Finding Your Voice: Advocacy and Change
Fall Quarter 20003, The Evergreen State College
8 or 12 credits

Every Wednesday evening 6-9:30 p.m. in CAB 110
and 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Saturdays Oct. 11, 25, Nov. 1, 22, Dec. 6 in CAB 108
Faculty: Char Simons and Marla Beth Elliott

Your voice- as articulated through your body and on paper -is a manifestation of your truest self. People who can articulately and passionately voice their deepest concerns nurture the whole community. As Arlo Guthrie said, "if you want to end wars 'n stuff, you gotta sing loud."

This skill-based program will help students "re-oralize" themselves with authenticity and expressiveness by developing both oral and written eloquence and integrating them with each other. Students will also improve research skills and apply them to furthering a social/political cause. Specifically, each student will explore through advocacy writing, speeches, songs, and chants a specific issue that she or he feels passionately about.

Activities will include workshops on singing, songwriting, chanting, speech writing and delivery, research, advocacy writing and editing, the thoughtful use of quantitative reasoning and how not to "preach to the choir."

A 12-credit option is available for students who want to do community service. This will entail working with a community group for about 10 hours a week (or 70 hours/quarter) on an issue related to work the student is doing for the 8-credit part of the program, and a written synthesis of the work at the end of the quarter.

Credit will be awarded in speech, voice and expository writing.