210C F20 Carpenter

210C

Department of English Language and Literature

ENGL 210C: Genres of Creative Writing, Fall 2020

Instructor: Justin Carpenter

Class Location: The Cloud

Class Time: TBD

Instructor’s Office: PAS 2215

Office Hours: By appointment

e-mail: j2carpen@uwaterloo.ca

Course Description

The aim of this course is to read, analyze, and write creatively while learning about the development of creative writing genres over time. To do so, we will explore both historical and contemporary approaches to a variety of creative writing genres, including novels, poetry, drama, short stories, television, film, graphic novels, and video games. This exploration will be critical in nature, observing technical approaches, aesthetics, and content as applied in a variety of creative works. Such an approach, this course argues, is vital for developing as a creative writer.

The structure of the class is divided between readings, class discussion, and workshopping. Each student will ideally leave the class with a portfolio of their creative and critical work, a deeper sense of the historical development of creative writing genres, and an integration of general writing strategies into their academic and creative processes.

Required Texts

O’Neill, Eugene. Long Day’s Journey into Night

Williams, John. Stoner

Lightman, Alan. Einstein’s Dreams

Tan, Shaun. Tales from Outer Suburbia

*All other required readings will be shared by the course instructor on Learn

Recommended Texts

Barrett, Grant. Perfect English Grammar: The Indisputable Guide to Excellent Writing and

Speaking. Berkeley: Zephyros Press, 2016.

Gotham Writers’ Workshop. Writing Movies: The Practical Guide to Creating Stellar

Screenplays. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2006.

MLA Handbook, Eighth ed. New York: The Modern Language Association of America, 2016.

Steele, Alexander (editor). Gotham Writers' Workshop: Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide

From New York's Acclaimed Creative Writing School 1st Edition. New York, NY: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2010.

Assignments (Double spaced, 12-pt font, MLA Citation Style)

Weekly Journals, 10%:

Critical and Creative Journals are required as part of your weekly writing process. Journals are informal, providing a space to think while not worrying about polish or correct formatting. This assignment requires the completion of:

• Creative Journal, 5%:

One page (250 words) journal entries (Submit Weekly to Learn)

Write a journal entry showcasing your creative experiments. Use approaches discussed in class, work on your creative pieces, or comment on creative methods you would like to work on and improve in your own writing.

• Critical Journal, 5%

One page (250 words) journal entries (Submit Weekly to Learn)

Write a journal entry critically reflecting on weekly readings. Critical writing typically concerns textual analysis, observations of style, language, and “what a creative work does” rather than a value judgment. Evaluation of art is based on taste, which is subjective; critical thinking is not speaking about a text’s value or how much one likes or dislikes it, but rather what it is doing, how it is doing it, and why.

Short Essay, 25%:

Minimum 1500 words, Maximum 2000 words

Write a short critical essay that discusses the history of a medium, a genre of writing, or an author. You can discuss work written by an author not on the course list, though it might be easier for everyone if you do stick to the readings provided. If you do wish to discuss writers from outside our small list, please notify the course instructor before you begin writing so they can adequately prepare.

• Writing Group Peer Review, 5%

• Final Draft, 20%

Mid-Term Portfolio, 25%:

Contains two shorter works, your journals so far, and a tentative cover letter/artist’s statement

This assignment concerns the completion and submission of two short creative pieces, all journals submitted thus far, and a draft of your artist’s statement. Short pieces include suites of poetry (3-4 poems would be one “piece” while a single short story is also one). The length of these works is somewhat flexible, though students are expected to express concerns they may have about length before submitting. This assignment consists of:

• Writing Group Peer Review, 5%

• Final Draft, 20%

Final Portfolio, 35%:

Contains manuscript of one longer work (10 pages minimum, 15 pages maximum), your revised Mid-Term Portfolio, your revised critical essay, final journals, a finalized cover letter/artist’s statement, and a list of 3 possible venues for publication for one piece you have written

This assignment requires you to begin a manuscript of a longer work, submitting it along with all other work done for this course. Longer works include screenplays, scripts, novels, and so on. You are not expected to complete an entire manuscript, but the longer work must be at least 10 pages long. Students are expected to revise all work completed throughout the term.

If you submit a manuscript that is incomplete (for example, a chapter from a novel), please provide some context so that it can be understood. This can be done using a storyboard, a summary, a critical explanation, or anything else that you find suitable.

As well, students will be asked to attach a list of publications they are targeting for their favourite piece of writing. This includes a justification for why they have chosen these venues. This assignment consists of:

• Writing Group Peer Review, 5% (Share longer manuscript only!)

• Final Draft, 30%

Participation and Preparation, 5%:

Students are expected to attend all classes. Further, students are required to prepare for each class. This includes completing readings, bringing required texts to class, and coming to class ready to discuss readings (and to write).

*All major assignments should be submitted via the course’s dropbox. All due dates will fall on a Friday.

Course Policies

Attendance, Participation, and Late Submission

Attendance and Participation: Students are expected to attend all lectures and workshops. Students must bring course texts to class and come to class prepared to take part in discussions of assigned readings, as well as any in-class exercises, group work (including peer editing), etc.

More than two unexcused absences will result in a docking of your participation grade by 5%.

Further absences will result in a failing participation grade.

Late Submission: Assignments must be handed in on the due date, unless an extension has been granted by the instructor in advance or a doctor’s note has been provided. If there is any reason for submitting an assignment late, notify the course instructor prior to the deadline, NOT after. A penalty of 5% per assignment, per day (including weekends and holidays) will be applied to late assignments for which no extension has been granted.

Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. See the UWaterloo Academic Integrity webpage and the Arts Academic Integrity webpage for more information.

Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offences, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about “rules” for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disciplinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71 – Student Discipline. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students should refer to Policy 71 - Student Discipline. For typical penalties check Guidelines for the Assessment of Penalties.

Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4. When in doubt, please be certain to contact the department’s administrative assistant who will provide further assistance.

Appeals: A decision made or penalty imposed under Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances (other than a petition) or Policy 71 - Student Discipline may be appealed if there is a ground. A student who believes he/she has a ground for an appeal should refer to Policy 72 - Student Appeals.

Accommodation for Students with Disabilities

Note for students with disabilities: The AccessAbility Services office, located on the first floor of the Needles Hall extension (1401), collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the AS office at the beginning of each academic term.

Mental Health Support

All of us need a support system. The faculty and staff in Arts encourage students to seek out mental health supports if they are needed.