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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "CW 354"
COURSE NAME: "Creative Writing Workshop: Poetry"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Fall 2025
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
William Schutt
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
TTH 1:30 PM 2:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS:
45
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITES:
Prerequisite: EN 103 or 105 with grade of C or above
OFFICE HOURS:
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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.
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SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
Students will read and discuss various contemporary and canonical poems that will serve as inspiration and guides for making their own work. Instructor will provide prompts and craft essays. 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.
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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
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.
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TEXTBOOK:
| Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments | Format | Local Bookstore | Online Purchase |
| Zoo of the New: A Book of Exceptional Poems | Nick Laird & Don Paterson | Penguin | 978- 0141392493 | | | Hard Copy | | |
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| Participation | Regular attendance, considerate observations of class readings, enthusiastic involvement in in-class writing exercises, and constructive commentary on 35 classmates' work | 30 |
| Poetry Drafts | Timely submission of all written assignments that engage with the writing prompt dynamically and demonstrate an understanding of the technique and craft under discussion each week. | 30 |
| 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 final drafts, first drafts, and a written reflection on your writing process. | 25 |
| Commonplace Book | Commonplace books have a long history among readers, scholars and writers. They are a hodgepodge of transcribed quotes, a writer’s thoughts, overheard conversation, anything deemed worth noting. You will bring this to every class and use it as your space for drafting and taking notes in and out of class. | 10 |
| Recitation | Near the end of the term, students will recite a poem of their choosing (min. 10 lines). | 5 |
-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:
-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
A Work 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.
B This is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised. There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluate theory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture and reference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
C This is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
D This 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.
F This work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
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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.
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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.
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SCHEDULE
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WEEK 1: My Vocabulary Did This to Me
9/2: Introduction to course, syllabus review, writing activity.
9/4: Acquire commonplace book. Bring in a copy of your word poems and be prepared to share. Read Hannah Gamble’s “The Average 4th Grader Is a Better Poet than You (And Me)” and Richard Hugo’s “Triggering Town”
WEEK 2: Finding Your Voice, Locating Tone
9/9: Read Louise Glùck “Education of the Poet”
9/11: Come to class with textbook purchased having read “Dear Bryan Winter,” “Having a Coke with You,” “somewhere i have never travelled,” “Theme for English B”
*The anthology is organized in alphabetical order by title, not including articles (like “a” and “the”). There is also an index by author name in the back of the book
WEEK 3: Line and Stanza
9/16: Workshop 1. Poems due Sunday. Bring in 2 copies of your comments on one another’s poems, one for classmate and one for professor.
9/18: Come to class having read “And the days are not full enough,” “Cut,” “The Orange,” and all Sappho poems. ** There is also an index by author name in the back of the book to locate Dickinson poems**
WEEK 4: Sound Stuff, Varieties of Rhyme, Meter, and Other Forms of Repetition
9/23: Workshop 2
9/25: Come to class having read “Dolor,” “I Used to Be but Now I am,” “Index,” “One Train May Hide Another” and “A Song on the End of the World”
9/26 (makeup day for Thanksgiving): In-class readings of contranym poems; writing activity
WEEK 5: Meaningful Images
9/30: Workshop 3
10/2: Come to class with textbook having read “Adelstrop,” “Butcher Shop,” “A Disused Shed in Co. Wexford,” “A Hill,” “Shame”
WEEK 6: Received Forms, More on Meter
10/6: Workshop 4
10/9: 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,” “What lips my lips have kissed” and “When I consider how my light is spent”
WEEK 7: Conferences
10/14: No class—one-on-one midterm conferences TBS
10/16: No class—one-on-one midterm conferences TBS
WEEK 8: Prose Poems
10/21: Excursion to Villa Sciarra. Reading handout to be provided ahead of class.
10/23: Come to class having read “The Colonel,” “The List of Famous Hats,” “The Stranger”
WEEK 9: Narrative Poems
10/28: Workshop 5
10/30: Come to class having read “The Moose,” “The Whitsun Weddings,” “What He Thought”
WEEK 10: Persona
11/4: Workshop 6
11/6: Come to class having read “Animals Are Passing from Our Lives,” “Goose to Donkey,” “Green Crab Shell,” “The Kelp Eaters”
WEEK 11: Allusion and the Larger Conversation
11/11: Workshop 7
11/13: Come to class having read “Failing and Flying,” “The Gate,” “Nostos,” “Questions about Angels,” “The Underground”
WEEK 12: Recitation/Presentation
11/18: Workshop 8
11/20: Come to class prepared to recite from memory one poem from anthology (minimum 12 lines) and give a brief presentation of it. There shall be food and clapping.
WEEK 13: Final Workshop
11/25: Workshop 9
11/27: No class—Thanksgiving
WEEK 14: Revision
12/2: In-class readings on revision; discuss final portfolio
12/4; Keats Country. Excursion to the Protestant Cemetery and/or Keats/Shelley House.
FINAL ASSIGNMENT:
In lieu of a final exam, you will submit a portfolio of your work this semester by email no later than December 9 at 11:59 pm.
Your final portfolio should include, in this order:
1.
Title page (Title of Portfolio, Student Name, CW 354)
2.
800-1000 word reflection on your writing process. More details to follow
3.
9 original revised poems
4.
9 first drafts
Poems should be single-spaced, reflection double-spaced. Your name need only appear on the title page.
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