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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "CW 352"
COURSE NAME: "Creative Writing Workshop: Creative Nonfiction"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2025
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Silvia Giagnoni
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: TTH 11:30 AM 12:45 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 creative writing workshop is designed to help students develop their writing and editorial skills, as well as the reading habits necessary for the production of works of creative nonfiction. The class will focus upon the creative process and the generation of several different forms within the nonfiction genre including the personal essay, the memoir, travel writing, and the journalistic or magazine profile. Through the examination of superior examples of creative nonfiction, discussions, and critiques, students will become acquainted with the techniques and tools used to build an excellent portfolio of literary and journalistic pieces within the creative nonfiction genre.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

The workshop aims to help students refine their ability to write about reality by deploying tools from storytelling and feature writing/long-form journalism. Students work on the craft of interviewing for a profile story, researching and writing about a topic and a subgenre of their choice. The course teaches students to implement some of the techniques learned while analyzing masterful pieces of narrative journalism and other nonfiction works by developing engaging, research-based works that have characters and follow a structural arc.

 
LEARNING OUTCOMES:

By the end of the course, students should be able:

-to reinforce the skills of interviewing for story as well as fact;

-to prepare and conduct a good interview;

- to explore the qualities and basic principles of feature storytelling, and understand issues concerning attribution, direct address, point of view, empiricism, immersion, genre and mode, objectivity and subjectivity, among others.

- to research, write, and rewrite creative nonfiction stories;

-and to evaluate the importance of backgrounding in establishing the context, focus and sources of soundly reported stories.
TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
Reading Narrative JournalismWilson, ChristopherBoston College  Third Edition (2024)Ebook  
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
Pitching a storyA one-page pitch of your story considering purpose, audience, time constraint, interest. Additional guidelines will be provided.5
Recording of the interview with the subjectThe recording of the interview with the subject of your profile story will be evaluated on the basis of the questions you ask and on how you handle the interviewing process. 10
Profile storyStudents are required to write a story about a person of their choice. Interviews with the subject (and people who know her/him), observation and description of how the subject behaves should be included in the story. Additional guidelines will be provided.20
Book (oral) presentationStudents are required to read and orally present a book of their choice (chosen from a list provided), and identify strengths and (possible) weaknesses of the work. 10
Draft Final Feature StoryDraft (at least two-page long) of your final work by provided deadline for feedback.5
Final Feature StoryStudents are required to write a creative nonfiction story with a clear focus and angle. They should work on developing a distinctive voice. Stories should be between 900 and 1,200-words in length. 30
AttendanceStudents are allowed three unexcused absences in this course. After that, students will automatically lose a letter grade for every three absences. Lateness: Students more than 10 minutes late are marked as absent. Late arrival (less than 10 minutes) is marked as such, and 3 late arrivals are counted as one absence. Leaving the class for more than 10 minutes will be counted as one absence. Leaving in the middle of class and coming back after more than 10 minutes will also be regarded as an absence. Students are expected to do the required readings for the day before coming to class and to be prepared to comment, discuss them or ask questions.10
ParticipationGood writing needs regular practice. All students are expected to keep up with the material and complete the assignments on a weekly basis. Your participation grade evaluates quality, punctuality and consistency in turning in assignments and also reflects your contribution to the class learning process. Students are expected to contribute to the discussion of readings with thought-provoking questions and informed comments. Ignorance of class material won’t be conducive to a good use of discussion time. Finally, anybody who misses the due date for an assignment must present a legitimate, documented excuse to turn it in or make it up without penalty. 10

-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:
This creative writing workshop is designed to help students develop their writing and editorial skills, as well as the reading habits necessary for the production of works of creative nonfiction. The class will focus upon the creative process and the generation of several different forms within the nonfiction genre including the personal essay, the memoir, travel writing, and the journalistic or magazine profile. Through the examination of superior examples of creative nonfiction, discussions, and critiques, students will become acquainted with the techniques and tools used to build an excellent portfolio of literary and journalistic pieces within the creative nonfiction genre.
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

Please refer to Moodle for updates on the schedule

Tentative Schedule

L: Lecture

R: Reading

A: in-class activity

Reading Narrative Journalism (online, free resource) by Prof. Christopher Wilson (Boston College)

Week One

L: Intro to creative nonfiction writing & syllabus

R: William Zinsser’s On Writing Well (excerpts) (Part One – pp.3-23) – practicing conciseness + A: de-cluttering your mind (assignment by second week, due)

 

Week Two

L&R: Getting the “Story” from Reading Narrative Journalism

 

Week Three

L: On Interviewing

A: Brainstorming on subjects for profile story

R: Is it Realism? from Reading Narrative Journalism + ”The First Hours of Timothy Townsend”

 

Week Four

L: Introduction to Literary journalism and its genres

R: “Genres matter” from Reading Narrative Journalism

L: The Profile Story

R: “A Most American Terrorist: The Making of Dylann Roof” https://www.gq.com/story/dylann-roof-making-of-an-american-terrorist

 

Week Five

R: “Frank Sinatra Has a Cold by Gay Talese (http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a638/frank-sinatra-has-a-cold-gay-talese/)* + “Tha Art of Hanging out” by Guy Talese (photocopies will be provided)

February 28 (Fri) Make-up Day for Thursday, May 1

 

Week Six

L: Immersion Journalism (Stunt writer and Muckrakers

R: Nellie Bly’s Ten days in the Madhouse (excerpts) + Ida B. Young

 

Week Seven

L: Gonzo Journalism

R: Hunter S. Thompson’s “Kentucky Derby is Decadent & Depraved”

 

March 10-14 (Mon-Fri) Spring Break

 

Week Eight

Book presentations

 

Week Nine

L: Travel Writing

R: “Anthony Bourdain and the Power of Telling the Truth” (June 2018) New Yorker+ R: “A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again” by David Foster Wallace. Harper’s Magazine. February 1998.

 

Week Ten

R: Experimental Forms from Reading Narrative Journalism

 

Week Eleven

L: Humor in Feature Writing

R: “I think You’re Fat” by A. J. Jacobs + TBD

 

Week Twelve

R: Pulitzer _ General Nonfiction + discussion

 

Week Thirteen

Working on Final feature Story

Draft Final Story due

 

Week Fourteen

Working on Final feature Story

Final Feature Story

 

May 5-9 (Mon-Fri) Final Examinations