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| Semester: | Fall 2020 |
| Number: | 0122-640-001 |
| Instructor: | Martha Cooley |
| Days: | Thursday 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm |
| Note: | Online, Both synchronous and asynchronous |
| Location: | Online |
| Credits: | 3 |
| Notes: |
For Mfa Students Only Meeting R 7:00pm-9:30pm |
| Course Materials: | View Text Books |
| Learning Goals: |
LEARNING GOALSIn this workshop, students will expand their understanding of the ingredients of successful fiction by:(1) Discussing elements of craft in assigned (published) stories and peer work, (2) Writing comments and questions about assigned readings and peer work, and(3) Discussing narrative strategies and story-making traditions relevant to their own and others’ creative efforts. Students will hone their fiction-writing skills by:(1) Undertaking occasional in-class writing exercises that practice good scene-making and sound deployment of elements of craft, and (2) Drafting and revising two complete stories or sections of a longer work.METHODS and OUTCOMESStudents will do several in-class writing exercises. These will consist of brief improvisations to hone their craft and to generate a vivid narrative voice.Students will draft and revise two short stories (or sections of a longer work). Stories/sections will be workshopped according to a fixed schedule (see below). Students whose work is to be discussed on a given Tuesday must post the work on Moodle before 5 pm on the Sunday before that Tuesday. During the semester, each student will introduce and lead a half-hour discussion of an assigned (published) story in the coursepak. Discussion leaders must post on Moodle (again, not later than Sunday at 5 pm) a set of notes or an outline for the conversation. Discussion leaders may also choose to provide background material (e.g., historical, critical, biographical, or other contextual information). Discussion leaders must direct the conversation so that significant literary-critical and craft-related issues are covered during the allotted half-hour.Students must post weekly comments on peer work and assigned readings. These comments should be at least 250 words in length for each work. Idle praise is, of course, insufficient; all observations and questions must reflect a close reading. Comments on peer work should offer useful suggestions toward revisions that will be more than merely cosmetic. Comments on published stories must address one or more elements of craft, rather than summarizing plots or analyzing themes. All observations and questions should focus on how particular effects are achieved in a given work of fiction. All postings must be done by 5 pm on the Sunday before the workshop.By the term’s end, each student will have compiled a portfolio containing in-class exercises as well as draft and revised work. M *The learning goals displayed here are those for one section of this course as offered in a recent semester, and are provided for the purpose of information only. The exact learning goals for each course section in a specific semester will be stated on the syllabus distributed at the start of the semester, and may differ in wording and emphasis from those shown here. |
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