Spring 2009, 3 Credits, #5156
Wed. 3:30-5:00, Putnam Hall 101/SE 314

Instructor: Cindy Nichols
Office location: SE 318F
Office hours: MTWR 2:15-3:15 (and by appointment)
Office phone: 231-7024
E-mail: Cindy.Nichols@ndsu.edu

Anyone with special needs: please see me as soon as possible to discuss ways I can assist you.

Course Information

The career of flowers differs from ours only in audibleness. —Dickinson

Welcome to Creative Writing II, "imaginative writing with a concentration in one or two genres. Emphasis on developing critical awareness and becoming acquainted with the literary fine arts. Prereq: ENGL 120, Junior standing."

This is a flexible, introductory workshop course in which you will read a number of poets and fiction writers, complete a variety of exercises and writing prompts, and venture into the F/M community to attend literary readings and talks. Most of the course, however, will be given over to students' own writing through drafting and intensive workshop sessions, with the goal of producing a publishable collection of work.

Textbooks

Margaret-Love Denman and Barbara Shoup, Story Matters

Dave Eggers et al., One-Hundred-and-Forty-Nine Stories in a Small Box (available in university bookstore soon)

Helpful Resources for the Serious Writer

Amy Holman, An Insider's Guide to Creative Writing Programs: Choosing the Right MFA or MA Program, Colony, Residency,Grant or Fellowship, Prentice Hall Press, 2006.

Wendy Bishop, Keywords in Creative Writing, Utah State University Press, 2006.

Required Materials

Your choice of empty book, binder, or notebook (see Notebook assignment). A good binder for storing and organizing lots of removable paper. Pocket stapler. Frequent access to email, the Web, and a word processor. Materials for the final chapbook.

Aims of this Course

to complete a chapbook of fiction and/or poetry;
to learn beginning skills necessary for writing short fiction and poetry;
to help you locate and explore your own centers of interest in a setting both supportive and challenging;
to learn how to access local and national resources for creative writers;
to improve critical awareness, which includes understanding the standards and expectations of various literary communities, especially within the established (noncommericial, non-mass market) fine arts;
to understand "literature" as both corpus of knowledge to be studied and as ongoing, evolving, living enterprise;
to enjoy stories and poems, and to explore a variety of course readings for models.

In some ways this class is like the proverbial arts enclave: a comfortable meeting place for writers who are seeking the support, feedback, and stimulation of other writers. We sit down together, share and discuss our writing. That's the gist of it.

This is also an academic experience, of course, and I do need to ultimately assign a grade for each student. Though much of the class is student-directed and open, you'll complete some assigned projects as well as a self-published chapbook.

Grades

Grading is based on a simple point system, in which your aim is to earn as close to 100 as possible. You’ll start the semester with 0, then earn credit for the assignments described below. To arrive at a specific number of points for a given assignment, I generally first assign a grade where Very Good=A; Good=B; Fair=C; Poor=D; Unacceptable=F. I then fine-tune that letter grade judgment with points.

At the end of the term, I tally the points you've earned for all course work and determine a semester grade where 90-100=A, 79-89=B , 68-78=C, 57-67=D, below 57=F.

Coursework

Notebook (20 pts. or 20% of semester grade)

You will often be completing an assortment of short exercises, in-class writing, quizzes, Blackboard postings, brief small-group projects, writing prompts, excursions outside the classroom, and any number of mysterious and challenging something-somethings. Expect the unexpected.

These will be compiled into a notebook, to-be-checked at least twice in the course of the semester.

Projects (40 pts. possible or 40% of semester total)

These projects are larger exercises designed to give you practice with a variety of skills and approaches. You will complete the following:

Fiction Project (20 pts.)

Short story with traditional, chronological plot and continuous narrative, at least 5 pages. OR a screenplay, with a traditional, chronological plot, at least 10 pages.

Poetry Project 1 (5 pts.)

The Thing Itself

Poetry Project 2 (10 pts.)

The Oral Tradition and The Visual Tradition

Poetry Project 3 (5 pts.)

Traditional Form: TBA

For fiction, we will also spend time discussing nontraditional plots, fiction-memoir hybrids, and flash fiction. For poetry, we will also discuss surreal, confessional, and persona poems. (You will learn about those genres in class, but writing them will be optional.)

In addition to the 4 required projects above, you will have plenty of opportunity to explore any and all of your personal choice of genres.

Workshop (check/no check)

Workshopping is the heart of this course: good-spirited, large-group discussion of work written by class members. Everyone must submit material for workshop at least twice. Click here for full instructions.

Chapbook and Reflective Letter (40 pts. possible or 40% of semester total)

"A tree crying out to be covered with leaves."

Your chapbook will be a self-published collection of your completed stories and/or poems. It will contain work which has been conscientiously revised (mainly with the help of workshop feedback), and may include completed class projects (see below). Click here for full chapbook instructions.

What To Do If You Miss a Class

DO NOT come to me asking, “What did we do?” (Or, even worse, “Did we do anything?”)

As soon as possible, contact 2 or more classmates for full class notes, instructions, handout titles, etc. If the classmates you contact did not take helpful notes or are otherwise uninformed, you should contact someone else. (You are responsible for knowing what transpires in each class session, whether you are present or not.) If you know in advance that you will miss a class meeting and/or class work, contact classmates well ahead of time for assistance.

After contacting classmates for full information, you may then visit or email me if you have specific, informed questions. Always include your class and section number on the subject line of emails.

Late or Missed Course Work

Notebook Checks and Projects

Notebook and project deadlines can only be adjusted with documented evidence of serious hardship or illness.

Chapbook

These are handed in at the end of the term and will not be accepted after midnight on May 16. Exceptions are only made with documented evidence of serious harship or illness.

Feel free to visit, call, or email me if you ever have questions or concerns.

Disclaimer! I believe in the creative as well as practical value of spontaneity. I also believe that disorder is always there, lurking in any plan or scheme no matter how carefully devised— especially my own. I therefore reserve the right, if the occasion warrants it, and with ample advance notice to you, to alter some of the details on this page as the semester progresses. Fundamental aspects of the course, such as basic requirements and aims, will not change.

A Note to English Majors

During their senior year, English majors generally enroll in the English Capstone course (Engl 467), during which they assemble a portfolio containing representative written work from NDSU English courses. The English Department evaluates these portfolios to assess its undergraduate programs, analyzing how student work meets departmental outcomes. In order to facilitate the preparation of senior portfolios, English majors are encouraged to save copies of their written work (in electronic and hard copy) each semester.

Departmental Outcomes

This course meets at least three English Dept. outcomes:

Outcome 1: English majors will be able to write and speak effectively for a variety of purposes and audiences in a variety of genres and media.
Outcome 2: English majors will be able to read (analyze, interpret, critique, evaluate) written and visual texts.
Outcome 7: English majors will develop professionalism exhibited in such qualities as self-direction, cooperation, civility, reliability, and care in editing and presenting the final product.

General Education Outcomes

This course has been approved for the Humanities and Fine arts category in General Education because it 1) “promotes the appreciation of aesthetics and the expression of creativity”; and 2) “systematically explores cultural and intellectual forces shaping events, individual expression, and social values.”

The course meets the following General Education Outcomes:

#1: “Communicate effectively in a variety of contexts and formats.”

#6: “Integrate knowledge and ideas in a coherent and meaningful manner.”

Americans with Disabilities Statement/Students with Special Needs

Any students with disabilities or other special needs, who need special accommodations in this course are invited to share these concerns or requests with the instructor as soon as possible.

Student Conduct

All interactions in this course including interactions by email, weblogs, discussion boards, or other online methods will be civil and students will demonstrate respect for one another. Student conduct at NDSU is governed by the Code of Student Behavior. See http://www.ndsu.edu/ndsu/vpsa/code/ for more information.

University Statement on Academic Honesty

All work in this course must be completed in a manner consistent with NDSU University Senate Policy, Section 335: Code of Academic Responsibility and Conduct. http://www.ndsu.nodak.edu/policy/335.htm

Any instances of deliberate plagiarism in English 323 will result in an F for the course.

Produced by Cindy Nichols
NDSU Webmaster