LITR 4231 Early American Literature fiction submissions publications? fiction workshop: Amanda & Jeff evaluations [break] instructor on course final grade report final exam discussion of topics, emphases

 

---

1 October-3 December:  The following students are required to do Draft Exchanges for their fiction manuscripts: Marcus Austin, Niki Bippen, Alicia Costello, Tara McGee, Veronica Nadalin, J J Torres

---

Thursday, 3 December: Last fiction workshop + discussion of final exam

Fiction final submissions & revision accounts due by noon Monday 7 December

1^st Fiction Author:  Amanda Pruett (extra time for final submission)

1^st fiction Author’s Discussion Leader: Jeff Derrickson

+

Roundtable discussion of final exams: each student discusses emphases or asks questions on assignments.

---

Thursday, 10 December: Final Exam

 

 

instructor on course

with a few exceptions, course attracts strong personalities

or secretly strong, latent volcanoes

workshop as classic expression of writer-behavior: powerful feelings > verbal expression

+ good manners

hard not to be overbearing!--or let others be overbearing.

 

Style of course: workshop + add-ons designed to maintain some intensity, purposefulness, learning

without overloading

 

discussion-leader

reading assignment and individual responsibility for learning (e. g., poetry and fiction essays)

revision accounts

draft-exchanges

 

but workshops, classrooms too much like life to be perfect

 

only undergrad course in creative writing

hard to maintain standards or guarantee learning

 

writers as strong personalities but non-conformists

never know exactly what will be produced and shared, or responses

 

Instructor's role:

provide students as much confidence as possible so they'll contribute

+ expectations of seriousness, helpfulness

 

instructor as most experienced workshopper models but has to shut up

"one sentence per contribution"

 

how much to lecture?

opportunistic, try to meet emergent needs

 

evaluations?

usually lower than other courses--why?

 

pressure

students become teachers b/c so much discussion

less structure

like an online course

more prompts

lack of discipline among students--attendance, participation

reading highlights > writing examples

unpreferred genres

style issues--make available

in-class writing exercises, collective stories

might meet problem of prompts