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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "CW 354"
COURSE NAME: "Creative Writing Workshop: Poetry"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall 2024
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: William Schutt
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: TTH 4:30 PM 5:45 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 course aims to develop the creative, editorial, and reading habits needed for the production of poems; to develop self-editing skills; to foster an aesthetic sensibility for use in writing poems. Students will read both contemporary and canonical poetry and materials related to analyzing and editing poems, and participate in a traditional creative writing workshop through in-class writing exercises, reading classmates’ poems, and producing their own poems and discussing them in workshop. Students will compile a portfolio of the work they produce during the term. Students completing this workshop course will be familiar with the skills needed to produce poems, to self-edit work in progress, and to discern the characteristics of quality poetry.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

Students will read and discuss various poems from the textbook that will serve as inspiration and guides for making their own work. Instructor will provide prompts. Workshops, brief lectures, and class discussions will acquaint students with tools for critical reading and incorporating feedback into their own writing. Combining first-hand experience with influences from the texts, students will create a final portfolio of their own poems.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

This course aims to develop the creative, editorial, and reading habits needed to make quality poems, to develop self-editing skills, to cultivate an aesthetic sensibility. At the conclusion of this course, students will have established a steady writing routine using prompts and notebook exercises, developed a sense of the thematic and stylistic choices that poets before them have made and they themselves may make use of, and drafted and revised a large body of original work. 
TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
Zoo of the New: A Book of Exceptional PoemsNick Laird and Don Paterson Penguin978-0141392493  Hard CopyAlmost Corner Bookstore. Via del Moro (Trastevere)  
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
Class participationRegular attendance, considerate observations of class readings, enthusiastic involvement in in-class writing exercises, and constructive commentary on classmates' work 30
Drafts and Midterm portfolioTimely submission of all written assignments that engage with the writing prompt dynamically and demonstrate an understanding of the technique and craft discussed, with a portfolio of original work at the midpoint of the term30
Final Portfolio Final portfolio, showcasing the semester's work with thoughtful revisions based on workshop discussions and feedback from peers and professor. Final portfolio will include a reflection on the writing process. 40

-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 AND EXAMINATION POLICY
Students are allowed two absences no questions asked. Each subsequent absence will cause the final grade to be lowered by five points. Three latenesses count as an absence, so please arrive on time. After five absences, the student will automatically fail the course. Excessive absences can only be excused by the Dean’s Office when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed.
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

WEEK 1  
September 3: Introduction to course, syllabus review, writing activity.   
September 5: Discussion/in-class writing. Come to class with textbook AND having read “And the days are not full enough,” “Cut,” “The Orange,” O Western Wind,” “The Truth the Dead Know.” **The anthology is organized in alphabetical order by title.**
WEEK 2 
September 10: Workshop 1
September 12: Come to class with textbook having read “Badly Chosen Lover,” “Dear Bryan Winter,” “Having a Coke with You,” “somewhere i have never travelled,” “Theme for English B”    


WEEK 3 
September 17: Workshop 2
September 19: Come to class with textbook having read “Boots, Boots, Boots,” “Bus Stop,” “In the Middle of the Road,” “Meeting Point,” “Please Can I Have a Man”   
September 20 (makeup day for T-giving): Come to class with textbook having read “Last Haiku,” “This Living Hand” and all poems by Sappho. **In the back of the anthology there is a list of all the poems in alphabetical order by author name. You can then easily locate Sappho’s poems there.**
WEEK 4  
September 24: Workshop 3
September 26: No class. Check Moodle for writing prompt.  
WEEK 5  
October 1: Workshop 4
October 3: Come to class with textbook having read “Adelstrop,” “Butcher Shop,” “Disabused Shed,” “A Hill,” “Shame”  
WEEK 6  
October 8: Workshop 5
October 10: No class—one-to-one midterm conferences TBS 
WEEK 7 
October 15: Workshop 6
October 17: Come to class with textbook having read “Poem Written in a Copy of Beowulf,” “There sat down, once, a thing on Henry’s heart,” “Those Winter Sundays,” “To John Clare,” “What lips my lips have kissed” 
WEEK 8 
October 22: Workshop 7
October 24: Come to class having read “Animals Are Passing from Our Lives,” “Green Crab Shell,” “The Kelp Eaters,” “Toad,” “The Sloth”   
WEEK 9 
October 29: Workshop 8
October 31: Come to class having read “The Colonel,” “The List of Famous Hats,” “The Stranger”  

WEEK 10 
November 5: Workshop 9
November 7: Come to class having read “The Moose,” “The Whitsun Weddings,” “What He Thought”  
WEEK 11 
November 12: Workshop 10
November 14: Come to class having read “Black Stone over a White Stone,” “Circus Animals’ Desertion,” “Dolor,” “Now I will do nothing but listen”    
WEEK 12 
November 19: Workshop 11
November 21: Come to class having read “Failing and Flying,” “The Garden,” “The Gate,” “Questions about Angels,” “Report from Paradise”  
WEEK 13 
November 26: Come to class prepared to recite one poem from anthology (minimum 14 lines) and say why you chose it. There shall be food and clapping. 
November 28: No class—Thanksgiving break   
WEEK 14  
December 3: Discussion of revision strategies and final portfolio  
December 5: Going to see Keats. Excursion to the Protestant Cemetery and Keats/Shelley House.