English 301Creative Writing: Creative Nonfiction Fall 2014, Hendrix College

Professor: Jessica Jacobs

Professor Email: jacobs@hendrix.edu
Office: Fausett Hall, 201 B
Office Phone: (501) 336-5057
Office Hours: By appointment. I will be on campus
MW 12-2, and afternoons on TTH.
Class Schedule: MW 10:10-12:00
Coursesite: jjacobscourses.wordpress.com
Readings Page Password: CNF

Writing is one way of self-making.Phillip Lopate
"Bad personal essays are about the writer. Good personal essays are about all of us."Brian Doyle

Course Description & Goals
This semester well explore the thrills and chills of nonfiction, the many subgenres that crowd under the CNF
umbrella, and the place of creative in creative nonfiction. This semesters readings encompass a wide variety of
topics and forms, written as they were by a diverse group of writers. You will be encouraged to look beyond whether
you simply like or dislike a piece of writing to instead identify what techniques the writer is using to achieve his or her
effect, and which of these techniques you would like to appropriate and those you would prefer to avoid. Drawing on
this new knowledge, as well as the expertise with which you entered this class (everyone is an expert on something),
you will craft three essays of your own.

As a member of this CNF workshop, you will be part of a close creative community. Just as in every community,
respect for others is essential. You will be expected to respond to essayseven those with which you might not be
comfortable in terms of their subject matter, political views, or religious beliefsin a mature, thoughtful, and
supportive manner.

Upon completion of this course, you should be able to
1. Discuss nonfiction as a genre, including many of its subgenres and available craft forms;
2. Reflect on the ways truth, seemingly inherent in a work labeled nonfiction, can mean different things to
different authors;
3. Achieve awareness of the significant craft concerns of a CNF essay, able to articulate not just the what but
the how of a piece;
4. And, significantly, use this knowledge to write CNF essays with attention to both content and form.

Required Texts & Materials
Tell It Slant, 2
nd
Edition, Brenda Miller & Suzanne Paola (978-0071781770)
Contemporary Creative Nonfiction, 1
st
Edition, B. Minh Nguyen & Porter Shreve (978-0321198174)
Essays from the coursesite
A binder to house and organize these essays (we will often refer back to previously discussed essays, which
means it will be helpful to have them all in one place)

**Unless an electronic text is needed for a disability accommodation, students are required to have physical copies of
these texts (as opposed to eBook versions or PDFs, etc.). This will allow you to more actively interact with the texts
through marking favorite (or least favorite) passages, and talking back to the text through your marginaliaall of
which will help you in both class discussions and when you return to the texts. All books are available at Village Books
and at a steeply discounted price online. Rental books can be written in.




Requirements
Class Participation: Class participation is mandatory. Attendance and tardiness will be reflected in your class
participation grade, which also includes active participation in class activities.

Please remember that there is no such thing as neutral silence in a group discussion. Over
time, protracted silence or nonparticipation can register as indifference, or worse, deliberate
withholding to the groups other members. This impression, no matter how unintended, has the
tendency to chill discussion and limit conversation to only the most outgoing of students.
Conversely, when many voices participate in discussion, students often feel it easier to join in. It
is my fervent wish that everyone participate actively in our conversations.

Participating in a discussion is a skill that can, and should, be learned. If you are having
difficulty getting a word in edgewise in our conversations, or if talking in class terrifies you
(youre not the only one), you should consult with me in office hours about strategies that will
help you participate.

Quizzes, Writing Exercises,
& Prewriting: Every class will have either a reading quiz, writing exercise, or prewriting assignment due that
day. In addition to noting your attendance for the day:
Blog comments will reward you for doing the necessary work of the course, as well as
assess those who are not as active in class discussion. On days for which there is a
reading assignment, comments are Due: posted by no later than midnight
before the relevant class (i.e. for reading we will discuss in class on a
Monday, your blog comment should be posted before midnight on that
Sunday).
In-class writing will help you to further contemplate ideas raised by the texts, instructor,
and your peers.
Prewriting assignments will allow you to (1) refine the ideas that will provide a foundation
for your essays, (2) create a document for which you can receive peer suggestions and
critiques, (3) provide an opportunity to receive instructor feedback to help shape your
eventual essay.

Literary Readings You will be expected to attend two literary events during the semester and writing a 1-2 page
response to the reading, which includes: a brief summary of the material read, your reaction to
that material, a critical reflection of the work in terms of our in-class discussions of writing craft.
A calendar of Central Arkansas readings will be posted on the coursesite.

Essays: You will write three essays:
Essay #1: Memoir
Essay #2: A Subgenre of Personal Essay
Essay #3: The CNF subgenre of your choice, with an added emphasis on a discussed form

Final Portfolio: Your final portfolio will consist of:
Two significantly revised essays, each accompanied by the first draft with my comments
A Cover Letter reflecting on what you have learned from the course as a whole as both a
reader and writer, as well as a brief discussion of the writing process of each of the
revised essays, including a reflection on what your goals were for the piece (even if you
werent able to fully achieve them) and why you made the revision choices you did.

.
** A note on my feedback: You will receive feedback from me at three formal junctures: 1) verbal and written feedback
on each of your three essays, 2) verbal and written feedback on essays you plan to revise for your portfolio during
your individual conference, 3) written feedback on your portfolio. However, I also encourage you to make use of my
office hours, during which I will be happy to discuss any writing exercises, drafts, or craft questions you might have.

Grading
Class Participation 10%
Blog Comments, 5%
Workshop Responses, In-Class Writing Exercises, Literary Reading Responses 15%
Essay #1 15%
Essay #2 15%
Essay #3 15%
Final Portfolio 25%

Course Policies
Attendance is required. It will be difficult for you to pass this course with more than three unexcused absences (two
weeks of class.) Your grade will be dropped by a letter grade for each day after those three that you are absent,
therefore six absences will result in a failing grade (Example: If you have an A in the class and miss five classes, you
will receive a C.). Chronic tardiness also counts as an absence or absences. If you miss class, it is your
responsibility to get the reading assignments for the following week from your fellow classmates and make up
missed work. If your assigned work is late, you are allowed until 6:00 p.m. the following day to e-mail it to me with
the understanding that there will be a late penalty. Anything turned in after this time will not be considered for a
grade unless you have a documented medical or emergency excuse. If you do miss class, please check the coursesite
for any newly posted PowerPoints or assignments and contact your peers to learn what you missed.

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Laptops, phones, and other wireless devices: These are not permitted in class, unless required for disability accommodation
(see below). If you use your phone in class, you will be counted as absent for that day.
Learning Disabilities: Any student who needs accommodation in relation to a recognized disability should inform the
instructor at the beginning of the course. In order to receive accommodations, students with disabilities are required
to contact Julie Brown in Academic Support Services at (501) 505-2954.
Email: Email will be used to contact the entire class for communicating changes to the syllabus and other matters.
Check your Hendrix account daily.
Academic Integrity: Intellectual dishonesty will not be tolerated. See the academic integrity statement and policy in the
student handbook. Frequently, failure to document and attribute secondary sources adequately is not a deliberate
attempt to pass anothers ideas and words off as ones own, but rather a misunderstanding of how to give that other
person sufficient credit properly. Please consult with me on any documentation question so we can avoid problems.
Essay Format: All essays must follow the MLA style for format, documentation, and bibliography. Specifically:
MLA format: 12 point font, double-spaced, with serifs (Times New Roman preferred). 1 margins all around
(campus MS Word default is 1.5 left margin. No cover sheet. No folders. Page numbers must appear in the
upper right corner of each page. All papers must have a heading, a title and a Works Cited section if applicable.
As an exception to MLA format, if you have room, add your entire Works Cited section at the bottom of your
last page.
MLA documentation: MLA calls for parenthetical documentation with a Works Cited page, not footnotes or
endnotes. Consult the MLA Handbook in the library, or the online guide linked via the English Departments
website. Rule of thumb: Given the context of the surrounding passage and the bibliography listing, include the absolute
minimum amount of information necessary within the parentheses.
Naming Your Document: Every document turned into me should follow these naming conventions (minus the
commas): First Initial, Last Name.Assignment Name.Draft Version. Example: JJacobs.Essay1.Draft1 progresses
to JJacobs.Essay1.FinalDraft