This particular creative writing workshop in poetry was designed to provide aspiring writers, out-of-the-box thinkers, and budding creatives with an immersive experience with the genre that is student-focused and instructor-led. Over the course of the semester, the instructor and students will work collaboratively to develop an understanding of what poetry is and what poetry could be through: engagement with a wide range of texts written, published, and presented around the world from various cultural and linguistic contexts in order to create flexible frameworks and constraints that will aid in the production of original work; development of a nuanced understanding of their own writing process, from idea generation, brainstorming and drafting to revision, finalization, submission and presentation, to develop their own "writer's eye"; exploration of their own authentic literary style and voice as part of a larger effort to produce work that only they can write. Students will be expected to create a customized creative writing action plan based on their goals and interests, produce a finalized personal portfolio with work ready for submission, and build the tools needed to build & participate in a creative community once the course is over.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

1. Produce creative writing in the genre of poetry that:

     a. Demonstrates their understanding of the creative writing process, from idea generation and drafting to revision and submission
     b. Showcases their ability to develop an original and authentic literary style and voice
     c. Exhibits their aptitude in written communication skills, specifically as they pertain to these genres & literary criticism
     d. Shows their capacity to effectively incorporate literary devices into their work, as well as develop characters, settings, themes, etc.

2. Engage with and respond to creative writing in the genre of poetry in ways that:

     a. Demonstrates their understanding of a particular author's approach to the creative writing process, from idea generation and drafting to revision and submission
     b. Showcases their ability to identify and analyze the originality and authenticity of an author's style and voice
     c. Exhibits their aptitude for reading and processing writing composed in these genres & literary criticism
     d. Shows their capacity to locate and interpret literary devices used by authors, as well as the development of characters, settings, themes, etc.

3. Participate in a writing community—on the class level (workshop), local level (university & Rome) & global level (emerging & published authors, current influences, potential mentors, prospective publishers)—that produces, reviews and discusses poetry in ways that:
     
     a. Demonstrates their understanding of the creative writing process, from idea generation and drafting to revision and submission, as it specifically relates to others (reviewers, editors, readers, etc.)
     b. Showcases their ability to identify, analyze, and promote work that utilizes an original and authentic style and voice
     c. Exhibits their aptitude and encouragement for reading and processing creative writing composed in these genres
     d. Shows their capacity and encouragement for locating and unpacking literary devices used by authors in their work, as well as their development of characters, settings, themes, etc.

Students are required to attend all scheduled class meetings. Within the context of the current approach to the handling the COVID-19 pandemic by not only the university but also the instructor, the word "attend" means either a) being physically present in the classroom for the entirety of our lessons, or b) being logged in to our virtual classroom on Microsoft Teams for the entirety of our lessons with your camera on. In the event that we are not able to have class, students are expected to spend our scheduled class time, which amounts to a total of 75 minutes, engaging with coursework and providing evidence of having done so, if needed.

Students are allowed 4 absences during the term (excused or unexcused). Each additional absence beyond the four allowed will result in the reduction in the final grade for the course by 5%. Students arriving to class after attendance has been taken will be counted as late. Two late arrivals will count as an absence. As a common courtesy, students are asked to notify the instructor before the scheduled class time to communicate your tardiness or absence. Please refer to the JCU catalog for the attendance and absence policies.

Note on changes: The course schedule is subject to change. Changes will be communicated orally in class and/or in writing via email or Moodle.
Note on readings: We will engage with texts from a wide range of international authors and artists from various linguistic and cultural backgrounds, based on student interest and whatever direction our course will take. I will try to make as much as possible available as online, digitized texts; however, if you are interested in digging deeper, you're encouraged to get your hands on one of texts listed above in "course readings."
Note on assignments: While the dates below will provide you an official deadline for most assignments, the course schedule is subject to change. All information related to assignments can be found on Moodle. To avoid any confusion, all assignment requirements, instructions, rubrics, etc. will be posted directly to the Assignment Submission Form (labeled as such) in the corresponding week block, as well as discussed at length during our class meetings.