Course Syllabus, ENGL 283, Fall 2005

Click HERE to download a complete, hard copy of the ENGL 283 Syllabus in Microsoft Word format.

ENGLISH 283: CREATIVE WRITING I

Professor Lee Roripaugh
Fall Semester, 2005
Section #075, 2:00-3:15 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays, Arts & Sciences, 16B
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:00-1:45 p.m. and 3:30-5:30 p.m.
(Office Hours Also Available Anytime by Appointment)
Office: Dakota Hall #207
Office Phone: 677-5979
E-mail: lroripau@usd.edu
Mailbox: Dakota Hall #212

ENGL 283 is an introductory course designed to function as a studio class in creative writing. Students will become acquainted with various tools, terms, and techniques employed by poets and fiction writers and will have the opportunity to experiment with and apply these techniques within a studio environment through the use of individual and group creative writing exercises/activities. In the same way that drawing students can learn best through the process of drawing, writers also learn best through the process of writing, and ENGL 283 will emphasize a hands-on, action-based approach toward the goal of developing writerly skills in reading, craft and technique, and creativity. ENGL 283 seeks to challenge students' perceptions, assumptions, imaginations, and reading/writing abilities. A sampling of course requirements includes keeping an on-line journal, completion of (and participation in) daily in-class studio writing activities, a writerly research project, submission of two short expository papers on topics pertinent to creative writing, completion of out-of-class poetry and fiction assignments, and submission of a final writing portfolio. Prior creative writing experience is not required.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of ENGl 101 and ENGL 210.

REQUIREMENTS:

In accordance with the criteria for 200-level courses meeting the Advanced Composition Component in SGR Goal I, all students will be required to submit a minimum total of 5,000 words of final-version writing. These 5,000 words will consist primarily of the final creative writing portfolio, which will then be supplemented by a minimum of two short papers (see guidelines below).

Blogging (Maintenance of On-line Writing Journal:

3 entries per week – 1 entry will be either a response to the assigned readings and/or your thoughts on writing and the writing process (250 words minimum); 1 entry will be a cued journal entry in response to a memoir-generating prompt (250 words minimum); and 1 entry will be the posting of a finished/polished version of a studio writing exercise of your choice generated during the prior week’s class.

Blogging requirements will commence during the first week of classes, and will continue for fourteen weeks throughout the final week of classes, ending right before the commencement of finals week (with the exception of the week of Thanksgiving break). Each entry is worth 10 points apiece (at 3 entries per week this adds up to 42 entries total during the semester). You will be allowed to miss up to 2 free entries (if you do all 42 you will receive 20 points extra credit in the class), and you can make up to 3 missed entries by blogging during the week of Thanksgiving break. Each week’s 3 blog entries must be posted no later than midnight on Sunday night of each week to receive credit.

Final Creative Writing Portfolio:

You will be asked to submit a final creative writing portfolio at the end of the semester composed of revised final versions of your original, creative work. The portfolio will contain revised versions of three poems assigned in class, a three-page (750-word) scene or short-short story, and a longer, more fully-developed short story of approximately 8-10 pages (2,000 words minimum). In order to get portfolio credit you must do both of the following:

(1) Turn in a completed, typed/word-processed first draft of the poetry and fiction assignments on the assigned collection days noted on the class schedule and announced in class.

Written comments/feedback and suggestions for future revision will be provided by the instructor (and, in some instances, also via peer critique/student workshopping). To complete the portfolio process, you will then need to:

(2) Respond to written comments/suggestions for revision with a thoughtful, substantive revision of each piece included in your final creative writing portfolio.

The portfolio must include both the original draft of your poetry and fiction assignments with my written comments, along with the your revised, final version of the pieces so that the revision process can be properly evaluated.

The portfolio must also include a short written commentary (250-word minimum) for each revised work that summarizes the revising process, and discusses/evaluates the ways in which the work has changed, evolved, and improved as a result of the revision process.

Research Component:

During the poetry unit, I will be asking you to write a dramatic monologue in the voice of a character from a different historical background/time period. We will take the opportunity to discuss how and why writers use research in their work, and the important role that writerly research plays in the creative writing process. You will be asked to gather research materials to help you write your dramatic monologue from a variety of locations (including books, library research databases, journals, and internet sources) and assemble a bibliography citing your sources in appropriate MLA format to submit with your monologue. At this point in the course, we’ll also take the opportunity to review research procedures, proper citation style, plagiarism issues, and information literacy skills (including the evaluation of electronic sources).

Writerly Immersion Papers:

During the course of the semester, you will be asked to write two short writerly immersion papers (750-1,000 words) on topics of significance to writers and creative writing:

(1) The first paper will involve comparing and contrasting a minimum of two print and one electronic literary journals. One of the print journals will include the 2005 Vermillion Literary Project.

(2) The second paper will involve comparing/contrasting/discussing a minimum of two literary events/readings attended during the course of the semester. One of these readings/events will take place during class in the form of a visiting writer/reader. You will be responsible for attending a second, outside literary event on your own. (There should be plenty of opportunities to attend these types of events throughout the semester. I’ll make sure to announce them in class and post them to the course blog. If there are special circumstances which might make attending an outside literary event unusually problematic/difficult for you, please let me know ASAP and an appropriate substitution for a live performance can be discussed.)

You will be expected to demonstrate fluency in expository writing skills in these assignments, and cite their sources in appropriate MLA format.

Pop Quizzes:

There will be four randomly scheduled pop quizzes over the assigned readings to insure that you are doing the readings and assimilating the writerly terms and techniques which are crucial to your development as a skilled writer/reader of poetry and fiction.

In-Class Participation:

Active and engaged in-class participation in class discussions and studio exercises, as well as writing workshops (20 points per workshop; 40 points total) and in-class open-mic readings (20 points per open-mic reading; 40 points total).

GRADING:

40% Blogging/On-Line Writing Journal Entries (400 points total - 10 points/entry)
30% Final Creative Writing Portfolio (300 points total - 50 points per submitted/revised poems and scene/short-short story; 100 points for 8-10 page short story)
10% Two Writerly Immersion Papers (100 points total - 50 points per activity)
10% Pop Quizzes (100 points total – 25 points per quiz)
10% In-Class Participation (100 points total - 20 points per workshop; 20 points per in-class
open-mic reading; 20 points general)

Your final grade will be based on a scale of 1,000 points possible.

TEXTS:

Writing Poetry (Sixth Edition), by Michelle Boisseau and Robert Wallace (Pearson Longman 2004).

Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft (Sixth Edition), by Janet Burroway (Longman Publishers, 2003).

2005 Vermillion Literary Project(Available from the English Department secretary, Melanie Westin, in Dakota Hall 212. Cost is $10 check or cash.)

The Writer's Harbrace Handbook, by Glenn, et al. (Thomson Wadsworth, 2005). (Make sure that you are getting the version without InSite, since we aren’t using the InSite feature and it will be substantially less expensive.)

Additional materials to be made available either on-line or via Xerox handouts as needed.

All textbooks, with the exception of the 2005 Vermillion Literary Project are available at the University Barnes & Noble bookstore.

ABSENCES AND MAKEUPS:

Because this is a hands-on, activity-oriented studio class, attendance is a significant factor for success in this course. You will be allowed three absences during the course of the semester. For each absence beyond these three there will be a 50-point deduction in your final grade. If you happen to go beyond the three allowed absences, you will be allowed to make up two (and no more than two) absences by completing up to two (i.e., one per absence) additional writerly immersion papers (750-word minimum) according to the same guidelines described above for the required expository papers. (If you find yourself in this situation, come talk to me and we can discuss possible topics/approaches for your make-up paper.)

Students who must miss class due to an official University event must let the instructor know in advance (with appropriate documentation) in order to make up missed in-class exercises or quizzes. In the event of unexpected serious illness or if commuting students must miss class due to severely inclement weather, students must contact the instructor and provide appropriate documentation to make arrangements for make-ups.

Please note that I DO NOT make distinctions between excused and unexcused absences, and an absence always counts as an absence. Instead, you’ve been given a reasonable number of absences and a reasonable number of makeup opportunities to work with, and I will expect you each to manage your own attendance accordingly. Please let me know ASAP if you have specific concerns or questions.

PLAGIARISM:

The College of Arts and Sciences considers plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty inimical to the objectives of higher education. The College supports the imposition of penalties on students who engage in academic dishonesty, as defined in the “Conduct” section of the University of South Dakota Student Handbook.

No credit can be given for a dishonest assignment. At the discretion of the instructor, a student caught engaging in any form of academic dishonesty may be:
(a) Given a zero for that assignment.
(b) Allowed to rewrite and resubmit the assignment for credit.
(c) Assigned a reduced grade for the course.
(d) Dropped from the course.
(e) Failed in the course.

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT POLICY ON FAIR EVALUATION:

Rights and Responsibilities: The English Department believes that each student is entitled to earn and receive a fair grade in each course for which he or she enrolls. The department believes equally that it is the right and the responsibility of an instructor to establish criteria for evaluation for each course which he or she teaches and to determine the degree to which an individual student has fulfilled the standards set for the course.

Resolving Complaints: Students making a complaint about a grade should first attempt to resolve the problem directly with the course instructor. If that attempt is unsuccessful, the Director of Writing will review complaints regarding grades in ENGL 101 and 210. The Chair will consider other student complaints regarding grades as well as complaints from 101 and 210 not resolved by the Director of Writing. However, the burden of proof will lie with the student registering the complaint; he or she must demonstrate that an instructor has made an error in computation or that the instructor has violated the criteria set down in the printed syllabus for the course.

Syllabus Policy: To assist the Director and the Chair in determining whether grade changes are needed, individual faculty will be responsible for providing evaluation criteria for each course on the syllabus for that course, and for providing a copy of each syllabus to the Department Secretary by the second week of each semester.

Other Factors: Students should be apprised that extraneous factors, such as the eligibility of a student for sorority or fraternity membership, for scholarship and fellowship awards, or for admission to graduate schools, have no bearing on the determination of the fairness of a grade or grades received. The quality of the student’s overall performance with respect to evaluation standards will be the only criterion for judgment.

NOTICE REGARDING DISABILITIES:

Any student who feels s/he may need academic accommodations or access accommodations based on the impact of a documented disability should contact and register with Disability Services during the first week of class. Disability Services is the official office to assist students through the process of disability verification and coordination of appropriate and reasonable accommodations. Students currently registered with Disability Services must obtain a new accommodation memo each semester.

Ernetta L. Fox, Director
Disability Services, Room 119 Service Center
Phone: (605)677-6389
Web Site: http://www.usd.edu/ds
E-mail: dservices@usd.edu

ASSESSMENT:

Any written work submitted for this course may be used for purposes of program review and/or faculty development.

TENTATIVE CLASS AND READING ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE

Important!! Don’t Forget to Blog!! Weekly Deadline for Posting of Three Required Entries is Sunday at Midnight!! The First Round of Blogging will be Due at the End of the First Week of Classes (Sunday, September 4, 2005).

Tuesday, August 30, 2005 - Introduction to Course

Thursday, September 1, 2005 - Showing vs. Telling
Reading Assignment:
Writing Poems, Chapter 1 – Starting Out: An Introduction
Writing Fiction, Chapter 1 - Whatever Works: The Writing Process

Tuesday, September 6, 2005 – Showing vs. Telling (cont.)
Reading Assignment:
Writing Poems, Chapter 6 – Subject Matter
Writing Fiction, Chapter 3 – Seeing is Believing: Showing and Telling

Thursday, September 8, 2005 – Showing vs. Telling (cont.)
Reading Assignment:
Writing Poems, Chapter 8 - Metaphor
Writing Fiction, Chapter 9 – Is and Is Not: Comparison

Tuesday, September 13 – Class Canceled: Instructor Giving Out-of-Town Poetry Reading

Thursday, September 15, 2005 – Showing vs. Telling (Poetry Emphasis)
Reading Assignment:
Writing Poems, Chapter 10 – Finding the Poem
Writing Poems, Chapter 2 - Verse

Tuesday, September 20, 2005 – Music of Language (Poetry Emphasis)
Reading Assignment:
Writing Poems, Chapter 3 – Making the Line (I)
Important!! Poem #1 Collection Day!!

Thursday, September 22, 2005 – Music of Language (Poetry Emphasis) (cont.)
Reading Assignment:
Writing Poems, Chapter 4 – Making the Line (II)

Tuesday, September 27, 2005 – Music of Language (Poetry Emphasis) (cont.)
Reading Assignment:
Writing Poems, Chapter 5 – The Sound (and Look) of Sense
Special Guest Reading: Elliot Harmon

Thursday, September 29, 2005 – Characterization, Voice and Tone (Poetry Emphasis)
Reading Assignment:
Writing Poems, Chapter 7 – Tale, Teller, and Tone

Tuesday, October 4, 2005 – Characterization, Voice and Tone (Poetry Emphasis) (cont.)
Reading Assignment:
Writing Fiction, Chapter 4 – Building Character: Characterization, Part I
Important!! Poem #2 Collection Day!!

Thursday, October 6, 2005 – Characterization, Voice and Tone (Poetry Emphasis) (cont.)
Bring Harbrace Handbook to class today

Tuesday, October 11, 2005 – Finding Poems; Revising Poems
Reading Assignment:
Writing Poems, Chapter 10 – Finding the Poem

Thursday, October 13, 2005 – Finding Poems; Revising Poems (cont.)
Reading Assignment:
Writing Poems, Chapter 11 – Devising and Revising

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 – Finding Poems; Revising Poems (cont.)
Reading Assignment:
Writing Poems, Chapter 9 – Beyond the Rational
Important!! Poem #3 Collection Day!!

Thursday, October 20 – Workshop Day
Reading Assignment:
Writing Poems, Chapter 12 – Becoming a Poet

Tuesday, October 25, 2005 – In-Class Open-Mic Reading Day
No Reading Assignment
Important!! Writerly Immersion Paper #1 Due Today!!

Thursday, October 27, 2005 – Structure, Theme, and Plot (Fiction Emphasis)
Reading Assignment:
Writing Fiction, Chapter 2 – The Tower and the Net: Story Form, Plot, and Structure

Tuesday, November 1, 2005 – Structure, Theme, and Plot (Fiction Emphasis) (cont.)
Reading Assignment:
Writing Fiction, Chapter 6 – Long Ago and Far Away: Fictional Place and Time

Thursday, November 3, 2005 – Structure, Theme, and Plot (Fiction Emphasis) (cont.)
Reading Assignment:
Writing Fiction, Chapter 10 – I Gotta Use Words When I Talk To You; Theme

Tuesday, November 8, 2005 – Characterization and Dialogue (Fiction Emphasis)
Reading Assignment:
Writing Fiction, Chapter 4 – Building Character: Characterization, Part I
Important!! Fiction Scene #1 Collection Day!! (3-pages, 750 words)

Thursday, November 10, 2005 – Characterization and Dialogue (Fiction Emphasis) (cont.)
Reading Assignment:
Writing Fiction, Chapter 4 – The Flesh Made Word: Characterization, Part II

Tuesday, November 15, 2005 – Characterization and Dialogue (Fiction Emphasis) (cont.)
Reading Assignment: TBA

Thursday, November 17, 2005 – Point of View; Revising Fiction
Reading Assignment:
Writing Fiction, Chapter 7 – Call Me Ishmael: Point of View, Part I

Tuesday, November 22, 2005 – Point of View; Revising Fiction (cont.)
Reading Assignment:
Writing Fiction, Chapter 8 – Assorted Liars: Point of View, Part II

Thursday, November 24, 2005 – Thanksgiving Holiday!!

Tuesday, November 29, 2005 – Point of View; Revising Fiction (cont.)
Reading Assignment:
Writing Fiction, Chapter 11 – Play It Again, Sam: Revision
Important!! Full-Length Fiction Story Collection Day!!(8-10 pages; 2,000 words minimum)

Thursday, December 1, 2005 – In-Class Workshop Day
No Reading Assignment

Tuesday, December 6, 2005 – In-Class Open Mic Day
No Reading Assignment

Thursday, December 8, 2005 – Class Wrap Up
Course final business and announcements; instructor evaluations
Important!! Writerly Immersion Paper #2 Due Today!

Final Creative Writing Portfolios Due Tuesday, December 13, 2005, by 5:00!! p.m.!!!!!