Syllabus for English 243/4/5

Writing Poetry

· Please print a copy of the Syllabus and keep it in your notebook so you can easily refer to it.

· Your Syllabus is a lot to take in at one sitting. Read it over a couple of times then if you still have questions email me on our course site. To access our course email, click on Mail on your tool bar.

· After you have finished reading your Syllabus, please click on the Week 1 icon on your Homepage for the instructions for the first week’s assignments.

Instructor: Julianne Seeman

jseeman@bcc.ctc.edu- use this address is VISTA is down.

Contact me on our course email site. Click on Mail on your course tool bar.

Course Philosophy: I love poetry: reading it, writing it and helping others write poetry. I believe that any kind of writing requires knowledge, courage, commitment, and discipline. I also believe writing, like any skill, is best learned in a positive, supportive environment. Writing – at least when it goes well! – is fun, exhilarating, and life enhancing. I hope that you will come away from this course with an increased understanding of your creativity, writing process and style.

Required Course Materials

· Drake: Writing Poetry

· Goldberg: Writing Down the Bones

· If you are a returning student and have Drake and Goldberg, please also purchase Ted Kosser: Poetry Repair Manual, Advice for Beginning Poets. This is a great reading for every poet.

Please also have:

· A CD reserved for your work for this course

· A notebook to use for your writing journal

· A reliable computer, preferably your own, equipped with MS WORD. Please DO NOT use WORKS or WORD PERFECT for your work in this class. If you do not have MS Word, save your work in RTF (Rich Text Format)

· A back-up plan in case of computer failure. Please email me a detailed statement of your specific back-up plan as soon as you get on the course site.

Introductory Remarks

This class is conducted completely on-line; therefore, you are not required to attend classroom sessions and I am available only through our class email. However, this is not a correspondence course to be completed on your own timetable in isolation. How much you learn will be directly proportional to how much you participate in the online community, how well you manage your time, and how well you follow written directions. If you are not sure whether or not an online course is right for you, complete the following questionnaire: http://distance-ed.bcc.ctc.edu/webassess/

If you have signed up for this class thinking that it would involve less work than a course in the classroom alas you were mistaken. You will need a minimum of one or two uninterrupted hours every weekday to work on the assignments for this class.

Student Responsibilities

You will need a reliable computer and some necessary software and services, including a word processor, an Internet Service Provider, and a browser.
You will also need a solid back-up plan in case of computer failure.
You will need to be able to upload and download files, follow written directions, copy text to e-mail messages, and know how your browser and computer system work.
Always keep me informed if you have problems. I do my best to establish what our challenges will be within the first week of the course, but I expect that you bring some expertise with you to help in solving any problems that arise. Ultimately, that is your responsibility.
I expect you to be as courteous and respectful to me and to your classmates as you would be in person in a classroom setting. Emails and discussion board posts cannot be taken back. Please write all of your correspondence with care and courtesy; don't send emails or posts that you might later regret--in terms of content, words, and tone. A good test is, "Would I say that in person, in exactly those words, to a teacher or classmate I didn't know well? How would I react if I were on the receiving end?" (Also keep in mind that even if you're thick-skinned, many of your classmates are not and shouldn't have to be.)

6. Plan to write original work for this class, submit it on time, listen respectfully to feedback, and offer constructive critiques in order to support the other writers in the class. You should also expect the same in return.

7. If you have problems, please let me know right away. If you have an emergency and you cannot contact me, please ask a friend or family to do so.

8. If you are a Running Start Student, you may find college expectations different from high school ones. Please be aware that it is not appropriate for your parent or guardian to contact me about your work in the class. It is also not appropriate to ask for special consideration regarding deadlines or assignments in order to meet your high school commitments.

Course Outcomes

As a result of taking this course, you will be familiar with the following:

o Reading poetry is essential for the writing of poetry;

o Equally important is carving out space and time to nourish your creativity and generate writing;

o The vocabulary of poetry including, line, line break, stanza, diction, tone, image, metaphor, extended metaphor, scansion, rhythm, closed and open form;

o The writing process from free writing through revision;

o The use of forms to emphasize meaning;

o The use of strong, showing verbs and naming nouns to achieve tight diction and flow/ rhythm in your poems;

o How to carefully read, analyze and critique poems;

o Be able to self-assess.

What do I have to do for this course?

Each week’s assignment instructions are in the week’s learning module.

· You will find these Learning Modules by clicking on the Weekly Icons on your Homepage.

· For example, to find week 1 assignments, click on the week 1 icon.

Each week you will read, write a poem, and critique poems. You will go on an Art Date and write a Self-evaluation of the work you did during the week. The assignments are due as assigned. Late work will loose credit.

Weekly Timelines:

1. Post your poem to the Discussion Board by noon on Wednesday.

2. Post your critiques by noon on Friday.

3. Self-evals are due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday.

4. Complete art dates by Friday.

Art Dates: Your first art date will be in Week 2. These are fun activities designed to carve

out time to nourish your creativity. Many students tell me they are the best part of the class

In addition to these weekly assignments, you will also

1. Revise two poems and post them to the assignment Module.

2. Submit a Final Portfolio and

3. A Final Self-evaluation.

Extra credit (10 points) Attend and respond to a live Poetry Reading.

(This is the only extra credit assignment).

Instructions for this Assignment and places where you can go to hear live poetry are included in your week 2 information.

Grades

Your grades are based on the points that you earn for completing assignments. The chart below shows the maximum number of points possible for each assignment. Late work automatically looses points. Missed assignments cannot be made up.

Assignments	Weekly pts	Qtr points
1. Writing and posting poems	5	40
2. Critiquing 3 poems each week	5	50
3. Weekly Art Date	5	40
4. Attending a live poetry reading		10
5. Weekly Self-Evaluation	5	50
6. Two Revisions	10	20
7. Final Portfolio		20
8. Poetry Reading	10	10
9. Final Self assessment Of your learning in this class.		10
Total weekly and qtr points	20 pts.	250 pts.

250-227	A range
226-202	B range
225-165	C range
164-152	D range
Below 152	Failing

How do we communicate with each other?

A mailbox is available on the class website toolbar for e-mail communication between you and me or you and other classmates. Please use the Questions for the Instructor forum (in the Discussion Area) rather than e-mail to post questions about the class.

The discussion area for the class provides a place for student discussions regarding course materials. The discussion area has several boards, each of which has a specific purpose.

Weekly Self Evaluation: due each Friday by 5:00 p.m.

In your weekly self-evaluation respond to each of the following:

1. What did I do for Writing Poetry this week? Be specific. For Example: I completed the reading assignments, wrote for twenty minutes each day in my journal, wrote and posted this week’s poem, responded to three poems and completed this week’s Art Date.

2. How many hours did you spend on the course this week?

3. What did I learn/gain from the readings?

4. Talk about this week’s art date, what you did, what you gained/learned.

5. What was the most useful critique you received on this week’s poem? Why was it helpful?

6. What questions/problems do I have? No questions so far.

7. Whose comments were most helpful and why they were helpful.

8. Attach a copy of your critiqued poem.

How to submit your weekly Self-evaluation

1. Label your document with your first and last name and the assignment name in a title sheet or in the upper left hand corner of your document.

2. Save your document to your computer. When you save it, be sure to include your name and the assignment name as part of the filename. Example: Smithselfevalwk1.doc

3. Email your self-evaluation to me on our course site.

Here is a list of books that I recommend if you want to read more about creativity and/or writing poetry. I will also be happy to recommend individual collections of poets for you.

Ted Kooser: The Poetry Repair Manual: Practical Advice for Beginning Poets (excellent advice from the current U.S. Poet Laureate)

Rollo May: The Courage to Create

Mary Oliver: Blue Pasture and Rules for the Dance.

William Stafford: Writing the Australian Crawl and You Must Revise Your Life

Richard Hugo: Triggering Town

Theodore Roethke: On the Poet and His (sic) Craft