Intro to Creative Writing
ENGL 270X / Spring 2021
Location: 270x.community.uaf.edu
Instructor: Dr. Sara Eliza Johnson
Office Hours: by appointment (Zoom)
Email: sejohnson16@alaska.edu
Course Description
From Catalog: Forms and techniques of fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction for beginning students; discussion of students’ work in class and in individual conferences. Close study of the techniques of established writers.
Student Learning Outcomes
In this class students will:
- learn the fundamentals of the craft of nonfiction, fiction, and poetry by practicing established techniques
- develop and strengthen their creative process by producing original literary work
- develop and strengthen their revision process by incorporating feedback from others
- learn to communicate and collaborate with peers in a supportive creative environment
Course Goals:
Students will leave this course with a portfolio of original creative writing and a more comprehensive understanding of literary vocabulary, technique, form, and function. They will also learn how to read literary texts through the lens of a writer, rather than a critic.
Required Texts
– Tell It Slant by Brenda Miller
– The Emotional Craft of Fiction by Donalds Maass
– The Poet’s Companion by Dorianne Laux and Kim Addonizio
– PDFs and links accessible via course website
Instructional Methods
The class will consist of online blog/lectures, discussion forums over assigned readings, writing exercises, and online peer workshops.
Evaluation and Grading
Requirements:
- Your active and lively participation, measured through reading responses.
- Thoughtful and generous written responses in letter format to your classmates’ writing for workshop (200-500 words per classmate).
- Three complete workshop submissions (one in each genre: nonfiction, fiction, poetry).
- Seven creative homework assignments.
- Portfolio with 2 page reflection, 1 major prose revision, and 1 major poetry revision.
For WORKSHOP PIECES :: Submit these to Blackboard (the Assignment will be under Course Materials) the day that they are due. I will post your workshop piece to the Blackboard Discussion Board one week before your workshop date (based on your group #). Please do not send in the .Pages format! OUT OF RESPECT TO YOUR CLASSMATES AND THEIR TIME, I CANNOT ACCEPT LATE WORKSHOP SUBMISSIONS. LATE WORKSHOP SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE WORKSHOPPED AND WILL RECEIVE A ZERO.
Grading:
Reading responses: 15%
Homework assignments/exercises: 25%
Workshop submission: POEM: 10%
Workshop submission: STORY: 10%
Workshop submission: NONFICTION: 10%
Workshop critiques: 20%
Portfolio (w/ Reflection and Revisions): 10%
Writing assignments/exercises (25%)
Writing exercises are for the writer what scales are for the musician–a way to practice, and to perfect technique. These prompts will help you develop a storehouse of ideas and materials for the essays you will be asked to write, and for potential future writing after this class ends. These homework assignments should be submitted to the Blackboard site, under Assignments. Due dates will vary and will be noted on the Blackboard Assignment and under the Homework Assignments tab on the website.
Reading Responses (15%)
These responses will be related to the assigned readings of professional examples of creative nonfiction, and should be posted in the comments section of the appropriate response page on this WordPress site, which is located under the Reading Response tab (via Assignments). Often I will post prompts to specific readings, but generally you should answer the question: What have you learned about the writing process from these readings? You might focus on language, structure, subtext, paragraph transitions, syntax — anything you can take from the reading to apply to your own work. I encourage you to favor analysis over critique; in other words, try to avoid “like’ and “dislike’ statements and focus on components of construction. In these responses, shoot for 200-400 words. Reading responses are due Thursdays.
Workshop Assignments (3 @ 10% each)
Throughout the semester you will each turn in 3 workshop pieces. These assignments will be developed and revised and should be clean polished drafts with no grammatical errors. They should also demonstrate some of the elements of writing that are presented in blog/lectures. Due dates are listed on the Course Schedule, due on three Fridays during the semester.
Workshop Critiques (20%)
Peer response is incredibly important in this class because it is asynchronous and online. Without this component, our class has no community or communal support. You are each other’s audience, and for this reason it is important to treat your classmates’ work carefully, and give it the time and respect it deserves. You will be assigned workshop groups. These critiques will be due Sundays, one week after you have received your peers’ work for comment.
Portfolio (10%)
You will submit a portfolio to Blackboard during the final exam period. Your portfolio will contain a 1 page reflection and 1 major prose revision or 1 major poetry revision.
| Grade will be based on following scale:
98-100 – A+ 93-97 —A 90-92 — A- 87-89 — B+ 83-86 — B 80-82 — B- 73-79 — C+ 70-72 — C- 60-69 — D 59 and below — F
|
Writing Workshop Process
More specific information about this is posted on the WordPress site under “Workshops.”
Course Policies
Attendance and Participation
While this is an asynchronous online course, your participation is very important, especially relative to providing feedback on classmates’ work.
Plagiarism
Examples of plagiarism are: 1) submitting work as one’s own that is at least partly the work of another; 2) submitting work that has been obtained from an Internet or other source; 3) incorporating words or ideas of another author without citing author as source. If you willfully commit plagiarism or any other form of academic misconduct, you will fail the assignment. A second offense will result in a failing grade in the class, and potentially disciplinary action.
ETC.
- All prose assignments and exercises should be double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman, with MLA style heading. Also, insert last name and page number in upper right hand corner in a header, beginning with page two (2).
- The reading responses should be posted to the WordPress posting for each week.
- The workshop responses should be posted to the Blackboard Discussion Board under the forum created for the piece being workshopped.
The Writing Center
The Writing Center, located on the 8th floor of Gruening, provides a valuable (yet free!) service to UAF students. The center provides tutors who are available to go over your papers in detail. These tutors are generally graduate students who are well trained in helping students with all aspects of the writing process. Sometimes these tutors are better able to provide help and feedback than even your professors. And it’s not just for remedial writers–even the most experienced writers know that sometimes an outside reader can help identify and overcome stumbling blocks. The Writing Center can be reached at 474-5314. Hours are:
- 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Monday — Thursday,
- 7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. Monday – Thursday
- 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Friday
- 1:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Sunday
Disability Services
Please contact me if you are having any difficulties with the material due to a documented disability. If you have special needs and have not done so, please contact the Office of Disabilities Services (208 Whitaker Building) at 474-5655. I’m more than willing to accommodate you in a reasonable manner to help you succeed in this course.