English 242, Section 10—Introduction to Creative Writing
Meeting Days/Times: MW 8am-9:45am
Classroom: Wissink Hall 118
Instructor: Dan DeWolf
Office Location: Armstrong Hall 206A
Office Hours: M 10am-12pm; W 12pm-2pm (E-office hours)
Office Phone: 507-389-1022
E-mail: daniel.dewolf@mnsu.edu
English 242
This course is an introduction to reading and writing contemporary poetry and prose. We will be examining elements of craft in both poetry and prose to gain a better understanding of how the writing process works and to enhance our ability to think critically when reading a piece of contemporary literature. This will be a reading and writing intensive course.
Required Text and Materials
- Money for printing and copying expenses
- Notebook, folder, writing utensil
- You are not required to purchase a text for this course; however, I recommend that you reference Strunk and White’s Elements of Style as a guide to writing. You can access a free version of the book at the following URL:
- http://www.crockford.com/wrrrld/style.html
- All reading assignments can be found on D2L under the Content section. It will be your responsibility to print off these documents and bring them to class for our discussions of the texts.
Assignments
Reading Responses - 25%
There will be regular reading assignments for the first ten weeks of this course. To help direct your reading, you will be required to write a response once a week (usually due on Mondays, there will be eight total over the course of this semester). These reading responses will discuss elements of craft within each work—we will define craft elements in poetry and prose on the first day of each unit, and we will go over example reading responses on the first day of the semester. During the poetry unit, you will focus on one poem for each reading response. You will turn in a copy of your typed reading response after class discussion on the day we discuss the assigned reading.
Portfolio Project - 30%
In addition to reading responses, you will be required to complete a portfolio project—due on Final’s Day. The portfolio project will consist of the following: writing prompts, reading responses, at least one rough draft of your poems and stories, workshop comments, and revisions. You will be given in-class writing prompts during the poetry and fiction units. You’ll be responsible for saving these documents to either your MavDisk or to a portable storage device. The in-class writing prompts will serve as material from which you will develop ideas for poems and stories. Drafts of the poems and stories are due on the dates listed in the course schedule. You will choose which piece(s) you’d like to have read for workshop. You’ll be responsible for making copies of the work for the entire class and collect the commented copies after your work has been discussed. Three commented drafts will need to be included in the portfolio. After you’ve received your workshop comments, you will be required to write a revision of that work and include it in your portfolio. All work in the portfolio must be typed.
Participation - 30%
You will be required to actively participate during class discussions and workshops. Your written responses to the assigned readings will help lead the discussion. If you do not contribute to a class discussion or fail to complete a reading response, you will forfeit your participation points for that day. You will be required to turn in three poems at the end of the poetry unit and one short story at the end of the fiction section. You will then have the option of workshopping either the poems or story during the last five weeks of the semester. You will comment on your peers’ drafts prior to the day on which they are scheduled to be workshopped; then, each student will share his/her feedback during that class. Failure to provide feedback to your peers or show up on your scheduled workshop day will result in the forfeiting of that day’s class participation points. Showing up for class doesn’t automatically guarantee that you’ll receive participation points; that’s called attendance. If you don’t come to class, you can’t earn participation points.
Class Reading - 15%
On Final’s Day, you will be required to read your work in front of the class. You’ll be given five minutes to read a portion of your revised story, or to read your revised poems. This portion of the class is mandatory. You will be unable to pass the course if you fail to provide the class with a reading of your work.
Grading Scale
A- = 90-92 A = 93-97 A+ = 98-100
B- = 80-82 B = 83-86 B+ = 87-89
C- = 70-72 C = 73-76 C+ = 77-79
D = 60-69
F = 0-59
Class Policies
- Attendance—you are allowed two absences over the course of the semester. I do not differentiate between excused and unexcused absences. You will be docked 5% off your final grade for each absence after the allotted two. If unforeseen circumstances arise that are beyond your control and that will cause you to miss an extended period of time, please contact me so that we can work something out.
- Cell phone and portable electronic devices will not be permitted during lecture/discussion/workshop. If you’d like to listen to music during writing time, you may so long as you have headphones/earbuds and the volume doesn’t bother those sitting around you. Please silence phones and turn off any other electronics prior to the start of class. You will not be allowed to use the computers during lectures or discussions—I will ask you to turn off the monitors before commencing with the day’s lesson.
- Academic Dishonesty—Plagiarism, cheating, and/or collusion will result in an automatic failing grade. Don’t try to pass off someone else’s work as your own; I’ll find out if you do.
- From the Office of Disability Services: “MSU provides students with disabilities reasonable accommodation to participate in educational; programs, activities, or services. Students with disabilities requiring accommodation to participate in class activities or meet course requirements should first register with the Office of Disability Services, located in 0123 Memorial Library, telephone 389-2825, TDD 711 and then contact me as soon as possible.”
- All work is considered public text; I reserve the right to use any work for future classes for teaching purposes.
- The following schedule is tentative and subject to change.
Class Schedule
Week of January 11th
Monday: Introduction
Lecture/Discussion: Elements of Craft; Elements of Fiction
Homework: “Bohemians” by George Saunders
Wednesday: Character
Discussion: Saunders
Lecture: Writing a Craft Paper
Writing Prompt: Character sketches
Homework: “A Father’s Story” by Andre Dubus, “Dimension” by Alice Munro; reading response
Week of January 18th
Monday: NO CLASS
Wednesday: Scene vs. Summary
Discussion: Dubus, Munro; RR DUE
Writing Prompt: Character insight/reflection
Homework: “Tall Tales from the Mekong Delta” by Kate Braverman, “The Things They Carried” by Tim O’Brien; reading response
Week of January 25th
Monday: Symbolism, Metaphor, Imagery
Discussion: Braverman, O’Brien; RR DUE
Writing Prompt: Writing about objects/color
Homework: “The Fix” by Percival Everett, “The School” by Donald Barthelme
Wednesday: Thematic Development
Discussion: Everett, Barthelme
Writing Prompt: Turning the abstract into something concrete
Homework: Russell Banks “Sara Cole: A Type of Love Story” and Jamaica Kincaid “Girl”; Reading Response
Thursday: Good Thunder Reading Series
Week of February 1st
Monday: Point-of-View
Discussion: Banks and Kincaid; RR DUE
Writing Prompt: POV exercise
Homework: “Allegiance” by Aryn Kyle, “Brownies” by Z.Z. Packer
Wednesday: Plot
Discussion: Kyle, Packer
Writing Prompt: Plot maps
Homework: “How to Date a Brown Girl (black girl, white girl, or halfie)” by Junot Diaz, “Welding with Children” by Tim Gautreaux; reading response
Week of February 8th
Monday: Style Voice
Discussion: Diaz, Gautreaux; RR DUE
Writing Prompt: Imitation exercise
Homework: “Somewhere Outside Seneca” by Steve Almond, “The Colonel” by Carolyn Forche, “The Wig” by Brady Udall, “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemmingway
Wednesday: Flash Fiction/Dialog
Discussion: Almond, Forche, Udall, Hemmingway
Writing Prompt: Flash Fiction/Dialog exercise
Short Story Due
Week of February 15th
Monday: Intro to Poetry
Discussion: Poetic Elements; Word Choice
Writing Prompt: Word cloud exercise
Homework: TBD reading
Wednesday: TBD
Discussion: TBD reading
Writing Prompt: TBD
Homework: Bishop, Roedthke, Thomas poems; reading response
Thursday: Good Thunder Reading Series
Week of February 22nd
Monday: Forms (sonnet, villanelle, sestina)
Discussion: Bishop, Roethke, Thomas poems; RR DUE
Writing Prompt: Using form
Homework: TBD reading; reading response
Wednesday: Free Verse
Discussion: TBD reading
Writing Prompt: Free verse exercise
Homework: Read Natasha Trethewey “After Your Death”; Robert Hayden “Those Sunday Mornings”; reading response
Week of March 1st
Monday: Theme and Imagery
Discussion: Trethewey and Hayden; RR DUE
Writing Prompt: Theme exercise
Homework: TBD reading
Wednesday: Theme and Imagery
Discussion: TBD poems
Writing Prompt: Imagery exercise
Homework: Read Gary Soto “Oranges”; Amy Fleury “A Prayer for Intercession”; Ted Kooser “Gyroscope”; reading response
Week of March 8th
NO CLASS—SPRING BREAK
Week of March 15th
Monday: Symbols and Metaphor
Discussion: Soto, Fleury, and Kooser; RR DUE
Writing Prompt: Object as symbol/metaphor exercise
Homework: Ed Micus, Charles Wright, and Judy Jordan poems
Wednesday: Music (alliteration, assonance, consonance)
Discussion: Micus, Wright, and Jordan
Writing Prompt: Music prompt
Homework: Lucille Clifton; reading response
Week of March 22nd
Monday: Rhythm and Meter
Discussion: Clifton poems; RR DUE
Writing Prompt: Applying rhythm/meter to previous prompt (scansion)
Homework: B.H. Fairchild poems
Wednesday: Narrative Poetry
Discussion: Fairchild
Writing Prompt: Narrative exercise
· 3 Poems Due – Submit to D2L
· Workshop Piece Due (either 3 poems, or one story—bring enough copies for class)
· Sign-up for Workshops
Thursday: Good Thunder Reading Series
Week of March 29th
Monday: Workshops 1-3
Wednesday: Workshops 4-6
Week of April 5th
Monday: Workshops 7-9
Wednesday: NO CLASS
D2L Writing Assignment
Week of April 12th
Monday: Workshops 10-12
Wednesday: Workshops 13-15
Thursday: Good Thunder Reading Series
Week of April 19th
Monday: Workshops 16-18
Wednesday: Workshops 19-21
Week of April 26th
Monday: Workshops 22, 23
Wednesday: Workshops 24, 25
Week of May 3rd - Finals Week
Time/Date/Location: TBD
Portfolio projects due
Class readings
