsler’s debate team has competed both nationally and in Chengdu, China. He received his B.A. in English from Bates College and his Masters in Education from University California, Berkeley. |
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Chalida Anusasananan just successfully renewed her National Boards Certification as a teacher of English Literature for adolescents. She has been teaching for 19 years in public middle and high schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. Chalida earned her teaching credential and Masters in Education from UC Berkeley and earned her Masters in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University. She is currently the teacher librarian at Everett Middle School in San Francisco where, in addition to running the school library and library programming, she teaches a Creative Writing elective and a reading support class. She loves reading young adult literature and finding the right books for young people. She is an active member of Teachers 4 Social Justice where she co-facilitates the writing group and the book club for educators. |
Making and Critiquing Arguments Through Debate
Argument is much more than disagreement. Being able to make an effective, reasoned argument in written and oral forms includes a multifaceted set of skills useful in many areas of life; constructing an effective argument is also the single greatest predictor of college success. “Debate” is an engaging way to learn how to identify both valid and weak arguments as you construct your own perspective to convince an audience around a point of contention or controversy.
While there are ways in which all good arguments are constructed, there are also specific ways in which those arguments are reasoned depending on the subject being addressed: history, science, language and literature, math and statistics. In this six-session course, students will learn how to make clever arguments based on a substantive claim, good evidence, and effective reasoning that ties the evidence to the claim. Reasoning is what pulls the whole argument together and is often the most challenging to figure out—and the most interesting! During our week together we’ll explore real world problems that require argumentation skills in different disciplines. We’ll explore similarities and differences in each subject area and how to draw on them to develop effective arguments.
For debate topics, we’ll focus on a specific topic the class will choose through a survey the instructor will send pre-course. For example, we might explore the issue of inequality in our localities, our countries, and around the world by researching, discussing, writing, and then debating about inequality in the many forms it takes. Students will have the opportunity to focus on the main topic in an area of their own interest and concern. They will consider: what exactly is the state of that issue? Why is it there? What can we do about it?
By the end of the course, students will have developed confidence in written and oral argumentation and debate. They will receive individual commentaries from their instructor as well as a certificate of course completion from the Bay Area Writing Project in the Graduate School of Education at UC Berkeley.
To participate, students should have achieved a TOEFL score of >80.
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Avi Black taught both middle and high school history-social science (world history, U.S. history, economics and government) in San Francisco public schools for twelve years. In the following two decades, he served in a variety of administrative roles, most notably as history-social science professional development coordinator for the Alameda County (CA) Office of Education. His academic focus, interests and teaching approaches are multidisciplinary, drawing on his background and credentials in science and mathematics as well as the social sciences. A UC Berkeley/Bay Area Writing Project Teaching Fellow since 2017, he has taught BAWP summer writing camps for high school and middle school students and led numerous teacher workshops throughout the Bay Area and around California, focusing particularly on oral and written argumentation. Mr. Black received his A.B. degree (magna cum laude in biology) from Harvard College, his Master’s degree from the Goldman School of Public Policy at U.C. Berkeley, and his administrative credentials from Mills College in Oakland, CA. He is an avid and extensive traveler, having been to over 50 countries around the world (including China in both 1984 and 2000), and considers travel an essential life experience. |