Beechwood High School

Dual Credit Creative Writing Course Syllabus

2016-2017

Instructor: Michael Piergalski

Room Number: 409

Email:

Office hours: 7:00-8:00am

Course Description:

This course is meant to be an introduction into the many facets of creative writing. We will cover short fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry in the fall, and scriptwriting for radio and writing for film and television in the spring. The course will require you to perform in-depth critical readings of exemplary pieces of fiction and nonfiction and well as offer your peers constructive critique in a workshop setting. You will write both inside and outside of class. Other primary goals include experimenting and taking risks as a writer. It probably goes without saying, but class participation, buy-in, and attendance are vital.

This course is accredited through Thomas More College. The cost to take Creative Writing as a dual credit course is $200. If you receive a C or higher in the course, you will receive 3 hours of college credit, which will be acceptable at most universities. You may elect to not pay the fee – you will still be able to take the class, you just will not receive any college credit.

Course Outline:

Unit 1: Short Fiction

Goals:Students will understand the following:

  • How to create a sense of character
  • How point of view affects story
  • The craft of plot, style, dialogue, and pacing.

Readings:

“A Perfect Day for Bananafish” by J.D. Salinger

“A Dead Issue” by Charles M. Flandrau

“What Was It?” by Fitz-James O’Brien

“To Build a Fire” by Jack London

“The Resting Place” by Oliver La Farge

“Black Box” by Jennifer Egan

“Happy Trails” by Sherman Alexie

Selections from Teaching Creative Writing by Graeme Harper

Selections from The Cambridge Introduction to Creative Writing by David Morely

Exercises from Now Write!edited by Sherry Ellis

Aug. Week 1

Introduction to Creative Writing

“Chapter 1” The Cambridge Introduction to Creative Writing

Aug. Week 2

“Chapter 5: Processes of Creative Writing” The Cambridge Introduction to Creative Writing

“Black Box” by Jennifer Egan

Writing Exercise: Beginning a Story in an Hour or Less (from Now Write)

Sept. Week 3

Point of View

“Happy Trails” by Sherman Alexie

Writing Exercise: First-Person Point of View: Imagining and Inhabiting a Character (from Now Write)

Writing Exercise: Third Person Narration and “Psychic Distance” (from Now Write)

Sept. Week 4

“Chapter 6: The Practice of Fiction” (p.155-165) The Cambridge Introduction to Creative Writing

First short story (about 5-7 pages) due

Workshop (bring 5 copies of your story for your workshop members)

Sept. Week 5

Character Development

“A Dead Issue” by Charles M. Flandrau

“Chapter 6: The Practice of Fiction” (p.166-175) The Cambridge Introduction to Creative Writing

Writing Exercise: Language Portrait (from Now Write; Chris Abani)

Writing Exercise: Why I Stole It (from Now Write; Robert Anthony Siegel)

Sept. Week 6

Writing Exercise: Paw through Their Pockets, Rife through Their Drawers (from Now Write; Rachel Basch)

Oct. Week 7

Setting and Description

“What Was It?” by Fitz-James O’Brien

Writing Exercise: Learning to Layer (from Now Write; Venise Berry)

Workshop

Field trip to Contemporary Arts Center to see Titus Kaphar exhibit

Oct. Week 8

Second short story due (about 5-7 pages)

UNIT 2: Creative Non-fiction

*Note: According to David Foster Wallace, creative non-fiction “denotes a broad category of prose works such as personal essays andmemoirs,profiles, nature and travel writing, narrative essays, observationalor descriptive essays, general-interest technical writing, argumentativeor idea-based essays, general-interest criticism, literary journalism,and so on.

Goals:

  • Understand the genre of creative nonfiction and some of its greatest practitioners
  • Produce several interesting works of creative nonfiction

Readings:

“Roger Federer as Religious Experience” by David Foster Wallace

“Is the Fastest Human Ever Already Alive?” by Chuck Klosterman

“A Visit to Val Kilmer’s New Mexico Ranch” by Chuck Klosterman

“Consider the Lobster” by David Foster Wallace

“Pearls Before Breakfast” by Gene Weingarten

“Learning to Surf” by David Gessner

Oct. Week 9

“Roger Federer as Religious Experience” by David Foster Wallace

“Is the Fastest Human Ever Already Alive?” by Chuck Klosterman

“Chapter 7: Creative Nonfiction” from The Cambridge Introduction to Creative Writing

Writing Exercise: Write about an event you’ve experienced which has changed the way you view an aspect of the world

Oct. Week 10

“Consider the Lobster” by David Foster Wallace

Workshop: First creative non-fiction piece

Nov. Week 11

“Pearls Before Breakfast” by Gene Weingarten

“A Visit to Val Kilmer’s New Mexico Ranch” by Chuck Klosterman

Writing Exercise: Writing about Real People: Character sketches

Nov. Week 12

“Learning to Surf” by David Gessner

Nov. Week 13

“A Visit to Val Kilmer’s New Mexico Ranch” by Chuck Klosterman

Exercise: Travel Writing

Nov. Week 14

“Is the Fastest Human Ever Already Alive?” by Chuck Klosterman

Exercise: Sports Writing

Dec. Week 15

Workshop Sports Writing & Travel Writing

Dec. Week 16

Workshop Sports Writing & Travel Writing

Dec. Week 17

Semester Exam

UNIT 3: Script-writing for Radio

Goals:

  • Appreciate the somewhat antiquated art of the radio drama
  • Produce a polished script for the radio
  • Learn to record and edit the aforementioned script
  • Refine skill in producing believable dialogue
  • Refine skill is pacing a storyline

Readings:

“Scriptwriting for Radio” by Steve May

“Three Skeleton Key” by George Toudouze and James Poe

“War of the Worlds” by H.G. Wells (adapted for radio by Orson Welles)

Various radio dramas from The Truth

Jan. Week 1

“Scriptwriting for Radio” by Steve May

Jan. Week 2

Dialogue I

“Three Skeleton Key” script

Writing Exercise: “Hearing Voices” by Lon Otto

Jan. Week 3

Dialogue II

“War of the Worlds” script

Writing Exercise: “The Non-Apology” by Thomas Fox Averill

Jan. Week 4

Time to work on radio drama script

Instructor consults with groups

Feb. Week 5

Time to work on radio drama script

Instructor consults with groups

Feb. Week 6

Workshop radio drama scripts

Begin recording radio dramas using Audacity software

Feb. Week 7

Finish recording and editing radio dramas

Feb. Week 8

Present finished radio dramas to the class.

UNIT 4: Writing for Film and Television

Goals:

  • Understand the format of basic screenplay writing
  • Appreciate the quality of several acclaimed screenplays
  • Collaborate to produce an original screenplay
  • Understand the basics of film and television critique

Readings:

Moonrise Kingdom screenplay by Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola

The Office “The Carpet” screenplay by Paul Lieberstein

“Writing for Film and Television” by Jack Epps, Jr.

March Week 9

“Writing for Film and Television” by Jack Epps, Jr.

Writing Exercise: Essential Story Questions (p.111)

March Week 10

Moonrise Kingdom film

Moonrise Kingdom screenplay

March Week 11

“The Carpet” screenplay

Writing Exercise: Current Events

March Week 12

Work on original screenplay

Conference with students

April Week 13

Work on original screenplay

Conference with students

April Week 14

Workshop script

April Week 15

Work on original screenplay

Conference with students

April Week 16

Final draft of script due

Course Materials:

All texts will be provided to the students by the instructor

*Please contact me if you have misgivings about your student reading any of the above texts, and I can locate an alternate text for your student*

General Supplies:

  • Pens/pencils/writing utensils
  • Several notebooks of good quality
  • USB stick

Course Policies:

  • As the course content is cumulative, students should avoid unexcused absences. When a student is absent, he or she must check the class website to make up the work (tests, quizzes, in-class assignments, homework) missed.
  • All makeup work is due the next day to not be counted as late. For example, if a student is absent Monday and arrives at school Tuesday, the work is due Wednesday.
  • Late Work: homework 1 day late will be penalized 25%. Work 2 days late will be penalized 50%. I will not accept work submitted more than 2 days late.
  • Plagiarized work will receive a zero without a chance to makeup any points. In addition, parents/guardians and the administration will be notified.
  • If a student is caught cheating, copying, or allowing someone to cheat or copy, the student will receive a zero on the assignment.
  • All tardiness will be reported to the administration as per school policy.

Behavior

  • Successful students will attend class regularly and on time and will demonstrate skills indicative of quality workers by bringing required materials, completing homework assignments, participating in class discussions, and respecting the opinions of others.
  • Students will follow the BHS code of conduct, and I have a zero tolerance policy concerning cruelty, harassment, excessive teasing, discrimination, violence, and intimidation. Foul language, derogatory remarks, and disrespect towards classmates, teachers, and staff have no place in this course or in the school

Cell Phones

  • Cell phones are excellent education tools which can be used for interactive discussions, locating key bits of information, and reading e-texts. I will give students specific instructions to use their phones in this manner.
  • Students are not to use their phones unless I explicitly grant permission.
  • Unacceptable cell phone behaviors: texting, gaming, engaging in any form of social media. On the first offense, I will confiscate the student’s phone for the day. After the second offense, the student must turn in the cell phone to me at the start of every class (returned at the end of the class).

Grading Policy/Assessment

  • The grading scale conforms to Beechwood’s standard policy: A+ (100-99), A (98-94), A-(93-92), B+(91-90), B (89-86), B-(5-84), C+(83-82), C (81-78), C-(77-76), D+(75-74), D (73-71), D-(70-69)
  • In the gradebook, all graded work will fall into five different categories, each with a specific weight:
  • Tests(final drafts of works of writing) (30%)
  • Writing (planning, drafting, mini-writes) (20%)
  • Quizzes (20%)
  • Homework: (10%)
  • Reading: (10%)
  • Speaking & Listening (10%)
  • Final Grade Calculation:
  • Quarter 1: 20%
  • Quarter 2: 20%
  • Semester 1 Exam: 10%
  • Quarter 3: 20%
  • Quarter 4: 20%
  • Final Exam: 10%
  • One to two small extra credit assignments will be given each quarter.

Course Procedures:

All typed essays/papers must conform to the following standards:

  • 12-point, Times New Roman font
  • Double-spaced
  • Stapled
  • The paper must be printed and stapled before class begins. If this is not the case, the assignment will be counted as late (-25%).

We will use a wiki website called PBWorks to distribute and submit assignments. A wiki is a website that any user can edit – the most famous wiki in the world is Wikipedia, which everyone is familiar with. I will explain how to use the wiki on the first day of class. You will catch on very quickly.

Personal Statement:

This course is for dual credit, meaning if you pass with a C or higher, you will receive 3 hours of college credit. The equivalent college course is ENG 270, which is taught at Thomas More College. Naturally, I will expect you to work with the diligence of a collegiate student, not a high school one. I will hold you to the highest standard of any class I’ve taught at Beechwood, so please take your writing seriously.

Contact Information:

Email:

Website:

Phone: 859-331-1220 Ext: 6409

Office Hours: 7:00am - 8:00am

Planning Period: 8:05 - 9:10

Please sign the following sheet and return to me by 8/27/2015. It is a required document for student files.

Thank you,

Mike Piergalski

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We, the parent/guardian(s) and the student, have fully read, understood, and agree to the above expectations put forth in the syllabus. Additionally, by signing this, I give my student permission to use Prezi, an online presentation technology, over the course of the year.

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Student email:______

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