Department of English, Foreign Languages, Journalism

Division of Liberal Arts and Sciences

English 285-01 - Mochila Review

Course Syllabus - Spring 2004

Instructor: Bill Church

Office: SS/C 222-O

Phone: 816 271-5966

email: church@missouriwestern.edu

Office Hours: 1:00 - 2:30 MW, 11:00 - 12:30 TTH, and by appointment

Class Meeting Time and Room: 10:00-10:50 MWF, SS/C214

Required texts and materials: No text on the workings of a literary journal exists. Our texts will be other literary journals and the manuscripts we read. I do recommend ready access to a good dictionary.

Students with Disabilities: Anyone who has a disability that prevents the fullest expression of her or his potential to succeed in this course must notify me in writing as soon as possible so we may discuss course requirements, options, and accommodations.

Course Description: This is a unique course designed to provide students a rare and valuable experiential learning opportunity on the staff of an international national literary journal. All of us will work toward the common goal of finding and publishing the finest works we encounter. We will also work on team-building skills, collaboration, and resolving conflict when we disagree on the merits of literary submissions. Everyone is required to accept a defined position on staff, similar in structure to our campus newspaper and yearbook. Our primary texts will be the works we receive, read in comparison to works published in prior issues. Our "homework," which will be abundant, will consist of professionally and promptly fulfilling the duties inherent in the defined positions we accept. This course will require commitment and careful reading from you. In return, it may well be one of the most rewarding classes you take because the "real world" connections will be immediate and far reaching.

Goals:

* To appreciate the purpose, operation, and value of a contemporary literary journal

* To gain hands-on experience with all aspects of publishing a literary journal

* To sharpen our aesthetic judgement of other writers' work

* To build team skills

* To read for craft and technique

* To become conversant with key terms

Methods: Students will . . .

* compare The Mochila Review to its contemporaries

* as a group, contact and visit at least one other literary journal

* each assume responsibility for one staff position

* analyze other contemporary literary works

* keep journals in which they record their learning

* practice copy editing techniques

* work with typesetting software

* consider and prepare sample marketing strategies

* prepare sample calls for submissions

* prepare a sample budget

Grading & Attendance:

Grades will reflect how willingly and how effectively students take work in hand and accomplish stated job duties. According to our college catalog, students should plan to devote about three hours of homework time for every contact hour. A three-hour class such as this one, then, should require about nine hours of work outside of class time. That seems reasonable, and we will have to work on the honor system, logging our own hours. Work needs will fluctuate, however, according to the stage of production. Some weeks will be demanding, others more relaxed. We will also need to divide duties. Some of us may be reading more poetry, others more prose. Some may be involved in administrative work, typesetting, or editing. Attendance at all classes is expected, and unless a student can document extenuating circumstances, missing more than three classes will result in a lower grade; missing five classes means automatic failure. (Extenuating circumstances include medical emergencies, fires, auto accidents, etc. not work schedules, day care, or studying for other classes.) Meeting deadlines is essential because we will have a schedule to keep. At midterm, I will ask you to submit a self-evaluation of your performance. If we do not agree on your grade at that point, I will explain my rationale in conference and establish a work schedule that will allow you to earn the grade you seek by semester's end. Overall, so long as everyone adheres to deadlines and does quality work, grades should be high because this class functions similar to an internship.

Classroom behavior: As stated in the MWSC Student Handbook, instructors "may establish additional classroom rules and expectations for conduct in the classroom. Behavior which disrupts the classroom environment or interferes with other students' ability to learn may be grounds or justification for dismissal from the classroom" (28). Let's establish a cordial and respectful atmosphere in which we can have fun while learning together.

Final Exam: Friday, May 7, 11:30 a.m - 1:20 p.m