English 350-433-001
Creative Nonfiction for Publication
Instr:
Carolyn Kott Washburne
Campus office: CRT 574; mailbox:
CRT 4th floor campus: 229-2709; off-campus: 961-1995; FAX: 961-1971;
Off-campus office: Washburne Literary Services, 4465 N. Oakland
Ave.,
Shorewood, WI 53211-1662
e-mail:
ckw@uwm.edu
Office hours:
W 3:45-4:30; or by appointment
Course Information:
W 4:30-7:10 p.m., Merrill Hall G16
COURSE OVERVIEW
Reading
Required: Class Reader (available at Clark Graphics, 2915 N.
Oakland Ave.)
Recommended; Any works from the Suggested Readings list in this Class
Reader.
Course Description
In this course students will write in a number of creative nonfiction
formats, including the personal experience article, personal opinion essay,
review, and profile as well as a researched article using a creative nonfiction
approach. The course will explore using fiction and poetry techniques,
such as metaphor, dialogue, voice, and point of view, to make the nonfiction
writing more eloquent and compelling. The course will also cover how to
get nonfiction work published. To illustrate the principles being discussed,
the class will critique published articles and evaluate each otherUs work
in peer editing sessions and class workshop discussions.
Course Requirements: Undergraduate
Written assignments:
-
Letter (400-100 words)
-
Personal experience or personal opinion essay (500-1500 words)
-
Review (400-1500 words)
-
Profile (1000-2000 words)
-
Informational article (1500-2000 words)
-
3 Opening leads + Query letter (1 page)
-
Student's choice article (any length)
In addition, each student will:
-
Have one of your manuscripts discussed by the class as a whole during the
semester.
-
Give a five-to-ten-minutes presentation to the class on some aspect of
nonfiction writing.
-
Submit a key idea (in writing, 1-3 sentences) analyzing each reading assignment.
-
Participate in an in-class workshopping group.
-
Attend and participate in all class meetings; be ready to discuss the assigned
material and contribute to class discussion.
Course Requirements: Gaduate
Written assignments:
-
Letter (400-100 words)
-
Personal experience or personal opinion essay (500-1500 words)
-
Review (400-1500 words)
-
Profile (1500-2000 words)
-
Informational article (1500-2500 words)
-
3 Opening leads + Query letter (1 page)
-
Student's choice article (any length)
-
Final paper linking what you have learned in this course with your graduate
coursework to date.
In addition, each student will:
-
Have one of your manuscripts discussed by the class as a whole during the
semester.
-
Give a five-to-ten-minutes presentation to the class on some aspect of
nonfiction writing.
-
Submit a key idea (in writing, 1-3 sentences) analyzing each reading assignment.
-
Participate in an in-class workshopping group.
-
Attend and participate in all class meetings; be ready to discuss the assigned
material and contribute to class discussion.
-
Present a ten-to-fifteen-minute report to the class summarizing your graduate
studies and describing the career you are preparing for.
PREREQUISITES
Undergraduate
Junior standing in English and six credits in writing courses, or consent
of the instructor.
Graduate
Enrolled in Department of English or other graduate program.
EXTRA CREDIT
Anything you get published.
GRADING:
Informational article
25%
All other written work
50%
Class participation, effort, improvement
25%
