Syllabus EN369-469-1.docx

8/14/2019 Syllabus EN369-469-1.docx

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Syllabus

EN369/469Intermediate Young Adult & Childrens Writing Workshop(Online)

Arcadia University

English Department

Summer II 2012

Gretchen Haertsch

Office: Taylor Hall 217

E-mail: [email protected]

Work Phone: 484-804-2320

Home Phone: 215-355-4775

Welcome!

Welcome to your Arcadia University course, EN369/469Intermediate Young Adult & Childrens Writing

Workshop. The course further develops your knowledge and writing skills for the children and young

adult genre with a concentration on your own work-in-progress. This course begins where the

introductory courseEN343/443left off. It assumes an introductory knowledge of the various sub-

genres (nonfiction and fiction depending on our class makeup) and a commitment to writing for its

population, from preschoolers to young adults. It offers more intensive full-class peer review, more

advanced technique workshops, and one-on-one conferencing with the instructor.

Required Materials

Choldenko, Gennifer. Al Capone Does My Shirts. New York: Puffin Books, 2004. ISBN: 9780142403709

Morris, Judy K. Writing Fiction for Children: Stories Only You Can Tell . Chicago: University of Illinois

Press, 2001. ISBN: 9780252026867

Also recommended: Wyndham, Lee. Writing for Children & Teenagers. Cincinnati, Ohio: Writers

Digest Books, 1988. ISBN: 00898793475 (I will provide handouts of the required chapters

during the Institute weekend if you dont buy the text).

Since this course is being delivered online, your computer system will need to meet specific hardware

and software requirements. For this course, you will need to have access to Microsoft Office, or

software that can author MS Office formats like Google Docs or Open Office. Additionally, we will be


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using other software packages, but I've tried to utilize free programs. The URL's for those programs will

be provided in the course at the appropriate location.

1. Headset with microphone, or a built-in laptop microphone2. Skype (conferencing software) -http://www.skype.com

Prerequisites

EN343/443; an equivalent YA/Childrens writing class from another institution; or other significant

experience as demonstrated by writing samples and/or background information.

Minimum Technical Skills Expected

1. The ability to use a modern web browser, like Internet Explorer or Firefox, to navigate websites.2. The ability to use your Arcadia e-mail address to send and receive e-mails.3. The ability to learn My Arcadia features found in the Tutorials section of the course, as needed.4. The ability to use word processing software to read, author, edit and save documents.5. The ability to use a search engine, like Google, to find information on the web.

Resources available

In compliance with the Arcadia University policy and equal access laws, appropriate academic

accommodations can be made for students eligible for such support. Students are encouraged to

register with the Disability Services Office. Please contact either Kathryn Duffy (215-572-2122) or Linda

Pizzi (215-572-4068) to verify your eligibility for appropriate accommodations. You can also reach the

Disability Support Services website athttp://www.arcadia.edu/academic/default.aspx?id=15850.Please

speak to me about any requests for academic accommodations or other concerns as early in the

semester as possible.

Writing Center

The Arcadia University Writing Center operates on a collaborative, peer-to-peer tutoring model aimed at

making better writers, not just better writing. Through open-ended talk, inquiry and writing, we help

others better understand their own idiosyncratic writing processes. We believe when students

understand themselves as writers, they can adapt responsibly to a wide variety of rhetorical situations

across the disciplines.

Students from ALL disciplines, and at ALL stages of the writing process (prewriting, drafting, revising)

come to the Writing Center to meet with trained consultants. There are also consultants on staff who

have received additional training in how to support ESOL writers.

You can schedule an appointment by calling (215-572-4051), dropping by the Writing Center (Landman

Library, Lower Level), emailing us [email protected] by filling out our scheduling form.

Here is the link to the formhttp://www.arcadia.edu/writing-center-appt-form/.A consultant will email

you to confirm your appointment.
http://www.skype.com/http://www.skype.com/http://www.skype.com/http://www.arcadia.edu/academic/default.aspx?id=15850http://www.arcadia.edu/academic/default.aspx?id=15850http://www.arcadia.edu/academic/default.aspx?id=15850mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.arcadia.edu/writing-center-appt-form/http://www.arcadia.edu/writing-center-appt-form/http://www.arcadia.edu/writing-center-appt-form/http://www.arcadia.edu/writing-center-appt-form/mailto:[email protected]://www.arcadia.edu/academic/default.aspx?id=15850http://www.skype.com/


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Evaluation

A 90% to 100%

B 80% to 89%

C 70% to 79%

D 60% to 69%

F Failure to complete required work

Participation in online and weekend discussions on craft

and genre10%

Manuscript for peer review 20%

Peer Review 30%Final Portfolio of all revised work 40%

Introduction

This course is being presented in a blended format as part of the Creative Writing Institute. The course

consists of one intensive weekend on campus, July 20-22, followed by four weeks of online learning (July

23Aug. 17). The weekend begins with a Friday night dinner and author reading. Saturday and Sunday

include craft workshops, lectures, peer critique, and individual conferences with the instructor. During

the online portion of the course, it is important that you login on a regular basis (daily if possible) and

work consistently to complete your requirements. Since we are not meeting face to face after the initial

weekend, it is imperative that you participate in the critiques and discussion board with your

classmates. The instructor will schedule a phone or Skype conferences at least once during the

semester. Also, the Cyber Cafe is available for you to develop community outside of the course content.

You will need to be self-motivated and try to stay as organized as possible; developing a schedule would

be a good idea. I also suggest that you login in the beginning of the week and copy all assignments to a

Word document. This will allow you to construct a quality answer, spell check, grammar check, and copy

and paste it into the forum.

Requirements for Discussion Board Sessions

1. When quoting the work of another writereither from a text or model workit is importantthat you cite the work correctly using MLA format. The following is an example of what I expect

when you are referring to the work of another writer.

Example within the context of the posting:


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Choldenko (Al Capone Does My Shirts 2004) seems to follow Lee Wyndhams advice on

characterization when she has Moose involve Al Capone in getting his sister admitted to a

prestigious school. As Wyndham writes, it is an absolute rule that heroes and heroines must be

doers, not people watchers(30). Moose is certainly a doer when he makes that risky move.

Feel free to bring in other model texts to provide examples to your peers. Just make sure you

use proper citations.

2. You are required to respond to a minimum of three other student postings for a forum thatrequires interaction with your peers, and that includes the critiques. Each student must provide

a written critique of the work of the student writer under consideration, but I will also be

looking at the way you extend the conversation by respondingand possibly disagreeingto

the critiques of your peers. Please use this opportunity to share your own writing experiences

and reactions to the student text, but remember to support your assertions with information

from our texts when appropriate. At this more advanced writing level, we can all learn a great

deal by sharing our writing and reading experiences.

3. Your postings will be evaluated based upon their substantive nature and how efficiently theyaddress the question at hand. Simple responses such as "I agree" are of no value and will not be

counted as an acceptable posting. Try to use what I call the "no scroll" rule. If you have to scroll

a great deal to read the posting, it becomes an arduous task. Please try to be succinct and to the

point. Strive to respond at the synthesis or evaluation levels.

Discussion Etiquette

In this course, I welcome the creation of a dialogue that is open, thoughtful, and founded on the basis of

sound writing technique and broad reading in the children/YA genre. At times, some of you will not

agree on the positions that are taken in the forumespecially concerning the peer critique. This

diversity is welcome. However, each student must exercise respect for the thoughts and comments

and writing samples -- that are posted by their peers. Writers are sensitive creatures and we can get

easily discouraged. If any posted comments are inappropriate or too harshly stated, they will be

removed from the forum and I will address the issue with the author of the content. Please follow the

following guidelines:

Never post, transmit, promote, or distribute content that is known to be illegal. Never post harassing, threatening, or embarrassing comments. If you disagree with someone, respond to the subject, not the person. Never post content that is harmful, abusive, racially, ethnically, or religiously offensive, vulgar or

otherwise potentially offensive.


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Peer critique is a major requirement and responsibility of this course. As such, it is not sufficient to

merely tell a fellow writer I really enjoyed your story. I expect you to strive to understand what the

writer is trying to accomplish and provide candid (but kind) reaction to your reading of the work. Read

Morriss advice on pages 156-157 on giving and receiving advice. You cant try to fix all the writers

problems; that is up to the writer. But you can let her/him know when youre lost, when dialogue

seems ungrounded, when the motivation of a character is unclear, etc. Likewise, as the writer of the

manuscript, you must listen/read the advice with an open mind. As Morris says, no question is so

dumb that you can ignore itEach reader brings his or her own personality and experiences to a story

(157).

Unit Schedule

Unit 1 Objectives (includes the initial weekend)

To get to know one another and begin forming a writing community. (Course Objective) To understand the syllabus and course expectation. (Unit Objective) To set personal goals for the course and articulate them. (Unit Objective) To begin to have a deeper understanding of childrens fiction from the craft perspective using

writing models. (Course Objective)

To study the craft of character development and plotting from the perspective of the studentsown work. (Unit Objective)

Unit 1 Readings

1. Part I and Part V in Judy K. Morriss text, Writing Fiction for Children2. Chapter 9 in Phyllis A. Whitneys text, Writing Juvenile Stories and Novels(provided)3. HaveAl Capone Does My Shirtsby Gennifer Choldenko read by Institute weekend.

Unit 1 Assignments

1. Prepare your submission for peer critique (students choose a critique date; critiques are activeWeek 1 through Week 4)

2. Submit your Letter of Intent3. Submit your Agreement to Syllabus4. Begin the Morris character exercises on pages 59 and 615. Post your peer critiques

Unit 2 Objectives

To focus on creating your own fully rounded characters. (Unit Objective) To focus on creating your own meaningful settings. (Course Objective)


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To demonstrate the ability to participate in a workshop setting in a manner that is supportive,helpful to peers, and productive in terms of your own writing. (Course Objective)

Unit 2 Readings

1. Part II in Morris.2. Chapters 5, 6, and 7 in Lee Wyndhams Writing for Children & Teenagers(provided)

Unit 2 Assignments

1. Submit the Morris character exercises2. Post your response on building characters3. Post your peer critiques

Unit 3 Objectives

To focus on creating a worthy theme. (Unit Objective) To focus on understanding and creating your own unique voice. (Unit Objective) To continue to refine your own creative output to reflect a growing understanding of the

conventions of childrens/YA writing and a growing understanding of craft. (Course Objective)

Unit 3 Readings

1. Part III and IV in Morris.Unit 3 Assignments

1. Begin the Wyndham Plotting Recipe2. Post your peer critiques3. Conference Call with Instructor

Unit 4 Objectives

To undertake a self-driven revision of your own manuscript based on the feedback of peers andyour instructors. (Course Objective)

To demonstrate your growing mastery of craft through revision of your manuscript. (UnitObjective)

To review and assemble your final creative output for the course. (Unit Objective) To reflect on how you will continue the project after the course is complete (Unit Objective)

Unit 4 Readings

1. Part VI in Morris.


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Unit 4 Assignments

1. Submit your Plotting Recipe2. Post your response on plotting3. Post your peer critiques4. Compose your Cover Letter for Portfolio5. Submit your Portfolio6. Complete the course evaluation. An email will be sent to you with a link to access the online

form.

Documents

Syllabus EN369-469-1.docx