Green Sheet

1. EWRT 30: Green Sheet
Kim Palmore, PhD Cell Phone: 408-674-3005
Email: Palmorekim@fhda.edu Office: F1-11
Course Introduction:
EWRT 30 is an introductory creative writing course for students who want to explore and refine their techniques
of creative writing through both critical analysis and intensive practice in creative writing. This class
emphasizes the fundamental elements of creative non-fiction, fiction, drama, and poetry. We will read and
discuss published stories, plays, and poetry, trying to understand how authors make successful use of various
literary tools. We will explore elements of fiction with in-class and take-home assignments. The ultimate goal of
this course is to understand and be able to employ the elements of creative writing to create your own multiple
genre portfolio of work.
Course Objectives:
 Identify the major technical and stylistic elements of diverse literary works and analyze their role in
imaginative writing.
 Analyze and critique diverse student and professional examples of literary/imaginative writing.
 Apply knowledge of creative process, literary elements/techniques, cultural knowledge and self-
knowledge, and critical lessons to your own writing.
 Write and revise new poems and stories.
 Collaborate on writing projects.
Course Requirements:
 Regular attendance and active participation in class discussions
 Regular posting of assignments to our course website.
 Keeping up-to-date on writing assignments and readings.
 Manuscript critiques.
 Unannounced quizzes, in-class assignments, and presentations.
 Participation in original work readings.
Website:
Our class website is http://palmoreewrt30.wordpress.com. In order to do the homework, you must establish
an account. To make your own FREE Word Press account, go to wordpress.com. The system will walk you
through the steps to signup for a username or to set up your own user-friendly Word Press blog.
Alternatively, you can sign into our website through Facebook. There are also detailed directions available
on the website under “Create Account.”
If you prefer not to use your own name, you may use a pseudonym. Just make sure you sign in with YOUR
Word Press username before you post on our class page so you get credit for your work. Please email me
your username once you have established which account you shall use for the quarter.
If you cannot establish your website and username, please come to my office hours as soon as possible, and
I will help you with the process. Much of our work will take place online, so establishing this connection is
mandatory.
Required Materials:
 Access to an online web page, where you will post homework and find reading selections
 A college-level dictionary
 Paper, pens, pencils, and a small copy fund.
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2. STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Every creative writing student should be able to do the following:
1. Demonstrate an understanding of various forms and structures of fiction and poetry.
2. Demonstrate familiarity with a variety of professional writers’ styles and voices in fiction and poetry in
order to develop an individual style.
3. Become comfortable with the workshop process of self and group analysis and critique.
4. Identify strengths in both your own and others' writing; offer helpful commentary and constructive
criticism.
5. Construct prose and poetry pieces that demonstrate knowledge of the aspects of fiction and poetry
including, but not limited to, narrative perspective, character, plot, time, setting, and language.
6. Apply relevant constructive criticism made by peers and teacher to the revision of creative pieces.
7. Demonstrate precision in the use of language with attention to word choice, rhythm, rhyme, line breaks
(in poetry), and by effectively managing metaphor, descriptive image, dialogue, and narrative voice.
8. Produce an extended work of fiction and poetry.
GRADING:
Grades for this course will be based on a 1000-point scale divided as follows:
Assignment My
Score
Point
Value
Assignment My
Score
Point
Value
Project #1 Poetry 75 Website Posts/Homework 200
Project #2 Fiction 75 Tests 2x30 1x25 85
Project #3 Fiction 75 Participation/Quizzes/Activities
/ Workshop participation
150
Project #4 Drama 100 Portfolio: A collection of your
best poetry and fiction
240
Total 1000
I will assign traditional + and – grades: for example 90-93 A- 94-97 A 98-100 A+
Grade Points Required Grade Points Required
A 900-1000 D 600-699
B 800-899 F 599 and below
C 700-799
CLASS POLICIES:
Essay Submission:
All out of class essays are to be submitted to me electronically before the class period in which they are
due.
1. Before you submit your essay, please save your file as your last name and the assignment: Smith 1.
2. Submit your essay through Kaizena at https://kaizena.com/palmoreessaysubmissiongmail. Or simply
use the link on our class website home page.
3. Sign in to your Google Account and allow Kaizena access to your Google Drive. You may want a
dedicated Gmail account for this class.
4. You can follow the directions from this point to join a group or submit your essay. If you have trouble,
please see the appropriate presentation on our website under “Create Accounts.”
Academic Dishonesty:
Plagiarism includes quoting or paraphrasing material without documentation and copying from other students or
professionals. Intentional plagiarism is a grave offense; the resulting response will be distasteful. Depending upon
the severity, instances of plagiarism may result in a failing grade for the paper or the course and possible administrative
action. All assignments will be scrutinized for academic dishonesty. Please refer to your handbook for more
information regarding plagiarism.
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3. Attendance:
Attendance is a significant part of this course; participation points will be part of our daily activities. If you are
not in class, you cannot earn these points. You should save absences for emergencies, work conflicts, weddings,
jury duty, or any other issues that might arise in your life.
It is your responsibility to talk to me your absences or other conflicts. Work done in class cannot be made up. If
you must be absent, please arrange with a classmate to get assignments and notes. Also, please arrive on time, as
you will not be able to make up work completed before you arrive, including quizzes.
Conduct, Courtesy, and Electronic Devices:
In this class, we will regularly engage in the discussion of each other’s work. Because writing is so personal, I
ask each of you to be both kind and honest. Do share helpful critiques so each writer may grow. Courtesy will
allow each person to have the opportunity to express his or her ideas in a comfortable environment.
Courtesy includes but is not limited to politely listening to others when they contribute to class discussions or
while they give presentations, not slamming the classroom door or walking in front of classmates giving
presentations if you do arrive late, and maintaining a positive learning environment for your fellow classmates.
To help maintain a positive learning environment, please focus on the work assigned, turn off all cell phones
and iPods before class, and do not text-message in class. If your behavior becomes disruptive to the learning
environment of the class, you may be asked to leave and/or be marked absent.
Participation:
Participation includes doing all work asked of you inside and outside of class, maintaining a positive learning
environment for your classmates, and contributing to class discussion.
Quizzes:
I may decide to include pop quizzes from time to time to ensure you are completing all readings in a timely
fashion. There are no make up opportunities for quizzes
Tests:
We will have four terms tests during the quarter. I will also offer one opportunity late in the quarter to retake (or
make-up) one of the first three terms tests.
Late Work
I do not accept late work except in the case of extreme emergencies. Please talk to me as soon as possible if you
find yourself in this situation.
Adding and Dropping:
Adding and dropping this class is the responsibility of the student. Please observe all deadlines regarding the
same should you wish to add or drop this class.
Educational Use of Student Papers:
Occasionally, I retain copies of written work to share with this class or future sections of the course; selections
of student work used in these ways will be anonymous. However, if you absolutely object to the use of your
work in these ways, please let me know now, so that I can respect your preference.
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