Welcome to our online course. :)
Course
English 18
Creative Writing
Section 0461
Spring 2009
Instructor
Riba Taylor
Office hours
We can arrange for phone or private online meetings at any time if you'd like my input or help regarding your work in the course or if you have any concerns you need to address. Or, if you'd just like to talk a bit informally about writing or reading in general, class texts in particular (or ??), I'd be happy to meet you in the Chat Room of our course site or make arrangements to speak on the phone. Please send me a private message in our course site and include your preference. If you'd like to arrange a phone meeting, please include your phone number and three good times to call you. Thanks.
Students already enrolled in my courses are welcome to try to reach me at home by phone between 11am and 2pm (Pacific time) weekdays at 707.239.5240. Note, if you do find me there, I will be happy to call you right back so you won't have to pay for the rest of the call, so do remind me of this offer when you call. Please call me only during the proffered times. Thanks.
If you are not yet enrolled in one of my classes, please contact me first at the email address below.
Email
taylor@siskiyous.edu
The best way to reach me electronically is by Private Message in our online classroom. I will check these often, and it's easier for me to help you when I am actually inside our online classroom at the time. But my email address is above if you need it for any reason.
Description
This is a college-level creative writing course. It serves as an introduction to a variety of elements central to all creative writing, including image detail, narrative presence and slow motion. The course has a slight emphasis on creative nonfiction or the personal essay, but writers of all genres (and all levels of expertise!) are welcome. The course sets a relaxed but rigorous writing routine designed to benefit both the novice who wants to get their feet wet and the more experienced writer looking for new ways to reach your writing voice or sharpen specific skills. (Or, if you are like me, it may be the ideal way to get yourself or keep yourself writing. Deadlines can help. :)
In order to pass the class
Because this is a lower division college course, in addition to regular short readings and writing exercises, all participants will be asked to complete one larger project that includes an element of research and is formatted according to MLA guidelines in order to earn a "C" or better.
Student learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
1) identify and describe several elements of creative writing including image detail, slow motion, hook, persona writing, point of view, dialog, plot, narrative presence and character and recognize examples of them in published texts
2) understand specific strategies for developing each element and be able to apply a specific approach in their own writing to strengthen any specific element
3) participate confidently in a workshop with other writers, giving and receiving specific feedback on each other's work
4) begin to explore the writer's life having gained an understanding of their own writing process and knowing resources they can use to continue their growth as a writer
Books
There are two required texts and three recommended texts for this class. You will need the required ones right away. You get to choose one of the recommended texts, and you can wait until after the course begins when you receive the details about the Project---see below---in our online classroom. All the texts are available through the college bookstore:
Required
Let the Crazy Child Write, by Clive Matson
Becoming a Writer, by Dorothea Brande
Recommended (choose one)
Wild Mind, by Natalie Goldberg
Zen and the Art of Writing, by Ray Bradbury
If You Want to Write, by Brenda Ueland
Grading
8 exercises = 800
9 workshops = 900
10 or so reflections = 500 (+/-)
1 project = 300
Total points possible will be (+/-) 2500
(Be sure to read details for "The Project" below.)
ETUDES NG will automatically keep track of some points but most will rely on my manually entering them. (My drop-dead turnaround time for grading, by the way, is two weeks from the due date. I will grade work earlier whenever possible.)
IMPORTANT!
You must complete the project for this course in order to earn a grade of "C" or better in the class.
Your letter grade and "The Project"
To complete this course with a letter grade of "C" or higher you must complete The Project with a "C" or higher (and, of course, earn the cumulative points throughout the term to support your desired letter grade). The project involves an element of research and needs to be formatted according to MLA guidelines. I insist on this because this is an academic college course and I want there to be an element of the scholarly. But there is no need to be put off by this---you may choose to meet the research/documentation aspect of the project in a minimal manner and keep it largely a "creative" piece. You will also have ample time to revise and edit for technical errors and to conform to MLA guidelines, so I hope there will be no worries there, either. (Details follow later in the Modules. :)
Turning in your work
All work is due by midnight Pacific time on Sundays unless otherwise indicated. When work is presented in the Tasks List in two-week segments, it is due at the end of the second week. (The exception to this is your project which is due in Week 14.) All work will be accepted until midnight Monday. Work submitted during this grace period is considered late work, but there is no penalty for these late submissions.
Attendance
Because you are not attending a traditional face-to-face class, there are no exact requirements for attendance. However, I expect you to "show up" in our virtual classroom often. I recommend daily login for checking messages and keeping abreast of any changes.
In my experience as an online student, checking in more than once a day during the week---even if only for a few minutes---has been the most effective way for me to keep up with the discussion messages without becoming overwhelmed. Plus, the more often I check in, the more engaged I feel, and the more I enjoy the class. Then I plan larger chunks of time for completing the rest of my coursework.
For this class, I'll ask you to develop the habit of checking the following every time you log in:
Recent announcements (on the home page)
All new posts in the Questions forum
Private messages (in our course site)
My time commitments to you
I will visit our online classroom at least once every weekday to answer questions and private messages. If I'll be unavailable during the week, I'll always try to let you know via an announcement or by posting a note in the Questions forum.
If you "see" me in our online classroom but I don't respond to a question or private message, it probably means I am grading and not currently checking for newly posted messages. I do try to always respond to any waiting messages whenever I visit the course site, but on occasion I'll need to pop in to address an administrative issue and won't have time to check for questions. I usually won't be visiting the course site on weekends or school holidays, except for the first week or two while folks are still becoming oriented and getting their feet on the ground.
Open communication
I encourage you to bring me any questions or concerns that may come up for you during the term. If you are feeling overwhelmed, frustrated, worried or bored---tell me about it. I am happy to schedule a time to talk over the phone, and you can send me a private message or whenever you like or call me at home during the hours stated at the beginning of the syllabus. If you don't understand my comments on your work, please ask me. If you think I missed something or the grade you received doesn't adequately represent the quality of your work, tell me about it. (It never hurts to ask. There have been occasions when I've changed someone's grade because of an oversight on my part of a good argument on the student's part.)
I can't stress enough the importance of keeping me informed. I try to be both fair and reasonable, but if I don't know what's going on with you, there is very little chance I'm going to be able to address your issues or concerns, much less help resolve them.
On a lighter note, I enjoy communicating with my students, and it doesn't need to happen only when something has gone awry. Please feel free to send me a private message to let me know when you've enjoyed a particular task or learned something valuable or just got a chuckle out of something in our online classroom. Small connections like this are important for all of us, I think. So please don't ever worry about "bugging" me, whether it's good or bad, large or small. I like hearing from you.
Attitude and academics
Plagiarism or other forms of cheating are (of course!) unacceptable. When copying something word for word, or when rephrasing ideas from someone else's text, you must cite your source. If you use someone else's words or ideas without citing them (even only a couple), you are committing plagiarism and may receive an "F." Other disciplinary action may also be taken.
Equally unacceptable is any "behavior" that is disruptive or has a negative impact on the class. I expect everyone to treat each other with respect and as much kindness as we can muster. In the online environment, this should be easier to do because we have the advantage of being able to think about our words before we send or "speak" them. (I talk about this more in the Netiquette section of the Getting Started module. It's important to me.) If I feel your behavior is unacceptable, I may need to step in to "correct" you, or I may need to "speak" with you privately before you can continue to participate in the class. I don't anticipate this needing to happen, but I feel I need to warn you that it could.
Dropping the class
If for any reason you stop attending class, please remember it is your responsibility to drop the course. I would also recommend you follow up a week or two later by requesting a printout of your schedule from admissions and records to verify the drop has been implemented. If you don't drop the course, you'll automatically receive an "F." If you don't drop, your name appears on the final grade sheet, and I have no other option at that point but to complete the "bubble" for an "F." No one is happy in this situation (not me, not you, not Admissions and Records), so please take the time and be responsible for your own transcripts. Even if you've only attended the first couple of weeks of a course, don't assume the instructor is going to "take care of it" for you. You might luck out once or twice, but eventually it will catch up with you.
Encouraging a fair and safe experience
This college and this classroom are dedicated to providing an atmosphere that affords everyone, regardless of race, ethnic background, gender, disability, age or sexual preference, the sense of feeling safe and of being treated fairly so each student will have the best opportunity to learn. If you feel you have been treated unjustly, or are having an experience that in some way impedes your ability to feel safe in the academic environment, please let us know so we can do what we can to help. I've already encouraged you to bring any problems you might be having in my class to me, and I echo that again here. (If need be, we can get assistance from other campus support services to help us resolve any concerns.)
The most important thing to all of us who work here is that you have a good experience and are motivated to continue your education. We really are here to help. Please give us every chance we can to do just that.
A demanding but rewarding class
This is a demanding class, but it can be a fun, challenging, rewarding, heartwarming, eye-opening, entertaining and growth-filled experience for all of us. I'm glad you're here. I look forward to working with you throughout the term.
