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57154-01 - Course: 111 Words a Day: A Writing Project (3 CP)
| Semester | spring semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Irregular |
| Lecturers | Andrew Shields (andrew.shields@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | The title of the course says what it's about: writing 111 words a day throughout the semester. Every day, all the participants will choose a topic and write 111 words in English about that topic—no more, no less, exactly 111 words. Participants can choose topics from any university course they are taking (or have taken), as well as from cultural, political, or social issues that come up during the semester. They can even write diary entries about everyday events. As a way to push the writing through the semester, each day's text is most effective when it makes some sort of specific claim (even when it’s “just” a diary entry). [That's 111 words.] The daily texts will be posted to ADAM for all participants to read. Class time will involves discussions of the content, style, and language of selected texts.—This course is a work of conceptual art: the simple instruction produce an extraordinary range of texts on all kinds of issues and topics. The only thing that is set in stone is that imperative: 111 words a day, from the first day of class to the last.—It was originally going to be 100 words a day, because one of the course's goals is to work on concision and precision—but 111 is a much cooler number: eine Schnapszahl, but also charmingly arbitrary. [That's 111 words.] A writing course for which there is no theme but we must write a short text once a day, the length of which is given, set in stone, specific as it gets, no way around. A shower thought, a pleasant memory, a fresh opinion, comment on the news, a book review, a breakfast recipe, a sin confessed, a love which did not last, a trauma and its cure, cathartic lines. We write and read what others wrote as well, we meet and talk about it once a week, discuss some issues, commas, style and flow; we glimpse into the minds of those who write a hundred and eleven words a day. [That's 111 words.] Gustavo Grandi, 9 May 2022 |
| Learning objectives | To work on writing every day. |
| Bibliography | There is no reading list for the course. The instructor and the participants will read what the participants themselves write for the course. |
| Comments | |
| Weblink | ADAM |
| Admission requirements | None |
| Course application | Please register for the course on services.unibas.ch The number of participants in this course is strictly limited to 20. Priority will be given to English majors who register for the course before Friday, 13 February 2026. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | Online, mandatory |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Friday | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Friday 20.02.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Friday 27.02.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Fasnachtsferien |
| Friday 06.03.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Friday 13.03.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Friday 20.03.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Friday 27.03.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Friday 03.04.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Ostern |
| Friday 10.04.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Friday 17.04.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Friday 24.04.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Friday 01.05.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Tag der Arbeit |
| Friday 08.05.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Friday 15.05.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Auffahrt |
| Friday 22.05.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Friday 29.05.2026 | 14.15-16.00 | Nadelberg 6, Raum 11 |
| Modules |
Modul: Introduction to Academic Communication in English (Bachelor's degree subject: English) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Credit for the course will be given to those who attend regularly, participate in the discussions, and write 111 words a day throughout the semester. |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration; dereg.: not required |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, studadmin-philhist@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Fachbereich Englische Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft |