Course Requirements

You will be required to attend every virtual meeting (unless excused) and contribute to the learning environment. If you do not often speak up in class, we can discuss ways to increase participation through other means, but it may be up to you to take initiative. Additionally, you will often be asked to post in Discussions before class in order prepare for classroom discussion. Occasionally, you will be asked to either prepare a prompt before class or during class. Classroom discussion, posts to Discussions, and prompts will all be graded on completion.

Students are expected to be prompt and to attend classes regularly. Students are responsible for the notes, assignments and activities they might have missed. More than 2 unexcused absences could result in a lowered grade, possibly failure. Absences are excused for family and health emergencies, only; absences related to travel and work are not excused.

Major assignments will be docked 5% for each day late, including the first late day. After the 2nd class meeting, they will not be accepted unless there is a compelling and excused reason for the tardiness. Workshop manuscripts and critique response are due on the due date and will not be accepted late, unless there are compelling and exigent reasons. If your workshop assignment is submitted late, you may not have an opportunity to have it workshopped. Late assignments are excused for family and health emergencies, only; travel and work-related excuses are not excusable.

On workshop days, you will provide feedback for all of your peer group’s pieces. Written feedback will answer the 4-8 questions students in your group submit (combined answers should be ~250 words minimum, excluding the questions). Verbal feedback will be provided using the methods required by the student’s submission. All feedback will be graded on completion.

The instructor presumes that students will read and discuss a wide range of literary works and original manuscripts, including works containing subjects or expression that some might consider to be offensive or controversial. This position is taken because the goal of the course is to encourage intellectual and creative enterprise, and the instructor feels that placing restrictions on subject or expression would be detrimental to this goal. Further, the student who presents potentially offensive expression has a responsibility to justify, in his/her view, how the expression has intellectual or creative purpose. It is worth noting that the US Supreme Court in Corlett v. Oakland University Board of Trustees notes that "speech protected in other settings is not necessarily protected when made in response to a classroom assignment.”

You will submit a 5-20 pp. original creative nonfiction piece in any genre.

You will submit another 5-20 pp. original creative nonfiction piece in any genre.

You will lead a portion of class discussion (15-20 minutes) on an element of style/craft from one of the corresponding works we have studied. You may prepare questions for the class, create a lecture, provide a personalized prompt, or use any other method which will help students understand key concepts. Click here to review the sign-up sheet.

NOTE: If you have presentation elements in your craft talk, be sure to send me this material before your class through D2L so that I can share the info on the Zoom screen.

You will revise one of your assignments (either Assignment 1 or 2) using feedback received from your peers’ and/or instructor. In addition, you will provide a brief description of your revision process (minimum 500 words). This will function as your final portfolio for the course.