English 251: Reading/Writing Autobiography
M/W 1:15-2:30 and 1 credit online
The College of Saint Rose
Spring 2007
Professor: Megan Fulwiler
Office: 4 Marcelle Hall
Hours: M 12-1, W 4-5, and by appointment.
Phone: 337-4324
Email: megan.fulwiler@strose.edu
The Course
Autobiography is the writing of one’s life and traditionally it has been the domain of people with very famous lives. Recently, however, there has been a veritable explosion of life writing—from memoir, to personal essays, to autobiographical writing. In this class, we will read a wide variety of autobiographical writing in order to study the strategies that writers use to compose a textual self. Some of the questions that we will pursue include: What is the line between fact and fiction? What are the ethical demands and constraints of autobiography? How is narrative linked to identity? Our goal is to examine and practice the composing of a self in order to more fully understand the challenges and demands of self life writing.
Required Texts (available at The College of Saint Rose bookstore)
- The Liars’ Club, Mary Karr
- Running In The Family, Michael Ondaatje
- Refuge: An Unnatural History of Family and Place, Terry Tempest Williams
- True Stories: Guides for Writing from Your Life, Rebecca Rule & Susan Wheeler
- A journal (style is up to you)
- Pocket folder for keeping drafts and course handouts/Xeroxes (X)
- A flash drive and working STROSE account
Course Objectives: Over the next 16 weeks students will:
- Practice brainstorming, drafting, developing, revising, and editing
- Develop thoughtful critical responses to their peers’ writing
- Identify important narrative strategies of autobiographical writing
- Engage in rigorous examination of their own lives and experiences through the act of writing
Course Requirements
Readings:Good writers are voracious, committed, and active readers. Throughout the course we will read a wide range of autobiographical writing from essays to books. These readings are intended to inspire, challenge, inform, and stretch you as both readers and writers.
Writing: We will have writing due every week. We will also spend a significant amount of class time writing and experimenting. Please be sure that all work you turn in is typed (double spaced, 12 point font), labeled (name, date, course, assignment), and stapled. In the course of the next 15 weeks you will brainstorm subjects, develop promising drafts,, conduct research (both field and text), and produce a portfolio of autobiographical writing. All assignments must be handed in on time unless you have made other arrangements with me.
Blogging and Reading Responses (worth 1 credit of our course)Each week you’ll write a blogpost (250 word minimum) in response to the assigned reading, as well as thoughtful comments on two other class blogs. These weekly posts are a place for you to work closely with the particular strategies of the writers we’re reading. In addition, your posts and comments to each other will provide an ongoing online conversation about the issues and ideas central to our study of life writing. Our home blog space is at http://eng251.wordpress.com/ and we’ll spend time getting you started on your own blogs at WordPress. (Please keep track of your weekly comments.)
Workshops
Each week you will have the opportunity to share work in-progress with your classmates. This is an important opportunity to share your writing with an actual group of readers. Part of this course will be to develop encouraging, constructive, and productive ways of responding to each other’s writing.
Attendance
Our class is a writer’s workshop, not a lecture hall. The success, vitality, and energy of our meetings therefore depend upon each one of you and you will be missed if you’re not present. More than 3 absences will negatively affect your final grade for the course. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to come to the next class fully prepared. Be sure to exchange phone numbers with at least one classmate.
Conferences
We will have the opportunity to meet one-on-one throughout the semester to discuss your ongoing work. In addition, please feel free to come to my office hours or make an appointment to see me.
Assessment
I am interested in your growth as a writer throughout this course. To encourage growth, experimentation, and risk-taking, I will give you written feedback on your work-in-progress but I will not grade individual pieces of writing. At mid-term, and again at the end of the course, you will compile and submit a portfolio of your work for a grade. Here is how I think of letter grades:
A An ‘A’ is reserved for exceptional work. This means that you not only fulfilled the basic requirements of the course (you completed all the assignments and handed them in on time), but consistently pushed yourself and your writing in new, creative, and dynamite ways. An A signifies that there is clear evidence of hard work, extensive revision, and a willingness to try new ideas in writing. You were a stellar participant in classroom discussions and group workshops.
B A ‘B’ is reserved for good work. You fulfilled the basic requirements and your work shows evidence of increased effort. You tried new things with your writing, worked on revisions, were an important member of classroom discussions and group workshops.
C A ‘C’ is reserved for average work. You fulfilled the basic requirements of the course but did not push yourself beyond them. A ‘C’ might also indicate excessive absences, missed assignments, inattention to the presentation and quality of your work.
Please save all of your writing in a folder—including drafts and written responses.
20%=Class participation
40%=Weekly Writing (Blogging and drafts)
40%=Final Autobiographical project Academic Integrity and PlagiarismSubmitting someone else’s writing (published or unpublished) as your own is plagiarism and grounds for failure in this course. If you have questions about citing sources correctly and fairly, please ask me.
Academic Accommodations If you are a student with a documented disability and require academic accommodations please register with Ginny Rossin, the Coordinator of Special Services, located in the Academic Support Center on the 2nd floor of St. Joseph Hall (2335 or 337-2335, off campus) for disability verification and for determination of reasonable academic accommodations. After you have made arrangements with that office, please see me to discuss your accommodations.
Tentative Schedule
Week One: Introductions
W 1/17: Introductions and course overview. Begin partner profiles.
Week Two: Self/Life/Writing
M 1/22: Read True Stories, 17-54. Partner Profile due.
W 1/24: Read Patricia Hampl, “Memory and Imagination” (X). Setting up our blogs.
Blog post RR #1 Thursday by midnight.
Week Three: Family
M 1/29: Read True Stories, 57-86. Family draft due for in-class workshop.
W 1/31: Read Pam Houston, “How To Talk to a Hunter” (X). Blog post RR #2 Thursday by midnight. Week Four: Modern Love
M 2/5: Read True Stories, 87-128. Modern Love draft due for in-class workshop.
W 2/7: Read Jana Richman, “Why I Ride” (X).
Blog post RR #3 Thursday by midnight.
Week Five: Personal Passions
M 2/12: Read True Stories, 129-170. Personal Passion draft due for in-class workshop.
W 2/14: English department Portfolio Day. No class. John T. Price, “Good Workers” (X). **Writing Conferences.Blog post RR #4 Thursday by midnight. Week Six: Jobs & Work
M 2/19: Due: Job draft for in-class workshop.
W 2/21: Read True Stories, 173-242. Blog post RR #5 Thursday by midnight.
Week Seven
M 2/26: Read The Liars’ Club (Chs 1 and 2).
W 2/28: Mid-term portfolio due.
Week Eight—Spring Break No class. Read The Liars’ Club. Write 1 blog post RR #6.
Week Nine
M 3/12: The Liars’ Club (complete). W 3/14: WorkshopBlog post RR #7 Thursday by midnight.
Week Ten
M 3/19: Read Running In The Family (first half).
W 3/21:
Blog post RR #8 Thursday by midnight.
Week Eleven—Individual Writing Conferences
M 3/26: Read Running In The Family (second half).
W 3/28:
Week Twelve
M 4/2: Read Refuge, 1-95.
W 4/4: Blog post RR # 9 Thursday by midnight. Week Thirteen
M 4/9: Easter Holiday. No class. Read Refuge, 96-193.
W 4/11:
Blog post RR # 10 Thursday by midnight.
Week Fourteen
M 4/16: Refuge (all), 104-303.
W 4/18: Blog post RR # 11 Thursday by midnight. Week Fifteen
M 4/23: Open workshop.
W 4/25: Revision Circuit Training.
Week Sixteen
M 4/30: Open workshop.
W 5/3: Last Class and Celebration. Final Portfolio Due.
Exam Week: Pick up Final Portfolio _____________________________.
