Writing and Experience: Exploring Self in Society
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this writing seminar on constructing personal narrative in relation to family, education, media, work, and community. Readings pair nonfiction and fiction from authors including Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, Anne Frank, George Orwell, John Steinbeck, and Alice Walker, used as models for craft rather than as a single thematic argument. Students practice the tools of fiction, scene, voice, dialogue, structure, and apply them to their own creative nonfiction and personal essays. The course includes a full syllabus, weekly reading assignments, and writing exercises drawn from MIT's Comparative Media Studies/Writing program. There is no instructor video component; materials are text-based OCW content meant for self-study or classroom adaptation. No certificate is offered, and all materials are free to access under MIT's open license.