COMP 150: Introduction to Creative Writing (CRN 143)
MWF 9:00-9:50, SCHU 307

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Instructor: Dr. Amie A. Doughty
Office: 313 Netzer Administration Building
Office Hours: MWF 10:00-11:00 and by appointment
Phone: 436-2493
E-mail: amie.doughty@oneonta.edu
Web Address: http://employees.oneonta.edu/doughtaa

Required Text and Materials:
Starkey, David. Creative Writing: Four Genres in Brief. 3rd ed. Macmillan, 2017. 978-0226595153
Van Allsburg, Chris. The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. Houghton Mifflin, 1984. ISBN: 978-0395353936
3 folders with pockets for portfolio submissions

Course Description:
Catalog Description: Workshop in imaginative writing (verse or prose). Open to all students. May be repeated for up to 6 s.h. credit. Pre-requisite: COMP 100. 3 s.h.

Translation: The primary focus of this course will be how poetry and fiction (primarily short fiction and short plays) are created. Students will read sample writings, discuss their structures, and attempt to develop their own creative writing though a series of exercises. Topics of discussion will include plotting, setting, characterization, metaphor and imagery, dialog, language use and play, rhythm, point of view, and pacing.

General Education Attributes: LA, BC3
SUNY General Education 3 Attribute Student Learning Outcomes: Basic Communication (BC3) Students will produce coherent texts within common college-level written forms; demonstrate the ability to revise and improve such texts; research a topic, develop an argument, and organize supporting details; develop proficiency in oral discourse; and evaluate an oral presentation according to established criteria.

Course Goals: Students will

• understand and create different formal genres of writing.
• learn to critique others’ work and practice doing so.
• learn to revise their own work and practice doing so.
• gain the vocabulary of different elements of creative writing and apply that knowledge to self-evaluation of their own work.

Course Policies:
Contacting Me: My preferred method of communication outside of class is via e-mail, and I am usually quick to respond to e-mail. If you send me an e-mail message, you should hear back from me within 24 hours during weekdays. If you do not receive a response within 24 hours, try again because it means that I have not received your message. I check my e-mail periodically Monday through Friday. I am offline on Saturdays and Sundays. You may also contact me via phone or come by during my office hours. You do not need an appointment to see me during office hours, though I recommend making one during busy times of the semester (i.e. pre-enrollment, near finals). You can either make an appointment directly with me or by contacting Mrs. Carr, the English Department secretary. When you do contact either of us via e-mail to make an appointment, please indicate days and times that you are available. Doing so will shorten the amount of time it takes to set up the meeting.

Attendance: You are expected to attend class and to be prepared to discuss the assigned reading as well as to participate in in-class writings and workshopping. Because much of this class involves in-class writing, chronic absences will negatively affect your grade. If you are unable to come to class, it is your responsibility to make up the work you missed and to get notes, handouts, and announcements from a classmate or from me (during my office hours). See below for the University Policy on WIs due to excessive absences.

Class Discussions: I like to make my courses student-centered, so I try to limit lectures. There will be times that I need to present materials in lecture format, but you are always welcome to ask questions as they occur to you. I will also try to spend a significant amount of time on classroom activities and exercises to help you better understand the grammatical terms and concepts that you are reading about. I expect everyone's full participation in each activity, including board work, though I do not expect perfection in class. Do not be afraid to make mistakes (or to answer if you think you might be wrong) because you cannot learn without making mistakes.

Critiquing Work: This class works under the assumption that no writing is perfect, no matter how many times it has been revised, and the best way to figure out how to revise your work is to have it critiqued. Therefore, much of this class will require you both to critique others’ work and to submit your work for critiquing. You should expect both positive and negative comments about your work. If you have written something that you are unwilling to revise, do not submit it for critiquing.

Assignments:

• In-Class Writings, Critique Exchanges, Participation, and Miscellaneous (25%)—A large portion of the class will be devoted to the practice of writing. As a result, you will complete various in-class and out-of-class writing assignments, all of which must be included in your portfolios. In addition, you will offer critiques of your classmates’ work throughout the semester. Active participation in these activities is required and will count toward this grade. In addition to the writings and critiques, I may also assign quizzes or other assignments if I am dissatisfied with the level of class participation.
• Poetry, Fiction, and Drama Portfolios (20% per portfolio)—At the end of each writing unit, you will be required to submit a portfolio of your writings, both exercises and complete works. The specific contents required in the portfolios will be announced in class. Please note that you must submit all three portfolios to pass the class, though submitting them all does not guarantee a passing mark.
• Author Study Presentation and Write-up (10%)—For this assignment, you will choose an author and research him/her. Then, beginning Monday, 24 February each student will make a 5-7 minute presentation about that author. The presentation should include a basic overview of the author’s works, a reading of a brief passage (1-2 minutes) from one of the author’s works, and a brief explanation of what you admire about the author’s works/the passage. In addition to the presentation, you will submit a 1-2 page write-up about the author. The write-up should include a very brief biography, a list of works by the author, and the passage that you read to the class. You must cite any sources you use at the end of the write-up. I expect you to use a combination of web and print sources, and you may not use Wikipedia as a source. The write-up must be posted to the Presentations discussion board so that your classmates may access it if they would like to get more information about your author. On Monday, 27 January, you will sign up for the author you wish to examine more closely and be assigned a date for your presentation. Any author from any genre is acceptable, but no one may choose the same author, so have several in mind when you sign up. If you need help choosing an author, please see me for suggestions.
• Final Exam (5%)—Your final exam is scheduled for Monday, 4 May, from 8:00-10:30 in IRC 4. Attendance is required. You will be performing plays that you have written.

Classroom Etiquette: You are expected to comport yourself politely in class. I expect you to refrain from talking to your classmates during lectures and discussions unless you are asked to work in groups. If you have a question about what is being presented, ask me, not a neighbor. Students whose behavior disrupts the class will be asked to leave the classroom, and I will determine what constitutes disruptive behavior.

Cell Phones: Cell phones must be turned off (not just put on vibrate or silent) for the duration of the class period. If your phone rings in class, you will be asked to leave. Do not use class time to text message. If I catch you texting in class, you will be asked to leave. If you believe you should be excluded from the cell phone restriction, see me individually.

Assignment Formatting: All assignments must be submitted according to MLA formatting guidelines. For this class, do not use a title page for any of your papers. Use a 12-point font (yes, I can tell the difference) in Times New Roman (no fancy fonts in this class and no use of Courier). Failure to follow formatting instructions will result in your paper’s grade being lowered. I will explain what MLA formatting looks like to the class before the first paper is due. You may also find instructions for it in your handbook.

Grammar and Mechanics: I expect your work to have correct grammar and mechanics and to be proofread. Grammatical, mechanical, and formatting errors, especially proofreading errors, will lower your paper grade in the following manner: For every page of your out-of-class papers, you will be allowed one different type of error (e.g. 2 types of errors on a 2-page paper; 12 types of errors on a 12-page paper). Once you have exceeded your error allowance, you will lose 1/2 point per additional error type. Error types will be defined using the following rubric:

• Each proofreading error will count as 1 type (thus 5 proofreading errors will count as 5 types of errors).
• Homonym, usage, spelling, and other word-level errors will be counted by word (e.g., their/they’re/there is 1 type; it’s/its is 1 type; and wonder/wander is 1 type—if all 3 appear in the same paper, it will count as 3 types).
• MLA, mechanical (punctuation), and grammatical errors will be counted by first occurrence of an error only (e.g., 12 comma splices will count as 1 type; 5 comma errors will count as 1 type; a missing header will count as 1 type; a subject-verb agreement error will count as 1 type).

There is no limit to the number of points you can lose with this policy, so go through your papers carefully. This policy will be applied to your self-evaluations in your portfolios.

Late Work and Make-up Work: I will accept work no more than one week late. All late work will lose 10%. If you know that you won’t be able to get work in on time, see me before the due date, and we may be able to make arrangements for an extension. If you are absent for a quiz or exam, it is your responsibility to contact me to make up that work. You have one week from your return to make assignments up.

Blackboard’s Gradebook: I will be creating a gradebook on Blackboard and updating it periodically for your information. Please note that this gradebook is a guide only; however, if you do see what appears to be an error on it, please contact me. Final grades are calculated by me on my Excel gradebook, so if there is a discrepancy between Blackboard’s book and mine, I will use my gradebook as the correct one. Also note that the grade marked “Total” is not a weighted total, so it should not be used to estimate your course average. Instead, the “Weighted Total” grade is the one that will indicate best how you are doing in the class.

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the passing off of another's work (whether quoted, paraphrased or summarized) as your own without proper documentation, including on exams. If you are caught plagiarizing, you are subject to a variety of punishments, including expulsion from the university. Do your own work. See the University’s policy below for details on the Academic Dishonesty policy.

Grading Scale: The number percentages will be calculated as follows for letter grades:

Emergency Evacuation/Shelter-in-Place Procedures: In the event of an emergency requiring evacuation from SCHU 307, please evacuate to IRC Lobby so that College officials can account for you. All students are also encouraged to register for NY Alert at http://www.oneonta.edu/security for immediate notification of campus emergencies on or near the campus.

University Policies: The following policies can be found in your Student Handbook or the Code of Student Conduct (both available online) and are particularly applicable to this class.

Flagrant Non-Attendance
• Students missing 25% or more of class, any time from the second week of class up until the last day to withdraw from an individual course (see Keydates and Deadlines or Faculty Reference Guide for specific dates) may be removed from the course by the instructor.
• The Registrar will assign a “WI” (Involuntary Withdrawal) grade.
• Students appearing on the final grade sheet will be assigned a final grade (not a “W”, Incomplete or Pending grade), regardless of student’s class attendance.

Final Exams
Instructors must follow the final exam schedule as posted in Keydates and Deadlines (www.oneonta.edu/registrar). The final exam week is part of the 15 class weeks required by the State Education Department. If an instructor does not hold a final examination, the final examination period must be used as the final class day. Exceptions to this may be made only in an emergency and only with prior approval of the department chair and the division dean. Under no condition shall a study day be used to administer a final exam. Students are held responsible for selecting a course schedule with the final exam schedule in mind. There is no policy preventing a student from having exams in one day.

Accessibility Resources/ADA Statement
Students Diagnosed with a Disability—All individuals who are diagnosed with a disability are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. As such, you may be entitled to certain accommodations within this class. If you are diagnosed with a disability, please make an appointment to meet with Accessibility Resources, 133 Milne Library, ext. 2137. All students with the necessary supporting documentation will be provided appropriate accommodations as determined by the Accessibility Resources Office.   It is entirely your responsibility to contact Accessibility Resources and concurrently supply me with your accommodation plan, which will inform me exactly what accommodations you are entitled to. You will only receive accommodations once you provide me with an Accessibility Resources accommodation plan.  Any previously recorded grades will not be changed.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
Academic dishonesty is defined as any act by a student that misrepresents or attempts to misrepresent to an instructor or any College official, the proficiency or achievement of that student or another student in any academic exercise for the purpose of influencing a grade on a piece of assigned work, on an examination or quiz or in a Course as a whole, or that is intended to alter any record of a student's academic performance by unauthorized means.
A Student deemed guilty of an act of academic dishonesty may, depending on the nature of the offense, be subject to one or more of the following measures: failure of the assignment or examination, failure of the course, or dismissal from the College. Furthermore, for a second offense, referral of the case to the Standing Disciplinary Board is mandatory. The penalties that may be assessed by the Board are listed under the Procedures of the Standing Disciplinary Board as published in this publication; however, the normal penalty is suspension or dismissal.
It is the Student's responsibility to read and understand the policy on all aspects of academic dishonesty as published in this publication and the Undergraduate Catalog. However, individual faculty members may wish to explain the policy as it relates to their courses. It is emphasized that a student who has any questions about what constitutes academic dishonesty has the responsibility of clarifying them by conferring with his/her instructors.

Examples of Academic Dishonesty:
The following examples, although not all-inclusive, are intended to help students understand what constitutes academic dishonesty. Other acts should not necessarily, be considered as falling outside the scope of this policy because of their absence from this list.
• Plagiarism that is, using materials from another's work without acknowledgment, using quotations without  identification as such or paraphrasing without specific identification of the source.
• Copying and/or modifying another person's computer file, program, printout, or portion thereof for use in an assignment without permission of the instructor.
• Knowingly permitting one's computer file, program, printout, or portion thereof to be copied or modified by another student for use in an assignment without permission of the instructor.
• Unauthorized giving or receiving of information on an examination, laboratory procedure, or other exercise.
• Taking an examination for another student or allowing another student to take an examination for you.
• Altering or attempting to alter a grade on any piece of graded work, a grade written in an instructor's personal records, or a grade written on any College form or transcribed in any official College record.
• Submitting a College form with a forged signature.

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