Course Description
Creative Writing is a writing class for students who enjoy writing.
The course is organized around three genres of
writing: poetry, fiction, and
drama. Poetry will encompass most
of first quarter, drama will be a three-week unit, and we will finish the
semester with fiction writing. For
poetry and fiction, you will be graded by the portfolio method which means that
you present your best pieces for final grading.
Specific criteria will be given later for both portfolios, and students
will also write a lengthy expository essay for each portfolios. Drama will involve small-group work and is essentially
comprised of writing a short play for grade schoolers and mounting its
production.
There are no required texts for the course.
Extensive handouts make it necessary for you to have a folder for class.
Some assignments—expository essays, for example—may be graded with
the codes in the Handbook of Composition.
Each student needs a spiral notebook for class not only for occasional notetaking but also for journaling. We will do some journaling in class and some will be assigned along with homework. Students should expect to do daily writing both in and out of class.