Sarah Metzker Erdemir
Koç University Summer Academy
Creative Writing
Course Description:
Being a writer is not just about having talent, it is about mastering a craft. In this course, we will
look at the language writers use to take control of what readers see and feel. Each week we will
focus on a different type of narrator (1st, 2nd, and 3rd person) and how we can narrate to
strengthen our own narrative voices. A good writer is also a reader, so we will read and examine a
variety of writing and practice applying those techniques to our own work. We will also explore
and critique each other’s work as a way of understanding our own. The goal for this class is to
write a small portfolio of memoir, fiction, or poetry (7-10 pages) that represents your emerging
voice and your journey of making language your own.
Course packet includes the following texts:
Forché, Carolyn The Colonel
Kincaid, Jamaica Girl
King, Stephen Strawberry Spring
O’Brien, Tim The Things They Carried
Tan, Amy Rules of the Game
Tower, Wells Leopard
Course Breakdown:
Attendance, Critiques, Discussion/Participation
In-class writing
Final portfolio
50%
30%
20%
A Note on Critiques
When discussing your peers’ creative works, you should not say whether the work is good or bad,
but say what it is (we will practice this skill).
Requirements
Please come to class on time and prepared. We have the unique opportunity to develop a
community of creative friends during this summer course, so please attend class! Active
participation in the course will lead to valuable memories, skills, friendships, and new ways of
thinking. If you know about an absence ahead of time, please send a message to me at
[email protected].
Tentative Course Schedule & Weekly Topics
Week 1—1st Person
Tuesday July 21
Course intro: Syllabus overview, genre, portfolios, expectations
Reading:
Amy Tan’s Rules of the Game
Exercises: TBD
Thursday July 32
Critiques: Students will be selected to participate/present writing
Reading:
Stephen King’s Strawberry Spring
Exercises: TBD
Week 2—2nd Person
Tuesday July 28
Critiques: Students will be selected to participate/present writing
Reading:
Wells Tower’s Leopard
Exercises: TBD
Thursday July 30
Critiques: Students will be selected to participate/present writing
Reading:
Jamaica Kincaid Girl
Exercises: TBD
Week 3—3rd Person
Tuesday August 4
Critiques: Students will be selected to participate/present writing
Reading: Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried
Exercises: TBD
Thursday August 6
Critiques: Students will be selected to participate/present writing
Reading: Carolyn Forché’s The Colonel
Portfolios due, course conclusion