Instructor:  Murray, J

Unique #:  34818

Semester:  Fall 2018

Cross-lists:  n/a

Restrictions:  n/a

Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites:  English 303C (or 603A), Rhetoric and Writing 306, 306Q, or Tutorial Course 303C (or 603A).

Description:  This is an introductory fiction workshop; no experience beyond your own wild life is necessary.  Throughout the semester, we will closely study the technical elements that hold a piece of fiction together, such as plot, setting, character, and dialogue.  We will also consider more abstract elements, like voice, mood, and impact, and how it is that a work of fiction can summon us to thought, alarm, reflection, or wonder.  We will read a variety of published texts spanning multiple traditions and time periods.  The goal of this reading will be to continually re-assess our assumptions with regards to what is possible within a literary text.  Students will also generate two original stories (6-10 pages each) to be workshopped in class. In lieu of a final, one of these stories will be revised and re-submitted during the final week of class.

Note on Required Texts (Subject to Change):  Handouts to be distributed in class.  No textbooks required.

Grading Policy (Subject to Change):  Class participation, 30%; First story, 20%; Second story, 25%; Revision, 25%.

Instructor:  Yacknin-Dawson, L

Unique #:  34819

Semester:  Fall 2018

Cross-lists:  n/a

Restrictions:  n/a

Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites:  English 303C (or 603A), Rhetoric and Writing 306, 306Q, or Tutorial Course 303C (or 603A).

Description:  In this course, we will read, discuss, and write short fiction.  We will look at the evolution of the short story and identify and analyze factors that influence contemporary fiction, including social media, music, studio art and socio-political movements.  We will begin the semester with readings and discuss both technical elements and stylistic variations of short stories.  Students will be expected to build on these discussions by writing two shorter works (between 3-5p) and one short story (between 8-20p) to be workshopped in class.  Whether you’ve never written a short story before or have a secret folder on your laptop with a million first drafts, all are welcome.  In our class, you will be treated as a writer, and find a writing community amongst your peers.

Note on Required Texts (Subject to Change): Some handouts will be distributed in class, but our texts are primarily short stories and audio available on the internet. Please make sure you have access to a printer and Youtube, or a hard copy of the album Channel Orange by Frank Ocean, as well as the track Moon River performed by both Frank Ocean and Andy Williams.

Grading Policy (Subject to Change):  Story I, 20%; Story II, 20%; Story III, 35%; Class Participation, 20%; Written Response on Others’ Work, 5%.

Instructor:  Sarna, J

Unique #:  34813

Semester:  Fall 2018

Cross-lists:  n/a

Restrictions:  n/a

Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites:  English 303C (or 603A), Rhetoric and Writing 306, 306Q, or Tutorial Course 303C (or 603A).

Description:  This is an introductory class for anyone interested in writing poems; no experience is necessary.  Together we will produce new, magnetic writing, explore some of the work that precedes us and hopefully develop a more sophisticated connection to poetry.  In our assignments and discussions we will respond to our readings from the perspective of writers interested in how a poem functions and how we can apply these elements of craft in our own practice.  Each student will submit reading responses and exercises (which for some weeks will be poems) as the semester progresses in addition to a single portfolio (6-8 poems) to be workshopped and eventually revised.  During all our sessions we will treat each other respectfully, as practicing artists with the shared goals of becoming better readers and writers.

Required Texts (subject to change):  Handouts will be distributed in class.

Grading Policy (subject to change): 

30% Participation — Includes attendance, discussion and written/verbal workshop feedback.

30% Weekly Assignments — Reading responses and exercises.

40% Portfolio — This includes both the initial packet of 6-8 poems (or up to 12 pages) turned in for workshop and the revised portfolio due at the end of the semester.  A 1-2-page essay reflecting on your process of writing and revising these poems is included in this percentage and will be due with the final portfolio.

Instructor:  Hendrix, L

Unique #:  34814

Semester:  Fall 2018

Cross-lists:  n/a

Restrictions:  n/a

Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites:  English 303C (or 603A), Rhetoric and Writing 306, 306Q, or Tutorial Course 303C (or 603A).

Description:  In this class, your primary job is to be a poet.  Through the writing and reading of poetry, we’ll seek to find our own answers to the questions:  what is a poem, who decides what is or isn’t poetry, and how do we write a poem?  This semester, we will read works of poetry from various traditions in order to provide a sampling of not only what’s out there, but also to inspire notions of what could be.  You will engage with this work by writing poems and four short reading response papers.  Each student will be responsible for 8-10 poems (depending on each poem’s page count) for a final portfolio packet, at least four of which will be workshopped during the semester.

Required Texts (Subject to Change):  I will be providing you with many of our readings via e-mail or Canvas.  Other than these, please plan to either purchase or rent the following texts (no e-books, please):  Meditations in an Emergency, Frank O’Hara; Bluets, Maggie Nelson; Don’t Call Us Dead, Danez Smith.

Grading Policy (Subject to Change):  Participation & Attendance, 15%; Response papers, 20%; Poems, 30%; Workshop notes, 5%; Final packet, 30%.

Instructor:  La Salle, P

Unique #:  34835

Semester:  Fall 2018

Cross-lists:  n/a

Restrictions:  CRW Certificate students

Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites:  One of the following: C L 315, E 303D (or 603B), (316K,) 316L, 316M, 316N, 316P, or T C 303D (or 603B).

Description:  The beginning of the course will stress the development of skills in the various aspects of narration, including writing description, probing character, and plotting.  The latter part of the course will involve the writing and rewriting of a complete short story.

Texts:  The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction, Cassill, ed.

Requirements & Grading:  Four writing assignments: 90%; Attendance and participation: 10%.

Instructor:  Pipkin, J

Unique #: 34837

Semester:  Fall 2018

Cross-lists:  n/a

Restrictions:  n/a

Computer Instruction: No

Prerequisites:  One of the following: C L 315, E 603B, (316K,) 316L, 316M, 316N, 316P, 316K, or T C 603B.

Description:  This is an entry-level course in the writing of narrative fiction, with a focus on the short story form.  The first step in developing your writing craft is to learn how to read as a writer, so substantial emphasis will be placed on reading and discussing short stories.  You will be required to analyze the structure and craft of the short stories assigned.  Learning how to identify the fundamental elements and narrative techniques in these stories will help you to employ these techniques in your own work.  We will also read several selections from the textbook discussing the craft of fiction.  You should come to class prepared for a short quiz on the content and terms used in the assigned readings.  The beginning of the semester will focus on structure, narration, point of view, character development, and motivation.  The second half of the semester will focus on plotting, pacing, tension, setting, dialogue and revision.  Emphasis will be placed on making use of workshop feedback.  Class will consist of lecture, in-class writing, discussion, and workshop participation.  You should be prepared to read and discuss your work in class.  The main goal of the workshop sessions is to help you develop editing skills so that you can continue to grow as a writer beyond this class.  After your work is discussed in workshop, you should be prepared to use the ideas discussed in the critiques to improve the original draft.  Participation in workshop is an essential part of this class, so you must come prepared to discuss the works under consideration.

Texts:  Handouts and short-stories will be provided in class.

Requirements & Grading:  Two writing assignments: 35% each; class participation, quizzes, workshop discussion: 30%.

No final exam.  Papers are due in hard copy, in class, on the dates indicated.  Late or electronic submissions will not be accepted.  Attendance is required.

Instructor:  Unferth, D

Unique:  34839

Semester:  Fall 2018

Cross-lists:  n/a

Restrictions:  CRW Certificate students

Computer instruction:  No

Prerequisites:  One of the following:  C L 315, E 603B, (316K,) 316L, 316M, 316N, 316P, 316K, or T C 603B.

Description:  Each week for the first half of the semester, we will focus on a different element of craft—everything from intriguing first sentences to breathless endings.  We will spend time on description, setting, dialogue, conflict, and more. I will assign in-class exercises and short take-home assignments, some of which we will discuss in class.  We will read stories by 20^th and 21^st century writers and focus on how these writers make use of plot, form, voice, and style.  In the second half of the semester, students will each write a complete short story, which we will workshop.  On the last day of class students will hand in short reading responses to individually selected books, identifying an element of craft that particularly interests them.

Through story workshops, generative exercises, discussion of published work, and individual suggested reading, students write new work and read the work of others always with an eye toward inciting fresh ways of thinking about fiction.  Students should emerge from the class with a solid grounding in narrative and with a collection of work in various stages of completion.

Texts:  reading packet.

Requirements and Grading:  Short writing assignments: 40%; Longer Short Story: 30%; Attendance and participation: 20%; Short responses: 10%.

Instructor:  Berry, B

Unique #:  34885

Semester:  Fall 2018

Cross-lists:  n/a

Restrictions:  CRW Certificate students

Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites:  One of the following: CRW 325 (or E 325), 325F (or E 325F), 325M, 325P (or E 325P).

Description:  “Literature for Writers” is a fledgling course, though new courses are frequently the perfect opportunity in which to create unique and vibrant writing.  CRW 330, originally created for graduate creative writers, is only in its second semester at the undergraduate level, so we are all getting in on the ground floor of what I plan to be a memorable course.  The class will introduce to creative writers literary readings that inspire, motivate, and encourage the best from one’s own work.  Sportswriter Red Smith famously quipped “Writing’s easy.  You just sit down at the typewriter and open a vein.”  But focused assignments and professional advice on what to write and how to do so can make the job easier, ideally resulting in solid, memorable results.  Thoughtful direction, motivation, and imaginative prompts that seek imaginative responses are tools of the trade that I will use to encourage the best writing from my students, forging a strong foundation for the future of your craft, what I like to call the writing life.

We will look with a careful eye at several successful writers whose prose offers highly “teachable” literature.  We will focus on such strategies as point of view, voice, place, atmosphere, author imitation, character names and development, and of course plot.  We will neither study nor be writing sci-fi, fantasy (gothic or otherwise), or YA (as in Young Adult).

Texts:  We will most likely be using a textbook by the aptly named Francine Prose, Reading for Writers: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them.  (I might also be using various writing examples and suggestions from Janet Burroway’s Imaginative Writing: The Elements of Craft, but this text will not be required.)  We will also be reading Australian writer Kate Jennings’ novel Snake, a unique novel in its plot and telling, probably like nothing you have ever read.  We will read from master stylist Ernest Hemingway’s first story collection, In Our Time, published when Hemingway was 27.  We will also be reading a memoir, which is what I am working on in my own writing at present, so I won’t have a final choice in that important category until nearer the beginning of our course.  I will post required course texts on Canvas when they are available.

Requirements & Grading:  There will be weekly writing briefs, written responses to both the readings and my own writing assignment concoctions (which I try to make challenging, fun, and rewarding).  One piece of writing will be initiated early and revised through the semester.  Specifics will be outlined on the course syllabus, presently a work in progress.

Instructor:  Heinzelman, K

Unique #:  34880

Semester:  Fall 2018

Cross-lists:  n/a

Restrictions:  CRW Certificate students

Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites:  One of the following: CRW 325 (or E 325), 325F (or E 325F), 325M, 325P (or E 325P).

Description:  The official name of this course is “Literature for Writers,” but I would prefer to call it “Reading Like a Writer,” which is also the title of a wonderful book by an author with the wholly appropriate name of Francine Prose.  Her book is subtitled: “A Guide for People Who Love Books And For Those Who Want to Write Them.”  I recommend this text highly to all prospective students.

The texts that we will be “reading as writers” will be composed in both prose and verse, for the simple reason that prose writers can learn much about rhythm, figurative language, and structure from reading lyrics, just as poets can learn much about narrative, character, and timing from reading fiction.

Some of the literary works will focus on poetic or narrative forms; others will be thematic—e.g., writing about place or about art (the technical term for the latter is ekphrasis); and still others will introduce comparative analyses—e.g., of why one translation is “better” than another.

Requirements & Grading:  There will be weekly writing briefs—short responses to the week’s literary reading; there will be creative responses (in prose and/or verse) to the readings, 3 over the course of the term; and there will be one final creative work.  No exams—no final, no quizzes—but students will be periodically giving oral presentations on the weekly textual assignments, which will require some original research on their part.

Students are permitted two absences without penalty.  More than that and the final grade will be affected.  Grading scale: final essay and creative responses = 60%; class participation and responses to weekly reading = 40%

Instructor:  Casares, O

Unique #:  34893

Semester:  Fall 2018

Cross-lists:  n/a

Restrictions:  CRW Certificate students

Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites:  CRW 325F (or E 325F), or 325M.

Description:  Practice in writing the short story, with study of contemporary models.

This course is designed for students who have already taken Fiction Writing (325F or 325M) and have a serious interest in writing fiction.  Since the class is primarily a workshop, we will discuss student work for the majority of the semester.

Texts: Various texts posted on Canvas

Requirements & Grading:  Students are required to write two short stories (each 8-15 pages) that will be discussed in a workshop.  One of these stories will be revised for an additional grade.  For all the other student work discussed in class, you will be responsible for writing detailed critiques (1-2 pages).  Attendance is required.  There will be no final exam.

Two Stories, 60%; Revision, 30%; Classroom participation, 10%

Instructor:  Harvey, J (Carey, E)

Unique #:  34895

Semester:  Fall 2018

Cross-lists:  n/a

Restrictions:  CRW Certificate students

Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites:  CRW 340F (or E 341).

Description:  We will discuss, criticize, and write short fiction.  Students will read each other’s work with rigor and generosity. Students will write three original stories for class.

Class Policies:  Stories will be submitted via e-mail to your fellow students the morning your story is due.  Make sure your work is double-spaced and page-numbered.

Stories should be at least 8 pages and no longer than 25.  No novel excerpts, please.  All work must be original—both your own work, and written for this class.  Please do not recycle work written for other courses.

Please do not write stories with characters invented by other authors.  And, of course, do not submit work written by other people, even substantially rewritten.  For the purposes of this class, I also ask that you do not allow other people to edit your work.  For additional information on Academic Integrity, see http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/acadint.php.

A workshop class is a community, if you do not show up to discuss your colleagues work, there’s no reason for them to read yours with any attention.  Much of what you will learn about fiction will be from each other—you will see how actual readers interpret and respond to your work.  If you miss the day of your own workshop you may receive an F for the assignment.

You may miss two classes without it affecting the final grade in your class.  You will fail the class after four absences.  Perfect attendance will improve your grade.  Please let me know ahead of time if you know you will miss a class for any reason.

Please be on time to class.  More than four late arrivals will affect your final grade.

Laptops are not allowed to be open and on during class.  Please bring in hard copies of all notes you may need to consult.

All work must be original—that is both your own work, and written for this class.  Please do not recycle work written for other courses.  Do not submit work written by other people, even substantially rewritten.  That includes characters and scenarios: please, no fan fiction or alternate versions of other people’s published work.  If you have any questions, please talk to me.  For additional information on Academic Integrity, see http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/acadint.php.

FOR WORKSHOP:  you are required to read the other students’ work and to type at least two paragraphs of respectful critical response.  Please bring in two copies of your critiques, one for the author, and one for me in hard copy.  If I don’t have a hard copy of your student critiques, they will be marked as missing.  You are responsible for critiques even if you are absent for the workshop.

GRADING:  Your final grade will be based on both your written work in the class, and also your participation.  You will receive letter grades on written assignments.

EXTRA CREDIT:  You may earn extra credit by attending readings by authors on campus or at local bookstores and writing a one-page response.  If you are unsure of whether a writer qualifies or not, please ask me.

The breakdown of grading follows:  FIRST STORY, 20%; SECOND STORY: 20%; THIRD STORY: 20%; REVISION: 10%; WRITTEN COMMENTS ON OTHER STUDENTS’ WORK: 15%; CLASS PARTICIPATION: 15%.

Instructor:  Unferth, D

Unique #:  34905

Semester:  Fall 2018

Cross-lists:  n/a

Restrictions:  CRW Certificate students

Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites:  CRW 340F (or E 341).

Description:  This is an advanced course in fiction writing for students working toward the creative writing certificate. Students will write either three original stories of at least 10 pages each or two original stories and one revision.  They will also write extensive comments (1-2 pages) on their classmates’ stories.  We will also read published stories with an eye to study craft.  Students will trade stories with the Pen-City Writers, the University of Texas Prison Creative Writing Program.  All work must be original, written for this class, not for another class taken earlier or concurrently.

Policies:  You may miss two classes without penalty.  After that your grade will begin to drop.  This is a no-screens class.  All materials will be used in class in hardcopy.

Readings:  Students will purchase a course packet of selected published stories.

Requirements and Grading:  First story 20%; second story 20%; third story/revision 20%; comments on classmates’ work 20%; participation and attendance 20%.

Instructor:  La Salle, P

Unique #:  34900

Semester:  Fall 2018

Cross-lists:  n/a

Restrictions:  CRW Certificate students

Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites:  CRW 340F (or E 341).

Description:  This is a course for advanced students in fiction writing; the student will write a total of 30-40 pages of original fiction during the semester.

There will be three dates on which work is due, and on each the student will turn in either a complete short story or an installment from a longer work; if the student is working on a longer project (a novella, for instance), approval must be given by the instructor ahead of time.

Student work will be examined in class with workshop discussion, and the student will meet with the instructor in individual conferences to discuss projects and progress.

There will also be reading from two texts.

Texts:  The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction, Seventh Edition, Cassill and Bausch, editors; Dreamtigers, Jorge Luis Borges (fiction and poetry, for discussion of how the two genres influence each other).

Requirements & Grading:  90 percent on writing; 10 per cent on in-class participation and quizzes.

The grade will be a matter, essentially, of the quality of the written work.  Two absences are allowed, and more than that will affect the grade.

Instructor:  Young, D

Unique #:  34910

Semester:  Fall 2018

Cross-lists:  n/a

Restrictions:  CRW Certificate students

Computer Instruction:  No

Prerequisites:  CRW 340P (or E 341L).

Description:  This is a class for practicing poets with workshop experience.  While emphasis will be upon work written by students in the class, we will also foster a vital connection to the work of contemporary and past poets.  Students will be expected to work not only on their own poems but also their ability to articulate a sophisticated and informed relationship to poetry in general.

Requirements & Grading:  About a poem a week to be submitted for workshop although all these poems will not be addressed in class.

Ongoing written responses to the work of classmates as well as occasional assignments made at the discretion of the professor.

Attendance.  Active and vocal engagement demonstrated in class consistently.

A final portfolio of about five poems, the majority of them substantially revised in response to workshop feedback.