This document is a syllabus for an online creative writing course that provides an overview of assignments and expectations. Students will write 3 exercises, 2 original stories, and revisions of those stories. They will also write responses to all stories posted by classmates each week. Assignments are divided into 6 story cycles, where 2-3 students post stories each cycle for feedback. Students must have consistent access to a computer and internet to participate. Assignments have strict deadlines and late policies outlined in the syllabus. The course aims to develop narrative skills through writing, revision, and engagement with other students' work.
This document is a syllabus for an online creative writing course that provides an overview of assignments and expectations. Students will write 3 exercises, 2 original stories, and revisions of those stories. They will also write responses to all stories posted by classmates each week. Assignments are divided into 6 story cycles, where 2-3 students post stories each cycle for feedback. Students must have consistent access to a computer and internet to participate. Assignments have strict deadlines and late policies outlined in the syllabus. The course aims to develop narrative skills through writing, revision, and engagement with other students' work.
Instructor: Mi Ditmar Email Address: [email protected] Technology: You MUST have consistent access to an Internet-connected COMPUTER with Microsoft Word (or Apache Open Office Writer) Textbook: There is no required textbook or course pack for this class. <=>/3,=?=*+6( This semester you will write:
1 email message to me, [email protected], indicating you have read the syllabus and acknowledge the terms of the course. In addition, please include an overview of what you hope to get out of the class 3 exercises 1 to 3 pages each (300 900 words) geared toward experimenting with and expanding narrative techniques posted to Blackboard 2 stories, a minimum of 5 pages in length (roughly 1,200 words) Stories can be expansions of work you began as an exercise in this class, or something entirely new, it is up to you. Stories must be posted to Blackboard in either .doc or .docx format. IF YOU POST A STORY IN AN UNAPPROVED FORMAT YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE CREDIT Revisions of your 2 original stories, based on the feedback you receive and/or your own inspiration. These will be sent directly to me via email attachment as MS Word .doc or .docx NOTE: if you do not hand in your original story when it is due, you cannot hand in a revision i.e., you lose credit for BOTH Responses to ALL of the stories posted by classmates in your assigned group each week during the story cycles (explained below). Responses are due exactly ONE WEEK after the due date for the stories. @,:.=6( Syllabus Email: 5% Exercises: 15% Stories: 20% Revisions: 10% Responses: 50%
p. of 8 ETS 217 Syllabus & Course Overview Fall 2014 2 Note: Completion of all assignments does not guarantee an A. While you will not be graded on the aesthetic quality of your stories and exercises, the effort you put into your own assignments and especially into the responses to the work of your classmates will be taken into consideration. If you miss a story deadline and it is unexcused you will not be able to earn an A in the class. We will begin with exercises that are intended to help inspire and lay the groundwork for the stories that you will be writing during the course of the semester. You will also be asked to read stories by published authors to use as the jumping-off point for your own exercises and stories. I will make these stories available to on Blackboard. They have been carefully chosen for specific instructive purposes. Please be aware that the assigned stories may be from different historical periods, which reflect different social standards, or may include content that is mature, challenging, or graphic. In the example stories and in the work of your classmates, you may encounter profanity. There is no required textbook for this class. As a workshop, this class is inherently different from other kinds of courses. It is not instructor-driven. It is student-driven. You will get out of it what you put into it. Because this is a workshop, in addition to writing your own story and exercises, you will write responses to the stories written by the other students. I will provide a rubric for the required elements of the responses to your classmates' stories. Responses to stories are not optional and count toward 50% of your final grade. !A8=0+:+3-*6( I expect you to thoroughly read this syllabus and keep a copy of it readily accessible throughout the semester. In fact, your first assignment is to read this syllabus and the attached course overview and to send me an email stating that you understand and accept the terms of the syllabus. I will gladly respond to and requests for clarification of anything in this document that you do not understand. I will not, however, respond to email inquiries that ask questions directly addressed in this document, e.g.: When is exercise 2 due? Check the course overview section Can I post my story as a PDF or in Pages? NO, only MS Word .doc or .docx When I have a story due, do I also have to write responses to the other stories that are posted in my group that week? Yes, you do
This is an online course. You MUST have consistent access to a computer equipped with Microsoft Word (or Apache Open Office Writer) p. of 8 ETS 217 Syllabus & Course Overview Fall 2014 3 and the access to the Internet (yes, Blackboard is available as an app for mobile devices, but the app does not have the full functionality of the website). Not having a computer or Internet connection are NOT acceptable excuses for missing or late assignments. Ever. I cannot stress this enough. With the exception of a natural disaster, there is NO CIRCUMSTANCE under which I will consider lack of a computer or Internet access to be and excuse for missing work. There are STRICT DEADLINES for assignments in this class. The Course Overview specifies the DUE DATES EVERY ASSIGNMENT. If you are bad with dates, set reminders for yourself. If you are not in the Eastern Time zone, make sure that you know what time it is where you are when it is 11:59 p.m. here. Time zone confusion is also not an acceptable excuse for late work. DO NOT wait until 11:55 p.m. on the day something is due to try to post your assignment. When posting your assignments, take the time to double-check that your assignment has posted. That means you should ALWAYS LOG OUT of Blackboard and THEN LOG BACK IN to make sure your post is there. CREDIT WILL NOT BE GIVEN FOR ASSIGNMENTS THAT ACCIDENTALLY DID NOT POST. If you have any difficulty uploading your assignment or responses to Blackboard, contact IT ([email protected]) IMMEDIATELY and cc me on your message reporting the problem. As a workshop, your interactions with your classmates will be as important as your own work. Given the format of the class, most of the feedback you receive will be from your peers so be a good citizen in the online discussions. Don't be rude. Don't post your stories late. Don't skip responses. Even if you don't personally like a story, you are still expected to be respectful of the writer and the writing and to help the author work toward improving his or her piece. You are NOT responsible for writing responses to exercises, although I highly encourage you to read one another's assignments.
Your exercises and stories should be in a standard 12-point fond and be double-spaced. I have double-spaced this paragraph so you can see what that should look like. p. of 8 ETS 217 Syllabus & Course Overview Fall 2014 4 #+-,1 B109=6 There will be a total of 6 "story cycles" during the semester. During each cycle, two or three students will post their stories. I will randomly assign the order of who posts stories for each cycle. You will be notified of your place in the rotation by the second week of the semester. During every story cycle you are responsible for writing responses to all of your classmates who have stories up that week. Here is an example of how the story cycles work for a, hypothetical group:
Story Cycle 1 &4 Story Cycle 2 & 5 Story Cycle 3 & 6 Sarah Story AND Responses to Amanda & Ben Responses Only to Matt, Lindsay & Danielle Responses Only to James, Maria & Andrew Amanda Story AND Responses to Sarah & Ben Responses Only to Matt, Lindsay & Danielle Responses Only to James, Maria & Andrew Ben Story AND Responses to Sarah & Amanda Responses Only to Matt, Lindsay & Danielle Responses Only to James, Maria & Andrew Matt Responses Only to Sarah, Amanda & Ben Story AND Responses to Lindsay & Danielle Responses Only to James, Maria & Andrew Lindsay Responses Only to Sarah, Amanda & Ben Story AND Responses to Matt & Danielle Responses Only to James, Maria & Andrew Danielle Responses Only to Sarah, Amanda & Ben Story AND Responses to Matt & Lindsay Responses Only to James, Maria & Andrew James Responses Only to Sarah, Amanda & Ben Responses Only to Matt, Lindsay & Danielle Story AND Responses to Maria & Andrew Maria Responses Only to Sarah, Amanda & Ben Responses Only to Matt, Lindsay & Danielle Story AND Responses to Andrew & James Andrew Responses Only to Sarah, Amanda & Ben Responses Only to Matt, Lindsay & Danielle Story AND Responses to James & Maria
ALL STORY RESPONSES ARE DUE ONE WEEK AFTER THE STORY DUE DATE (responses for cycle 1 are due the same day as the stories for cycle 2, and the responses for cycle 2 are due the same day as the stories for cycle 3, etc.).
p. of 8 ETS 217 Syllabus & Course Overview Fall 2014 5 C++=*.:*0=( You must post your assignments and responses by the end of the day for a due date. For a due date of September 8, for example, you must post by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on 9/8. If you post at 12:00 a.m. EDT on 9/9, your assignment is late. It is my policy not to track down missing assignments. Please see below my policy regarding late exercises and responses (LATE STORIES WILL NOT RECEIVE CREDIT*): ! FIRST LATE POST: WARNING ! SECOND LATE POST: ASSIGNMENT GRADE DROPPED 50% ! THIRD LATE POST: ZERO CREDIT FOR ASSIGNMENT ! A MISSING ASSIGNMENT COUNTS AS A "LATE" ASSIGNMENT: IF YOU DON'T HAND IN EXERCISE 1, AND YOU POST EXERCISE 2 LATE, YOUR GRADE FOR EXERCISE 2 WILL BE DROPPED 50% * In the event of serious illness or personal emergency, you must notify me by email BEFORE an assignment is due to make arrangements for how you will make up any missed work. YOU HAVE THE FULL SCHEDULE FOR WHEN WORK WILL BE DUE. PLAN AHEAD. Don't email me the day that you have a story due to tell me that you will me late because you have to work, attend an event, are travelling, etc. As of today you have every due date for the entire semester. By the second week of class you will know when your stories are due. Make a schedule for yourself if you have to. With the exception of Memorial Day, EXERCISES and STORIES are due on MONDAYS by the end of the day. The RESPONSES to stories are due by the end of the day on the MONDAY AFTER THE STORIES ARE DUE (that means responses to stories posted in cycle 1 are due the same day as the stories for cycle 2). Your revised story is due by 11:59 p.m. EST Friday, December 5. <=93D3-/6 E;6=,F:*0=6( SU's religious observances policy recognizes the diversity of faiths represented among the campus community and protects the rights of students, faculty, and staff to observe religious holy days according to their tradition. Under the policy, students are provided an opportunity to make up any examination, study, or work requirements that may be missed due to a religious observance provided they notify their instructors before the end of the second week of classes. For fall and spring semesters, an online notification process is available through MySlice/Student Services/ Enrollment/My Religious Observances from the first day of class until the end of the second week of class. p. of 8 ETS 217 Syllabus & Course Overview Fall 2014 6 C0:.=?30 )*+=D,3+1 #+:+=?=*+( Syracuse Universitys academic integrity policy reflects the high value that we, as a university community, place on honesty in academic work. The policy defines our expectations for academic honesty and holds students accountable for the integrity of all work they submit. Students should understand that it is their responsibility to learn about course-specific expectations, as well as about university-wide academic integrity expectations. The university policy governs appropriate citation and use of sources, the integrity of work submitted in exams and assignments, and the veracity of signatures on attendance sheets and other verification of participation in class activities. The policy also prohibits students from submitting the same written work in more than one class without receiving written authorization in advance from both instructors. The presumptive penalty for a first instance of academic dishonesty by an undergraduate student is course failure, accompanied by a transcript notation indicating that the failure resulted from a violation of academic integrity policy. The presumptive penalty for a first instance of academic dishonesty by a graduate student is suspension or expulsion. SU students are required to read an online summary of the universitys academic integrity expectations and provide an electronic signature agreeing to abide by them twice a year during pre-term check-in on MySlice. For more information and the complete policy, see http://academicintegrity.syr.edu. G36:;393+1 #+:+=?=*+( If you believe you need accommodations for a disability, please contact the Office of Disability Services (ODS), located at 804 University Avenue, room 309, or call (315) 443-4498 for an appointment to discuss your needs and the process for requesting accommodations. ODS is responsible for coordinating disability-related accommodations and will issue students with documented disabilities Accommodation Authorization Letters as appropriate. Since accommodations may require early planning and generally are not provided retroactively, please contact ODS as soon as possible.
Our community values diversity and seeks to promote meaningful access to educational opportunities for all students. Syracuse University and I are committed to your success and to supporting Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990). This means that in general no individual who is otherwise qualified shall be excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity, solely by reason of having a disability.
You are also welcome to contact me privately to discuss your academic needs although I cannot arrange for disability-related accommodations. p. of 8 ETS 217 Syllabus & Course Overview Fall 2014 7 B-/,6= EF=,F3=H Note: I may modify this schedule if necessary during the semester.
Assignment due dates are the LATEST date by which exercises, responses and stories must be posted.
(For example, assignments due Monday, September 8
MUST be posted by 11:59 p.m., EDT on 9/8/14).
Week 1 Aug. 25 31 Review syllabus and Course Overview
Week 2 Sept. 1 7 LABOR DAY, MONDAY 9/1 SYLLABUS EMAIL DUE by 11:59 p.m. EDT TUESDAY 9/2 SEND EMAIL TO: [email protected] SUBJECT: ETS 217 Syllabus MESSAGE: I have read the syllabus and acknowledge the terms of the course. In this class, I hope to Review posted materials for exercise 1 Week 3 Sept. 8 14 Exercise 1 DUE: by 11:59 p.m. EDT Monday 9/8 Review posted materials for exercise 2 Week 4 Sept. 15 21 Exercise 2 Due: by 11:59 p.m. EDT Monday 9/15
Review posted materials for exercise 3 Week 5 Sept. 22 28 Exercise 3 Due: by 11:59 p.m. EDT Monday 9/22 WORKING ON STORIES Week 6 Sept. 29 Oct. 5 STORY CYCLE 1: Post story by 11:59 p.m. EDT Monday 9/29 Week 7 Oct. 6 12 STORY CYCLE 2: Post story by 11:59 p.m. EDT Monday 10/6 Responses to Story Cycle 1 Due by 11:59 p.m. EDT Monday 10/6
p. of 8 ETS 217 Syllabus & Course Overview Fall 2014 8 Week 8 Oct. 13 19 STORY CYCLE 3: Post story by 11:59 p.m. EDT Monday 10/13 Responses to Story Cycle 2 Due by 11:59 p.m. EDT Monday 10/13 Week 9 Oct. 20 26 STORY CYCLE 4: Post story by 11:59 p.m. EDT Monday 10/20 Responses to Story Cycle 3 Due by 11:59 p.m. EDT Monday 10/20 Week 10 Oct. 27 Nov. 2 STORY CYCLE 5: Post story by 11:59 p.m. EDT Monday 10/27 Responses to Story Cycle 4 Due by 11:59 p.m. EDT Monday 10/27 Week 11 Nov. 3 9 STORY CYCLE 6: Post story by 11:59 p.m. EST Monday 11/3 Responses to Story Cycle 5 Due by 11:59 p.m. EST Monday 11/3 Week 12 Nov. 10 16 Responses to Story Cycle 6 Due by 11:59 p.m. EST Monday 11/10
Week 13 Nov. 17 23 WORKING ON REVISIONS
Week 14 Nov. 24 30 THANKSGIVING BREAK
Week 15 Dec. 1 5 REVISIONS OF STORIES 1 & 2 DUE by 11:59 p.m. EST 12/5 Send via email to: [email protected]
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