Instructor: Casares, O & Moore, L Areas: n/a
Unique #: 34760-34790 Flags: Writing
Semester: Fall 2012 Restrictions: n/a
Cross-lists: n/a Computer Instruction: n/a
E 315F and 318L (Topic 1: Fiction) may not both be counted.
E 315P and 318L (Topic 2: Poetry) may not both be counted.
Prerequisites: E 603A, RHE 306, 306Q, or T C 603A.
Description: This course is an introduction to the three major genres of creative writing: fiction, poetry, and the personal essay. Students will be evaluated on work in all three genres. Short, frequent writing assignments (blog posts, sketches, and single poems) will allow students to practice their craft throughout the semester, and will culminate in longer pieces in each genre.
Prof. Casares will teach an introduction to reading and writing literary fiction. During the semester we will study a variety of stories from the textbooks, looking at the different techniques the writer used, and then eventually discussing your own short stories in this same manner. The goal is to make you a more critical reader while you gain a greater appreciation for what goes into developing an effective story, all of which is designed to improve your writing skills. Note: We will be discussing only literary fiction and not genre fiction (science fiction, vampire stories, romance, suspense, etc.). Prof. Casares will spend time at the beginning of the semester explaining the differences between the two forms, but if you hoped to write genre fiction this may not be the right course for you. There are no exceptions to this rule.
Prof. Moore will teach poetry writing, focusing on the building blocks of poetic craft (line, sound, and stanza) as well as broader issues of voice, tone, diction, and subject matter. We will read and analyze a variety of classic and contemporary poems, seeking to become better readers in order to become better writers.
Profs. Casares and Moore will collaborate to teach the art of the personal essay. Different from the persuasive or analytic essay you write for other classes, the personal essay is a literary genre related to memoir and autobiography. We will read outstanding examples of the form and practice casting our own experiences as literature in essays of our own.
This course will also introduce students to the basic practice of the creative writing class, the workshop. Every student will have the opportunity to have at least one assignment workshopped, either by the T.A. and members of your section, or by the professor and your T.A. in front of the whole class. Students will be able to choose between these options.
Texts: Janet Burroway, Imaginative Writing: The Elements of Craft, Pearson/Longman (3rd edition)
Requirements & Grading: Short story: 20% of final grade
Suite of 3-5 poems: 20% of final grade
Personal essay: 20% of final grade
Character sketch: 5% of final grade
Plot sketch: 5% of final grade
Poem #1: 5% of final grade
Poem #2: 5% of final grade
Personal Essay proposal: 5% of final grade
Weekly blog posts: 10% of final grade
Participation and attendance: 5% of final grade