CHAMINADE UNIVERSITY
Summer Evening Term, July 7 – Sept. 15, 2008
Christine Hansen, M.A. English, M.A. Linguistics, Ph.D. Candidate, Political Science

COURSE NUMBER AND TITLE: ENG 302/402, Fiction Writing / Advanced Fiction Writing 

LOCATION: Online, except for the final exam

OFFICIAL COURSE DESCRIPTION:  Study of the techniques of the contemporary short story and practice in writing short stories and sketches.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:  

This course in fiction writing examines the techniques of the contemporary short story and provides practice in writing short fictional prose. The course provides opportunity for students to explore their motives for writing and to "try on" a variety of fictional genres, including mystery writing, historical fiction, science fiction, literary fiction, creative nonfiction, prose poetry and young adult fiction. Participants in the course keep journals and workbooks in which they record their observations of class sessions, readings and personal speculations. Although considerable background reading is required from the course text, Michael Petracca's The Graceful Lie, the class sessions themselves are conducted as workshops in which student writing is generally at the center of discussion. Throughout the course, writing projects consisting of edited material from journals and other assignments are submitted via an electronic conferencing system for discussion in class. In addition, two finished stories are also required by the end of the term. The requirements for EN402 are similar to those for EN302, except that more is expected from the EN402 students, in terms of polish on the stories, and in terms of familiarity with the principles of fiction writing. The objectives of both courses cover the general scope of fiction writing. By the end of the course the student should have: · An increased understanding of what motivates people to write fiction · An increased knowledge of key terminology associated with the writing of fiction · Knowledge of the "rules" of fiction writing · An increased awareness of the key stories considered to be a part of any fiction writer's basic knowledge · A clear understanding of the two ways of developing fictional plots · An increased knowledge of fictional points of view · An understanding of how fictional characters are created · Knowledge of the difference between good and bad dialogue · An increased awareness of the major fictional genres · A general knowledge of the market for commercial fiction.

TEXTBOOK:  Petracca, Michael.  The Graceful Lie: A Method for Making Fiction, Prentice Hall, 1999, ISBN: 0-13-287418-0

INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION:  There’s no such thing as a dumb question.  Please don’t hesitate to ask for help at any time, whether by phone (telephone 262-2281), through the course e-mail, or through regular e-mail at hansenc003@gmail.com.  Important: if you send me an e-mail at the gmail address, please put your name and “English 302/402” in the subject line.

ADDITIONAL REQUIRED READINGS: 
There will also be various online readings, as indicated under the individual units, as well as Web CT lectures. You will see a button for each of these on the Course Menu. The online readings and Web CT lectures will be covered on the final exam, but only the theoretical material (not the stories) will be covered from the Petracca text.  The additional readings are only required for Units Two, Four, Six, Seven, and Eight, and are accessed by clicking on “Additional Readings” from the Course Menu.

DIVERSITY STATEMENT: 
Chaminade’s "Core Beliefs Statement" says, "Students, both traditional and non-traditional, bring a variety of talents, traditions, cultures and abilities. This diversity brings a special opportunity to the Chaminade community, which can then nurture and guide each student to the fullest realization of potential." Consequently, this course encompasses readings that both reflect and examine the diversity of our literary heritage. Additionally, the course puts special attention on the problems faced by authors seeking to write from unique personal or cultural perspectives to readers who may not share the same perspectives or cultural background.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS: 

Two stories, showing a grasp of fiction-writing principles: in particular, an ability to hold reader interest; to portray believable characters; to create atmosphere; to tackle a subject appropriate to the short story genre (or novel genre, if the student is posting chapters from a novel, by prior arrangement); to "show, not tell" and to demonstrate other aspects of short story craftsmanship. Critiques of other students' work, touching on positive aspects of the stories and making suggestions for improvement. A final exam, showing a grasp of the theoretical material in the textbook and familiarity with important terminology related to fiction-writing. Note: EN 402 students will be expected to show greater mastery of the skills than EN 302 students.

GRADE BREAKDOWN: 
Critiques (approximately 10%) Journal (approximately 5%) Two stories (approximately 60%; 30% per story) Final exam (approximately 25%)

MORE ABOUT PARTICIPATION/DISCUSSION REQUIREMENTS: 
Each week, students are required to submit a response to a weekly discussion question, and also to address some of the other students' postings. In general, students will post a minimum of 20 topical messages during the course. Web CT discussion postings are typically at least 50 words in length.

MORE ABOUT JOURNALS:  The journal is an informal record of participation in the course; it may include free association writing, descriptions of objects or experiences, responses to readings, other jottings or musings; 30 - 50 pages (approx. 5000 words) is required. Journals are normally kept in a conventional pen and ink notebooks, but this is not required. You will post selected excerpts from your journal online. No need to write anything new for your online postings. But you are always encouraged to comment on other students’ postings.  NOTE: DO NOT POST PARTS OF STORIES FOR JOURNAL POSTS.  ALSO, DO NOT ANSWER QUESTIONS FROM THE TEXTBOOK.  

MORE ABOUT STORIES:  Two Stories: Approximately 1800 words each, although they can be longer. You should try to show awareness of the writing skills addressed in the textbook and online lectures. If you are working on a novel, you may post two relevant portions of your novel, rather than two individual short stories. IN ADDITION TO POSTING YOUR STORY ON WEB CT SO THAT OTHER STUDENTS CAN CRITIQUE IT, E-MAIL YOUR STORY TO ME THROUGH THE WEB CT SYSTEM. Please don't send it as an attachment.  Instead, copy and paste it into the body of an e-mail. If for some reason you can’t send it through Web CT, send it to me at hansenc003@gmail.com.  In either case, please put your name in the subject line of the e-mail.

MORE ABOUT STORIES:  An important part of any fiction workshop is to offer critiques of other students’ work. You are required to comment on every other student’s story. Your comments should assist the writer in determining the strengths and weaknesses of the particular story, for the purposes of future revision and/or improvement. Try to be sensitive to the writer's feelings, but honest at the same time. Each comment should be from 1-5 paragraphs in length. Please do be diligent in posting these comments, because often the writer is counting on them, and will be disappointed if you fail to respond. Critique each story posted, and post your critique below the relevant story.

MORE ABOUT THE FINAL EXAM:  The final exam will consist of two sections. Section One will consist of objective questions drawn from the textbook, online readings, online lectures, and terminology (you may receive additional terminology handouts during the course). In the textbook, you should focus on the definitions and the theoretical material. Though you should read them, the stories in the textbook will not be tested. Section Two will consist of an essay on some aspect of the theoretical material. Both sections of the exam will be closed-book.  As we get close to the exam date, I'll send out additional information to help you study. 
       Students have the opportunity to take the final exam at different locations, including the main campus, satellite campus locations on Oahu, and off-island approved sites.   You will have to make specific arrangements well in advance. OFF-ISLAND STUDENTS NEED TO CONTACT DONNA YOSHIMURA BY E-MAIL, AT THE FOLLOWING E-MAIL ADDRESS: dyoshi@chaminade.edu. THIS MUST BE DONE EARLY, TO ARRANGE FOR AN APPROVED TESTING LOCATION. Students planning to take the final exam at a satellite location should also make early arrangements. SATELLITE STUDENTS NEED TO RESERVE A SEAT AT THE SATELLITE LOCATION. YOU CAN CONTACT JON NAKASONE OR YOUR BASE COORDINATOR FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. DO THIS EARLY.  YOU CAN’T JUST SHOW UP ON TEST DAY, WITHOUT A PRIOR RESERVATION.  You can pre-arrange a test at Schofield Barracks, Tripler Army Medical Center or Pearl Harbor.  Exam periods on the military bases will be at 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM on exam day. 
     Students taking the final exam on the main campus can arrange their exam with Evening Programs at Chaminade.  Exams are proctored, so I will not be able to arrange them for you.  Contact dyoshi@chaminade.edu if you need to arrange an on-campus final exam.  Exams on the main campus are held at Ching Center.  Exam periods on the main campus will be 8:00 AM,
10:30 AM, 1:00 PM and 3:30 PM.  Check in will start thirty minutes before
the start of each exam period.  For exams on the main campus, an online sign-in sheet should be available through the Chaminade Web site well before the exam dates.  Students will
be able to link to the page and enter their name and class in a slot for the period of their choice, if still available.  On the main campus, there will be 125 slots available during each period.  Schofield has 40 slots, Tripler and Pearl Harbor 30 slots each period.  Students will only be allowed to take
exams during the time period for which they registered.
Bring a photo I.D. to the exam (a university requirement). Be sure to also read the section of this syllabus entitled "more about the final exam." The exam will be closed-book. 
     Now for another important point: off-island and satellite campus exams typically reach the instructors after the grades deadline. For that reason, most Evening Programs instructors issue Incomplete grades to those students. I typically follow a different policy, issuing a provisional grade until the exam comes in. This means that your final grade may be changed from your provisional grade, if your exam is substantially different in quality from the rest of your work. Students in this category should note the following policy: "Students, Some of you who took the exam off-island or at a satellite campus will be issued a provisional grade. The reason for this is that the final exams do not reach me before the deadline. Most instructors handle this by issuing all the off-campus students an Incomplete, which is then removed after grading the exam. However, your student record permanently reflects both the Incomplete and the removal. For this reason, I prefer to issue a provisional grade, based on the student's work to date. Please be warned: This provisional grade may well have to be changed after I grade your final exam (if so, this will be done by issuing a Change of Grade form). You should be prepared for this possibility. Please let me know if you have any questions about this policy."  The final exam counts 25% of your grade.

ACADEMIC HONESTY AND PLAGIARISM:  All material submitted in fulfillment of course requirements must be written by the registered student. While students are strongly encouraged to consult sources outside the required reading of the course, they are also responsible for clearly stating the nature of their sources. Statements of "common knowledge" are generally exempt from this scholarly requirement. Plagiarism is defined as the presentation of someone else's ideas as your own. Plagiarism in this course will result in a grade of "0" for the assignment and possible failure for the course. If the instructor suspects plagiarism, the burden of proof of the originality of the writing lies with the student. Evidence of originality would include copies of early drafts of the writing, research and interview notes, as well as the ability to discuss the themes of the writing with the instructor. Students should consider their instructor's vigilance in such matters a normal part of the academic process and should be prepared to present evidence of originality if requested. Students are strongly advised to save files of early drafts of essays, along with outlines, research notes and other supporting documentation, as the instructor may at any time require that they be presented. 

RULES FOR SUMBITTING WORK:  In this course, the two major essays should be e-mailed to the instructor through the Web CT system.  Please don't send your essay as an attachment.  Instead, copy and paste it into the body of an e-mail. Attachments don't always open, so sending the essay as an attachment may delay your grade. If for some reason  the Web CT system is not working properly, send your essay to hansenc003@gmail.com. The instructor’s comments and your grade will be e-mailed back to you. Please make an effort to follow these instructions for essay submission. If you don't receive a grade within a week, check back with me, as essays-- for various reasons-- can occasionally fail to get through the e-mail system. Post your other materials, such as discussion posts, on the Web CT Discussion Board.  

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES WITH WEB CT:  The technical advisor for our Web CT system is Jon Nakasone. If you experience log-on or other difficulties with the Web CT system, you should contact Jon immediately, at jnakason@netserver05.chaminade.edu

ADDITIONAL WEB CT TIPS:  
These tips apply to posting for our Web CT Discussion Board: 1) Always put your name on the subject line of every post. 2) Never post new material under another post. "Posting under" is only used to respond to someone else's original post. 3) Post critiques or responses under the original post. 4) Web CT will not paragraph text properly, so some material may have to be posted as attachments. It is your responsibility to ensure that your attachment is properly formatted, so that it can be read, and that it can be opened by others. There is often a problem in this area. If your attachment can't be opened, your material can't be read-- so no one (including me) can respond to it or credit you for your work. 

SCHEDULE  

WEEK ONE: JULY 7 – JULY 13: Getting Started – The Creative Process

Reading: Petracca, The Graceful Lie, "Introduction," "First Things" (pp. 1 - 64). Read the Web CT lectures associated with Unit One, accessed by clicking on Lectures in the Course Menu. 

Assignment: Log in to Web CT. Assignment 1: Post autobiographical paragraph by midnight on Sunday, July 13. Assignment 2: Post edited journal entries (minimum 100 words) by midnight on Sunday, July 13. 

WEEK TWO: JULY 14 – JULY 20: Conflict

Conflict is essential to good fiction.  We will learn different methods of creating fictional conflict, and learn about the importance of a "hook."

Reading: Petracca, The Graceful Lie, "Making Stories" (pp. 65 - 109) Online reading: Kafka’s "The Metamorphosis" - Text at http://www.literatureclassics.com/etexts/1081/. Online reading: Read Crane’s "The Open Boat" - Text at http://guweb2.gonzaga.edu/faculty/campbell/crane/open.htm.  The stories are accessed by clicking on “Additional Readings” from the Course Menu.  Pay particular attention to the openings to these stories, as we are working on good openings and creating effective hooks. Also read Web CT lecture(s) associated with Unit Two, accessed by clicking on Lectures in the Course Menu.

Assignment:  Post edited journal entries (minimum 200 words) by midnight Sunday, July 20.

WEEK THREE: JULY 21 – JULY 27:  Plot

Reading: Petracca, The Graceful Lie, "Plot Components" (110 - 164). Also read Web CT lecture(s) associated with Unit Three, accessed by clicking on Lectures in the Course Menu.

Assignment: Post edited journal entries (minimum 200 words) by midnight on Sunday, July 27. HEADS UP! YOUR FIRST STORY WILL BE DUE IN ONE WEEK.

WEEK FOUR: JULY 28 – AUG. 3: Characterization

Reading: Petracca, The Graceful Lie, "Storyfolk" (pp. 165 - 201) Online reading: Faulkner, "Barn Burning." The story is accessed by clicking on “Additional Readings” from the Course Menu.  . Also read the Web CT lecture(s) associated with Unit Four, accessed by clicking on Lectures in the Course Menu.

Assignment: Assignment #1: STORY #1 IS DUE BY MIDNIGHT ON SUNDAY, Aug. 3. E-MAIL YOUR ESSAY THROUGH THE WEB CT SYSTEM. Please don't send it as an attachment.  Instead, copy and paste it into the body of an e-mail. Put your name in the subject line of the e-mail.  If for some reason  the Web CT system is not working properly, send it to hansenc003@gmail.com. Assignment #2: Post edited journal entries (minimum 500 words) by midnight on Sunday, Aug. 3. 

WEEK FIVE: AUG. 4 – AUG. 10:  “Show, Don’t Tell”

We’ll learn how to involve the reader maximally in the story. Summarizing events distances the reader; showing the events involves the reader.

Reading: Petracca, The Graceful Lie, "Ways of Showing" (pp. 202 - 235). Read Web CT lecture(s) associated with Unit Five, accessed by clicking on Lectures in the Course Menu.

Assignment: Important: Post critiques of Story #1 by midnight on Sunday, Aug. 10. Assignment: Post edited journal entries (minimum 500 words) by midnight on Sunday, Aug. 10. 

WEEK SIX: AUG. 11 – AUG. 17:  Revision ad nauseum

Reading: Petracca, The Graceful Lie, "Perfection and Print" (236 - 268) Online reading #1: A selection from Joseph Conrad (very short reading, for this unit).  The stories are accessed by clicking on “Additional Readings” from the Course Menu.  Also, begin online reading #2: H.G. Wells, The Time Machine (longer reading, to be completed by the end of Unit 7)- Text at the site http://www.fourmilab.ch/etexts/www/wells/timemach/html/ Also read the Web CT lecture(s) associated with Unit Six, accessed by clicking on Lectures in the Course Menu.

Assignment: Important: Post critiques of Story #1 by midnight on Sunday, Aug. 17. Assignment: Post edited journal entries (minimum 500 words) by midnight on Sunday, Aug. 17. 

WEEK SEVEN: AUG. 18 – AUG. 24:  Genre Fiction versus Mainstream Fiction

Reading: Petracca, The Graceful Lie, "Prose Poetry" (pp. 269 - 280), "Creative Nonfiction" (pp. 281-311), "Historical Fiction" (397 - 435). H.G. Wells, The Time Machine (finish online reading begun last week)- Text at the site http://www.fourmilab.ch/etexts/www/wells/timemach/html/  and also accessible by clicking on “Additional Readings” from the Course Menu.  

Assignment: Assignment: Post edited journal entries (minimum 500 words) by midnight on Sunday, Aug. 24. HEADS UP! YOUR FIRST STORY WILL BE DUE IN ONE WEEK. 

WEEK EIGHT: AUG. 25 – AUG. 31:  Continued Study of Different Fictional Genres

Reading: Petracca, The Graceful Lie, "Mystery Fiction" (343 - 396), "Science Fiction" (436 - 487) Online reading: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, "A Study in Scarlet" - Text at http://www.online-literature.com/doyle/study_scarlet/ Online reading: Poe, "The Purloined Letter" - Text at http://www.bralyn.net/etext/literature/edgar.allan.poe/  (if it takes you to a list of works, just look for “The Purloined Letter” on the list, and click on the link).  You can also access it by clicking on “Additional Readings” in the course menu.

Assignment: Assignment #1: STORY #2 IS DUE BY MIDNIGHT ON SUNDAY, Aug. 31. E-MAIL YOUR ESSAY THROUGH THE WEB CT SYSTEM. Please don't send it as an attachment.  Instead, copy and paste it into the body of an e-mail. If for some reason  the Web CT system is not working properly, send it to hansenc003@gmail.com.  Put your name in the subject line of the e-mail.  Assignment #2: Post edited journal entries (minimum 500 words) by midnight on Sunday, Aug. 31. 

WEEK NINE: SEPT. 1 – SEPT. 7:  Style

Reading: Read the Web CT lectures for the week, accessed by clicking on Lectures in the Course Menu.

Assignment: YOUR CRITIQUES OF STORY #2 FOR THE OTHER STUDENTS' WORK MUST BE POSTED THIS WEEK. Assignment: Post critiques of other students’ work (Story #2) by midnight on Sunday, Sept. 7. 

WEEK TEN: SEPT. 8 – SEPT. 14:  Finishing Touches

No readings this week. Prepare for the final exam.

FINAL EXAM: Final Exam - Saturday, March 13, in the Ching Center at the main campus, or as pre-arranged at Schofield Barracks, Tripler Army Medical Center or Pearl Harbor.  Check in will start thirty minutes before the start of each exam period.  For exams on the main campus, an online sign-in sheet should be available through the Chaminade Web site well before the exam dates.  Students will
be able to link to the page and enter their name and class in a slot for the period of their choice, if still available.  
     Bring a photo I.D. to the exam (a university requirement). Be sure to also read the section of this syllabus entitled "more about the final exam." The exam will be closed-book. 
     Now for another important point: off-island and satellite campus exams typically reach the instructors after the grades deadline. For that reason, most Evening Programs instructors issue Incomplete grades to those students. I typically follow a different policy, issuing a provisional grade until the exam comes in. This means that your final grade may be changed from your provisional grade, if your exam is substantially different in quality from the rest of your work. Students in this category should note the following policy: "Students, Some of you who took the exam off-island or at a satellite campus will be issued a provisional grade. The reason for this is that the final exams do not reach me before the deadline. Most instructors handle this by issuing all the off-campus students an Incomplete, which is then removed after grading the exam. However, your student record permanently reflects both the Incomplete and the removal. For this reason, I prefer to issue a provisional grade, based on the student's work to date. Please be warned: This provisional grade may well have to be changed after I grade your final exam (if so, this will be done by issuing a Change of Grade form). You should be prepared for this possibility. Please let me know if you have any questions about this policy."  The final exam counts 25% of your grade.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Here's a resource for other works by Crane, if you would like to read more of his work: http://guweb2.gonzaga.edu/faculty/campbell/enl311/crane.htm. Here's a resource for other works by Poe, if you would like to read more of his work: http://www.bralyn.net/etext/literature/edgar.allan.poe/. These two sites offer a wide selection of e-texts for well-known works: http://www.my-edu2.com/EDU/writing3.htm and also http://www.bralyn.net/etext/literature/. I've also noticed that a number of students in this course have an interest in writing heroic stories. Here's a resource for an online journal called The Heroic Age: http://www.mun.ca/mst/heroicage/list.html