ENGL 283 Fall '97 Syllabus

Tele. 605/677-5975; Office Dakota Hall #229 (English Dept.)
E-mail: mrogge@sunflowr.usd.edu
Office Hours: MW 10:30-11:45 a.m. (Dakota #229)

Web Site: http://www.usd.edu/~mrogge

Required Texts/Materials:

• David Madden. A Pocketful of Prose: Contemporary Short Fiction, 1992.
• The 1997 Vermillion Literary Project. 1997. Purchase the VLP journal directly from Barb Baisden in the English Dept., Dakota #212, for $10.00.
• A notebook with lined paper (for a journal).
• A two-pocket folder.
• Two to three 3-1/2" high-density computer disks

Course Description: ENGL 283 is an introductory course in creative writing. You'll get plenty of writing practice, both in and out of class; along the way, you'll be expected to shape some of these writings into stories and poems. To define "good" writing, we'll read and discuss the works of both professional and amateur writers, examining how the writers have incorporated elements such as setting, imagery, character, and plot.

To provide you with an awareness of the literary/writing communities beyond this classroom, we'll look at what's out there on the Internet, as well as what's in the Vermillion/USD community. We will create a literary ezine of our own, publishing some of your writings in this ezine. The main emphasis, of course, will be on your writing and getting feedback from both your peers and your instructor.

General Requirements: We will spend the first half of the course on poetry and the second half on fiction. At mid-term, you'll submit five poems in a folder. Your final requirement at the end of the semester will be to submit your fiction folder, containing two short stories. SAVE ALL DRAFTS.

Two short conferences will be scheduled during the semester. The purposes of these conferences are: 1) to allow more in-depth and individual discussion of your work than is possible in class; and 2) to address any concerns or questions you may have about the writing process.

Due dates for assignments will be given in advance, and all work is due in class on the due date. Late assignments will be reduced in grade 10% for every day they are late.

Journal: Use a notebook with lined paper--standard size. Bring your journal to class every day; we will do many in-class writings. DATE each entry.

Workshop: Each student is required to workshop one poem and one short story. In other words, twice this semester you will share your work with the rest of the class so they can discuss it. Students whose work is scheduled to be workshopped must bring sufficient photocopies for the entire class prior to the workshop date.

Revising your drafts: When you revise your drafts, keep in mind the comments of your instructor and those of your classmates (if you workshopped the poem/story).

Plagiarism: No plagiarized work will be accepted, and such work may NOT be rewritten for credit. See University policy handout for possible consequences.

Note: All work must be ORIGINAL to this class. You may not use stories or poems you've written for another class.

Attendance: Students are expected to invent, draft, and revise their work in a workshop setting and must have successive drafts prepared when due; therefore, attendance is EXPECTED. An excess of cuts may result in course grade being lowered one letter grade or in an instructor-initiated drop. If you do miss class, it is your responsibility to find out forthcoming assignments from either me or a classmate so that you can turn in your assignments on time. You will not be given extra time because you missed class.

Poetry/Fiction General Folder Requirements: All poems and stories should be typed. (Journal assignments and in-class writings, of course, do not need to be typed.) I advise you to bring your computer disks to class and be prepared to type and store writings on disk, as well as printing your writing. Be sure to make back-up copies of your disks. Note: Your computer crashing or your ink cartridge running out of ink will not serve as a legitimate excuse for work being late.

Stories should be double-spaced. Poetry can be single-spaced (with blank lines in between stanzas). Use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation (except when the poem/story requires a deviation from this standard). When making copies for workshops, single space is acceptable to save on paper and cost. SAVE ALL PRE-FINAL DRAFTS--you will will need to include them, along with the final drafts of your work, in your folder.

Grading:

Letter grade	Percentages
A	90-100%
B	80-89%
C	70-79%
D	60-69%
F	Below 60%

PERCENTAGE BREAKDOWN FOR ASSIGNMENTS:

Assignment	Percentage of grade
Rough Drafts/Conferences	10%
Evaluations of literary event/e-zines	10%
Listserv participation/Workshops	10%
Journal/Participation in creating e-zine	10%
Poetry folder (five poems)	30%
Fiction folder (two stories)	30%
Total	100%

Extra Credit: For as much as 2% extra credit, you can create extra pages for the Internet e-zine or create artwork (detailed to be provided later).

Additional Computer Hours: This classroom will be available as a lab when classes are not being taught; hours will be posted on the door to the classroom. In addition, you can use the computers in the Link Lab, which is located in between I.D. Weeks Library and the Coyote Student Center. To use this lab, you should call ahead of time at 677-6275 to reserve a two-hour block. And be sure to bring your student I.D. For hours and other information about the Link Lab, visit their web page at http://www.usd.edu/csc/link.htm.

Form (or structure):

• Have you successfully met the requirements for the form of this work, whether it is a short story or a poem? For example--
  • If you are writing a sonnet, have you met the requirements of the sonnet form?
  • If you are writing a short story, does the story have a strong conflict?
  • Do you stay consistently in the first-person or third-person point of view?

• Why are you telling me? In other words, what is so interesting about this subject and/or what happens that it should be put down on paper in the form of a poem or story?
• Have you avoided the obvious and cliche?
• Do you find yourself bored with your own story/poem? Chances are, then, that your reader will be bored as well.

• Do you use language effectively, in a manner that is appropriate to the work?
• Do you use fresh, imaginative images and descriptions?
• Does the dialogue (if used) sound believable?
• Is the work free of errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation?

Daily Assignments:

This schedule is subject to change.

Dates	Assignments
9/3-9/5	Introduction. The Blue Moon Review "Tuesday"; BMR "At the China Town Gate"
9/8-9/12	Internet e-zine; VLP "Rites of Summer" 32; "The Ballad of Isaac" 38; BMR: "Eaten" Internet e-zine; "They Believed in the Presence of Sunlight" 13; "Untitled" 76; The Missouri Review: "At Arthur's Stone".
9/15-9/19	Simile/metaphor handout. VLP "Sifter" 10; "Heaven" 57. Fixed-forms handout; BMR: "1-900-ASK-ZARI"
9/22-9/26	Milton handout. Internet e-zine evaluation prep. Turn in two poems: 1) "other senses" poem; 2) poem using metaphor.
9/29-10/3	Conferences (no class this week). Be prepared to recite a fixed-form poem during your conference. DO NOT miss your conference; you cannot reschedule!
10/6-10/10	Internet e-zine evaluation due. Revision handout. "Personna" poem." VLP "Wolfe" 18; "Escape" 75. Workshops begin.
10/15-10/17	Mon. Oct. 13 no class (Native American Day). Workshops cont.
10/20-10/24	Workshops cont. Poetry folder due Fri. 10/24.

Go to the ENGL 283 Page.