Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "CW 356"
COURSE NAME: "Creative Writing Workshop: Writing the Eternal City"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2017

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Elizabeth Geoghegan
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 3:00 PM 4:15 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: EN 103 or 105 with grade of C or above
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This interdisciplinary writing workshop employs the city of Rome as its muse and offers instruction in several genres of creative writing. By examining a variety of works inspired by the Eternal City, students will learn how to evaluate literature in light of an aesthetic and historic precedent, as well as participate in the long tradition of international writers who have recreated Rome on the page. The course will also problematize Rome, exploring the ancient city’s contemporary contradictions and complexities and the way writers both perpetuate and dismantle certain myths, such as the illusory La Dolce Vita. Writing workshops will acquaint students with the techniques and tools used to critique and incorporate critical feedback into their own revision process. Through studied writing practice and the examination of the Roman setting as a vital literary component, students will generate a final portfolio of textual interpretations in response to the Eternal City.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
Students will engage in studied writing practice and keep a journal in which they will document the city of Rome, so they may later shape entries into more substantive, polished work, regardless of genre. The course will move between writing workshops, traditional lectures, discussions of the assigned readings, student presentations of journal assignments, and in-class writing. Occasionally, the meetings will incorporate a field trip or site visit; some assignments will require outings within the city of Rome to be made during the student’s own time. Readings will correspond to the specific genres and the assignments connected to them. The final portfolio will include a combination of the following forms: poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction such as diary, memoir, personal essays, and travel writing. Born of the philosophy that all writing benefits from careful critique and thoughtful revision, the workshops will aid students in the development of critical thinking and editorial skills, helping to foster an aesthetic sensibility about their own writing, the writing of others, and ultimately a more thorough understanding of several genres encompassed by the term “creative writing.”

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students completing this workshop will have spent an entire semester exploring the rich literary tradition inspired by the city of Rome and they will have featured Rome in their own writing, whether fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. They will be familiar with the writing techniques employed when producing works within various genres of creative writing and they will have gained experience through generating a portfolio of their own work. Lastly, they will have acquired the editorial skills necessary to offer critique and to self-edit, and taken their own work through various stages of revision.

TEXTBOOK:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Comments
Daisy Miller	James, Henry	Oxford World Classics	ISBN-10: 0199538565	Available at The Almost Corner Bookshop (Trastevere.)
The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone	Williams, Tennessee	New Directions	ISBN-10: 0811221458	Available at The Almost Corner Bookshop (Trastevere). Note: other print editions of the text are acceptable. No digital copies allowed in class.
The Other Language	Marciano, Francesca	Vintage Contemporaries	ISBN-10: 0345804481	Available at The Almost Corner Bookshop in Trastevere. Paperback or hardback version acceptable; no digital editions may be used in class. THIS IS A REQUIRED TEXTBOOK.

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Conscientiousness of in-and-out of class peer reviews (workshop critiques)	Students will provide copies for their colleagues and be required to give both written and oral feedback to their peers during the workshops.	15%
Conscientiousness of self-editing	Students are required to revise their work over the course of several drafts and to include a process analysis for each piece, detailing the editing process.	15%
	Assigments will take the form of written responses to readings & assigned outings and other homework to be done in the journal (or sketchbook). Writing assignments will include a combination of microfiction, short stories, creative nonfiction sketches, longer reflective essays or memoir-styled pieces, and two or more poems	10%
Final Portfolio	The Final Portfolio is the sum total of the student's work produced over the semester. The portfolios should contain polished revisions of each of the works along with a process analysis. Detailed portfolio guidelines will be provided in class.	40%
Homework, Written Work, Assignments, In Class Presentations	Homework assignments will vary, but are often written responses to the readings and/or responses to creative writing prompts.	20%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Attendance Requirements: students are required to attend all scheduled class meetings and to participate in all classroom activities. In addition to this weighting of attendance, students are allowed only two absences (no questions asked, no excuses needed). However, each additional absence beyond the two allowed will result in the significant reduction in the final grade for the course. Students with more than five absences will fail the course. Student arriving at class after the class attendance has been taken will be counted as absent. Please refer to the university catalog for the attendance and absence policy.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

Note: This is a facsimile of the actual schedule; the class calendar of assignments with dates and specific deadlines will be handed out at the beginning of the term.

Date & Topic Covered	Sketchbook Outings, Readings & Assignments
Week One Tuesday Course Intro: Setting as Character	Rome as muse; Fiction Writer’s Tool Box; The Short Story Read “Cat in the Rain” (Hemingway) & Microfiction packet (handouts)
Thursday: Microfiction	Read & be prepared to discuss: “Twin Beds in Rome” (Updike) & “Roman Romance” (Marciano)
Week Two: Tuesday Narration & Voice	Read: Daisy Miller by Henry James Solo Outing/Homework Assignment #1: Choose a bus you are unfamiliar with and ride it in a random direction, observing what you will. Create a microfiction (even just a scene up to 350 words) inspired by what you witness; in some fashion try to incorporate some essence of the bus, the characters on it, or the Roman bus-route. (Observe/Learn what you can from the stories we’ve read so far and the way they heighten the tension by containing characters in confined spaces.) Bring to class.
Thursday Narration & Voice, continued	Homework Assignment 2: Write a 2-3 page response to James’s novella exploring some aspect of his technique (voice, narration, POV, pacing, structure, etc.)
Week Three: Tuesday: Workshop	Snapshot Due (See Survival Guidelines); bring copies
Thursday: Workshop	Read & prepare critiques for the snapshots – bring to class with oral & annotated comments ready
Week Four: Setting & Characterization / Setting AS Characterization: Tuesday The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone	Read & be prepared to discuss: The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone by Tennessee Williams (bring text to class). Solo Outing/Homework Assignment 2: Journal Assignment: After reading the novella visit the Spanish Steps, climb them, and walk along the Pincio into the Borghese gardens. OPTION A) Write a 1-2 page response to the novella discussing the way Williams employs the Roman landscape to shape his tale structurally & reflect the interior life of his characters. OPTION B) Alternately, you may write a 1-2 page microfiction about a character in this location. Bring to class.
Thursday Incorporating details & gestures in your work	Read: Short Stories TBA & be prepared to discuss
Week Five Structuring your story	Read & be prepared to discuss: Short Stories TBA
Thursday Dialogue: In class writing exercise	Read & be prepared to discuss: Short Stories TBA
Week Six: Tuesday Workshop	Short Stories Due
Thursday Workshop	Read & prepare peer reviews (critiques) for workshop
Week Seven: Tuesday Workshop	Read & prepare peer reviews for workshop
Thursday Creative Nonfiction & The Roman Memoir (INTRO)	Read & be prepared to discuss: “How to Replace a Driver’s License” (Eco) & “Decline & Fall” (Dyer)
Week Eight: Tuesday: Details in Nonfiction; choosing which story to tell	Read: TBA Homework Assignment 4: Part 1a) Devote a section to your notebook to brainstorming for nonfiction. Begin a list 3-5 topics for each of the various nonfiction genres (e.g. Travel, Food, Memoir, Personal Essay, Research-driven Essay, etc.) Add to this list as things occur to you. Part 1b) Write a list of “10 Things I Love About Rome” and “10 Things I Hate About Rome” – bring to class.
Thursday Micro-workshop	Roman Vignette due; bring copies (See Guidelines)
Spring break	Read & prepare critiques of vignettes for workshop
Week Ten: Micro-workshop continued	Read & be prepared to discuss: “3275” (Monette) & essay TBA (handout)
Thursday Reflective Roman Essays due Workshop
Week Eleven Tuesday Workshop	Read & prepare critiques
Thursday Workshop	Read & prepare critiques
Week Twelve Tuesday Workshop	Read & prepare critiques
Thursday Workshop	Read & prepare critiques
Week Thirteen Tuesday Intro to Poetry	Readings: TBA (Packet of Roman poems)
Thursday Poem #1 due Workshop	Solo Outing/Homework Assignment 3: Visit Campo dei Fiori at least 3 times during the week (morning, afternoon, evening/night), sit at the base of the statue or in a café and document what you see. Draft a poem (free verse, formal or prose), bring to class.
Week Fourteen: Poem #2 due Tuesday Workshop	Read & Prepare Critiques for the Roman Poems
Thursday Workshop	Read & Prepare Critiques for the Roman Poems
Week Fifteen Workshop & Final Q&A for Portfolios
LAST CLASS PORTFOLIOS DUE	No exam for this class; No late portfolios will be accepted. No exception.