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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "CW 352"
COURSE NAME: "Creative Writing Workshop: Creative Nonfiction"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Fall 2016
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
Andrea di Robilant
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
MW 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:
by appointment
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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.
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SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
The course will be divided in two. One day of the week we will be focusing on reading and commenting on excerpts from works of non fiction. The other we will concentrate on the writing part of the course, working on and discussing the writing assignments. As a general rule, we will be reading English language non fiction authors who have written about Italy and Italian society, looking at how they have expressed themselves in different genres.
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LEARNING OUTCOMES:
The course aims at making students thoroughly familiar with the various genres of non fiction and giving them the opportunity to explore the creative possibilities each of these offers. Students will gain a better understanding of where their own creative talent lies. Their writing will acquire clarity, versatility and greater effectiveness - qualities that will be useful not just to those who wish to pursue creative writing in their university career and beyond.
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TEXTBOOK:
| Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments | Format | Local Bookstore | Online Purchase |
| To be assigned during the semester | . | . | . | | | | | |
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| Three short pieces of creative non fiction | These pieces will be no longer than 600-800 words and will allow students to experiment with various non fiction genres. | 40% |
| Long essay | In the second part of the semester students will be asked to write a longer piece of 2000-2500 words in one particular genre (biography, memoir, reportage, essay or travel writing). | 40% |
| Attendance and class participation | Participation to class discussion and a willingness to engage in the creative process to improve one's writing are an important part of the assessment. | 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 cou
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 is required and unjustified absences will affect the final grade
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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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| Session | Session Focus | Reading Assignment | Other Assignment | Meeting Place/Exam Dates |
| Week One | Introduction to the course | Readings on the art of creative non-fiction. "Telling True Stories" by Kramer and Call | Choice of first writing assignment | |
| Week Two | Reportage | A choice of long magazine articles | Short Essay #1 | |
| Week Three | Reportage | A choice from recently published long journalism | Short Essay #1 | |
| Week Four | Biography | From "The Last Leopard" by David Gilmour | Short Essay #2 | |
| Week Five | Biography | From "Benevolence and Betrayal" by Alexander Stille | Short Essay #2 | |
| Week Six | Memoir | From "War in Val d'Orcia", by Iris Origo | Short Essay #3 | |
| Week Seven | Memoir | "The Stones of Venice" by Mary McCarthy | Short Essay #3 | |
| Week Eight | Essay | Recent long journalism | Long Essay | |
| Week Nine | Travel writing | "Italian Neighbors" by Tim Parks | Long Essay | |
| Week Ten | Travel Writing | From "The Sea and Sardinia", by D.H.Lawrence | Long Essay | |
| Week Eleven | Historical Non Fiction | TBA | Long Essay | |
| Week Twelve | Historical Non Fiction | TBA | Long Essay | |
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