ENGL
205 Dianna Russell
Section
901 Email: drussell@ccp.edu
Distance
Education Phone: 751-8954
CREATIVE
WRITING
Course
Information and Assignment Schedule
Required
Texts
Gwynn, R. S. Literature: A Pocket Anthology.
Minot,
Stephen. Three Genres.
Supplemental
readings (Available on the Web)
A
good college dictionary
Course
Description
Focus on
student production of original work which may include fiction, poetry, memoir
and dramatic writing. Students will do extensive reading, as well as writing
and developing the critical vocabulary needed to discuss these genres from a
writer's point of view. They will develop these skills through a number of
activities including different forms of writing and peer evaluation in the form
of writing workshops. Prerequisite: ENGL 101.
Course Objectives
By writing within a variety of genres, students will explore the elements of literature, including character, plot, conflict, speaker, tone, point of view, figurative language, symbolism, and theme. Students will be encouraged to develop creative writing ideas, draft initial manuscripts, and revise their work with the ultimate goal of producing polished – and marketable – poetry, short stories, memoirs, and one-act plays. The purpose of this course is to help students develop both as writers and as thinkers. It is designed to broaden their writing abilities and increase their proficiency in targeting material to an intended audience, while giving them the opportunity to engage in peer-editing and self-evaluative techniques within a workshop environment.
Course
Requirements
Deadlines: Creative Writing Pieces, Exercises, and Forum
Discussions must be completed/submitted by 10 pm
Sunday of each week or the student will not be permitted to begin the next
week’s work. Late papers and assignments
will be penalized one letter grade for each day late. Those not fulfilling the instructor’s guidelines
or expectations will not be graded, but will be returned and must be re-written
and re-submitted. Students will be required
to submit a portfolio of Creative Writing at the end of the semester upon which
the final grades for each genre will be based. This means that revision is a vital part of
the course, and students are expected to re-think and rewrite each piece
several times before they submit a “final” product (few creative works are ever
“finalized”!)
Contact Information: Students should insure the instructor has
their current email
address(es). Students
may also provide a telephone number by which they can be contacted, if they so
desire. However, the instructor will not email or call to check on
students’ late work/missing assignments.
It is expected that students will be responsible for their own success
in college. Students might consider
exchanging email addresses with classmates to keep up on missed work.
Participation: Active workshop and forum
participation is expected, and accounts for 10% of a student's final grade.
Papers: Four types of creative
writing pieces will be assigned – poems, short stories, short memoirs, and
one-act plays. Students will also be required to respond to textual readings
and to one another's written work. These responses will be graded for content
by the instructor.
Grading: Poems
15%
Memoirs 15%
Short
Stories 15%
One-Act
Plays 15%
Reader
Response Journal 10%
Workshop
Participation 10%
Final
Creative Piece 20%
100%
Academic Integrity: Cheating and plagiarism will not be
tolerated. Papers that exhibit
plagiaristic tendencies will receive F grades.
Second instances of plagiarism will result in an F for the course. Students who cheat on tests/assignments will
receive an F for the course.
Special Accommodations: Students who are registered with the Center
on Disability must inform the instructor by the end of the first week of
classes if special accommodations are requested.