Syllabus Development

A work in progress, with these propositions and syllabus excerpts still in their early stages...

Row #1

The question: What are the goals of this course (my goals, not just re: the description) and how do I want to communicate this to my students?

The proposition: I want my students to gain familiarity with the different literary techniques used to create successful/engaging poetry, fiction, memoir, and explore those techniques in their own writing, such that their final portfolio reflects a development in their craft over the course of a semester, and shows some use/incorporation of elements gleaned from authors studied.

On the syllabus: Welcome to the second year creative writing workshop. In this class, through a mix of weekly readings and creative writing activities, we explore various facets of literary expression, and specific craft techniques, that lead to successful/engaging poetry, fiction, and memoir. As students/participants, you read a mostly contemporary mix of these genres. You write (draft, edit, revise) new work in these genres. You share your work with your peers, offering spoken feedback on their writing during class workshop sessions as well as written feedback on a week-to-week basis. You gain familiarity with different movements within these genres, and develop your voice and vision as a writer, drawing on the craft techniques of the authors studied.

Row #2

The question: What teaching style do I plan to use and how much are the students involved in the pedagogy of the class?

The proposition: I want to blend short lectures on the theme/content of each class with student-led discussion/facilitation on the week’s studied author and prompt-generated student writing time. I want students to feel empowered as class leaders, and have them leaving the semester feeling like they can teach or t.a. at least part of an introductory-level creative writing course.

On the syllabus: While I incorporate short presentations on some facet of writing by the authors we study into our weekly class meetings, student participation and discussion/facilitation is the key component of the class. Your active engagement makes this class run. You present a close study of one of the authors on our reading list to your classmates over the course of the semester, leading discussion about the text by that author we’re examining. By actively contributing to workshop discussions of your peers’ writing, you play a key role in ensuring the success of those portions of our meetings focused on developing your and your classmates’ work.

Row #3

The question: What are the formal expectations of this class? What do I want the students to accomplish and what do I want them to know?

The proposition: I want each student to actively engage with the specific craft techniques and forms of literary expression we examine week to week, both by reading and discussing the selected authors as well as by writing into prompt-generated activities. I want students to hand in an end-of-semester portfolio that incorporates writing across the genres studied and reflects a development in their craft over the course of the fifteen weeks, showing some use of elements gleaned from authors studied.

On the syllabus: You are expected to engage in all facets of this class, from weekly readings and discussions of selected authors, to actively writing into prompt-generated activities, to offering useful feedback on your peers’ writing in class workshop sessions. Your semester’s goal is to generate a final portfolio that incorporates writing across the genres studied and reflects a development in your work over the course of the fifteen weeks. You are expected to utilize elements of craft (characterization, pacing, voice, etc) gleaned from authors studied.

Row #4

The question: What are the pitfalls of the class? Where can it go wrong and how can I prevent that?

The proposition: I am concerned that I might over-assign readings, preventing students from gaining momentum on their own writing endeavors. I am also worried that I’ll over-lecture and take up too much class time presenting my perspectives/aesthetics.

On the syllabus: I limit my comments on authors studied to roughly fifteen minutes of each class’s first half, and offer those only after our weekly student presenter has shared her/his study of the particular author being explored that week. I am committed to ensuring that the workshopping of student writing garners an equal, if not greater, amount of time and energy as our collective study of authors writing in specific genres, and present the group a template/model for successful workshopping strategies/requirements (referring to it as necessary over the semester’s course). As students, you are responsible for meeting the workshop portion’s writing and discussion requirements.

Row #5

The question: What is the role of reading in your class? How do you determine the authors you’ll discuss and will they be models or points of discussion or what?

The propositon: I want the reading to be representative of the racial, economic, gender, and religious diversity of the U.S. (and, ideally, the city/campus I’m teaching at). It’s important to me that our class be a space where the Eurocentric ‘canon’ in literature be problematized/de-centralized, and the writing of traditionally under-represented communities be re-centered.

On the syllabus: A completed reading of a new author is due at the start of each class session. Authors read in this class represent the racial, economic, gender, and religious diversity of the U.S., and deal with themes of pertinence to the contemporary social/cultural moment. The authors’ use of specific craft techniques will greatly inform the class’s writing activities, so completed readings and preparation for discussion are essential.