This class will help students develop their thinking, reading, viewing, research, and writing skills. Students will create writing that is strong, persuasive, compelling, and interesting in general, and practice writing college-level essays in particular. We will take bodies in Japanese film and media as our topic—including aspects of race, gender, sexuality, disability, and violence—and think about how to write about film and media, the language of visual culture, the ethics of viewing, how to use historical context effectively, and how to do close readings, research, and citation.