ࡱ> ikh` sbjbj 4z :JJJJJJJ^8,D^6Lbbb===$ h#xeJ=====JJbbv=^JbJb=JJb* Z?^0|#^|#|#J =======WX=======^^^$^^^^^^JJJJJJ  Introduction to Creative Writing English 71 Section 4 Spring 2007 If you write about the things and the people you know best, you discover your roots. Even if they are new roots, fresh rootsthey are better than no roots. Isaac Bashevis Singer Instructor: Professor Cathleen Miller Phone: 408/924-4441 Office: FO 125 Mailbox: FO 124 E-mail:  HYPERLINK "mailto:Miller2go@earthlink.net" Miller2go@earthlink.net Office hours: Thursday 4-6:00 p.m. and by appointment Course Description Introduction to Creative Writing (English 71) is a 3-unit lower-division course designed, adopted, implemented, and administered by the Department of English & Comparative Literature at San Jose State University in accordance with the Universitys General Education Program Guidelines to fulfill Core General Education requirements in the Letters area of Humanities & the Arts. In this course, we will read, discuss and write creative nonfiction, short fiction and poetry. The course will be taught using a combination of discussion and writing workshops. In the discussion, contemporary published works will be closely read and analyzed. In the writing workshops, creative work by class members will be analyzed and critiqued for revision. Course Theme Our theme this semester will be exploring our roots: our ancestors, our home towns, our own lives. We'll examine how the people who raised us and the places where we've lived have shaped who we have become. Required Texts 2007 Pushcart Prize XXXI: Best of the Small Presses Reed, Volume 59; from the 91 English Department Writing You will be writing on four levels of increasing length and refinement. The first, completely informal level, consists of in-class writing exercises. The second is short assignments of two pages in length; these exercises will be opportunities for you to experiment with different ideas and stylescompletely free of risk. The third category is the drafts you will bring to workshop to be critiqued. The last stage will be your revised self portrait and final portfolio which should demonstrate the level of improvement in your writing. The final portfolio will contain five poems, one nonfiction piece that includes library research, and one short story; this should be the best possible work you can produce, displaying the skills you've acquired during the course of the semester. All material should be written specifically for this class. Workshop In order to provide students with ample opportunities to receive feedback on their work, we will conduct a writing workshop in class everyday. On Tuesdays we will have small group workshop. You will be divided into groups of five and meet separately. On Thursdays we will hold a large workshop that involves the whole class; each student will have the opportunity to have his or her work critiqued in this fashion. During the workshop process students will learn to critique each other's work, which is a very different skill than being a good writer. The trick is to 1) praise what's good 2) ascertain what's wrong with a piece 3) offer positive criticism and suggestions on how to fix itwhile realizing the individual style and goals of the author may differ from one's own. Students will bring copies of their writing projects to class; the work will then be distributed, critiqued at home with written comments, and brought to the following class for discussion. ARTISTIC EVENTS Students will be asked to attend two artistic events during the course of the semester and write a two-page review of the experience. These may be live performancestheater, concerts, or readings, many of which will be held on campus or in the downtown area in the coming months. Students may also choose to view an art exhibition to fulfill this requirement. The purpose of this exercise is to learn how to draw inspiration from other art forms to enrich one's own writing. Class Participation Your class participation grade is based on the contributions you bring to class discussion. Reading the assigned material and giving it some thought will aid greatly in this endeavor. Class participation is graded highly for several reasons: 1) you will learn more if you do the preparation necessary to discuss a topic intelligently 2) we will all learn more from discussing issues, rather than staying bottled up with our own separate little thoughts 3) it makes class more fun. If you are worried about your writing ability, class participation offers you an alternative way to enhance your grade. If you are shy, this is the perfect opportunity to venture out of your shell. Attendance Required, because English 71 depends on your participation each day. You are allowed three unexcused absences. If you are ill, or are presented with an emergency that will cause you to miss more than three classes, please contact me as soon as possible. Guidelines In order to be successful in this course you should follow some simple guidelines. First among these is to come to class prepared to participate. This means having done the assignments, read the material, and arrive equipped with questions, comments, and observations. In this class we will learn a great deal from each other, so discussion and creating a community of writers/critics is an integral part of the process. We will be looking at literature from many perspectives, so your ideas count. The second guideline is to think and plan well ahead of assignments. Begin to look everywhere for inspiration and keep notes in a journal. Keep a list of essay/story/poem ideas. Record your dreams, observations and conversations. Describe an exotic woman you see on the bus. Eavesdrop. And third, if you have any questions with which you need further assistance, please feel free to consult me during my office hours; that's what they're for. Think of my office as an extension of the classroom where we can discuss any aspect of the course: material you don't understand, topics, problems, pieces you're working on, ideas you wish to develop, strategies you'd like to try. I give priority to students who have made appointments; otherwise it's on a first-come, first-served basis. At mid-term I will hold individual conferences to talk to each student about his or her work. Learning Objectives vDecipher and understand the form and content of assigned literary works vComprehend the historical and cultural contexts of assigned literary works vRecognize the accomplishments of and issues related to writing by men and women representing diverse cultural traditions vAcquire the skills necessary for reading, discussing, analyzing, interpreting, and most importantly emulating and writing works of creative nonfiction, short fiction and poetry vCommunicate such skills with clarity and precision vDevelop an appreciation of literary works as expressions of human intellect and imagination, and as representations of diverse human cultures vDevelop the ability to write literary works that express intellect and imagination and that represent diversity in human cultures vRespond to literature through clear and effective communication in both written and oral work vRead and respond to texts with both analytical acumen and personal sensibility vAppreciate how literary works illuminate enduring human concerns while at the same time representing their particular cultures vWrite works of creative nonfiction, short fiction and poetry that are of interest and value to the writer, to other students in the course, and to a diverse reading audience COURSE ASSIGNMENTS Creative Nonfiction You are required to turn in one nonfiction article or essay, four to ten pages in length (1,000 - 2,500 words). The general topic for this piece must concern some aspect of your personal history: your family, your life experiences, or the place where you grew up. We will lead up to this assignment by doing research at the library or on the Internet. You may also conduct an interview, and turn in a tape or transcript of the interview with the finished text. This piece may be in the form of: vA familiar essay about a family member. v A humorous essay or satire about your childhood. v A memoir based on personal experience. v Travel, nature, or history writing about the place where you grew up. v A profile of your ancestors. To complete the nonfiction assignment, you are required to do preliminary research. Interview family members, friends or neighbors. Go to the library or use the Internet to gather source material. You must acknowledge in the body of your text the source(s) of the material you found while doing your research. Nonfiction Learning Objectives vTo do research in the library and/or on the Internet on a town, city, region, or country where you (or your parents) grew up. Or to interview a family member or friend regarding your personal history. vTo write a fact-based article or essay in clear, concrete, fresh language which in some manner discusses your own or a family member s place of origin. v To decipher and understand the content and form of published nonfiction articles and essays by established and student authors. v To write an article or essay based on your own or a family member s experience in which factual background information is presented in a clear, concrete, and compelling manner. v To recognize the accomplishments of women and men writing essays and nonfiction articles within diverse cultural and historical contexts. v To write a fact-based article or essay in an appropriate literary voice and style. Fiction You are required to complete one short story four to ten pages in length (1,000 - 2,500 words). Stories should emphasize character development over plot. No genre fantasy, romance or science fiction. No sensationalized violence. All stories should grow organically out of the student's personal experiences and explore the topic of the fictional characters' roots or search for self. Fiction Learning Objectives v To decipher and understand the form and content of published works of fiction by established authors and students. v To comprehend the historical and cultural contexts of stories written from within diverse cultural and historical perspectives. v To recognize the accomplishments of women and men writing fiction within diverse cultural and historical traditions as well as in experimental forms. v To imitate the style and form of stories written in first-person and in other narrative points of view second person, third person, omniscient, etc. v To write stories that contain clear, concrete, and freshly described settings which contribute to overall development of the characters and the narrative. v To write stories containing well-developed three-dimensional main character(s), character(s) for whom the author has conceived a detailed back-story. v To write stories containing emotionally compelling and linguistically interesting dialogue. v To write stories containing effectively structured story arcs whicEF ( A B X r s  FGOe}l+-־֯֔ց֔xxk֔ցkah \CJOJQJh \5;OJPJQJh \6OJQJh \5OJQJh \CJOJQJh \5;OJQJh \0J>*B*OJQJphjh \OJQJUjh \OJQJUh \B*OJQJphh \OJQJh \OJPJQJh \OJPJQJh \5CJ$OJPJQJ&"EFGu  ( B X i   0\ *$ 0\ *$ 1$7$8$H$]$d1$7$8$H$N1$7$8$H$ $1$7$8$H$a$ss FGOMN|}kl,-889D> 1$7$8$H$]]1$7$8$H$-889Dr!!!!*",".""""###%% %%%%&&&'''f(h(j()) )** *h++++++-..P.R.V..../ ///////&1'1G122333ްްްh \5CJOJPJQJh \CJOJPJQJh \OJPJQJh \;OJPJQJh \5OJPJQJh \OJPJQJh \5;OJPJQJE>@cep!r!!,""#%%&'h()*f+h++++ & 0` P@1$7$8$H$ x1$7$8$H$]x1$7$8$H$+--R.. ////'1(1H134527 ,x0` P@1$7$8$H$ ) xh` P@1$7$8$H$ & 0` P@1$7$8$H$ & 0` P@1$7$8$H$]34444555507274767H8J8L8N88899;;#;<<<<<<<====?? ?"?L@N@P@R@AAAABBBBvCxCzC|CDXxXzX|X~XYYYYZ[\\\(]*],].].^0^2^`_b_Uh \5CJOJPJQJh \5OJPJQJh \OJPJQJh \CJOJPJQJh \OJPJQJN27J8889;;$;<=?N@ABxCzXYYYZZ[*] & 0` P@1$7$8$H$] & 0` P@1$7$8$H$h follow a pattern of rising action, climax, and dnouement. v To write stories in which the main character must make a difficult decision or identify and solve a problem which has no apparent solution. Poetry You are required to write five poems during the semester. Your final poetry manuscript must include the following content and form requirements. (You can determine your own style of punctuation and capitalization in works of poetry; however, you must be consistent within each piece you turn in.) Content Requirements v An image poem that describes an old photograph of yourself or a family member. Or a poem that describes an object in yours or your family s home. v A poem that tells a story in a character s voice (not your own) which may infer or describe an aspect of your cultural identity. v A poem that makes an allusion to literature, art, science, history, or popular culture relevant to your heritage. Or a poem that constructs a symbol. Form Requirements v Three open form poems written in unrhymed free verse. v One poem written in rhymed or unrhymed iambic pentameter using regular stanza lengths (2, 3 or 4-line stanzas). v One metrical poem written in traditional patterned verse: a sonnet (English or Italian), sestina (Italy), villanelle (France), linked haiku (Japan), or other traditional form. Poetry Learning Objectives v To decipher and understand the form and content of published works of poetry. v To imitate the style and form of poems written in free-verse and in traditional forms and meters. v To comprehend the historical and cultural contexts of poetry written in free-verse and traditional styles and forms. v To recognize the accomplishments of women and men writing poetry within diverse cultural and historical traditions as well as in experimental forms. v To write poems in clear, concrete, and fresh language containing images. v To write poems whose images are objective and whose images are subjective in a modern literary style. v To write a poem that tells a story in an appropriate narrative style usin*]0^b_d___`FbHb~bccdffjgbl|m~mmmmn(nmailto:Miller2go@earthlink.netH@H Normal CJOJPJQJ_HmH sH tH DA@D Default Paragraph FontVi@V  Table Normal :V 44 la (k@(No List 0U@0 Hyperlink>*B*66  Footnote Text@&@ Footnote ReferenceH*PQ@"P Body Text 3*$ 0\ CJOJPJQJ4@24 Header  !4 @B4 Footer  !.)@Q. 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