Events

Past Event

Writing Friendly Criticism in a Partisan Age

December 8, 2021
7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
America/New_York
Online Event

 

Yale historian Paul Sabin will discuss the art and process behind persuasive critical writing for a wide public audience. Keying off his guest essay in The New York Times, Sabin will reflect on how he drew lessons from history relevant to current debates over infrastructure and the environment, and on the steps necessary to translate a book into a 1,000-word essay. Sabin also will consider the challenge for scholarly writers of navigating our fraught partisan times, including telling stories that don’t fit easily into prevailing narratives. How does a writer offer constructive criticism without getting pulled into the service of hostile ideological agendas? How does a writer craft distinct messages for quite different audiences at the same time?

All members of the Columbia community are welcome; Columbia email required for registration. To benefit most from each event, read the featured article in advance, linked above.

This event will be held online. For questions, please contact [email protected].

Contact Information

Pam Rodman