Peru State College
ENGLISH 309, CREATIVE WRITING
Syllabus--Fall--2011
Course: Creative Writing, English 309
Time: On-Line Course, Eight Weeks
Professor: Bill Clemente
Office: Fine Arts
Office Telephone Number: (872)-2233
E-mail:
(I check e-mail frequently and will get back to you as quickly as possible.)
Teaching Schedule:
Creative Writing (On Line, first Eight Weeks)
Non-Western Literature (On Line, second Eight Weeks)
8:00-9:15 MW (CATS 209): History of the English Language
9:30-10:45 MW (FA 202): Comics as Literature
11:00-11:50 Friday (FA 119): College 101
Web page: Click here. And then click on "Bill's Personal Web Page"
Required Texts:
A College-Level Dictionary
The Creative Writing Guide by Schaefer and Diamond
Road Trip: Conversations with Writers by Shelly Clark and Marjorie Saiser.
Please pay close attention to class announcements, for the information collected here is subject to change over the course of the term.
To promote academic integrity, Peru State College subscribes to an electronic service to review papers for the appropriate citations and originality. Key elements of submitted papers are stored electronically in a limited access database and thus become a permanent part of the material to which future submissions are compared.
Continued enrollment in a course signifies your permission for this use of your written work.
Should you not wish to agree to this procedure, you may drop the course during the add/drop period before any works are completed and submitted.
Course Description and Objectives:
This course allows for experimentation with writing poetry, short fiction, and creative nonfiction in a writing workshop setting.
Requiring NO formal training in or experience with creative writing, English 309 introduces you to three major genres of literature, Poetry, Creative Non-Fiction, and Fiction. This eight-week course follows as much as possible the patterns and assignments established in a traditional Creative Writing course.
Beyond making you better writers, this class seeks to enhance your appreciation of the form and content of literature by giving due consideration to topics such as technique, figurative language, structure, tone, point of view, voice, etc. To that end, you will not only write a good deal of literature, but you will also read and discuss numerous poems and short stories contained in The Creative Writing Guide and in various handouts.
You will learn, among other things, to distinguish between simple and sophisticated literature.
And Clark and Sasier's Road Trip includes excellent literature by noted Nebraska writers, from State Poet Bill Kloefkorn to fiction writer Jonis Agee. We will read and discuss most of this text over the course of the term.
As you will discover, Nebraska has no short supply of noted writers, including the country's recent Poet Laureate, Ted Kooser, who visited our campus the spring of 2005. This semester we will talk about Kooser's weekly poems he offers through American Life in Poetry, a project he developed as United States Poet Laureate, a series he continues to offer.
A good deal of class time on the internet will be devoted to discussion and analysis of published literature as well as your fellow writers' work. To accomplish this task, you will publish some work each week on the Discussion Threads so that everyone in the class can enjoy and discuss your accomplishments.
You will do a great deal of your writing for this class, and as the previous paragraph notes, you will also share your literary creations with other members of the group.
We will also take advantage of other electronic forms of communication, including Blackboard Discussions, e-mail, and the class blog, Creative Writing Fever.
Over the course of the semester, you will write poems, and at least one non-fiction essay and a short story. Through close readings and various exercises, Creative Writing underscores the wonder of language, the sound and the sense of words.
Far from undertaking the task of making each of you a professional writer, this class has as its goal to familiarize you with the dynamics of imaginative literature, the synergy of form and content, with what makes a particular work effective--you will better appreciate why you like, say, "Fern Hill" by Dylan Thomas, for you will understand HOW Thomas makes his poem so successful. And you will feel more comfortable explaining the "how" of the matter to other writers if and when you become teachers.
You will also experience the pleasure that comes from this form of self expression.
To do well in English 309 requires neither that you are a published author nor that you have written numerous poems and stories. The central requirements for this class are interest, enthusiasm, openness to criticism, and a willingness to experiment.
As much as possible, Creative Writing is a discussion-based, work-shop orientated class, providing you with the opportunity to express your ideas and to learn from and to help your fellow writers.
You should give serious consideration to submitting work from this semester for possible publication in Peru State's literary journal, The Sifting Sands, which awards cash prizes for best poems, essays, and short stories. In the past years, members of Creative Writing have won numerous prizes. Keep in mind, too, that the school newspaper, the Peru State Times, will often prints poems by writers in this class.
Numerous creative events, such as The Nebraska Literature Festival will take place this term; and last fall, award-winning novelist and short story writer Ellen Klages visited Peru State as part of our on-going Creative Writing Series. I will keep you informed when other activities occur.
In the Spring of 2006, for example, Charles Fort visited our campus; and during Fall Term 2007, Rich Wyatt and Greg Kosmicki read. Click here to see information about Peru State College's Creative Writing Series; however, now I use the Around Peru blog to share information about these visits. You will find on this blog information about Art Homer's visit to campus in Spring 2008--and he also sang poems. And in the Spring of 2009, Nebraska's featured Slam Poet, Matt Mason, visited the college; the link offers film from Matt's Visit. And last year, Twyla Hansen returned to campus, and Joe Wilkins, who heads the Creative Writing Program at Waldorf College in Iowa, read his poetry in the Peru State College Library.
In other words, this class offers you the opportunity to learn a good deal about literature and to have a good time doing so. So aim to work and play hard.
Other Objectives:
One of the primary goals of the English Department is to graduate literate citizens who can communicate clearly and who posses the requisite experience to teach effectively. Creative Writing provides students not only a greater appreciation for literature but also the confidence necessary to incorporate creative exercises into their school curricula. Whether or not students choose certification, the course emphasizes the sophistication and the flexibility of language, both grammar and style, and deepens their appreciation for all forms of writing.
While pushing students to cultivate their imaginations, the course also supports the institution in its efforts to educate about diversity and to nurture a multi-cultural perspective. The poetry, non-fiction, and fiction the students read includes both authors from throughout the world--from Japan to Nigeria, from Chile to St. Lucia -- and the rich diversity of voices in the United States, from Henry David Thoreau to Louise Erdrich, from Lucille Clifton to E .E. Cummings.
Upon completion of this course you should be able to:
1. Discuss with some confidence many of the rhetorical devices, from Metaphor to Enjambment, associated with Creative Writing.
2. Appreciate the sophistication of Poetry, Short Fiction, and Creative Nonfiction.
3. Understand the importance of Creative Writing as a means of self expression.
4. Read and discuss with enhanced understanding Poetry, Short Fiction, and Creative Nonfiction..
5. Show improvement in writing and analytical skills.
Assessment Methods and Student Requirements:
Grades:
Your final grade will be based on the following (subject-to-change) percentages:
Discussion: 16%
Non-Fiction: 24
Poetry: 30
Fiction: 30
Video Project: Ungraded Requirement(These percentages are subject to change; your grades on Blackboard are calculated not by point value but by weight.)
Grading Policy:
A 90-100
B+ 85-89
B 80-84
C+ 75-79
C 70-74
D+ 65- 69
D 60-64
F 59 and below
Discussion and Participation:
Approach this class prepared to share your ideas and your work, for the combination will help you generate ideas for your projects; therefore, failing to attend to class work on a regular basis will hinder your progress.
Creative Writing is very much a discussion and sharing class, so you will take part in weekly discussions on three threads during the time allotted each week to respond, from early Monday until midnight Sunday of each week. Each of you is required to respond, unless instructed otherwise, at least TWO times each week in paragraph form on each of the first two threads--the preceding information describes a minimum. To score better than average on the discussion threads, you must respond frequently and share interesting links.
You will offer your own opinions and respond to what others in the class have to say, generating discussions about the topics. These discussions should also include your sharing links of interest.
To perform at a higher than average level requires participating in the discussions early in the week and contributing to the discussion by commenting on what fellow writers have to say and on their writing. Do not, in other words, wait until late Saturday to begin your work on the discussion threads, for you will not receive more than an average grade for posting instead of discussing.
Threads will remain open until midnight each Sunday, by which time you are required to have responded each week.
The threads will also give you an opportunity to share all your work.
Remember that responding in paragraph form twice on each thread is a minimum and results in "C" work. Get to the threads early and often and enjoy the exchanges with your fellow writers.
Revisions:
In many respects, Creative Writing means to make numerous revisions. And for most assignments, you will have opportunities to revise your work to elevate the grade. The grade you receive on a revision replaces the original grade--a revision will never lower your grade. As a general rule, you should revise within a week of receiving my comments and suggestions; however, you can turn in revisions until the semester's conclusion.
Bear in mind, however, that "revision" does not mean "automatic grade elevation."
Turning In Assignments:
You will turn in all class assignments electronically using Blackboard; I will comment on this work and return it to you on Blackboard..
Unless otherwise indicated, all work is due by midnight Sunday of the week in which the work is assigned. Assignments will be posted by Monday morning of each week and usually on Sunday.
Turn in all work as if you send your material to the editor of a literary journal, making the copy as "clean" as possible. To that end, use correct spelling, excellent grammar, and necessary punctuation in all your work, both poetry and prose--to manipulate the conventions, you first must use them with great skill.
Do not attempt to turn in work in advance of due dates; complete assignments as indicated in the Weekly Assignments.
Late Assignments:
Turn in all work on time. The grade for unexcused late work will be lowered at the rate of 1/4 a letter grade for each day after the original due date.
Meet your deadlines.
Weekly Quizzes: To ensure that everyone keeps up with the reading, you will take weekly quizzes over the assignments. I will post on the blog each week a video review to help you answer the fifteen or twenty questions correctly. As a general rule, you will take the quizzes between Thursday morning and midnight Sunday of the week each quiz is assigned.
Video Project: I used this project in place of a proctored examination a couple years ago but kept the project as an ungraded assignment since students enjoyed the experience. You will get details later in the term, but each of you will create a seven-to-ten minute video in which you will read and discuss two of your works. You can post the video on a blog or on You Tube, sharing the link with your fellow writers.
Creative Writing Fever:
Creative Writing Fever is the class blog. We will use the blog for a variety of things, including weekly announcements, quiz reviews, and other information.As you will notice, the blog maintains an archive of all the posts; so you can return to find links and video discussions any time during the semester and after the course concludes. Take the time to become familiar with this electronic resource.
You will find announcements and video from the past couple years; we will continue to use this material this term, and I will update as necessary. This year, I will also post a quiz each week.
Incomplete Coursework Policy:
To designate a student’s work in a course as incomplete at the end of a term, the instructor records the incomplete grade (I). Students may receive this grade only when serious illness, hardship, death in the immediate family, or military service during the semester in which they are registered prevents them from completing course requirements. In addition, to receive an incomplete, a student must have completed substantially all of the course’s major requirements.
Unless extenuating circumstances dictate otherwise, students must initiate requests for an incomplete by filling out an Incomplete Grade Completion Contract, which requires the signature of the student, instructor, and Dean. The Incomplete Grade Completion contract cites the reason(s) for the incomplete and details the specific obligations the student must meet to change the incomplete to a letter grade. The date by which the student agrees to complete required work must appear in the contract. The Dean, the instructor, and the student receive signed copies of the Incomplete Grade Completion Contract.
Even if the student does not attend Peru State College, all incomplete course work must be finished by the end of the subsequent semester. Unless the appropriate Dean approves an extension and if the student does not fulfill contract obligations in the allotted time, the incomplete grade automatically becomes an F.
Academic Integrity Policy
The College expects all students to conduct themselves in a manner that supports an honest assessment of student learning outcomes and the assignment of grades that appropriately reflect student performance. It is ultimately the student’s responsibility to understand and comply with instructions regarding the completion of assignments, exams, and other academic activities. At a minimum, students should assume that at each assessment opportunity they are expected to do their own original academic work and/or clearly acknowledge in an appropriate fashion the intellectual work of others, when such contributions are allowed. Students helping others to circumvent honest assessments of learning outcomes, or who fail to report instances of academic dishonesty, are also subject to the sanctions defined in this policy.
Instances of academic dishonesty may be discovered in a variety of ways. Faculty members who assign written work ordinarily check citations for accuracy, run data base and online checks, and/or may simply recognize familiar passages that are not cited. They may observe students in the act of cheating or may become aware of instances of cheating from the statements of others. All persons who observe or otherwise know about instances of cheating are expected to report such instances to the proper instructor or Dean.
In order to promote academic integrity, the College subscribes to an electronic service to review papers for the appropriate citations and originality. Key elements of submitted papers are stored electronically in a limited access database and thus become a permanent part of the material to which future submissions are compared. Submission of an application and continued enrollment signifies your permission for this use of your written work.
NSCS Board of Trustees Policy 4220 states that each College “. . . will establish a distance learning assessment policy that will include, at a minimum, a substantial culminating experience that is proctored.” Peru State College’s policy is that each course that is offered entirely online will feature a proctored final exam that substantially measures the extent the course’s stated learning objectives are achieved. Online course syllabi will clearly state that, regardless of grades earned previously, the proctored final exam must be passed in order to receive credit for the course. Courses which feature graded site- based activities (e.g., teaching demonstrations) and/or video-taped presentations that occur near the end of the term, and that are designed to substantially assess the achievement of learning objectives, can be considered in compliance with this policy. Project-based capstone and graduate courses utilizing real-time discussions held by web-cam, phone or in person with the faculty member as part of the assessment process can also be considered in compliance with this policy.
Should an occurrence of academic misconduct occur, the faculty member may assign a failing grade for the assignment or a failing grade for the course. Each incident of academic misconduct should be reported to the Dean and the Vice President for Academic Affairs (VPAA). The VPAA may suspend students for two semesters found to be responsible for multiple instances of academic dishonesty. The reason for the suspension will be noted on the student’s transcript.
A faculty member need present only basic evidence of academic dishonesty. There is no requirement for proof of intent. Students are responsible for understanding these tenets of academic honesty and integrity. Students may appeal penalties for academic dishonesty using the process established for grades appeals.
Title IX Compliance Notice
Peru State College is an equal opportunity institution. PSC does not discriminate against any student, employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, or age in employment and education opportunities, including but not limited to admission decisions. The College has designated an individual to coordinate the College’s nondiscrimination efforts to comply with regulations implementing Title VI, VII, IX, and Section 504. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies and practices may be directed to Eulanda Cade, Director of Human Resources, Title VI, VII, IX Compliance Coordinator, Peru State College, PO Box 10, Peru, NE 68421-0010, (402) 872-2230.
Students requesting reasonable accommodation and tutoring services should contact the Center for Achievement and Transition Services (CATS).
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE FOR CREATIVE WRITING
General Outline (I include a more detailed outline for the class, and see the Weekly Assignments):
The semester will be divided into three major sections: Poetry, Non-Fiction, and Fiction. You will also read assigned chapters from your text books:
Weeks 1-4: In the first section, which will be a bit longer than the others, you will write approximately six or seven short poems (following some general guidelines) and complete various exercises.
Weeks 5-6: In section two, you will write short pieces of Non-Fiction, imaginative essays--without footnotes--based on your personal experience, which is the foundation of all sophisticated Poetry and Fiction.
Weeks 7-8: And in the final section, you will compose at least one short story.
Final Project: Each writer will turn in a final project, a work of creative non-fiction or a short story.
Write with "vim" and maintain a positive attitude.
And Remember the class motto: WE'RE ALL BOZOS ON THIS BUS!!
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