Syllabus

ENGL 250: Introduction to Creative Writing
Spring 2011
Section 002
MWF: 11:30AM-12:20PM, Andrews Hall 014
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Instructor: Joshua Ware
Email: unlengl@gmail.com
Office: 302 Andrews Hall
Hours: By appointment
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Course Description:

Welcome to English 250: Introduction to Creative Writing! Over the course of this semester, you will be introduced to three, specific genres (i.e. poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction), and the manner in which one goes about generating ideas for, drafting, revising, and editing them. Moreover, we will explore how both the discourse and art of creative writing enables us to organize our thoughts, solve problems, express ourselves, and understand others more thoroughly.

To this extent, we will approach literary texts, both those of others and our own, in a fashion different than how most of you have approached them before. By this, I mean, we will read, talk about, and write with an eye toward craft, answering such questions as How is a text constructed? What tools do writers have at their disposal to create a particular text? Of these tools, which function best in specific contexts? and What type of relationships develop between form and content, and how do those relationships affect our understanding of a text? While these questions are by no means exhaustive, they should provide us with a starting point through which to enter a text, as well as highlight the fact that we will not be conducting traditional, literary analysis of poems, stories, and non-fiction pieces.

In addition to how we approach literary texts within this course, why we will be reading texts, extensively, in a writing course also bears mentioning. To truly comprehend how one goes about crafting words into particular structures, forms, and patterns using techniques specific to each genre, engaging superlative examples is paramount to the learning process. As such, we will read contemporary poems, short stories, and creative non-fiction to provide us with models for how writers today think through their craft.

Moreover, through our reading and writing, we will rigorously investigate the process of writing a literary text. As such, this course will not allot precedence to end-products, meaning that we will spend considerable time on invention, drafting, revising; the documents you generate during this process, then, will be accorded as much time and as much weight in the grading scale as your final drafts for each genre.

English Department Course Description:

The course combines writing exercises in each genre with reading of published texts that will serve as “models” or examples of how established writers have used elements of craft to achieve their goals as artists. Writing exercises for fiction might well include practice in development of character, the use of dialogue, scenic description, and varieties of narrative technique. In the poetry segment of the course, students will gain practice in using metaphors, images, sounds, and meter. In the creative nonfiction portion of the course, exercises might include travel journals, character portraits, research-related writing, or nature writing. Class time will be spent in discussion of students’ work, assigned published texts, and in-class writing exercises. Individual tutorials will very likely also be a part of the course curriculum.

English Department Course Requirements:

Students will be required to produce work in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction—a minimum of twenty pages of revised and polished prose (in fiction and creative nonfiction) and five revised and polished poems. The instructor will respond to this work both orally and in writing.

Students will also be required to read and respond (orally and in writing) to a variety of published fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, from individual authors and/or from anthologies such as Best American Short Stories, Best American Essays, Best American Poetry, or others. Readings will reflect consideration of human diversity.

Discussions of published literature will focus on developing an understanding of literary forms and placing individual works of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry in a larger context.

Students will also be required to respond (orally and in writing) to work produced by members of the class. These discussions will focus on technique and craft, aiming to develop an understanding of the writing process, with an emphasis on revision (literally re-vision, re-seeing).

Course Texts:

You can find the below textbooks at the university bookstore, but don't feel that you must purchase them there. If you find a better deal at an online book dispensary, by all means, acquire it through those means. It should be noted, though, that we will begin reading and using both The Poet's Companion and Best American Poetry this week, so buying these books via the Internet probably won't be the best idea (as they, most likely, won't arrive in the next two days).

Addonizio, Kim and Dorianne Laux. The Poet's Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry. New York, NY: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1997.

Kercheval, Jesse Lee. Building Fiction: How to Develop Plot and Structure. Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Press, 1997.

Kramer, Mark and Wendy Call, eds. Telling True Stories: A Nonfiction Writer's Guide from the Niemna Foundation at Harvard. New York, NY: Plume-Penguin Books, 2007.

Orlean, Susan and Robert Atwan, eds. The Best American Essays (2005). New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005.

Rushdie, Salman and Heidi Pitlor, eds. The Best American Short Stories (2008). New York, NY: New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008.

Wright, Charles and David Lehman, eds. The Best American Poetry (2008). New York, NY: Scribner Poetry, 20008.

In addition to the above texts, I will, periodically, upload documents to Blackboard that will serve to supplement the required texts. You will be expected to download, read, annotate, and bring these documents to class for whatever session we intend to discuss them.

Assignments Descriptions:

Each genre we explore during this course will account for thirty percent of your overall grade, with an additional ten percent attributed to odd-and-ends throughout the semester. The grading breakdown for each genre, with corresponding due dates, can be found below; specific assignment parameters will be outlined a week or two before each due date:

Poetry:

1. Daily Assignments: 9 points, assigned daily during genre-cycle.
2. Workshop: 8 points, February 7, 9, 11, and 16.
3. Portfolio: 13 points, due February 18.

Fiction:

1. Daily Assignments: 8 points, assigned daily during genre-cycle.
2. Workshop: 8 points, March 14, 16, 18, and 28.
3. Portfolio: 14 points, due March 30.

Non-fiction:

1. Daily Assignments: 8 points, assigned daily during genre-cycle.
2. Workshop: 8 points, April 20, 22, 25, and 27.
3. Portfolio: 14 points, due April 29.

Miscellaneous:

10 points. These points will be attributed throughout the semester for various reading, writing, and workshop assignments. More often than not, they will be employed to ensure that you are keeping up with our daily assignments and will be announced in-class on the day they are due.

Grading Scale:

A = 100-93 A- = 92-90 B+ = 89-87 B = 86-84 B- = 83-80 C+ = 79-77
C = 76-74 C- = 73-70 D+ = 69-67 D = 66-64 D- = 63-60 F = 59-0


Attendance:

The Department of English expects students registered for English classes to attend all scheduled class meetings and to have a reasonable excuse for any absence. Especially during the second half of the semester, our class sessions will involve intense, usually collaborative, class participation and workshops. To perform effectively in this course and to provide quality input on your peers’ poetry, regular attendance and active participation is necessary. Therefore, you are permitted to miss up to 6 class periods with no effect to your final grade. After 6 absences (i.e. once you miss 7 classes), you will receive an F for the course. I will take attendance daily, so if you must miss class time, use your allotted days wisely. It is your responsibility to find out what you missed and be prepared for the next class. Regular tardiness will also affect your class performance and distract the class in progress; as such, chronic tardiness will affect your grade. Furthermore, if you come to a class session unprepared (i.e. you have not completed the readings or writing for that class), I reserve the right to consider you absent for that period; attendance is more than being physically present, but also requires you to be intellectually and creatively engaged.

Code of Conduct:

All members of the course must commit to creating a place of study where everyone is treated with respect and courtesy. Everyone must share in the commitment to protect the integrity, rights, and personal safety of each member of the classroom & virtual community. This includes helpful, yet courteous, discussion of individual and group writing projects. Additionally, make sure cell phones, pagers, and any other similar electronic instruments are turned off when in class. These devices are not conducive to a learning environment and will be treated as such.

ACE Learning Objective:

By passing this course, you will fulfill ACE Learning Objective 7: “Use knowledge, theories, or methods appropriate to the arts to understand their context or significance.” Your work will be evaluated by the instructor according to the specifications described in this syllabus. At the end of the term, you may be asked to provide samples of your work for ACE assessment as well.

Course Schedule:

What follows is a tentative listing for each class period this semester. Please prepare accordingly, but be aware that details of the schedule are subject to change, based upon how the semester proceeds.

Date	Readings	Assignments Due For Class
01/10/11	N/A (Syllabus and Introductions)	N/A
01/12/11	PC: 11-29, BAP: ix-xxi, 1-8	N/A
01/14/11	PC: 31-81	TBA
01/17/11	NO CLASS: MLK DAY	NO CLASS: MLK DAY
01/19/11	PC: 85-91, BAP: 9-19	TBA
01/21/11	PC: 94-101, BAP: 20-29	TBA
01/24/11	PC: 104-112, BAP: 30-38	TBA
01/26/11	PC: 115-127, BAP:39-51	TBA
01/28/11	PC: 129-134, BAP: 52-63	TBA
01/31/11	PC: 138-148, BAP: 64-73	TBA
02/02/11	PC: 151-158, BAP: 74-85	TBA
02/04/11	PC: 171-183, BAP: 86-97	TBA
02/07/11	PC: 186-192, BAP: 98-110	WORKSHOP
02/09/11	BAP: 111-122	WORKSHOP
02/11/11	BAP: 123-133	WORKSHOP
02/12/11	NO CLASS: READING	NO CLASS: READING
02/14/11	SATURDAY READING	SATURDAY READING
02/16/11	BAP: 134-149	WORKSHOP
02/18/11	BAF: 260-269	POETRY PORTFOLIO DUE
02/21/11	BF: 1-11, BAF: 22-35	TBA
02/23/11	BF: 12-21, BAF: 1, 36, 51, 72, 85, etc,	TBA
02/25/11	BF: 22-43, BAF: 282-297	TBA
02/28/11	BF: 44-61, BAF: 72-84	TBA
03/02/11	BF: 62-81, BAF: 36-50	TBA
03/04/11	NO CLASS: READING	NO CLASS: READING
03/05/11	SATURDAY READING	SATURDAY READING
03/07/11	BF: 82-110, BAF:134-144	TBA
03/09/11	BF: 111-129, BAF: 122-133	TBA
03/11/11	BF: 130-143, BAF: 145-157	TBA
03/14/11	BAF: 187-200	WORKSHOP
03/16/11	BAF: 230-243	WORKSHOP
03/18/11	BAF: 244-259	WORKSHOP
03/21/11	NO CLASS: SPRING BREAK	NO CLASS: SPRING BREAK
03/23/11	NO CLASS: SPRING BREAK	NO CLASS: SPRING BREAK
03/25/11	NO CLASS: SPRING BREAK	NO CLASS: SPRING BREAK
03/28/11	BAF: 269-281	WORKSHOP
03/30/11	TTS: xv-xvii, 3-24	FICTION PORTFOLIO DUE
04/01/11	TTS: 25-62, BAE: ix-xviii	TBA
04/04/11	TTS: 97-121, BAE: 1-8	TBA
04/06/11	TTS: 125-140, BAE: 9-20	TBA
04/08/11	TTS: 140-159, BAE: 21-27	TBA
04/11/11	TTS: 65-91 BAE: 28-30	TBA
04/13/11	TTS: 197-216, BAE:31-36	TBA
04/15/11	BAE:37-55	TBA
04/18/11	BAE:56-73	TBA
04/20/11	BAE: 74-105	WORKSHOP
04/22/11	BAE:106-120	WORKSHOP
04/25/11	BAE:121-134	WORKSHOP
04/27/11	BAE:195-202, 252-270	WORKSHOP
04/29/11	Debriefing	NON-FICTION PORTFOLIO DUE