St. Catherine University
ENGL 2100 M01: Prose and Poetry
Fall 2013
September 4- October 24
Instructor: Elena Kallevig
Office: 410 Old Main
Office Hours: Monday - Thursday: 10AM -5 PM, Friday – by appointment
Phone: 651-690-7768
Email: [email protected]
Course Description
This online, writing-based, literature course introduces you to a variety of ways in which the written word can be used to
express, analyze and critique an array of personal, cultural and political themes and experiences. You will study closely the
writings of emerging, established and renowned authors working in a variety of age groups with a focus on fiction writing for
children, adolescents, and adults. You will simultaneously engage in a series of creative writing exercises and projects that
allow you to explore the implications of the written word in your daily life. In addition, you are required to attend a reading by
a published author in the local community. Prerequisites: ENGL 1100.
Relationship to the College of St. Catherine’s Mission Statement
The classroom experience will reflect the College of St. Catherine's commitment to social justice, diversity and service. Our
commitment to these values will shape course process, content and the active search for different points of view. The
course content was chosen to illustrate the diversity of perspectives of the students as well as the authors and the context in
which they write.
Student Services
The Learning Center (http://minerva.stkate.edu/learningcenter.nsf) offers daily one-on-one tutoring with student peers and
professionals for most coursework on the Minneapolis Campus. There are also services for writing and language needs
available. The schedule for tutoring can be found outside of room 370 in the Education building, or contact Debra Evon for
more information (#7832). Students with disabilities who believe they October need an accommodation in this class are
encouraged to contact Jody Hoffman, the Coordinator of Student Disability Services, in room 369 Education Building or by
phone at extension 8160.
Required Textbooks
 Burroway, Janet. Imaginative Writing: The Elements of Craft. 3rd ed. Boston: Longman, 2011. Print.
Recommended Textbooks:
 Hacker, Diana, and Nancy Sommers. The Bedford Handbook: Eighth Edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s,
2010.
Liberal Arts Goals: ENGL2100 supports the following Liberal Arts Goals of St. Catherine University:
 Critical and Creative Inquiry: The ability to gather, analyze and critically evaluate information to develop
reasonable arguments, sound judgments and effective solutions. This ability is founded on a broad knowledge of
the achievements of human creativity and the variety of disciplinary approaches for exploring truths.
 Effective Communication in a Variety of Modes: The ability to read, write, speak, view and listen effectively; the
ability to present information in a clear and engaging manner.
 Purposeful Life-long Learning: The ability to continue personal and professional development based on ongoing
self-assessment, feedback from others and new learning.
1
Course Objectives
The student will:
 Practice writing in different genres ;
 Read each work of fiction for use of the following aspects: plot and conflict, voice and dialogue, setting and
character development; reality and magic;
 Understand the use of language as an expressive art;
 Write literature analysis paragraphs and essays;
 Regularly access D2L and CSC email accounts for grading and other course information.
Course Outcomes
The student will develop the ability to:
 Express one's creativity through the art of writing;
 Read poetry and fiction critically;
 Learn and apply basic literary terms to discussing multiple genres.
 Write well-organized literature analysis paragraphs and essays;
 Navigate computer technology as a means for classroom communication.
To be a successful student in this course, you must
 Have access to a computer and a reliable internet connection,
 Be comfortable working on a computer, using St. Kate’s e-mail and D2L
 Be able to log in at least 4 times a week into D2L site and St. Kate’s e-mail
 Keep up with readings and complete on-line assignments and coursework on time.
 Be able to work independently
 Watch posts and read emails that the instructor sends out.
 Apply the instructor’s feedback on graded assignments to future assignments
Student Responsibilities:
1. Readings - Students must select and read appropriate literary work, as suggested in assignments, in a timely
manner. After reading the selections, explore Internet resources and any available print resources to enhance
understanding of the text and to investigate questions that emerged while reading the text. You are always welcome
to ask questions via e-mail, D2L Discussion Board, or telephone.
2. Assignments – Students are responsible for contacting the instructor if they have questions regarding the
assignment or to report any circumstances that might prevent them from completing assignments on time.
Technical problems such as personal computer breakdown, e-mail problems, and difficulties with attachments will
not be considered as excuses for late work.
3. Writing Quality - Since this is a 2000 English class, college level writing skills are expected. Grammar,
punctuation, organization, paragraph and sentence structure will be graded. Please check the appropriate grading
rubrics in the Course Content in D2L and do careful proofreading before submitting an assignment.
4. Attendance & Participation – According the CSU Attendance Policy, for online courses, attendance means
following the communication requirements and due dates on the syllabus. Regular online communications are
expected of all students. Students who do not attend or contact the instructor the first week of class will be
withdrawn from the course by the Registrar’s Office.
5. Plagiarism - In accordance with the mission of the SCU, all students are expected to uphold the highest
standards of academic integrity, and acts of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. Please review “Plagiarism”
PPT in the Content area in D2L. Plagiarism is cause for disciplinary action, which will include a zero on the
assignment in question and October include further action such as a failing grade in the course, being dropped from
the course, or suspension from the college.
2
Suggestions and Advice





Do not wait until the last day to start and complete your work. The literature requires your concentration and
thought. You need time to read, process, think, and respond to the works read in this course.
Use the college library. The internet is not the best place to research literature. Do not mistake Wikipedia, Spark
Notes, Cliff's Notes, Grade Saver, and other such websites for scholarly information. None of the sites listed should
be used as source material for academic work.
Save and archive all your Email pertaining to the class.
Stay in contact with the instructor. Frequent communication can minimize frustration and unrealistic expectations.
Try to have fun!
As the Instructor, I will





.
Check my email and blackboard Monday through Friday at least two times a day,
Respond to your questions and grade assignments in a timely manner.
Give feedback on all your assignments through D2L or e-mail.
Use my St. Kate’s e-mail and D2L to communicate course content.
Be available for consultations over internet, phone and in office by appointment.
Assignments
Assignment 1
Assignment 2
Assignment 3
Assignment 4
Assignment 5
Assignment 6
Assignment 7
Assignment 8
Assignment 9
Assignment 10
Assignment 11
Assignment 12
Assignment 13
Assignment 14
Assignment 15
Grading
This table shows the maximum possible points for each unit.
Description
Due Date
Points
Journal 1: Invitation to the writer
09/05/13
10
Essay -Prose & Poetry
09/09/13
10
Journal 2: Image
09/13/13
10
Essay: Poem analysis
09/16/13
10
Journal 3: Voice
09/20/13
10
Essay: Character
09/23/13
10
Journal 4: Character
09/27/13
10
Essay: Setting
09/30/13
10
Journal 5: Setting
10/04/13
10
Essay: Plot
10/07/13
10
Journal 6: Story
10/11/13
10
Creative writing draft
10/14/13
10
Reading reflection
10/18/13
10
Creative writing final
10/23/13
10
Portfolio reflection
10/24/13
10
150 points
A -100-93%; A- 92-90%; B+ 89-87% ; B 86-83%; B- 82-80%;
C+ 79-77%; C 76-73%; C- 72-70%; D+ 69-67%; D 66-63%; D- 62-60%; F 59% and below.
Something to start thinking about:
Attending a public reading: You are required to attend one public reading by a published author. Go to the following links to
find good resources for finding a public reading:
 http://www.loft.org/
 http://www.citypages.com/
 http://eventful.com/minneapolis/events/categories/books/
3

You can also contact a local bookstore or library; they often have readings that are not posted online or at the
above sites.
You must start looking for a reading at the beginning of the semester; if you wait until the end of the term, there is a strong
possibility there will be no available events. What you learn from this public reading will be included in Assignment 13 due
October 21st.,
Submitting Assignments
Please follow these guidelines carefully before submitting assignments:
 Use this template when naming files: assignment#_Name, e.g. assignment_1_Kallevig
 All work must be saved and submitted as either .rtf or .doc/docx file (I cannot open .wsp or other kinds of files).
 All work must be word-processed with your name, date, course number and name or number of assignment at
the top of the page,
 All work must be formatted MLA or APA style, font size 12, double-spaced, 1 inch margins) & proofread.
 All work must be submitted via Dropbox in D2L .
 Due dates are NOT flexible, unless changed by the Instructor. Late work will be accepted up to four days after
the due date, with a penalty of a one-point deduction per late day. After a week, the score will be zero for that
assignment.
Course Outline
Introduction
Learning different elements that go into creating literary works help to understand both the mechanics of writing and the
writer’s intentions when reading. In assignment 1, you will watch some podcasts of Keith Gray, a Scottish Novelist, who
will overview what makes a good story.
Before starting working on assignments, please review Writing Assistance Sources and Guides in Introduction.
Week One (September 3-6): Invitation to the Writer ( Burroway pp.1-12)
Assignment 1 Journal 1 due September 5th by midnight: Using 2 or more of the grey boxes on pages 1-12 as a
springboard for your own original creative writing, write 1-2 double-spaced pages.
Week Two (September 9-13 ): Poetry ( Burroway pp.294-306)
Poetry unit in D2L
Assignment 2 Reaction to video essay due September 9th by midnight:
Paragraph 1: Write a paragraph responding to the Studying Poems: Poetry vs. Prose video in Poetry Unit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j25C-I0wrQI
Compare the definitions of poetry and prose presented in the video with your own understanding of them. Provide an
example (chosen from the poems on pp.311-319) of one of the following:
Stanza Imagery Symbol Figurative language
Paragraph 2: Choose one of the following poems
1.
“Snow Day” by Billy Collins (pp.38-39)
2.
“Facing It” by Yusef Komunyakaa (pp.39-40)
3.
“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEMDQSatfTU&list=PLCB146202C34DCED5
4.
“One Art” by Elizabeth Bishop https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvDHThWByYo
Read the poem aloud or listen to a recording - how would you describe the music of the poem? Consider alliterations,
4
rhymes, rhythms... Is the form of the poem formal or free? What images do you visualize when reading the poem?
Please use quotes and references.
The Elements of Craft: Image (Burroway pp.13-21)
What is an image? This is a question that philosophers and poets have asked themselves for thousands of years and have
yet to definitively answer. The most widely used definition of an image these days is:"...an intellectual and emotional
complex in an instant of time."
(Ezra Pound)
Assignment 3 Journal 2 due September 13th by midnight:
Using 2 or more of the grey boxes on pages 13-364 as a springboard for your own original creative writing, write 1-2 doublespaced pages.
Week Three (September 16-20): Poetry unit in D2L
Voice (Burroway pp.47-83)
What is voice? Basically, it’s who tells the story. The teller doesn’t always have to be the writer. The teller can just as easily
be one of the characters
Assignment 4 due September 16th by midnight: Write a 2-3 page, double-spaced essay with an introduction, body and
conclusion analyzing 2 poems of your choice, using the process described below. Be sure to include a reference list and
proper references when quoting, summarizing or paraphrasing. The body paragraphs should respond to all questions and
prompts below:
Choose two of the following poems (one video, one from the book)
1. “Madam and Her Madam” by Langston Hughes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqK8YPjO39k
2. “Lady Lazarus” by Sylvia Plath http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esBLxyTFDxE
3. “The Pathos of Charles Schulz” (81-82 Bondurant)
4. “Kong Looks Back on His Tryout with the Bears” (80 Trowbridge)
For each selected poem write a paragraph, addressing the following questions:
a) Who is the speaker of the poem? Try to characterize the voice created by the poet. Is the speaker an adult or a
child? A man or a woman? Happy? Lonely? Angry?
b) Discuss the imagery in the poems. Can you see, hear, feel, smell or taste the image created by the poet? Consider
the devices, used to create the images: alliteration, assonance, personification, rhyme, rhythm. How do these
devices contribute to the overall effect of the poem? Provide examples with references.
c) What is the tone of the poem - angry, sarcastic, admiring, ironic...?
d) What is the language of the poem - does the author use metaphors, similes, personification? Please give examples.
e) How does the language contribute to the message or the theme of the poem?
f) Consider emotions the poems evoked in you and your personal experiences that might have triggered those
emotions.
Assignment 5 Journal 3 due September 20th by midnight: Using 2 or more of the grey boxes on pages 47-83 as a
springboard for your own original creative writing, write 1-2 double-spaced pages.
5
Week Four (September 23-27): Character (Burroway pp. 87-122)
Characters are the living, breathing people that populate the written page. She might be the narrator of her own story, as in
first-person narrators, or the characters might be described in third person from a narrator who isn’t a character in the story.
To make a good character, a believable character, is a lot of hard work.
Assignment 6 Reaction to video essay due September 23 by midnight:
Paragraph 1: Watch the following video of speaker Keith Gray and his suggestions for creating good characters in your
writing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VoZNlvSpdE
What is his advice? How will you use this advice?
Paragraph 2: Choose one of the following poems and discuss how the writer develops the character and what kind of
character is in the poem (use at least two terms from the chapter and apply those terms to the poem):
1. “I Knew a Woman” by Theodore Roethke, p.119.
2. “One Flesh” by Elizabeth Jennings, p.122 .
3. “Tattoo” by Ted Kooser, p.122 Kooser
4. “The Girl” by Kristine Juntura http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7pRbefTYe0
Assignment 7 Journal 4 due September 27th by midnight:
Using 2 or more of the grey boxes on pages 87-122 as a springboard for your own original creative writing, write 1-2
double-spaced pages.
Week Five (September 30 – October 4): Setting (Burroway pp. 132-158)
“Setting is not merely scenery against which the significant takes place; it is part and parcel of the significant; it is heritage
and culture; it is identity or exile, and the writer’s choice of detail directs our understanding and our experience of it”
(Burroway 133).
Assignment 8 Reaction to video essay due September 30th by midnight:
Watch the following video of speaker Keith Gray discussing how to create an appropriate setting for your character to
work out the conflict: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnAulB_I_qA&feature=related
Paragraph 1: Answer the following questions:
a. How can the setting become part of the story’s conflict?
b. How can the setting reflect the character’s personality?
c. What does “genre” mean? Are setting and genre interlinked?
Provide examples from one or more of the following readings:
1. “The Diamond Mine’ by Nadine Gardiner, p. 30
2. “Cowboy” by Thomas McGuane , p.69
3. “The Book of Sand” by Jorge Luis Borges, p.77
4. “Prue” by Alice Munro, p.111
5. “The Handsomest Drowned Man in the World” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, p. 114
6. “The School” by Donald Barthelme,p.151
7. “the Werewolf” by Angela Carter, p.154
Paragraph 2: Select one of the poems on pp 155-158 and discuss the setting, using at least 2 of the terms from the chapter.
Assignment 9 Journal 5 due October 4th by midnight:
Using 2 or more of the grey boxes on pages 132-158 as a springboard for your own original creative writing, write 1-2
double-spaced pages.
6
Week Six (October 7-11): Story (Burroway pp.167-188)
“Life is currently described in one of four ways: a journey, a battle, a pilgrimage, or a race. Select your own metaphors, but
the necessity of finishing is all the same. For if life is a journey, it must be completed. If life is a battle, it must be finished. If
life is a pilgrimage, it must be concluded. And if life is a race, it must be won.”
J. Richard Sneed
Assignment 10 Reaction to video essay due October 7th by midnight:
Watch the following video of speaker Keith Gray discussing how to create a good plot:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEMxuZyxdCo
Paragraph 1: Answer the following questions:
What does any plot require to be interesting? Keith says, “All stories are about people with problems.” What does
this mean?
Paragraph 2: Summarize the plot of one of the following storie:
1. ”Incarnations of Burned Children” by David Foster Wallace, p.180
2. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson http://www.americanliterature.com/Jackson/SS/TheLottery.html
3. “The Princess” by Jack, London http://www.americanliterature.com/London/SS/ThePrincess.html –
4. “The Third Ingredient” by O’Henry http://www.americanliterature.com/Henry/SS/TheThirdIngredient.html
Consider the views of Burroway, Sneed, and Grey and analyze the plot, using at least two terms/definitions from the
chapter.
Assignment 11 Journal 6 due October 11th by midnight: Using 2 or more of the grey boxes on pages 167-188 as a
springboard for your own original creative writing, write 1-2 double-spaced pages.
Week Seven (October 14-18): Revisions, Edits, and Finals!!! (196-229)
Assignment 12 Creative writing draft due October 14th by midnight: Select one of the creative writings you were
doing during the course and develop it into a 3-5 page story or a collection of poems (at least 5).
Assignment 13 Reaction to a Reading essay due October 18th by midnight: Write a 1-2 page, double-spaced essay
on the reading you attended. Reflect on your experience being part of a live literary reading. One paragraph should
explain who you saw, where you saw the author read, and what kind of book they read from. Another paragraph should
reflect on how you felt attending this event. The last paragraph should connect some of our course content to what you
observed or heard at the live literary event.
SIGN UP FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSULTATIONS!
Week Eight (October 21-24): Revisions, Edits, and Finals!!! (196-229)
Assignment 14
Creative writing final due October 21st by midnight: Select one of the creative writings you were doing during the
course and develop it into a 3-5 page story or a collection of poems (at least 5)
Assignment 15 Portfolio Reflection essay due October 24th by midnight: Write a 1-2 page, double-spaced essay,
reflecting on your course portfolio:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Which of your creative writings you consider well done and why?
Which you would like to work on some more and what changes does it need?
How did the coursework change your perception of yourself as a writer?
Which of the genres and authors presented you liked best and why?
What genres/ authors would you recommend for your friends?
7