· The following schedule is based on the 16-week semester.

· The class is arranged into two-week units with assignments due at the end of each two-week period.

· Please be mindful of deadlines.

· Missing deadlines will lower your grade.

Assignment & Lecture Schedule for Prose

Week 1&2...August 23 – September 2

Lecture:

Course Introduction

Prose Forms: Memoir, short story, personal essay, short-short

3 Act Structure

Importance of Act I

Example Prose

Choosing a writer for your report.

Lecture:

Language

Cliché

Narration

Act I Assignment with progress paragraph due on Wednesday Sept. 1

Week 3&4...September 6 - 16

Lecture:

Conflict

Example Prose

Lecture:

Act II

Act II Assignment with progress paragraph due on Wednesday Sept. 15

Week 5&6...September 20 – 30

Lecture:

Act III

Example Prose

Short Story assignments with progress paragraphs due on Wednesday September 29

1 Short, Short (2 page max.) & 1 Short Story (15 page max.)

Week 7&8...October 4 – 14

Lecture:

Memoir

Mining the gold

Working with memories

Example Prose

3-10 page memory pastiche due Wednesday October 13

Week 9&10...October 18 – 28

Lecture:

Editing

Workshop Expectations/Practice

Week 11&12...November 1 – 11

Workshop – Peer Critique

Portfolio Preparation

Week 13&14...November 15 – 24

Workshop – Peer Critique

Final editing session

Portfolio Preparation

Conference sign up

November 18 Last Day to Withdraw November 25 Thanksgiving

Week 15&16 November 29 – December 9

Your final portfolio is due in my office at time of your exit conference.

Portfolio Requirements:

1 short-short, 1 short story, 1 memory pastiche – your work must show improvement in the editing process and use as the criterion the examples studied this semester.
2 Page report on the writer you have studied this semester
2 Page report on the Texas Book Festival
A short written statement of your writing expectations and process for this semester (1/2pg).
A short written report on any outside reading in poetry you’ve done for this semester that has helped your writing (1/2pg).

A more detailed set of guidelines will be available during the editing workshops.