Thursday, 10 December, 4-6:50, B1219 is official schedule for in-class exam. Email exams may be submitted from December 4th through December 11th.

Note: instructor out-of-town and offline from 4-7 December. Receipt of exams submitted during that period not confirmed till Tuesday 8 December.

Format: in-class or email; open-book, open-notebook.

• If in-class, bring paper, pen, handouts, notebooks, and/or laptop. Start at 4, finish by 6:50pm. In-class exams are read separately from email exams to avoid time-biases, etc.
   

• If email, write any time after final class meeting for up to four hours (not necessarily all at once.) Email exam to whitec@uhcl.edu by noon Friday, December 11.
   

• Research, draft, outline your answers ahead of time as much as helpful.

Give Titles to both your essays (for posting purposes).

Required references

Reading references: refer to 4-5 points or passages from assigned readings—see details below

Previous exam stipulation: Refer somewhere at least once to final exam(s) from previous semesters.

2008 final exams

2006 final exams

2005 final exams

Final Exam Assignment: Two essays of one to one-and-a-half hours

• Essay 1: Essay on fiction: What have you learned about fiction from workshops, textbook, lecture discussion, and your own writing? Learning may apply to your writing, studies, and/or teaching.
   

• Essay 2: Essay on overall semester with reference to 1 or 2 objectives: What did you enter knowing about creative writing, and how has this course changed, challenged, or extended your knowledge? Refer to your creative writing, instruction, workshops, and / or more general learning about literature.

  • Essay 2 is phrased positively, but frustrations, dead-ends, annoyances in your work or in workshops are fair game for developing materials.

Requirements / details

• Essay 1: Essay on fiction: What have you learned about fiction genre from workshops, textbook, lecture & discussion, your own writing?
   

Required, recommended, or possible references:

• Outside sources: other courses or informal extracurricular writing at any level (possible)

• Assigned textbook readings (required—at least 2-3 references)

• lecture & discussion (required—at least 2 references)

• your own writing (recommended)

Essay 2: Essay on your overall learning experience with concentration on 1 or 2 objectives: What did you enter knowing about creative writing, and how has this course changed, challenged, or extended your knowledge? Refer to your creative writing, teaching of subject, and / or more general learning about literature.

You aren't expected to describe the course as a life-changing experience, but take the assignment seriously. Be a writer. Make your experience and learning matter.

Required, recommended, or possible references:

• Outside sources: other courses or informal extracurricular writing at any level (possible / recommended)

• Assigned textbook readings (required—at least 2 references)

• Workshops, either your own or others' (recommended / required)

• lecture & discussion (recommended / required)

• your own writing (recommended / required)

Course Objectives

1. To develop a friendly but rigorous Workshop Presentations to produce writing & model instruction.
 

2.    To use Draft Exchanges to learn disciplined routines and cooperative relations with other writers & authors.
 

3.     To unlearn the popular image of a writer as an isolated genius producing masterpieces overnight.
 

4.      To enforce attitudes that a draft or manuscript presented or submitted is always a “work in progress.”

5.      To learn conventions of standard creative genres like lyric poetry and prose fiction.
 

6.      To distinguish and evaluate academic and popular standards for literature

Overlap between the two essays? Some overlap may be inevitable. No need to repeat yourself—your second essay may refer to your first essay, or your first essay may defer some elements until the second essay. Work out such problems sensibly. I'm not especially sensitive or punitive re repetitions.

Grading standards:

Quality of writing: strength and interest of themes; thematic organization and development; transitions and connections between parts of essay; general unity of essay; surface quality (absence of chronic errors); inclusion of titles.

Required references to class sources: Across the exam, make 4-5 references (to the assigned readings in Three Genres and several references to points raised in lecture, discussion, or instructor’s and readers’ reactions to your writing submissions or drafts. You may refer to sources beyond class for examples, models, or instructions on creative writing. Make at least one reference to final exams from previous semesters somewhere in exam .

Expansion, extension, or recombination: The basic knowledge required for both essays is available through reading assignments, reading highlights, discussion, and lecture. Ability to master such material is impressive enough is required for continuing grades, but higher grades are earned by extending basic knowledge into new insights, combinations, or possibilities—critical thinking!