|
SyllabusClick here for a printer-friendly version of the syllabus in Word SYLLABUS Introduction to Creative Writing (ENGL 210) Fall 2008 MWF 12-12:50am Wheatley 062, 1st Floor Jeremy Lakaszcyck Office Hours: Mondays 1-2:00 p.m. Office: Wheatley 073, 6th Floor Phone/Voicemail: E-mail: jeremy.lakaszcyck001@umb.edu Required Text: Burroway, Janet. Imaginative Writing: The Elements of Craft (2nd Edition). Penguin Academics, 2007. Handouts, Class Website. Your work and that of your classmates. Course Goals: This course is an introduction to the process of writing poetry and fiction, and is designed to embolden you to think and write creatively, enable you to read and respond critically/helpfully, and introduce you to the terminology and basic elements of writing craft. In a friendly, supportive environment, we will examine a variety of published poems and stories from our text and hand-outs, as well as each other’s work, in an effort to shed light on what makes for effective writing (including, but not limited to: image, voice, dialogue, character, conflict and setting). You will be putting these ideas directly to work in the poetry and fiction you produce for class. During the course of the semester, you will complete in class writing exercises, and out of class assignments, including individual and group exercises, free writing, and formal assignments. By working in both poetry and fiction, and receiving feedback (in the form of written and oral critiques) from your peers and from me, you will begin to develop a working understanding of how poetic and narrative techniques work. It is hoped that by the end of this course, you will have learned to write more creatively—artfully—about the things that matter to you. We all have something unique to say about the world in which we live; this course aims to help you develop the skills to deliver your poetic and fictional expressions in an artful, engaging way. The first third of the semester will be devoted to poetry. We will read and write poems with emphasis on imagery, rhythm, and voice. The second third of the semester will be devoted to fiction. We will read and write fiction paying close attention to character development, conflict/plot, setting and dialogue. And the third part of the semester will be devoted to the continuation and revision of your work in both forms. Throughout the semester, we will be “workshopping” each other’s work, first in small groups and then as a class. Course Requirements: 1. Creative Writing: You are responsible for one weekly out-of-class writing assignment, as well as in-class exercises as assigned. Most of your writing will take place out of class. These assignments will lead to a final portfolio of work that will include 5 complete poems (5-8 total pages) and 1-2 complete stories, story beginnings or story fragments (6 – 15 pages total), all of which will go through at least one revision. Both original and revised versions of all creative work (poems and stories) are to be included in the portfolio, for a total of 22-46 pages of work. One revision of your choice must be a radical revision, which we will discuss at length later in the semester. While no individual poem or piece of fiction you hand in will be graded, the complete portfolio is a measure of your growth as a writer over the course of the semester. There’s no time to wait for inspiration to strike! Writing is a daily habit that must be developed. As such, it is important for both your grade and your growth as a writer to keep up with the weekly writing assignments. The final portfolio is due on the Wednesday of exam week: December 17. 2. Reading: You are responsible for weekly reading assignments from the text, as well as occasional hand-outs of fiction or poetry. You should be prepared to discuss each week’s reading during the first class meeting of each week. You will be responsible for writing 2 brief response papers (1 - 2 double-spaced pages) over the course of the semester (one in response to a single poem, one in response to a piece of fiction). Response papers should focus on one of three things: 1) the way a particular craft element discussed in class is being put to use; 2) why and how a particular image, phrase, line, etc., really struck you, and why/how it’s effective; or 3) any craft-based question the poem or story raised for you. Response papers are not to be summaries of what the story or poem was about, nor litanies of what the poem or story reminded you of from your own life. Rather these papers should engage critically with something we have read, asking the question “how/why did the author do that?” Response papers will be graded.
We’ll also spend some class time reading and responding briefly to something you have brought in. 3. Literary Reading Attendance: You are required to attend one fiction or poetry reading during the semester. There are numerous readings scheduled on campus throughout the semester, and local bookstores, other universities, and literary organizations regularly sponsor readings around Boston. You will write a short (2 page) response paper on the reading. This can be done at any point in the semester prior to the Thanksgiving Break (due by W 11/26 or T 11/25. Your response paper should focus on what you found interesting or uninteresting about the reading, making connections, if possible, to the craft elements (voice, image, character, etc.) we discuss in class. This paper will be graded. 4. Class participation: This is an interactive, discussion-based class. Your presence and participation are necessary and required. Aside from discussing published pieces we read outside of class, and completing in-class writing assignments, you will be split into small groups where you will be required to workshop your classmates’ work and in turn have your own work critiqued by your classmates. Part of this process involves written critiques of your classmates’ work. You will be required to write a total of 3 critique “letters” in response to the work of the classmates in your small group. Each such letter will consist of at least one paragraph detailing what you think the strengths of the piece are, and one paragraph of questions the piece raises for you, paying attention to Burroway’s suggestions on page xxvii of the Invitation to the Writer section of the Introduction. More specific instructions for critiques and workshop participation will be given out later in the semester. These critiques will be graded. Class participation will also include posting to the class website at least three times over the course of the semester. At least one of your posts must be one of your critique letters. The other two posts should be responses to the work or critiques of work by other students in class. You may also respond to someone’s critical response to your creative work. There will also be a periodic quiz during the semester, for which I will give you advanced notice. 5. Attendance: You are allowed no more than FOUR unexcused absences. Unexcused absences are ones you have not notified me of in advance. Please take the time to call my voicemail or email me if you find you cannot make class. In case of emergency, I appreciate contact with you as soon as possible. Don’t just disappear—let me know what’s happened to you. Please exchange phone numbers or email addresses with someone in class to find out about a class you’ve missed. If you exceed four unexcused absences or, for any reason, miss more than eight classes, you risk failing the course. Out of respect for your classmates and me, please turn cell phones off for the duration of each class period: No texting, checking messages, emailing, instant messaging...etc. during class. NOTE: Persistent lateness will be noted and affect your grade. If you are more than 10 minutes late on 5 occasions, you have missed the equivalent of one full class and it will be counted as such. If you do arrive late, please slip in as quietly as possible so as not to disrupt the class and be sure to see me after class to ensure that I mark you as present. 6. Conferences: You will be required to attend two 15-minute progress conferences with me near the midway point and the end of the semester. Weeks 7 and 14 (see schedule for dates) are set aside entirely for these. To this conference, you are expected to bring all of your creative work (poems, fiction, revisions) produced so far. We will discuss the state of your portfolio and any specific questions you have about how to move forward. Conferences are an important part of this course and will be graded. Please do not skip your conference appointments. As you will not be attending this class during conference weeks, missing a conference is equivalent to 3 classes and will be counted as such. I encourage you to schedule meetings with me at any other point during the semester, or show up for my office hours, to discuss your work, your progress, course expectations, readings, etc. Grading: Please note that you will not be graded on “talent” for this course. Rather, your grade will be a reflection of your growth and development as a writer, as well as your adherence to the course requirements outlined above. To determine your grade, I will weigh the timely completion of creative assignments; the growth displayed in your portfolio (first drafts to revisions); your critical responses to class readings, attendance at a literary reading, and responses to the work of your classmates; class participation; and class and conference attendance. Your grade will be determined as follows: 25% - Response Papers (2 Reading Response Papers; 1 literary reading response) 25% - Portfolio (timely completion of creative assignments; revision efforts; growth) 25% - Class participation/Attendance (discussion, web-posting, etc.) 15% - Workshop (3 critical response letters; discussion) 10% - Conferences
Students with Disabilities If you have a disability and feel you will need accommodations in order to complete course requirements, please contact the Ross Center for Disability Services (M1-401) at 617-287-7430. Plagiarism and Academic Honesty All students are accountable to the definitions and the regulations concerning Academic Honesty contained in the University of Massachusetts Boston “Code of Standard Conduct.” For more details see: www.umb.edu/student_services/student_rights/code_conduct.html Plagiarism is defined as the attempt to use or pass off as one’s own the ideas or writings of another. This includes copying from a friend, downloading a paper from the Internet and pretending it’s yours, and using passages— either reproduced word-for-word or paraphrased—from another’s writing without giving the author credit. Check your student handbook for a further definition of the term. If you’re confused about the right way to quote from someone else’s work in your own paper, please see me and I’ll be glad to clarify. Because plagiarism involves stealing someone’s ideas, it’s considered a serious matter in academic life. Anyone who commits plagiarism will fail the course. Syllabus: All readings are within the Burroway text unless otherwise noted RA = Reading Assignment WA = Writing Assignment Week One: Course Intro; Image W 9/3: Course Intro; In-class exercise
F 9/5: RA - Invitation to the Writer (pgs. xxi – xxviii) WA – first exercise edit Week Two: Image M 9/8: RA – Chapter 1: Image (3-15); Annie Dillard “The Giant Water Bug” (pgs. 15-16); Billy Collins “Snow Day” (pgs 27-28) W 9/10: In-Class Group Exercise F 9/12: WA – Poem due (poem #1) Week Three: Voice M 9/15: RA – Chapter 2: Voice (pgs. 37-50); William Trowbridge “Kong Looks Back on His Tryout With the Bears” (pg 70); Barbara Hamby “The Language of Bees” (pgs 72-73); Yusef Komunyakaa “Facing It” (pgs. 29-30) W 9/17: RA – Frank O’Hara (Handout) In-class writing assignment. F 9/19: WA – Poem due (poem #2) Week Four: Character M 9/22: RA – Chapter 3: Character (pgs 79-93); Jhumpa Lahiri “Interpreter of Maladies” (pgs. 100-117) In-Class Writing Exercise W 9/24: Askold Melnyczuk Reading RA – “House of Widows Excerpt” (Web) WA – 2-3 pages of fiction focused on a character in a scene with some conflict F 9/26: RA – Chapter 8: Fiction (pgs. 273-284) Junot Diaz “How to Date a Browngirl, Blackgirl...” and “Drown” (Handout)
Week Five: Setting M 9/29: RA – Chapter 4: Setting (pgs. 131-142); (Handout): Benjamin Percy “Refresh, Refresh” WA – First Reading Response Paper Due W 10/1: RA – T.C. Boyle “Greasy Lake” In-class Writing Exercise. F 10/3: WA – 2- 6 pages of fiction Week Six: Story M 10/6: RA – Chapter 5: Story (pgs. 163-172); Joyce Carol Oates “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” (Handout) Sign up for CONFERENCE next week W 10/8: RA – James Joyce “Araby” (Handout) In-class Writing Exercise F 10/10: RA – Ernest Hemingway “Hills Like White Elephants” (Handout); Tobias Wolff “Say Yes” (Handout) WA – 2-6 pages of fiction
Week Seven: CONFERENCES Note: You should have 3 complete poems and 3-10 pages of fiction by now. Bring ALL All of these to your meeting with me. M 10/13: Columbus Day – No Classes W 10/15, F 10/17: Conferences NOTE: You should have 2 poems and 3-8 pages of fiction by this time. Week Eight: Poetry Forms M 10/20: RA – Chapter 9: Poetry (pgs. 309-333); Appendix “A Basic Prosody” (pgs. 375-382) WA – Poem #3 Due W 10/22: In-Class Writing Assignment F 10/24: WA – Poem #4 due Week Nine: Revising Poems [DO NOT MISS CLASS THIS WEEK] M 10/27: RA – Chapter 6: Development and Revision (pgs 207-222) W 10/29: WA – Revise one of your poems and bring 6 copies of it for workshop Discussion on workshop format F 10/31: RA – Classmates work for workshop WA – 1 Critical Response to Classmate work (2 copies) Small Group Workshops Week Ten: Fiction M 11/3: WA – Second Reading Response Due Small Group Workshops W 11/5: RA – Chapter 8: Fiction (273-284); Charles Baxter “Snow” (284-293) F 11/7: WA – Whatever you have so far toward your story (5 – 10 pgs); bring 6 copies for next week’s workshop
Week Eleven: Revising Fiction/Workshop [DO NOT MISS CLASS THIS WEEK] M 11/10: Veterans Day – No Classes W 11/12: RA – Classmates work for workshop WA – 1 Critical Responses to Classmate work (2 copies) Small Group Workshops F 11/14: RA – Classmates work for workshop Small Group Workshops Week Twelve: Radical Revision M 11/17: RA – Handout on Radical Revision Sign up for final conference & reading schedule W 11/19: In-class writing exercise: radical revision Bring a piece you are working on (1 poem or a few pages of fiction) F 11/21: WA – Bring 6 copies of whatever you want to workshop next week WA – Poem #5 Due Week Thirteen: Revision/Workshops M 11/24: RA – Classmates work for workshop WA – 1 Critical Response to Classmate Small Group Workshop W 11/26: RA – Classmates work for workshop WA – Literary Reading Response Due Small Group Workshop F 11/28: Thanksgiving Recess – No Classes Week Fourteen: CONFERENCES M 12/1: W 12/3: F 12/5: Week Fifteen: Class Readings M 12/8: RA – “How to be a Writer” (Handout) Workshop W 12/10: Class Reading F 12/12: Class Reading M 12/15 FINAL PORTFOLIO DUE (5 poems, originals and revisions; 6-15 pages of fiction, original and revision)
|
||||||||||||||
 |
