READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS FOR WEEK OF JANUARY 30 – FEBRUARY 5, 2006:

Tuesday, January 31, 23006:

Please read Chapter 8 (Metaphor) in Writing Poems, as well as Chapter 9 (Is and Is Not: Comparison) in Writing Fiction.

Thursday, February 2, 2006 :

Please read Chapter 2 (Verse) and Chapter 10 (Finding the Poem) in Writing Poems.

Next, here is your Memoir Prompt for this coming week for blogs due on Sunday, February 5, by midnight:

Describe an event in your life when you experienced a very particular and intense assault on your sense of touch. For example, have you ever been severely burned, or caught in the cold? Have you had invasive surgery or the best massage in the world? Describe those sensations with as vivid a vocabulary as you can manage. Do you notice how the number of words we have to describe feeling, especially pain, is very limited? How can you find other ways to approximate the sense of touch?

And finally, I'm listing the guidelines (see below) for your first "official" poetry assignment, which will be due for collection on Tuesday, February 7.

Guidelines for Poetry Assignment #1: Image-Based Poem (Due Tuesday, February 7, 2006:

Write a poem that is saturated with concrete, sensual imagery.

Poem can be on any topic.

Poem must utilize at least five of the seven different types of imagery discussed in class.

Try to make the imagery as precise as possible, while also using imaginative word choice and methods of description to make the imagery lively and fresh.

Avoid cliché and hackneyed language. Avoid using abstractions. The poem should “show vs. tell” and use detailed, concrete language.

Remember that imagery doesn’t necessarily have to be “pretty,” and that poems don’t necessarily have to evoke beauty, although they can and some do.

Poem should be in free verse (i.e., please don’t attempt to make it rhyme).

Remember to give your poem a title when you are finished.

Please type/word process your poem and bring a hard copy to class on the due date. I'll write comments/suggestions for revision for you to work with, and this will be the first piece that you revise for submission in your creative writing portfolio. (With this in mind, please make sure to keep the first version/draft that I return to you with comments for the "before" part of your "before and after" portfolio submission.)

READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS FOR WEEK OF JANUARY 23 - JANUARY 29, 2006

Tuesday, January 24, 2006:

Please read Chapter 1 (Starting Out: An Introduction) in Writing Poems, as well as Chapter 1 (Whatever Works: The Writing Process) in Writing Fiction.

Don't forget to bring in the URL for the blog that you set up!

Thursday, January 26, 2006:

Please read Chapter 6 (Subject Matter) in Writing Poems, as well as Chapter 3 (Seeing is Believing: Showing and Telling) in Writing Fiction.

Here is your memoir prompt from The Autobiography Box for the week of January 23-29, 2006:

Is there a food or dish that you destested as a child that you like as an adult? Can you pinpoint the moment when you gave that food a second chance? How, in general, has your sense of taste changed? Think about the kinds of words that we use to describe taste--sweet, sour, tangy, spicy. Is there a certain food writer you like for his descriptions of food? What kinds of observations does s/he make that you admire?

This blog post (250 words minimum, approximately) will need to be posted to your blog no later than midnight on Sunday, January 29, along with two other blog posts: One of these posts will be a more polished/cleaned-up version of an in-class exercise of your choice from the prior week's in-class exercises, and the other remaining post will be a 250-word process post where you discuss your thoughts on your writing process and/or any of the assigned readings from the past week.

Please make sure to clearly title/label your blog posts as illustrated below (with the appropriate week's dates, of course), so that I can easily identify them and give you credit:

Week of January 23-29, 2006: Memoir Prompt

Week of January 23-29: In-Class Exercise

Week of January 23-29: Process Post

BLOGGING INSTRUCTIONS FOR ENGLISH 283: CREATIVE WRITING I

Important!! Don’t forget to regularly visit the Main Course Blog for reading assignments, written assignment guidelines, and important course reminders and announcements. All the information that you need will always be at your fingertips at the Main Course Blog. (The syllabus will be posted as the first entry on the Main Course Blog, and you can download a hard copy of the syllabus from this same entry as well.)

The URL for the Main Course Blog is: http://english283spring2006.blogspot.com

To set up YOUR course blog (an online journal website), first go to Blogger at http://www.blogger.com to sign up for a Blogger account. Blogger will take you through an easy, step-by-step process to help you set up your blog and create your very own URL. Your new URL will look something like: http://INSERT-YOUR-OWN-TITLE-HERE.blogspot.com.

A Few Tips On What To Expect When Setting Up Your Blog:

If this is your first time visiting Blogger, click Create on Create Your Own Blog now. You will be prompted to set up a user name and password. Tip: Make sure to write down your user name and password so that you can access, edit, and post to your blog.

Once your account is set up, click next/continue, and you will be prompted to give your blog a name/title, and create a URL for your blog (In other words, choose your own address for the "INSERT-YOUR-OWN-ADDRESS-HERE" portion of your URL http://insertyourowntitlehere.blogspot.com. Tip: Make it something easy to remember).

Hit next/continue, and you will be prompted to select a template (i.e., a layout for how your blog will look on the internet . . . you can change it later, if you wish.)

Blogger will create your blog for you, and then give you a Start Posting prompt. I definitely recommend writing and publishing a test post at this point (even something as quotidian as TESTING, TESTING, ONE TWO THREE . . . you can delete it later if you like) to establish the blog on the internet and familiarize yourself with the posting process.

When you're on the posting and editing screen, you can just type in your entries (or cut and paste from a word processing program—-for longer, assigned entries I definitely recommend cutting and pasting from a word processing program so you don't accidentally lose an entire post should there be a technical glitch). When you're finished with your entry, simply click on the button labeled Publish. Blogger will publish your post on the web, giving you a message that your post was published successfully once it’s done publishing. At that point, you can then you can click on the link to view your blog post on the internet.

Once you've posted an entry you can always go back and edit it by clicking on the edit posts link. This will pull the entry back as a text window where you can edit it as much as you like, or even delete it altogether. You might want to play around with posting, editing, and deleting test posts a bit to get a feel for how all this works.

On subsequent visits to Blogger, you will simply go back to http://www.blogger.com, then log in with your account name and password, and you'll see the title of your blog listed on your Blogger Dashboard once you sign on. You can simply click on that link and your editing menus will come right up for you.

This should hopefully be enough information to get you started. Please don't hesitate to e-mail me with any questions at lroripau@usd.edu, or feel free to come visit me during my office hours or set up an appointment if you need further assistance. Good luck, and have fun blogging!!

COURSE SYLLABUS

Click HERE to download a hard copy of the syllabus as a Word document.

ENGLISH 283: CREATIVE WRITING I

Professor Lee Ann Roripaugh
Spring Semester, 2006
Section #075, 2:00-3:15 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays, Old Main 201
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:00-1:45 p.m. and 3:30-5:315 p.m.
(Office Hours Also Available Anytime by Appointment)
Office: Dakota Hall #207
Office Phone: 677-5979
E-mail: lroripau@usd.edu
Mailbox: Dakota Hall #212

ENGL 283 is an introductory course designed to function as a studio class in creative writing. Students will become acquainted with various tools, terms, and techniques employed by poets and fiction writers and will have the opportunity to experiment with and apply these techniques within a studio environment through the use of individual and group creative writing exercises/activities. In the same way that drawing students can learn best through the process of drawing, writers also learn best through the process of writing, and ENGL 283 will emphasize a hands-on, action-based approach toward the goal of developing writerly skills in reading, craft and technique, and creativity. ENGL 283 seeks to challenge students' perceptions, assumptions, imaginations, and reading/writing abilities. A sampling of course requirements includes keeping an on-line journal, completion of (and participation in) daily in-class studio writing activities, a writerly research project, submission of two short expository papers on topics pertinent to creative writing, completion of out-of-class poetry and fiction assignments, and submission of a final writing portfolio. Prior creative writing experience is not required.

Prerequisites: Successful completion of ENGl 101 and ENGL 210.

REQUIREMENTS:

In accordance with the criteria for 200-level courses meeting the Advanced Composition Component in SGR Goal I, all students will be required to submit a minimum total of 5,000 words of final-version writing. These 5,000 words will consist primarily of the final creative writing portfolio, which will then be supplemented by a minimum of two short papers (see guidelines below).

Blogging (Maintenance of On-line Writing Journal:

3 entries per week – 1 entry will be either a response to the assigned readings and/or your thoughts on writing and the writing process (250 words minimum); 1 entry will be a cued journal entry in response to a memoir-generating prompt (250 words minimum); and 1 entry will be the posting of a finished/polished version of a studio writing exercise of your choice generated during the prior week’s class.

Blogging requirements will commence during the first full week of classes, and will continue for fourteen weeks throughout the final week of classes, ending right before the commencement of finals week (with the exception of the week of spring break). Each entry is worth 10 points apiece (at 3 entries per week this adds up to 42 entries total during the semester). You will be allowed to miss up to 2 free entries (if you do all 42 you will receive 20 points extra credit in the class), and you can make up to 3 missed entries by blogging during the week of spring break. Each week’s 3 blog entries must be posted no later than midnight on Sunday night of each week to receive credit.

Final Creative Writing Portfolio:

You will be asked to submit a final creative writing portfolio at the end of the semester composed of revised final versions of your original, creative work. The portfolio will contain revised versions of three poems assigned in class, and a full-length short story (which will be assembled from three short story scenes/assignments of approximately 3 pages each that will be turned in for instructor feedback during the course of the fiction unit) of approximately 10-12 pages (2,500 words minimum). In order to get portfolio credit you must do both of the following:

(1) Turn in a completed, typed/word-processed first draft of the poetry and fiction assignments on the assigned collection days noted on the class schedule and announced in class.

Written comments/feedback and suggestions for future revision will be provided by the instructor (and, in some instances, also via peer critique/student workshopping). To complete the portfolio process, you will then need to:

(2) Respond to written comments/suggestions for revision with a thoughtful, substantive revision of each piece included in your final creative writing portfolio.

The portfolio must include both the original draft of your poetry and fiction assignments with my written comments, along with the your revised, final version of the pieces so that the revision process can be properly evaluated.

The portfolio must also include a short written commentary (250-word minimum) for each revised work that summarizes the revising process, and discusses/evaluates the ways in which the work has changed, evolved, and improved as a result of the revision process.

Research Component:

During the poetry unit, I will be asking you to write a dramatic monologue in the voice of a character from a different historical background/time period. We will take the opportunity to discuss how and why writers use research in their work, and the important role that writerly research plays in the creative writing process. You will be asked to gather research materials to help you write your dramatic monologue from a variety of locations (including books, library research databases, journals, and internet sources) and assemble a bibliography citing your sources in appropriate MLA format to submit with your monologue. At this point in the course, we’ll also take the opportunity to review research procedures, proper citation style, plagiarism issues, and information literacy skills (including the evaluation of electronic sources).

Writerly Immersion Papers:

During the course of the semester, you will be asked to write two short writerly immersion papers (750-1,000 words) on topics of significance to writers and creative writing:

(1) The first paper will involve comparing/contrasting/discussing a minimum of two literary events/readings attended during the course of the semester. One of these readings/events will take place during class in the form of a visiting writer/reader. You will be responsible for attending a second, outside literary event on your own. (There should be plenty of opportunities to attend these types of events throughout the semester. I’ll make sure to announce them in class and post them to the course blog. If there are special circumstances which might make attending an outside literary event unusually problematic/difficult for you, please let me know ASAP and an appropriate substitution for a live performance can be discussed.)

(2) The second paper will involve comparing and contrasting a minimum of two print and one electronic literary journals. One of the print journals will include the 2005 Vermillion Literary Project.

You will be expected to demonstrate fluency in expository writing skills in these assignments, and cite their sources in appropriate MLA format.

Pop Quizzes:

There will be four randomly scheduled pop quizzes over the assigned readings to insure that you are doing the readings and assimilating the writerly terms and techniques which are crucial to your development as a skilled writer/reader of poetry and fiction.

In-Class Participation:

Active and engaged in-class participation in class discussions and studio exercises, as well as writing workshops (20 points per workshop; 40 points total) and in-class open-mic readings (20 points per open-mic reading; 40 points total).

GRADING:

40% Blogging/On-Line Writing Journal Entries (400 points total - 10 points/entry)
30% Final Creative Writing Portfolio (300 points total - 50 points per submitted/revised poems and scene/short-short story; 150 points for 10-12 page short story)
10% Two Writerly Immersion Papers (100 points total - 50 points per activity)
10% Pop Quizzes (100 points total – 25 points per quiz, depending on no. of quizzes)
10% In-Class Participation (100 points total - 20 points per workshop; 20 points per in-class
open-mic reading; 20 points general)

Your final grade will be based on a scale of 1,000 points possible.

TEXTS:

Writing Poetry (Sixth Edition), by Michelle Boisseau and Robert Wallace (Pearson Longman 2004).

Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft (Sixth Edition), by Janet Burroway (Longman Publishers, 2003).

2005 Vermillion Literary Project (Available from the English Department secretary, Melanie Westin, in Dakota Hall 212. Cost is $10 check or cash.)

The Writer's Harbrace Handbook, by Glenn, et al. (Thomson Wadsworth, 2005). (Make sure that you are getting the version without InSite, since we aren’t using the InSite feature and it will be substantially less expensive.)

Additional materials to be made available either on-line or via Xerox handouts as needed.

All textbooks, with the exception of the 2005 Vermillion Literary Project are available at the University Barnes & Noble bookstore.

ABSENCES AND MAKEUPS:

Because this is a hands-on, activity-oriented studio class, attendance is a significant factor for success in this course. You will be allowed three absences during the course of the semester. For each absence beyond these three there will be a 50-point deduction in your final grade. If you happen to go beyond the three allowed absences, you will be allowed to make up two (and no more than two) absences by completing up to two (i.e., one per absence) additional writerly immersion papers (750-word minimum) according to the same guidelines described above for the required expository papers. (If you find yourself in this situation, come talk to me and we can discuss possible topics/approaches for your make-up paper.)

Students who must miss class due to an official University event must let the instructor know in advance (with appropriate documentation) in order to make up missed in-class exercises or quizzes. In the event of unexpected serious illness or if commuting students must miss class due to severely inclement weather, students must contact the instructor and provide appropriate documentation to make arrangements for make-ups.

Please note that I DO NOT make distinctions between excused and unexcused absences, and an absence always counts as an absence. Instead, you’ve been given a reasonable number of absences and a reasonable number of makeup opportunities to work with, and I will expect you each to manage your own attendance accordingly. Please let me know ASAP if you have specific concerns or questions.

PLAGIARISM:

The College of Arts and Sciences considers plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty inimical to the objectives of higher education. The College supports the imposition of penalties on students who engage in academic dishonesty, as defined in the “Conduct” section of the University of South Dakota Student Handbook.

No credit can be given for a dishonest assignment. At the discretion of the instructor, a student caught engaging in any form of academic dishonesty may be:

(a) Given a zero for that assignment.
(b) Allowed to rewrite and resubmit the assignment for credit.
(c) Assigned a reduced grade for the course.
(d) Dropped from the course.
(e) Failed in the course.

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT POLICY ON FAIR EVALUATION:

Rights and Responsibilities: The English Department believes that each student is entitled to earn and receive a fair grade in each course for which he or she enrolls. The department believes equally that it is the right and the responsibility of an instructor to establish criteria for evaluation for each course which he or she teaches and to determine the degree to which an individual student has fulfilled the standards set for the course.

Resolving Complaints: Students making a complaint about a grade should first attempt to resolve the problem directly with the course instructor. If that attempt is unsuccessful, the Director of Writing will review complaints regarding grades in ENGL 101 and 210. The Chair will consider other student complaints regarding grades as well as complaints from 101 and 210 not resolved by the Director of Writing. However, the burden of proof will lie with the student registering the complaint; he or she must demonstrate that an instructor has made an error in computation or that the instructor has violated the criteria set down in the printed syllabus for the course.

Syllabus Policy: To assist the Director and the Chair in determining whether grade changes are needed, individual faculty will be responsible for providing evaluation criteria for each course on the syllabus for that course, and for providing a copy of each syllabus to the Department Secretary by the second week of each semester.

Other Factors: Students should be apprised that extraneous factors, such as the eligibility of a student for sorority or fraternity membership, for scholarship and fellowship awards, or for admission to graduate schools, have no bearing on the determination of the fairness of a grade or grades received. The quality of the student’s overall performance with respect to evaluation standards will be the only criterion for judgment.

NOTICE REGARDING DISABILITIES:

Any student who feels s/he may need academic accommodations or access accommodations based on the impact of a documented disability should contact and register with Disability Services during the first week of class. Disability Services is the official office to assist students through the process of disability verification and coordination of appropriate and reasonable accommodations. Students currently registered with Disability Services must obtain a new accommodation memo each semester.

Ernetta L. Fox, Director
Disability Services, Room 119 Service Center
Phone: (605)677-6389
Web Site: www.usd.edu/ds
E-mail: dservices@usd.edu

ASSESSMENT:

Any written work submitted for this course may be used for purposes of program review and/or faculty development.



TENTATIVE CLASS AND READING ASSIGNMENT SCHEDULE


Important!! Don’t Forget to Blog!! Weekly Deadline for Posting of Three Required Entries is Sunday at Midnight!! The First Round of Blogging will be Due at the End of the First Full Week of Classes (Sunday, January 29, 2006).

Thursday, January 19, 2006 - Introduction to Course

Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - Showing vs. Telling
Reading Assignment: Writing Poems, Chapter 1 – Starting Out: An Introduction; Writing Fiction, Chapter 1 - Whatever Works: The Writing Process

Thursday, January 26, 2006 – Showing vs. Telling (cont.)
Reading Assignment: Writing Poems, Chapter 6 – Subject Matter; Writing Fiction, Chapter 3 – Seeing is Believing: Showing and Telling

Tuesday, January 31, 2006 – Showing vs. Telling (cont.)
Reading Assignment: Writing Poems, Chapter 8 - Metaphor; Writing Fiction, Chapter 9 – Is and Is Not: Comparison

Thursday, February 2, 2006 – Showing vs. Telling (Poetry Emphasis)
Reading Assignment: Writing Poems, Chapter 10 – Finding the Poem; Writing Poems, Chapter 2 - Verse

Tuesday, February 7, 2006 – Music of Language (Poetry Emphasis)
Reading Assignment: Writing Poems, Chapter 3 – Making the Line (I)
Important!! Poem #1 Collection Day!!

Thursday, February 9, 2006 – Music of Language (Poetry Emphasis) (cont.)
Class Canceled Today – Instructor Out of Town for conference

Tuesday, February 14, 2006 – Music of Language (Poetry Emphasis) (cont.)
Reading Assignment: Writing Poems, Chapter 4 – Making the Line (II); Writing Poems, Chapter 5 – The Sound (and Look) of Sense

Thursday, February 16, 2006 – Characterization, Voice and Tone (Poetry Emphasis)
Reading Assignment: Writing Poems, Chapter 7 – Tale, Teller, and Tone

Tuesday, February 21, 2006 – Characterization, Voice and Tone (Poetry Emphasis) (cont.)
Reading Assignment: Writing Fiction, Chapter 4 – Building Character: Characterization, Part I
Important!! Poem #2 Collection Day!!

Thursday, February 23, 2006 – Characterization, Voice and Tone (Poetry Emphasis) (cont.)
Bring Harbrace Handbook to class today

Tuesday, February 28, 2006 – Finding Poems; Revising Poems
Reading Assignment: Writing Poems, Chapter 9 – Beyond the Rational; Writing Poems, Chapter 10 – Finding the Poem

Thursday, March 2, 2006 – Finding Poems; Revising Poems (cont.)
Reading Assignment: Writing Poems, Chapter 11 – Devising and Revising
Important!! Poem #3 Collection Day!!

MARCH 6 – MARCH 10, 2006: SPRING BREAK!!

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 – Workshop Day
Reading Assignment: Writing Poems, Chapter 12 – Becoming a Poet
Important!! Don’t forget to bring in copies of one of your poems for in-class workshopping!!

Thursday, March 16, 2006 – In-Class Open-Mic Reading Day
Important!! Writerly Immersion Paper #1 Due Today!!

Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Class Canceled Today – Instructor Giving Out-of-Town Poetry Reading

Thursday, March 23, 2006 – Structure, Theme, and Plot (Fiction Emphasis)
Reading Assignment: Writing Fiction, Chapter 2 – The Tower and the Net: Story Form, Plot, and Structure

Tuesday, March 28, 2006 – Structure, Theme, and Plot (Fiction Emphasis) (cont.)
Reading Assignment: Writing Fiction, Chapter 6 – Long Ago and Far Away: Fictional Place and Time

Thursday, March 30, 2006 – Structure, Theme, and Plot (Fiction Emphasis) (cont.)
Reading Assignment: Writing Fiction, Chapter 10 – I Gotta Use Words When I Talk To You; Theme

Tuesday, April 4, 2006 – Characterization and Dialogue (Fiction Emphasis)
Reading Assignment: Writing Fiction, Chapter 4 – Building Character: Characterization, Part I
Important!! Fiction Scene #1 Collection Day!! (3-pages, 750 words)

Thursday, April 6, 2006 – Characterization and Dialogue (Fiction Emphasis) (cont.)
Reading Assignment: Writing Fiction, Chapter 4 – The Flesh Made Word: Characterization, Part II

Tuesday, April 11, 2006 – Characterization and Dialogue (Fiction Emphasis) (cont.)
Reading Assignment: TBA

Thursday, April 13, 2006 – Point of View; Revising Fiction
Reading Assignment: Writing Fiction, Chapter 7 – Call Me Ishmael: Point of View, Part I
Guest Reading/Class by Poet Julie Sheehan

Tuesday, April 18, 2006 – Point of View; Revising Fiction (cont.)
Reading Assignment: Writing Fiction, Chapter 8 – Assorted Liars: Point of View, Part II
Important!! Fiction Scene #2 Collection Day!! (3 pages, 750 words)

Thursday, April 20, 2006
Class Canceled – Instructor Giving Out-of-Town Poetry Reading

Tuesday, April 25, 2006 – Point of View; Revising Fiction (cont.)
Reading Assignment: Writing Fiction, Chapter 11 – Play It Again, Sam: Revision

Thursday, April 27, 2006 – In-Class Workshop Day
No Reading Assignment
Important!! Full-Length Fiction Story Collection Day!!(8-10 pages; 2,000 words
minimum)

Tuesday, May 2, 2006 – In-Class Open Mic Day
No Reading Assignment

Thursday, May 4, 2006 – Class Wrap Up
Course final business and announcements; instructor evaluations
Important!! Writerly Immersion Paper #2 Due Today!

Final Creative Writing Portfolios Due Tuesday, May 9, 2006, by 5:00 p.m.!!!!!