English 189: Senior Project in Creative Writing
2:30-5 Wednesdays
Juliana Spahr
office hours: 1:30-2:30 Wednesdays and by appointment at Mills Hall 315.

This is a required course for seniors who are doing their senior project in creative writing. The class will provide feedback and support for you as you work on your thesis. Expect regular in class writing, the give and take of detailed peer feedback and response, and short assignments that will be designed to help you with your writing. Regular attendance will be necessary. And a willingness to read and talk attentively about the work of others in the class will be required. We will try a variety of different workshop methods and as we do this we will work in groups both small and large.

GRADES: Basically, if you come to class and do the work, you get an A. I'm not going to grade you on the aesthetic choices you make. The detailed version: your grade will be mathematically calculated based on completion of thesis and assignment completion. 3/4 of your grade is completion of your thesis (50% awarded with first draft due on March 5; 50% awarded with final draft due on April 30; each day late is one grade down, from A to A-, etc.). 1/4 is assignment completion (each assignment is worth 1 point; there are 10 assignments). Grades are then assigned using the standard grading scale (90% and above is somewhere in the A range, etc.). Make up work is not allowed.

ADDITIONAL .25 CREDIT OPTION: Consult with me and come up with a book list of four-five books that will help you write your thesis that you have not yet read. You will read the books on your own and submit to me 1-2 page response papers on the books. They will be due throughout the semester. If more than one of you does this, I will probably have you all meet together once or twice.

To request academic accommodations due to a disability, students should contact Services for Students with Disabilities in the Cowell Building. If you have a letter indicating you have a disability which requires academic accommodations, please present the letter to me so that I will be able to provide the accommodations that you need in this class.

January 23
introduction

January 30
A1: Come to class with a 5 minute reading of your work. Do not bring copies of your work for the class.

February 6
A2: Come to class with a 5 minute reading of your work. Do not bring copies of your work for the class.

February 13
Independent work week. Also known as class is cancelled.

February 20
A3: On more time, come to class with a 5 minute reading of your work. Do not bring copies of your work for the class.

February 27
Independent work week. Also known as class is cancelled.

March 5
First drafts due. Should be a significant portion of your thesis, probably at least twenty pages but it doesn't need to be complete.

A4: Come prepared to read 5 minutes from your first draft. Should be a revision of material you have read to class before.

March 12
Individual meetings and group work.
A5: Bring one copy of 2-5 pages of work for feedback from class.

For next four weeks, we will do a combination of one on one meetings and group feedback. I will meet with each of you individually during class time to discuss your writing. (Schedule to be determined.)

For each class, whether you are meeting with me or not, you should bring one copy of 2-5 pages of work for feedback from class. It is best to bring different work to each class but if you've rewritten something from feedback you've gotten and want to run it by the class again, feel free to do this.

When not meeting with me, you will be providing written feedback to your peers. In other words, we still meet as a class. And bring a pen and paper. To get credit for the assignment these weeks you need to both bring work and respond to others.

March 19
Individual meetings and group work.
A6: Bring one copy of 2-5 pages of work for feedback from class.

March 26
spring break

April 2
Individual meetings and group work.
A7: Bring one copy of 2-5 pages of work for feedback from class.

April 9
Individual meetings and group work.
A8: Bring one copy of 2-5 pages of work for feedback from class.

April 16
A9: Work day. We will meet for writing together and check in.

April 23
Independent work week. Also known as class is cancelled.

April 30
Thesis due.

May 7
A10: Celebratory reading. You will choose 5 minutes from someone else's thesis to read to class. Rotation to be determined.