Department of English, Foreign Languages, Journalism

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

English 386 -- Creative Writing, Poetry

Course Syllabus -Spring 2008

Instructor: Bill Church

Office: Eder Hall 222-O

Phone: 816 271-5966

email: church@missouriwestern.edu

Office Hours: MW 12-1; TR 11 – 12:30; and by appt.

Class Meeting Time and Room: 2:00-3:20 TR, Murphy Hall 112

Required texts: Writing Poems, by Boisseau & Wallace; 2007 Mochila Review

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.

Prerequisite: Enrollment in this course is restricted to students who have received passing grades in either ENG108 or ENG112.

MWSU Academic Honesty Policy and Due Process: Academic honesty is required in all academic endeavors. Violations of academic honesty include any instance of plagiarism, cheating, seeking credit for another's work, falsifying documents or academic records, or any other fraudulent activity. Violations of academic honesty may result in a failing grade on the assignment, failure in the course, or expulsion from the University. When a student's grade has been affected, violations of academic honesty will be reported to the Provost or designated representative on the Academic Honesty Violation Report forms. Please see the 2007-08 Student Handbook and Calendar for specific activities identified as violations of this policy and the student due process procedure. This handbook is also available online at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf

My Additional Academic Honesty Policy: Why would poets plagiarize? A more complicated matter is that of new writing generated specifically for this course. For the integrity of our class, I am asking that every word you submit be written after January 1, 2008. That slight relaxing of the dates will allow you to workshop a new poem or two you've written over break. What would clearly be unacceptable, however, would be for you to submit poems written for other classes or from other points in your lives. If I discover anyone passing "old" poems as new ones, I will lower that student's final grade by at least one letter. Please use this course as your opportunity to explore new techniques and subjects. We are here to write -- new and now.

Attendance: In a workshop class that relies heavily on interaction, prompt, regular attendance is crucial. Everyone's goal must be perfect attendance. Three absences will lower one's final grade by one letter. A fifth absence will result in automatic failure.

Classroom Etiquette: Little civilities include silencing cell phones, removing head phones, and remaining silent while others are speaking. Those are reasonable expectations I will enforce. Our greater goal, however, is to create for ourselves an environment in which we are motivated to write and eager to receive honest feedback from one another. This means we must treat one another's writing, views, and comments with the same respect and courtesy we'd show visiting poets of renown. In poems by published writers and poems by our peers, we are likely to be challenged by language and subject matter we find offensive. Poems explore, sometimes celebrate, "taboos." What one culture reveres, for example, another culture may condemn. Our goal, then, whether writing or responding, is to treat the language, the subject matter, and one another with tolerance and respect as we confront the complexity of our humanity. Our critiques are always to be of the poem, not of the poet.

Course Description: We will write new poems, at least one per week. We will read one another's poems and write weekly critiques. In a workshop setting, we will help one another appreciate what is unique in our voices and experiences as we create and shape poems. We will encourage revision and risk. We will also read widely known poets, their poetry and their thoughts on poetry as an art form: its creation, publication, and evaluation. We will gain command of relevant terms as we explore possibilities in form, content, metaphor, diction, etc., and we will articulate our own standards for judging poetry. We will spend time coming to know ourselves as poets and establishing specific goals for our poetry. We will undertake at least one poetry project that results in several new poems linked by theme, subject, and language. We will, by semester's end, have gained a greater understanding of our poetic intent and potential.

Goals:

* To discover the possibilities of the genre

* To define one's poetic goals

* To develop a personal aesthetic

* To create quality poetry in a variety of forms

* To learn and apply a variety of writing techniques and key terms

* To read for craft and technique

* To respect and value the orality of poetry

* To practice and appreciate extensive revision

Methods:

* Analyze published poetry collectively and individually, orally and in writing

* Read our text critically to understand techniques and terms

* Draft a minimum of one poem per week

* Revise ten of those poems for your final portfolio

* Write critiques of your peers' poems.

* Write a final exam in which you analyze your semester's growth

A/Cr/U Grading Option: Anyone who is not taking this course to satisfy a major or minor requirement may elect to be evaluated using the A/Cr/U option explained in the MWSU Catalog.

Grading:

Portfolio: 70%

Daily critiques of peers' poems: 20%

Midterm test: 10%

Portfolio: Your complete portfolio is due Tuesday, April 29, at the beginning of class. It is to include (1) all your poems and all drafts of each (2) the cover letters you wrote to me for each poem submitted (3) all the critiques you wrote for your peers (4) all the peer critiques you received and (5) self-analytical cover letter/final exam.

Course Activities Overview: We will be engaged constantly in producing and critiquing new works as we gain knowledge of techniques and terms. Toward this end, expect to read about one chapter per week from the Boisseau text. Expect to write one new poem per week. Expect to write four peer critiques per week, two per class session. (Note: I will not accept late critiques except in the case of extenuating circumstances). Expect to revise as time and energy permit. We must stay current. Below is a general guideline. On a separate sign-up sheet, we will identify which peers' works we will be critiquing each week.

Jan. 15-17: Course introduction and as many activities as time permits. Also, we'll sign up to bring poems for workshop.

Jan. 22-24: Chapter One in Writing Poems. Please bring some of your favorite poems to share. Even better, bring your favorite poet's best book. Begin workshopping and critiquing. Two peer critiques due per class; please bring duplicates of each critique, one for each writer and one of each for me.

Jan. 29- 31: Read Chapter Two in Writing Poems. Workshops, critiques for peers and me.

Feb. 5 - 7: Chapter Three in Writing Poems. Workshops, critiques for peers and me.

Feb. 12 - 14: Chapter Four in Writing Poems. Workshops, critiques for peers and me.

Feb. 19 - 21: Chapter Five in Writing Poems. Workshops, critiques for peers and me.

Feb. 26 - 28: Chapter Six in Writing Poems. Workshops, critiques for peers and me.

Mar. 4 - 6: Chapter Seven in Writing Poems. Workshops, critiques for peers and me. Take-home midterm test.

Mar. 11 - 13: Spring Break. Write!

Mar 18 - 20: Chapter Eight in Writing Poems. Workshops, critiques for peers and me.

Mar. 25-27: Chapter Nine in Writing Poems. Workshops, critiques for peers and me..

Apr. 1 -3 : Chapter Ten in Writing Poems. Workshops, critiques for peers and me.

Apr. 8 - 10: Chapter Eleven in Writing Poems. Workshops, critiques for peers and me.

Apr 15 -17: Chapter Twelve in Writing Poems. Workshops, critiques for peers and me.

Apr. 22: 24: Conclude workshops. Portfolio preparation.

April 29: Portfolio Due.

Final Exam: Tuesday, May 6, 2:00 - 3:50, Murphy 112.