Introduction to Creative Nonfiction
Spring 2013Professor Jakiela
208 Faculty Office Building
Office Extension: #7481 (724-836-7481)
Office Hours: T/R 11:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. 5-7 p.m.; Wednesdays 5-7 p.m. and by appointment
E-Mail: lljakiela@gmail.com, loj@pitt.edu
Course Meets: Tuesdays, 7 p.m.
137 McKenna Hall
Required Texts:
Truth of the Matter
by Dinty Moore ISBN 978-032127761 An Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal ISBN 978-1400080465
Recommended Texts:
Associated Press Stylebook and Libel ManualRecommended Texts:
Elements of Style, Strunk & White
Online Resources:
The Creative Nonfiction, Brevity and Hippocampus (see blog roll) sites feature short essays that are similar to what you’ll try to do this semester. Brevity is edited by Dinty Moore, the author of our primary textbook.
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This course will introduce you to several kinds of
creative nonfiction – memoir, personal essay, experimental prose forms, and
narrative journalism. Through readings and writing prompts, you’ll work toward
crafting your own creative nonfiction pieces and will discover your place in
this contemporary literary landscape.
The course will be writing intensive and workshop based. Although it’s an introductory course, I expect you to have mastered the basics of grammar and craft via courses like Composition II. I expect that the work you submit to workshop will be coherent and polished, not rough first drafts. Your professionalism and seriousness as writers will be essential to your success in this course.
Attendance
Come to class. Come to class on time. Extremely late arrivals will be counted as an absence and will adversely affect your grade in this course. If you miss class on the day of a quiz, you won’t be able to make up the quiz without a doctor’s excuse. You may have two unexcused absences without hurting your grade. An unexcused absence is an absence without a doctor’s excuse. After two unexcused absences, you’ll need a doctor’s excuse or your grade will be lowered one full letter grade for each additional absence. In short, there is no way to pass this course if you don’t attend. Be here now. (See below for more on this.)
Deadlines
Discipline is a hallmark of any good writer. So is the ability to work independently. That said, turn in your work on time. I won’t accept late work. Late work cannot become part of a workshop rotation. If you miss a deadline, you will receive a 0/F for the assignment. I will accept electronic copies of your work only when I request it. I will expect you to bring hard copies and e-copies of your work to class for workshop, as scheduled. If you come to workshop without your work in hand, it counts as a missed deadline.
Discipline is a hallmark of any good writer. So is the ability to work independently. That said, turn in your work on time. I won’t accept late work. Late work cannot become part of a workshop rotation. If you miss a deadline, you will receive a 0/F for the assignment. I will accept electronic copies of your work only when I request it. I will expect you to bring hard copies and e-copies of your work to class for workshop, as scheduled. If you come to workshop without your work in hand, it counts as a missed deadline.
E-mail communication is important. If I e-mail you, please send back a quick response to let me know you’ve received the e-mail. If you e-mail me, I’ll do the same.
Please keep in mind that I will check e-mail during normal business hours. I may not check e-mail late at night or on the weekends or right before class.
Do not mistake e-mail communication as a substitute for either class participation or attendance. If you have a question, please ask it in class. You’re probably not the only person who has that question, so think of asking questions in class as public service.
Also, if you e-mail me, please be sure to sign your name to your e-mail so that I know it’s you who sent it.
Cell Phones and Other Tech Things
They’re wonderful. Turn them off in class. Don’t
check Facebook in class. Don’t play Words with Friends. As for texting, nothing
says “I’m not curious and couldn’t care less about what’s going on around me”
like someone who spends his/her time focused on a pair of thumbs. All of our
technology is wonderful and fun and useful, but it’s also a distraction from
the world. Training to be a writer demands that you be engaged in the world. As
the poet Antonio Machado advised: “Pay
attention.” Let’s practice the concept of “Be here now.”On Workshop
This course is workshop-oriented, which means we’ll often be reading and responding to each others’ work. You need to talk. A lot.
All workshop comments should be thoughtful, specific and informed. The comments should focus on the work and be geared toward helping the writer revise his/her piece. Comments about the author are not acceptable.
For some assignments, I’ll ask that you e-mail your work to me ahead of time. I’ll compile a workshop packet. Other times, I’ll ask that you bring in both hard- and e-copies of your work to share. (We’ll get a final headcount for copies after the first week of class.) Your workshop copies may be single-spaced, double-sided to save trees and money. Please provide one 1.5-spaced copy for me, however. Please come to class with your work ready to distribute (collated, stapled as needed).
Class Preparation/Participation
Complete all assigned readings and written work,
and come to class ready to show off. I
will also expect you to be well-informed about current events and the world
around you. Your active participation,
as well as your critical reading and thinking, will be important in two
ways. First, your grade will greatly
depend on your thoughtful contributions to class discussions. Second, your participation will make the
semester much more enjoyable for us all.
Writing Prompts-Binders
Throughout the first part of the term, you’ll be asked to do a series of Writing Prompts from Truth of the Matter. Please complete each prompt as assigned – typed, 1.5 spaced -- then arrange the prompts in order in a three-ring binder. I’ll collect the binder twice – once at mid-terms and once during finals. I may also collect your binder whenever you are due for workshop. Throughout the term, you’ll be asked to read your prompts and discuss your process in class, so be sure to bring your binder with you for each class meeting.
Grading
Your written work in this course will include the following:
·
Approximately five pieces. Although lengths will
vary, most pieces will be between 700 and 1000 words. Your assignments will be
loosely based on our readings and/or writing prompts from our text.
·
Multiple Prompts and in-class writings (keep these in
your binder and turn in at mid-term and during finals)
·
At least one final revision (Double the length of -- and deeper than -- your original piece)· Exams on readings and concepts
· Class participation
The exams will be a combination of multiple-choice and short-answer questions, and will be based on both readings and lectures. You cannot make up a quiz without a medical excuse.
Students with Disabilities
Please see Lou Ann Sears in the Learning Resources Center (first floor, faculty office building; 724-836-7098) for registration.
Assignments
You’ll receive your assignments weekly. I’ll also post your assignments here on our class blog. I’ll also
post bits of creative nonfiction news, extras about the authors and books we'll be reading, fun trivia, and links to publishing
opportunities and writing samples on the blog. I hope that you’ll use the
blog’s comment site to add your own content and to share your ideas and
insights with our class. Please follow the blog and check in regularly.
