Lahore University of Management Sciences
LITR 236—Creative Nonfiction
Spring 2015
Instructor
Room No.
Office Hours
Email
Telephone
Secretary/TA
TA Office
Hours
Course URL (if
any)
Dr. Naveed Rehan
137, English (New) Wing, Ground Floor, Acad Block
TBA
[email protected]
Course Basics
Credit Hours
Lecture(s)
Recitation/Lab (per
week)
Tutorial (per week)
4
Nbr of Lec(s) Per
Week
Nbr of Lec(s) Per
Week
Nbr of Lec(s) Per
Week
Course Distribution
Core
Elective
Open for Student
Category
Close for Student
Category
2
Duration 1 hr 50 mins
Duration
Duration
YES
All
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Creative Nonfiction or The Fourth Genre as it has been called, emerged as a distinct genre in 1983 at a meeting of the
National Endowment for the Arts. Since then, it has become one of the most widely discussed literary forms in academia
today. Its three main sub-genres--literary journalism, personal essay and memoir—enjoy wide popularity not only among
the general reading public but also among academics. In the words of Robert Root:
This may well be a golden age of nonfiction. The books, the essays, and articles in our literary journals,
magazines, and Internet websites, the extension of nonfiction into film, graphic memoirs, video essays,
weblogs, and online essays, the experimental and exploratory and idiosyncratic approaches—this is a
very good time to be an essayist, a travel writer, a nature writer, a memoirist, an immersion journalist, an
experimental critic, a writer willing to explore self and place and genre and venture into new literary
territory as well as draw on traditional forms and strategies (The Nonfictionist’s Guide 200-201).
Although nonfiction writing is as old as writing itself, creative nonfiction refers to truthful narratives rendered with grace
and style—the kind of writing where the author does not hide behind a supposedly “objective” exterior but implicates
himself or herself in the story, thus giving it a human interest that is missing in dull, badly written prose.
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COURSE PREREQUISITE(S)



None
COURSE OBJECTIVES
 To acquaint the students with the genre of creative nonfiction and to enable them to distinguish
between good nonfiction writing and clichéd, banal and sentimental prose.
 To enable students to write in this genre.
 To enable students to critique their own work as well as the work of their peers.
 To enable students to see how and why creative nonfiction aspires to be an art form.
Learning Outcomes
The course will explore the main sub-genres of creative nonfiction through readings from the anthology as
well as through original student writing. At the end of the semester, students will have a clear idea of how
to critically appreciate and compose creative nonfiction. We will workshop student writing in the fields of
literary journalism, personal narrative and personal essay. At the end of the course we will have public
readings where students will read out one of the essays written for this class.
Grading Breakup and Policy
Assignment(s):
Paper 1: Literary Memoir—10%
Paper 2: Personal Essay—10%
Paper 3: Literary Journalism—10%
Final Paper: 20%
Class Participation: (Workshops): 20%
Attendance: 10%
Midterm Examination: 20%
Grading will be absolute. The following cut-offs will be used:
A+ = 90+
A = 85-90
A-= 80-85
B+ = 70-80
B = 65-70
B- = 60-65
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C+ = 55-60
C = 50-55
C- = 45-50
D = 40-45
Below 40 = F
Examination Detail
Midterm
Exam
Final Exam
Yes/No:
Combine Separate:
Duration:
Preferred Date:
Exam Specifications:
Yes/No:
Combine Separate:
Duration:
Exam Specifications:
YES
1 hr 50 mins
Closed book/closed notes
NO
COURSE OVERVIEW THIS IS A TENTATIVE OUTLINE AND MAY BE AMENDED AS NEEDED
Recommended
Week
Topics
Readings
- Introduction from Roorbach
Introduction to the course: What is
pp. 1--8.
creative nonfiction?
-Literary Diaries and Journals
pp. 9—11.
Literary diaries and journals
-Read May Sarton. From
Journal of a Solitude. pp. 23-30
 1
-Discussion on Sarton. In-class
writing.
-Read Gretel Ehrlich. From the
Journals. pp. 50—65.
-Short assignment on journal
writing.
Literary Memoir

2
-Class reading and discussion.
-Read Literary Memoir pp.
79—81 and Mary McCarthy:
“Yonder Peasant, Who Is He?”
pp. 83—94.
-Class discussion on assigned
Objectives/
Application
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readings.
-Paper 1 Assignment: Literary
Memoir. Workshops next
week
--Read The Personal Essay pp.
191-193 and E. B. White:
“Once More to the Lake.” pp.
193—197.
Personal Essay

3
-Personal Essay continued.
Ralph Ellison: “On Being the
Target of Discrimination.” pp.
206—210.
-Jane Shapiro: “This is What
You Need for a Happy Life.”
pp. 275—286.
-Workshop for Paper 1
-Workshop for Paper 1 contd.
Workshop/discussion

-Paper 1 due at the beginning
of class.
4
-The Personal Essay.
Discussion of readings from
White, Ellison, and Shapiro
-Paper 1 due at the beginning
of class.
-The Personal Essay.
Discussion of readings from
White, Ellison, and Shapiro.
Literary Journalism

-Paper 2 Assignment: Personal
Essay. Workshops
5
-Literary Journalism pp. 303305.
-Read John Hersey. From
Hiroshima. pp. 305—317.

6
Personal Essay
Workshop
-Discussion on assigned
readings.
-Workshop for Paper 2

7
-Workshop for Paper 2 contd.
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-Paper 2 due at the beginning
of class.
Literary Journalism

8
-Literary Journalism
continued.
-Barbara Ehrenreich. From
Nickel-and-Dimed: On (Not
Getting By in America) pp.
370—389.
-Midterm Exam
-Read Naomi Shihab Nye:
“One Village.” pp. 465—476.
-Paper 3 Assignment: Literary
Journalism. Workshops
Literary Journalism
Nature Essay

-Read “The Art of the
Particular: Creative Nonfiction
Classified by Subject.” pp.
421—423 and
9
-Nature Essay. Sue Hubbell:
From A Country Year. pp.
429—441.
-Literary Travel. “One
Village.”
-Workshop for Paper 3
Literary Travel

The Science Essay
10
-Literary Travel contd.
Reading to be provided.
-Read Lewis Thomas: “The
Medusa and the Snail”
(Science Essay). pp. 500-502.
-Discussion on the Travel
Essay and Science Essay.

Creative Cultural Criticism
11
-Paper 3 due at the beginning
of class. Read David Foster
Wallace “Shipping Out.” pp.
534—563.
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
-Discussion on Wallace.
12
-Final Paper Assignment.

13

14

15

16
Textbook(s)/Supplementary Readings
LITR 236 coursepack
Additional handouts may be used.
-Recap / Addressing common
problems.
-Public Reading 1
-Public Reading 2
-Public Reading 3