Pearl Diving Column

November 2019

by Ingrid Bruck

Free Online Writing Class from the University of Iowa

"Hidden Meanings: Creative Fiction, Non-fiction, and Facts".

November 15, 2019 - December 31, 2019

A free online course from The University of Iowa.

Enrollment is open for "Hidden Meanings: Creative Fiction, Non-fiction, and Facts.” If you have never taken a MOOC from The International Writing Program (the IWP) at the University of Iowa, here is your opportunity. This online class is free and available over the internet to anyone anywhere in the world who writes English. The only prerequisite is English; course reading and writing is conducted in English. You will meet students from other countries working on their English language skills. You will encounter beginner to experienced writers, and life-learners, like me. Students are all ages. You engage and learn from people around the globe. 

I’ve taken several terrific IWP courses from the University of Iowa and highly recommend them. Classes are instructor led; teachers are excellent. Respect is the class culture. These classes have broadened my knowledge of literature. I’ve learned writing tools that have improved my writing and I continue to use them. I value the global connections I’ve made and the understanding I’ve gained by interacting with writers from different cultures and backgrounds.

 "Hidden Meanings", a MOOC (massive online learning course), begins on November 15, 2019. A teach-team leads classes. The course runs from November 15, 2019 - December 31, 2019.” The curriculum remains open for self-paced learning until March 2020. "Hidden Meanings” is presented by The International Writing Program (the IWP) at the University of Iowa, with generous support from the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the US Department of State. Why that funder? An informed electorate is essential to the success of Jeffersonian democracy. The community building component of this class supports that objective. University of Iowa writing classes are truly an example of democracy in action. Democracy depends on the strength of enlightened people who take facts and make up their own minds.

That this new course received funding from the US Department of State speaks to the government's understanding that social change can come from public education and non-violent resistance. History has taught us that peaceful resistance can be as powerful as war. Nelson Mandala, Albert Einstein, Mahatma Ghandi, Sister Teresa and even Martin Luther King, though assassinated, provide historical proof of the force of communal change that starts with one individual and values all life as sacred.  

Do you think that writing is political? I do. We live in the post modern era. Information inundates us. Can you feel the overload? I do. Can you tell good information from bad? I struggle with that. The internet can be a friend that breaks down borders, opens communication and creates connections between people all over the world. But it can also be an enemy when it serves up fake news, misinformation and disinformation as facts. I struggle through the plethora of misinformation and disinformation. If you are like me, you resent anyone trying to recruit you based on self-serving lies. If you are like me, you want all the information you gather to be the ‘real stuff’, so you can make up your own mind. I look forward to learning techniques to uncover the truth, evaluate the reliability of sources and determine which information is factual.

International Writing Program classes nurture the growth of a vibrant, cooperative and respectful community of writers and independent thinkers who engage together across borders civilly and collaborate as students to develop a knowledgable community of writers. Anyone who is an advocate for peaceful change will get great satisfaction from taking this class. I am thankful to Chris Merrill and the IWP at the University of Iowa for helping the writing community to grow.

I enrolled in "Hidden Meanings" and look forward to taking it. I’ve met terrific writers in the US, between these shores and abroad. I hope to see some of you there. 

Enrollment Link: 

The University of Iowa

https://www.betweentheseshoresbooks.com/contact-us

Date Published: November 1, 2019