Syllabus

2012/Summer Creative Writing Institute English Department EN267/467

Tracey C. Levine Office: Taylor 223 Office Hours: via skype; W 6-7, and TH 12-1, or by appointment E-mail: [email protected] Phone Number: 267-738-4313

Required Materials Burroway, Janet. Writing Fiction : A Guide to Narrative Craft. Boston: Longman, 2011, Edition: 8th. Computer Access

You will use Arcadia's online databases and other web resources. Since this course is being delivered online, your computer system will need to meet specific hardware and software requirements. For this course, you will need to have access to Microsoft Office, or software that can author MS Office formats like Google Docs or Open Office. Additionally, we will be using other software packages, but I've tried to utilize free programs. The URL's for those programs will be provided in the course at the appropriate location. 1. Headset with microphone, or a built-in laptop microphone

2. Skype (conferencing software) - http://www.skype.com Prerequisites: none. Minimum Technical Skills Expected 1. The ability to use a modern web browser, like Internet Explorer or Firefox, to navigate websites. 2. The ability to use your Arcadia e-mail address to send and receive e-mails. 3. The ability to learn My Arcadia features found in the Tutorials section of the course, as needed. 4. The ability to use word processing software to read, author, edit and save documents. 5. The ability to use a search engine, like Google, to find information on the web. Course Description: This course is for creative writers who consider themselves at the beginner level, and is designed to help students develop writing skills over four weeks through online discussions and workshops, and also through personal feedback from peers and the instructor during both the weekend on campus, and the four weeks of online workshops. Students will produce original work that will include fiction and poetry, and also do extensive reading of literary works as well as read writings on craft and technique in order to develop the critical vocabulary needed to discuss these genres from a writers point of view. To enforce the lessons in the course, students will be given writing exercises to practice craft and technique, and also be asked to go through a series of revisions of some of their works. The course will culminate with a final portfolio that will include the students most polished work. In this course, students will: 1. Develop a deep understanding of poetry and fiction from a craft perspective by analyzing and discussing works of literature to gain an understanding of such elements as character development, plot structure, image and figurative language, point-of-view, voice, and metered verse. 2. Explore their own creativity with the intention of creating a unique and confident voice in their own creative works through participation in workshops, assessment and critique of the original creative works of peers through written assessment, engagement and conferencing with the instructor, and through presentation and revision of their own original creative works. 3. Establish a skill set that includes the ability to analyze the writers intention vs. result, identify word repetition, track language and point of view consistency, identify clich, and comment on the writers voice, that will enable success in a workshop setting with a respectful attitude for such a practice as it will inform and strengthen their own writing and establish a writers community.

4. Gain an aesthetic appreciation of literary works and the process by which they are produced through analysis, discussion, and response to works of literature, the course textbook, and the comments of peers and the instructor. 5. Be able to produce, in more than one genre, original work and revisions that reflect an understanding of the conventions of each genre and that demonstrate response to critique.

Course Policies:

The main required reading for this course is students writing. This is because most of the course involves intense workshops of either fiction or poetry.

Students will submit a final portfolio of all work completed throughout the semester. The class will read a text on technique (Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft. Janet Burroway. 6th Ed. Longman), as well as a collection of readings and excerpts from poetry and fiction to illustrate technique. In addition, students will complete two analysis of craft papers that will focus on a particular work of poetry or fiction read for the class. I will also post two writing prompts each week on the classroom cite if the students need some inspiration, but it will not be mandatory for the students to complete these prompts if they choose not to. Students will be evaluated on the basis of their performance in the following assignments: discussion of readings for each week that will be posted online as a response (students are encouraged to also respond to each others posts), active participation in peer reviews, the two analysis of craft papers, and the writing and revision of an original manuscript. In addition, graduate students must lead one class discussion group.

In Person: Students must attend the three days on campus, and participate in the scheduled activities including workshops and seminars. Students must have 3 pages of creative work prepared in advance of the weekend on campus. This work will be reviewed in an in-person workshop during the weekend.

Online: At least once, each student will submit 4-7 pages of creative work for critique and discussion by the other members of the course. The student will

be able to participate in the discussion of his or her own work, but only after the other members of the course have all commented once. Each student must comment on all of their peers submissions. There are no exceptions. More detailed guidelines are posted on Blackboard. Students must follow the etiquette guidelines of the online discussions, which are specifically outlined on the courses Blackboard site.

Analysis of Craft Papers: Students will submit two analysis of craft papers in response to short stories and/or poetry of their choice from a list I will provide and make available on the Blackboard site.

Responses (2 in total): to be posted on the Blackboard site on the due date as specified in the course schedule in response to a reading on some element of craft or writing theory.

Portfolio: Every student must submit a portfolio of between 12 and 14 pages at the end of the course. The portfolio should include revisions of the material the student had handed in for workshop, and demonstrate the students ability to use critiques to improve his or her work. The portfolio can also include a portion of new material written during the term as long as that material demonstrates a relationship to the previous work submitted. Each student must include a cover letter with his or her portfolio which articulates how the student met the goals as outlined at the courses start, and the process the student applied to revision.

Penalties
Attendance during each day of the face-to-face weekend is mandatory. Any student who does not attend all three days will not be able to pass the course.

Assignments will be docked 10% of the total possible grade for each calendar day they are late.

If any assignment is more than three days late the student will receive no credit.

Other Policies and Procedures: As much of this course is online, you will need consistent access to a computer that is capable of opening our online Blackboard site and running it successfully. You will also need to be able to open Microsoft Word files in order to read your peers work, including.doc and .docx files.

For office hours I will be using Skype, a free chat program which you can download atwww.skype.com. You can use the instant message feature, or the voice feature, but for the latter you will need a microphone and speakers.

CIVIL BEHAVIOR: I expect students to behave civilly toward me, as well as to other students. Anyone who is consistently disruptive in any way as evident through the responses or critiques on the Blackboard site will be referred for disciplinary action. A disruptive student is one who persistently makes inordinate demands for time and attention from faculty or fellow classmates, and habitually interferes with the learning environment by disruptive verbal or behavioral expressions. The result is the disruption of the academic progress. Please be mindful of your comments and be sure to consider the nature of them and their potential impact before you post them. If you have any other questions about this, you may speak with me.

Evaluation

A B C D

90% to 100% 80% to 89% 70% to 79% 60% to 69% Failure to complet e required work

Grading Breakdown
Submission of work for online peer review 20 points

Weekly critiques of peers writing 20 points

Responses to Craft Questions 10 points

Analysis of Craft Papers (2) 20 points

Final Portfolio points

30

_____________________________________________________ Total points 100

Introduction This course is being presented in an online fashion. It is important that you login on a regular basis (daily if possible) and work on a consistent basis to complete your requirements. Since we are not meeting face to face, it will be imperative that you participate in the discussion board with your partner, as well as on the phone and in Skype conferences with your instructor. Also, the Cyber Cafe is available for you to develop community outside of the course content. You will need to be self-motivated and try to stay as organized as possible;

developing a schedule would be a good idea. I also suggest that you login in the beginning of the week and copy all assignments to a Word document. This will allow you to construct a quality answer, spell check, grammar check, and copy and paste it into the forum. Requirements for Discussion Board Sessions 1. When quoting the work of another scholar, it is important that you cite the work correctly. In unit 2, you will be introduced to a tool, Citeulike, which will help you format your citations. However, the following are examples of what is expected when referring to the work of another scholar. Example within the context of the posting: "Constructivism is an epistemology, a theory of knowledge used to explain how we know what we know" (Lorsbach, 1997). Example at the end of the posting: Lorsbach, A. (1997). Constructivism as a Referent for Science Teaching. Retrieved January 5, 2006, from http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/resources/research/constructivism.html 2. You are required to respond to a minimum of three other student postings for forums that require interaction with your peers. I will be looking at the way you analyze the postings and extend the conversation. Please use this opportunity to share your own experiences, but remember to support your assertions with current research findings. At this level we can all learn a great deal by sharing our experiences. "Studies report that peer learning promotes greater conceptual and procedural gains for students, accommodates a broad range of learning styles, results in greater enjoyment of the learning task, and encourages a stronger persistence in learning" (Johnson & Johnson, 1999). 3. Your postings will be evaluated based upon the substantive nature and how it efficiently addresses the question at hand. Simple responses such as "I agree" are of no value and will not be counted as an acceptable posting. Try to use what I call the "no scroll" rule. If you have to scroll a great deal to read the posting, it becomes an arduous task. Please try to be succinct and to the point. Strive to respond at the synthesis or evaluation levels.

Discussion Etiquette In this course, I welcome the creation of a dialogue that is open, thoughtful, and founded on the basis of research in the field. At times, some of you will not agree on

the positions that are taken in the forum. This diversity is welcomed. However, each student must exercise respect for the thoughts and comments that are posted by their peers. If any posted comments are inappropriate or of an offensive nature, they will be removed from the forum and I will address the issue with the author of the content. Please follow the following guidelines: Never post, transmit, promote, or distribute content that is known to be illegal. Never post harassing, threatening, or embarrassing comments. If you disagree with someone, respond to the subject, not the person. Never post content that is harmful, abusive, racially, ethnically, or religiously offensive, vulgar or otherwise potentially offensive.

About the Professor: Professor Tracey Levine grew up in Northeast Philadelphia and has been teaching creative writing, composition, literature, and film courses for seven years. She currently teaches at Arcadia, Bucks County Community College and at Community College of Philadelphia, and has taught at Syracuse University. She has also been active at Bucks County Community College in creating and facilitating a student-run book club. Prof. Levine earned a B.F.A. in Screenwriting from the University of the Arts, an M.A. in English from Arcadia University, and an M.F.A. in Fiction from Syracuse University where she was on fellowship. She has worked at WHYY on several documentary projects, and her creative writing work has appeared in Verbal Seduction, Metropolis VoxPop, and the Philadelphia Citypaper. She has done readings at 2nd Story Books (Syracuse) and at the Kellys Writers House, and was involved in the Living Writers Reading Series at Syracuse University.

Unit Schedule

Weekly Schedule
Week 1:
Online Workshop: Students workshopping pieces will submit work by Monday at noon. Critiques of work are due on Friday at noon.

Critical Readings (all available on Blackboard):

Chapters Two and Three of Writing Fiction Handout on Poetry: Figurative Language and the Image

Stories and Poems to be Read (all available on Blackboard): Stories: Live Wire Crazy Glue Boys Stuart Dybeck Etgar Keret Rick Moody

Poems: Richard Cory Daddy Father Edwin Arlington Robinson Sylvia Plath Michael Burkard

Week 2:
Online Workshop: Students workshopping pieces will submit work by Monday at noon. Critiques of work are due on Friday at noon.

First Response to Critical Reading due by Wednesday.

Critical Readings (all available on Blackboard): Chapters Four and Six of Writing Fiction Handout on Poetry: Voice and POV

Stories and Poems to be Read (all available on Blackboard): Stories:

Everything that Rises Must Converge Hunters in the Snow

Flannery OConnor Tobias Wolff

Poems: The Terrorist He Watches Icarus Ode to Watermelon Ode to Salt Wislawa Szymborska John Updike Pablo Neruda Pablo Neruda

Week 3:
Online Workshop: Students workshopping pieces will submit work by Monday at noon. Critiques of work are due on Friday at noon.

Second Response to Critical Reading due by Wednesday. First Analysis of Craft Paper Due by Friday.

Conferences.

Critical Readings (all available on Blackboard): Chapter Five of Writing Fiction Handout on Poetry: Formal Conventions

Stories and Poems to be Read (all available on Blackboard): Stories: Sonnys Blues Excerpt from Stop-Time James Baldwin Frank Conroy

Poems: The Mother We Real Cool anyone lived in a pretty how town Woofer Gwendolyn Brooks Gwendolyn Brooks ee cummings Terrence Hayes

Week 4:
Online Workshop: Students workshopping pieces will submit work by Monday at noon. Critiques of work are due on Friday at noon.

Second Analysis of Craft Paper Due by Wednesday. Portfolio Due by Friday.

Unit 1 Objectives Tsw formulate a culminating project proposal that encompasses the skills acquired in the Instructional Technology M.Ed. program. (Program Objective) Tsw utilize technology to present their culminating project to the class and world at large. (Program Objective) Tsw compose a two-page project proposal. (Module Objective) Tsw construct a project outline that illustrates key benchmarks and project due dates. (Module Objective) Tsw construct and organize a wiki that will present their culminating project. (Module Objective)

Unit 1 Readings 1. Writing a Project Proposal - This website will provide valuable information for your Project Proposal and Project Outline. 2. Viewpath - Online Project Timeline Tool Unit 1 Assignments

1. Introduce Yourself to the Class 2. Create Your Wetpaint Wiki 3. Write Your Project Proposal 4. Create Your Project Outline

Unit 2 Objectives Tsw evaluate and critique current research that is associated with their culminating project. (Program Objective) Tsw collect current research on their culminating project topic. (Module Objective) Tsw enter bibliographic information into Citeulike.com. (Module Objective) Tsw critique the findings of their information searches. (Module Objective)

Unit 2 Readings 1. Literature Reviews - This site will give you a better understanding of how to write a Literature Review. Unit 2 Assignments 1. Conduct Your Online Information Search & Write Your Thesis Statement 2. Organize Your Topic & Produce Your Literature Review Outline 3. Write the First Draft of Your Literature Review 4. Peer Review of Literature Review 5. Completed Literature Review

Unit 3 Objectives Tsw creatively apply the concepts learned through this program by creating a culminating project that exemplifies the integration of technology into their pedagogical practices. (Program Objective) Tsw develop instructional activities that encompass tools and theory presented throughout the Instructional Technology program. (Module Objective)

Tsw construct the first phase of their culminating project. (Module Objective)

Unit 3 Readings None Unit 3 Assignments 1. Complete Phase One of Project Outline 2. Peer Review of Phase One of Culminating Project 3. Conference Call with Instructor

Unit 4 Objectives Tsw creatively apply the concepts learned through this program by creating a culminating project that exemplifies the integration of technology into their pedagogical practices. (Program Objective) Tsw develop instructional activities that encompass tools and theory presented throughout the Instructional Technology program. (Module Objective) Tsw construct the second phase of their culminating project. (Module Objective)

Unit 4 Readings None Unit 4 Assignments 1. Complete Phase Two of Project Outline 2. Peer Review of Phase Two of Culminating Project 3. Conference Call with Instructor

Unit 5 Objectives Tsw creatively apply the concepts learned through this program by creating a culminating project that exemplifies the integration of technology into their pedagogical practices. (Program Objective) Tsw develop instructional activities that encompass tools and theory presented throughout the Instructional Technology program. (Module Objective)

Tsw construct the third phase of their culminating project. (Module Objective)

Unit 5 Readings None Unit 5 Assignments 1. Complete Phase Three of Project Outline 2. Peer Review of Phase Three of Culminating Project 3. Conference Call with Instructor

Unit 6 Objectives Tsw defend the basis for the creation of their culminating project. (Program Object) Tsw present their culminating project, assessing the impact that the technology integration may have on student learning. (Program Objective)

Unit 6 Readings None Unit 6 Assignments 1. Review Your Wiki Site for Final Presentation 2. Final Presentation 3. Please complete the course evaluation. An email will be sent to you with a link to access the online form.