DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH COURSE SYLLABUS

A Course
Number
& Title ENG 301: Introduction to Creative Writing

B Pre/Co-
requisite(s) ENG 203 or ENG 204

C Number of
3-0-3
credits

D Faculty Name Nicholas Karavatos, M.F.A.

Term/ Year Spring 2017

F Sections
CRN Day Time Location
s

20215 M/W 3:30 4:45 p.m. LAN 109

G Instructor
Information
Office Telephone Email
LAN 237 06-515-3073 nkaravatos@aus.edu
Office Hours:

MW: 9:00-10:45 a.m. & 12:30-1:45 p.m.

Tue: 9:00-12:00 p.m.

Or by appointment at your convenience

Introduces the basic elements of writing and evaluating poetry, fiction and
H Course
Description creative non-fiction. Students submit at least 10 pages of material suitable
from Catalog for inclusion in the student literary journal Realms.

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

I Course
Learning demonstrate an ability to use fiction & poetry to imply complex, original
Outcomes
insights
demonstrate control of tone, style, and point of view in their fiction & poetry
explain & demonstrate the fundamentals of poetics
explain & demonstrate the fundamentals of fiction
explain & demonstrate the specific rhetorical devices by which writers
convey meaning & evoke emotion
explain & demonstrate the ways in which the structure (form) of a work (from
the sentence-level in prose and the word- & line-level in poetry) expresses
meaning
 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH COURSE SYLLABUS

demonstrate an understanding of the functions of atmosphere, dialogue,

figuration, form, imagery, rhythm, setting, structure, tone, and voice in
poetry and creative prose
demonstrate developed poetic styles and individual voices in their poetry

demonstrate developed prose styles and individual voices in their fiction

demonstrate sensitivity to the nuances of language
demonstrate the ability to construct extended narratives with developed
plots and complex, rounded characters in their fiction
demonstrate their ability to generate original material without relying on
clich formulas
demonstrate their ability to generate original material in traditional &
nontraditional forms
demonstrate effective workshop skills:
o Analyzing, critiquing, and presenting helpful suggestions concerning
characterization, form, language, originality, plot, point-of-view,
setting, structure, style, tone, etc.
exhibit the following qualities when performing their poetry:
o Attention to volume, tone, and dynamics of voice
o Posture that is both comfortable and inviting
o Unity of mood from page to performance
o Attention to those difficult moments in poems and their adequate
expression
o Mixing up a good batch with attention to beginning and ending.

Burroway, Imaginative Writing: The Elements of Craft, (4th ed.)

J Textbook and
other
Instructional SFSU Poetry Center, Timpane, & Watts, Poetry for Dummies, Wiley
Material and Publishing, Inc.
Resources
Professor-prepared handouts and online documents

Lecture, discussion, individual work, and presentations

K Teaching and
Learning
Relationship of Course to Program Outcomes:
Methodologie
s The course will develop the students sense of the limits (limitlessness?) of
language, which will enable them to become creative thinkers, unique
communicators, and professional writers.

General education: 70% Minor Requirements: 30%

L Grading Grading Scale

Scale,
Grading 94.6 100 4.0 A 76.6 79.5 2.3 C
Distribution, +
and Due 89.6 94.5 3.7 A- 72.6 76.5 2.0 C
Dates 86.6 89.5 3.3 B 69.6 72.5 1.7 C-
+
82.6 86.5 3.0 B 59.6 69.5 1.0 D
79.6 82.5 2.7 B- Less Than 0 F
 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH COURSE SYLLABUS

59.6

Grading Distribution

Assessment Weig Due Date

ht

Attendance/Participation 20% As indicated in the

syllabus

Prose Manuscript 15%

Poetry Manuscript 15%

Final Portfolio 40%

Final Exam 10%

Total 100%

Criteria for Grading:

M Explanation of
Assessments These are some general guidelines concerning grading. Since the qualities of
a good poem or story are not quantifiable, the interpretation of what is
original, provocative, or eloquent writing must of necessity be subjective,
although based on extensive experience in reading published poetry & prose
of literary merit, as well as critical theory.

A for Exemplary Performance:

Perfect attendance; consistent, quality contribution to class discussion;
submitted work at publication-quality level.

B for Meritorious Performance:

Perfect or near-perfect attendance, consistent, quality contribution to class
discussion; submitted work could be published with little editing.

C for Satisfactory Performance:

Near-perfect attendance, acceptable contribution to class discussion;
submitted work shows competent effort made to meet requirements, but
lacks elements needed for publication.

D for Marginal Performance:

Insufficient attendance, but not enough absences to force mandatory
withdrawal; poor contribution to class discussion; submitted work shows
only marginal effort made to meet requirements.

F for Failing Performance:

Falls significantly short of requirements or basic competence, or both.
 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH COURSE SYLLABUS

The course presupposes that students are readers of literature,

have control over the grammar and mechanics of English, are
familiar with the basic crafts of both prose & poetry, and that the
students wish to communicate to others through original, literary
texts.

Outcomes Assessments
To teach students the basic Reading, writing, critiquing,
elements of fiction, poetry, and re-writing prose &
and creative non-fiction poetry

To provide students with Reading, writing, critiquing,

objective criteria for judging and re-writing prose &
creative work poetry

To provide students with Reading, writing, critiquing,

guidance in writing their own and re-writing prose &
creative work poetry

Develop increased Reading, writing, critiquing,

knowledge of the elements and re-writing prose &
and techniques of poetry & poetry
prose writing

Develop an increased Reading, writing, critiquing,

awareness of voice and style and re-writing prose &
to achieve emotional & poetry
intellectual effects in prose
& poetry

Develop increased skill in Reading, writing, critiquing,

writing thought-provoking, and re-writing prose &
well-crafted fiction & poetry poetry

N Student Students are advised that violations of the Student Academic Integrity Code
Academic will be treated seriously and can lead to suspension or dismissal from the
Integrity Code university. A notation of the academic integrity code violation can become
Statement part of the students permanent record.

Academic violations include but are not limited to:

Plagiarism
 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH COURSE SYLLABUS

Inappropriate Collaboration
Inappropriate Proxy
Dishonesty in Examinations and Submitted Work
Work Completed for One Course and Submitted to Another
Deliberate Falsification of Data
Interference with Other Students Work
Copyright Violations
Complicity in Academic Dishonesty

Students MUST read the Student Academic Integrity Code outlined

in the AUS Catalog and agree to abide by the standards for
academic conduct, students rights and responsibilities and
procedures for handling allegations of academic dishonesty.

SCHEDULE
Note: Tests and other graded assignments due dates are set. No addendum, make-up exams, or
extra assignments to improve grades will be given.

WEE
# ASSIGNED READING NOTES
K

1 To develop
MONDAY aspects of the
Introduction: The Image and the Sound craft, I suggest
1. Imaginative Writing, Chapter 2: Image, pages 15-17. keeping a
2. dream journal
3. Dylan, A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall (audio file on
this semester.
iLearn)
4. DADA: Jaap Blonks live performance of Kurt As you draw
Schwitters Ursonate https://www.youtube.com/watch? those threads
v=rs0yapSIRmM together into
sentences and
6. Surrealist Games (from Art Institute of Chicago):
paragraphs,
http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/exhibitions/Modern/reso
this
urce/1049
Ren Magritte, Time Transfixed : imaginative
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b0/Time_transfixed.jpg writing
Ren Magritte, The Treachery of Images :
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b9/MagrittePipe.jpg practice
Ren Magritte, The Lovers : loosens up the
http://www.renemagritte.org/images/paintings/the-lovers-1.jpg
Yves Tanguy, Indefinite Divisibility :
creative
 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH COURSE SYLLABUS

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/ae/Indefinite_Divisibility.jpg
Dorothea Tanning, The Truth About Comets :
http://www.dorotheatanning.org/images/work_image/thumbs_large/slideshow/45.1.
04thumb367.jpg process.

WEDNESDAY And bring the

Voice & Character book to class,
Imaginative Writing, Voice, pages 47-61 too.
Kincaid, Girl, p.38
Borges, The Book of Sand, p.82
7.

MONDAY
Workshop #1
Choose one prompt from the iLearn document or from the
Voice chapter of Imaginative Writing.
Upload your submission, by Sunday afternoon at the latest,
as a document to Workshop #1 in our iLearn Discussion
Board.

Comment on all Workshop #1 submissions on Discussion

Board.
Work by the five students below is for the in-class
workshop:
print the document
read the work And bring the
2 write comments on the page(s) about the work, then book to class,
bring it to class too.
use it to discuss the work during the workshop
hand it back to the author:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

WEDNESDAY
Characterization
Imaginative Writing, Chapter 4: Character, pages 94-108
Campbell, Telephone Bob, p.131-134
O'Conner, High Hard Ones, p.89-93

3 And bring the

MONDAY book to class,
 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH COURSE SYLLABUS

Workshop #2
Choose one prompt from the iLearn document or from the
Character chapter of Imaginative Writing.
Upload your submission, by Sunday afternoon at the latest,
as a document to Workshop #2 in our iLearn Discussion
Board.

Comment on all Workshop #2 submissions on Discussion

Board.
Work by the five students below is for the in-class
workshop:
print the document
read the work
write comments on the page(s) about the work, then
too.
bring it to class
use it to discuss the work during the workshop
hand it back to the author:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

WEDNESDAY
Setting
Imaginative Writing, Chapter 5: Setting, pages 135-147
Wolff, Bullet in the Brain, p. 34
Barthelme, The School, p.150

4 And bring the

MONDAY book to class,
Workshop #3 too.
Choose one prompt from the iLearn document or from the
Setting chapter of Imaginative Writing.
Upload your submission, by Sunday afternoon at the latest,
as a document to Workshop #3 on our iLearn Discussion
Board.

Comment on all Workshop #3 submissions on Discussion

Board.
Work by the five students below is for the in-class
workshop:
print the document
read the work
 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH COURSE SYLLABUS

write comments on the page(s) about the work, then

bring it to class
use it to discuss the work during the workshop
hand it back to the author:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

WEDNESDAY
Story
Imaginative Writing, Chapter 6: Story, pages 166-175
Carlson, Bigfoot Stole My Wife, p. 290
Wallace, Incarnations of Burned Children, p. 179

5 And bring the

MONDAY book to class,
Workshop #4 Short Story too.
Imaginative Writing, Chapter 7: Development & Revision,
p.195-224

Choose one prompt from the iLearn document or from the

Development & Revision chapter of Imaginative Writing.
You may use an original idea.
You may continue ideas youve been developing.
Upload your submission, by Sunday afternoon at the latest,
as a document to Workshop #4 in our iLearn Discussion
Board.

This is the first draft of your completed short story for this
course.

Comment on all other Workshop #4 submissions on

Discussion Board, work by the students below is for the in-
class workshop:
print the document / interact electronically with
document
read the work
write comments on the page(s) about the work, then
bring it to class
use it to discuss the work during the workshop
hand it back to the author:
 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH COURSE SYLLABUS

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

WEDNESDAY
Workshop #4 Short Story
Imaginative Writing, Chapter 7: Development & Revision,
p.195-224

Choose one prompt from the iLearn document or from the

Development & Revision chapter of Imaginative Writing.
You may use an original idea.
You may continue ideas youve been developing.
Upload your submission, by Tuesday afternoon at the latest,
as a document to Workshop #4 in our iLearn Discussion
Board.

This is the first draft of your completed short story for this
course.

Comment on all other Workshop #4 submissions on

Discussion Board, work by the students below is for the in-
class workshop:
print the document / interact electronically with
document
read the work
write comments on the page(s) about the work, then
bring it to class
use it to discuss the work during the workshop
hand it back to the author:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

6 And bring the

MONDAY book to class,
Workshop #4 Short Story too.
Imaginative Writing, Chapter 9: Fiction, pages 259-270 &
294-296
 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH COURSE SYLLABUS

Choose one prompt from the iLearn document or from the

Development & Revision chapter of Imaginative Writing.
You may use an original idea.
You may continue ideas youve been developing.
Upload your submission, by Sunday afternoon at the latest,
as a document to Workshop #4 in our iLearn Discussion
Board.

This is the first draft of your completed short story for this
course.

Comment on all other Workshop #4 submissions on

Discussion Board, work by the students below is for the in-
class workshop:
print the document / interact electronically with
document
read the work
write comments on the document about the work,
then
bring it to class
use it to discuss the work during the workshop
hand it back to the author:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

WEDNESDAY
Workshop #4 Short Story
Carter, The Werewolf, p. 153

Choose one prompt from the iLearn document or from the

Development & Revision chapter of Imaginative Writing.
You may use an original idea.
You may continue ideas youve been developing.
Upload your submission, by Tuesday afternoon at the latest,
as a document to Workshop #4 in our iLearn Discussion
Board.

This is the first draft of your completed short story for this
course.

Comment on all other Workshop #4 submissions on

 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH COURSE SYLLABUS

Discussion Board, work by the students below is for the in-

class workshop:
print the document / interact electronically with
document
read the work
write comments on the page(s) about the work, then
bring it to class
use it to discuss the work during the workshop
hand it back to the author:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

7 And bring the

MONDAY book to class,
Workshop #4 Short Story too.
Atwood, The Female Body, p.245

Choose one prompt from the iLearn document or from the

Development & Revision chapter of Imaginative Writing.
You may use an original idea.
You may continue ideas youve been developing.
Upload your submission, by Sunday afternoon at the latest,
as a document to Workshop #4 in our iLearn Discussion
Board.

This is the first draft of your completed short story for this
course.

Comment on all other Workshop #4 submissions on

Discussion Board; work by the students below is for the in-
class workshop:
print the document / interact electronically with
document
read the work
write comments on the page(s) about the work, then
bring it to class
use it to discuss the work during the workshop
hand it back to the author:
1.
2.
3.
 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH COURSE SYLLABUS

4.
5.

WEDNESDAY
A Painting in Three Levels in class seminar on
ekphrasis and collage
Poetry for Dummies, Subject, Tone, and Narrative, p. 31-40
Ten Myths about Poets and Poetry,
p. 215
See iLearn Assignments page for documents

Consultations on Prose Manuscripts on Wednesday,

Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday Please Make Appointment
Prose manuscript due Thursday

The Prose: A Manuscript

Not less than 10 pages of
1 or 2 short stories, or
1 short story, and
o 1 one-act play, or
o 1 creative nonfiction essay, or
o 1 other form of creative prose
Due by Thursday, 11:59 p.m. uploaded to iLearn
SafeAssignment Link

8 And bring the

MONDAY book to class,
Workshop #5 A Painting in Three Levels too.
Poetry for Dummies, Introduction, pages 1-6
Poetry 101, pages 9-30
See iLearn Assignments page for documents

Upload your submission, by Sunday afternoon at the latest,

as a document to Workshop #5 on our iLearn Discussion
Board.

Comment on all Workshop #5 submissions on Discussion

Board.
Work by the five students below is for the in-class
 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH COURSE SYLLABUS

workshop:
print the document
read the work
write comments on the page(s) about the work, then
bring it to class
use it to discuss the work during the workshop
hand it back to the author:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

WEDNESDAY
Chants in class seminar on rhythm and repetition
Poetry for Dummies, Tuning In to Language, p. 41-60
The Art of Interpretation, p. 61-78
Calling the Muse, p. 141-156
See iLearn Assignments page for documents and audio
files
9 And bring the
MONDAY book to class,
Workshop #6 Chants too.
Imaginative Writing, Chapter 10: Poetry, pages 297-317 &
326-327

Upload your submission, by Sunday afternoon at the latest,

as a document to Workshop #6 on our iLearn Discussion
Board.

Comment on all Workshop #6 submissions on Discussion

Board.
Work by the five students below is for the in-class
workshop:
print the document
read the work
write comments on the document about the work,
then
bring it to class
use it to discuss the work during the workshop
hand it back to the author:
1.
2.
3.
 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH COURSE SYLLABUS

4.
5.

WEDNESDAY
Pantoum in-class seminar on closed forms
Poetry for Dummies, Connecting with Poems from the Past,
p. 79-90
An Intelligent Hustle through Poetic History:
From the
Earliest Poetry to the 1700s, p. 91-
111
See iLearn Assignments page for documents

1 MONDAY And bring the

0 Workshop #7 Pantoum book to class,
too.
Upload your submission, by Sunday afternoon at the latest,
as a document to Workshop #7 on our iLearn Discussion
Board.

Comment on all Workshop #7 submissions on Discussion

Board.
Work by the five students below is for the in-class
workshop:
print the document
read the work
write comments on the document about the work,
then
bring it to class
use it to discuss the work during the workshop
hand it back to the author:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

WEDNESDAY
Writing the Music in class seminar on open
forms, stream of consciousness, and aleatory
procedures.
Poetry for Dummies, Open-Form Poetry, p. 157-167
An Intelligent Hustle through Poetic
th
History: The 19
 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH COURSE SYLLABUS

Century to the Present, p. 113-138

1 And bring the

1 MONDAY book to class,
Workshop #8 Writing the Music too.

Upload your submission, by Sunday afternoon at the latest,

as a document to Workshop #8 on our iLearn Discussion
Board.

Comment on all Workshop #8 submissions on Discussion

Board.
Work by the five students below is for the in-class
workshop:
print the document
read the work
write comments on the document about the work,
then
bring it to class
use it to discuss the work during the workshop
hand it back to the author:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

WEDNESDAY
Workshop #9 Writing Exercises for Poets, p.169-186
Poetry for Dummies, Working with Traditional Forms of
Verse, p.169-176
Putting Pen to Paper: Writing Exercises for
Poets,
p.177-186

Upload your submission, by Sunday afternoon at the latest,

as a document to Workshop #9 on our iLearn Discussion
Board.

Comment on all Workshop #7 submissions on Discussion

Board.
Work by the five students below is for the in-class
workshop:
 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH COURSE SYLLABUS

print the document

read the work
write comments on the document about the work,
then
bring it to class
use it to discuss the work during the workshop
hand it back to the author:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

1 And bring the

2 MONDAY book to class,
Workshop #9 Writing Exercises for Poets, p.169-186 too.
Poetry for Dummies, Going Public with Your Poetry, p.187

Upload your submission, by Sunday afternoon at the latest,

as a document to Workshop #9 on our iLearn Discussion
Board.

Comment on all Workshop #9 submissions on Discussion

Board.
Work by the five students below is for the in-class
workshop:
print the document
read the work
write comments on the document about the work,
then
bring it to class
use it to discuss the work during the workshop
hand it back to the author:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

WEDNESDAY
Workshop #9 Writing Exercises for Poets, p.169-186

Upload your submission, by Sunday afternoon at the latest,

as a document to Workshop #9 on our iLearn Discussion
 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH COURSE SYLLABUS

Board.

Comment on all Workshop #9 submissions on Discussion

Board.
Work by the five students below is for the in-class
workshop:
print the document
read the work
write comments on the page(s) about the work, then
bring it to class
use it to discuss the work during the workshop
hand it back to the author:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

1 And bring
3 MONDAY the book to
Workshop #9 Writing Exercises for Poets, p.169-186 class, too.

Upload your submission, by Sunday afternoon at the latest,

as a document to Workshop #9 on our iLearn Discussion
Board.

Comment on all Workshop #7 submissions on Discussion

Board.
Work by the five students below is for the in-class
workshop:
print the document
read the work
write comments on the document about the work,
then
bring it to class
use it to discuss the work during the workshop
hand back to the author the document with
comments:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH COURSE SYLLABUS

WEDNESDAY
Workshop #10 Revision open choice for Final
Manuscript

This is a revision of any work submitted to the workshop.

Comment on all remaining Workshop #10 submissions on

Discussion Board; work by the students below is for the in-
class workshop:
print the document
read the work
write comments on the document about the work,
then
bring it to class
use it to discuss the work during the workshop
hand back to the author the document with
comments:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The Poems: A Manuscript

Approximately 5 (minimum) to 10 pages:
5 poems, or
5 not-prose pieces.
Due end-of-day on Thursday
Uploaded to iLearn SafeAssignment Link

1 And bring the

4
MONDAY book to class,
Workshop #10 Revision open choice for Final too.
Portfolio

This is a revision of any work submitted to the workshop.

Comment on all other Workshop #10 submissions on

Discussion Board; work by the students below is for the in-
class workshop:
 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH COURSE SYLLABUS

print the document

read the work
write comments on the document about the work,
then
bring it to class
use it to discuss the work during the workshop
hand back to the author the document with
comments:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

WEDNESDAY
Workshop #10 Revision open choice for Final
Portfolio

This is a revision of any work submitted to the workshop.

Comment on all other Workshop #10 submissions on

Discussion Board, work by the five students below is for the
in-class workshop:
print the document
read the work
write comments on the document about the work,
then
bring it to class
use it to discuss the work during the workshop
hand back to the author the document with
comments:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

1
5 THURSDAY, FRIDAY, SATURDAY, SUNDAY, MONDAY
May 4-8, 2017
All students in-office by appointment Independent Study
Week

Consultations The Final Portfolio (and return of Poetry

 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH COURSE SYLLABUS

Manuscripts)
We will meet for 50 minutes.
Please bring the prose piece you are revising for the
Final Manuscript.
We will also discuss your Poetry Manuscript in
preparation for the Final Manuscript.

I recommend that students request a consultation as early

as possible.

Last Day of Spring Semester:

The Final Portfolio

10 pages minimum (one poem per page):
Balanced representation of poems and prose pieces
(preferably one prose piece plus 3 or more poems)
Revision & development of the poems and prose
pieces are self-evident
Your manuscript begins with an essay that is about
your writing:
o About your Final Portfolio, write 2 pages
(double-spaced) as an
Introduction, or
Manifesto, or
Mission Statement, or
Prologue, or
Reflection on the Course, or
Statement on your Writing, or
Or combination of the above as some
sort of preface to your manuscript.
12 pages total minimum length of Final
Portfolio
Due by 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 9, 2017
SOFTCOPY uploaded to iLearn SafeAssignment
link.

Final Exam
Tuesday, May 16, 2017
11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH COURSE SYLLABUS