ENGL2011/ESL1011: Introduction to Fiction Writing for ESL Students Fall 2014 Instructor: Nicole Moran Course Description: This

cross-listed English 2011 (Introduction to Fiction)/ESL 1011 (Special Topics) course will allow international students to engage in creative writing to improve their English skills. Placement in the course will be made on the basis of TOEFL, IELTS, or Writing Placement Test score. Students in English 2011/ESL 1011 will learn the basics of fiction writing by engaging with cross-cultural folktale texts. By reading a variety of primary texts, folktale retellings, and craft books, students will learn to engage with elements of style and utilize the story elements that have been passed down to them. And the end of the course, students will individually produce two short stories (one revised for grammatical correctness), and a group film project. Students will also be expected to bring one folktale to class and share it with the other students. Emphasis in this course will be placed on the elements of storytelling and not strictly on correctness (although the language should be understandable the other students and instructor). Students will be encouraged to engage with the language in a way that shows critical and creative thought and a willingness to go outside a students comfort level with the language. At the conclusion of this course, students will be more comfortable writing creatively in English. Course Objectives: By the end of this course, students will be able to Identify and discuss the basic elements of fiction; Evaluate and critique a variety of narrative genres; Understand and comment on the ethical issues involved in creative writing, including plagiarism, and in the literary works read and discussed in class; Write stories in short story form, showing an understanding of plot, character, dialogue, and setting. Required Texts: Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life. New York: Pantheon Books, 1994. Le Guin, Ursula K. Steering the Craft: Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew. Portland, OR: The Eighth Mountain Press, 1998. Various PDFs, as distributed by the instructor Course Grading: The following grade breakdown illustrates that your class work and daily assignments impact your final grade in a significant way and should be given the appropriate consideration.

Participation & Attendance: 20% Written Critiques: 15% Student-Submitted Folk Tales & Leading Class Discussion: 15% Portfolio of Original Work (Work 20%, Revision 15%): 35% Group Film Assignment: 15%

Possible course grades include A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D, F, W (Withdrawal), and WX (Unofficial withdrawal-No participation). As your portfolio is the largest percentage of your grade, be mindful that an A-level portfolio shows creativity and effort, and revision is thorough, thoughtful, and proficient in the English language. In this class, you are expected to complete all assignments, turn them in on time, and be actively engaged in your own writing and critiquing the writing of others. I am happy to answer any questions you may have during the semester and keep you updated on your performance. Instructor Availability Email is definitely the best way to reach me, and I will do my best to respond within 24 hours. If you email me just before class, I will probably not be able to read it until after class. Please feel free to contact me or come visit me during office hours if you have any questions or concerns. Major Assignments 1. Two stories posted on Blackboard: You will be expected to share two stories with your peers throughout the semester. Both stories should be at least five (5) pages (double-spaced) in length. Page counts significantly higher should be discussed with the instructor beforehand. In your first draft, pay more attention to the elements of storytelling than on grammatical correctness; you story should be readable, but it does not have to be perfect. At least one of the stories should be inspired by a myth/folkloric element, either of the your own culture or as discussed in class. On the first day of class, we will assign an order for workshop, and you will be responsible for turning your story in one week before you are to be workshopped. You will post it via our Blackboard discussion board. At the end of the term, you will be responsible for turning in a thorough revision of one of the stories workshopped in class to the instructor. The revised version of one of the stories should be thoroughly proofread for correctness. All stories must be submitted in double-spaced manuscript format. 2. Written critiques on classmates stories, posted on Blackboard: You will be expected to provide thorough in-text critiques (either using MS Word track changes or handwriting on a paper copy) of the stories being workshopped each class.

You should also turn in a lengthy summative comments at the end of each story, at least a half page, single-spaced, in the form of a letter to the writer. You can post your responses via Blackboard, via email (copying the instructor), or by giving paper copies to the student and the professor. 3. Student-Submitted Folktales, posted on Blackboard: You will pick one folktale that you heard growing up or you consider part of your cultural heritage, find a digital text of it, and submit it via Blackboard discussion board for the class to read. If you are unable to find a digital text but have a paper copy, you may submit it to the instructor in advance who will scan it and upload it for the rest of the class. You will lead the discussion on the folktale the day it is assigned. Discussion elements can include: why you picked that folktale, what value that folktale has in society, what we can learn from the folktale in terms of storytelling, etc. Important Note: Students are not expected to rewrite the folktales, and folktales should not overlap with ones already discussed in class. Students will sign up for folktales in advance as to avoid overlap between students. Because this may be challenging for students to procure, the folktales are not due until Week Six, which should give students plenty of time to find appropriate texts. 4. Group film project, to be presented in class: In a group, you will be responsible for brainstorming a story (you will be given criteria by the instructor) and writing a script that you will practice and film for the class. The finished video will be 5-10 minutes in length and you will present it in the form of a class film-festival. Extended Assignment Description (for instructor use): Students will be placed in groups of four to create a one-act play utilizing lessons learned throughout the creative writing course. As a group, students will draw slips of paper out of several hats. One hat will have a character (fireman, teacher, doctor, etc.), another will have a setting (a city, the desert, etc.), and another will have a prop (which the instructor will provide, such as a toy or flag). The instructor will also write and distribute a few lines of required dialogue, which should be different for every group. Students will be given two class periods (or the equivalent of a week of class time) to work together to create a coherent narrative with the provided criteria (adding more dialogue of their own), and will have a weekend to practice and rehearse/film the play outside school. If the students have access to appropriate technology (such as the Student Technology Research Center at UC), students will be expected to film and edit the finished project (should be 5-10 minutes in length) and present it to the class in the form of an instructor-organized film festival. Music and editing effects should be used, if at all possible. If technology is not available, students will act out the play in front of the class and turn in a script to the instructor.

The instructor will grade the assignment on usage of all the necessary criteria (character, setting, prop, and dialogue), storytelling, creativity, and overall effort. Students will be encouraged but not required to create narratives with folkloric or multicultural themes. Less emphasis will be placed on language correctness as to allow the students to engage with the story without worrying overmuch about grammar and syntax. Assignment Goals 1. Students will work together to form an English narrative with traditional storytelling elements, such as conflict, climax, and resolution. 2. Students will take on roles within the group to accomplish the assignment, such as serving as actors, directors, or editors. All students should appear in the play. 3. Students will be able to produce original and meaningful work in a group, allowing for weaker students to contribute even if they are not as confident in the language as their peers. 4. Students will practice their English skills in a creative atmosphere that encourages experimentation and imagination. Workshop Protocol You are expected to come to class fully prepared to discuss the work that has been submitted, meaning you should have the work in front of you and with your comments (whether paper copy or via laptop/tablet). We will begin the workshop by having the writer read the first paragraph of their work. As a class, we will discuss what is the writer is doing successfully, and then talking about what questions we have/what needs to be improved. Comments that only consist of phrases like I like this or I dont like this are not appropriate in a workshop setting; you must be able to point to specific places in the text and explain your reasoning. On the first day of class, we will work to develop a class vocabulary you will be expected to use when critiquing others work. In the workshop, we will focus on ideas and creativity and not on grammar or correctness. During the workshop, the author is not allowed to speak or answer questions. At the end of his/her critique, he/she will thank the class and collect the paper responses. At no point will the author defend the piece or make excuses. If the student being workshopped is absent, he/she will automatically fail the course. Course Schedule Week One (8/25-8/29): Introduction to the Writing Life Introduction and Syllabus Discussion Set Schedule for Workshop Activity: Establishing Vocabulary for Critiquing the Work of Others Activity: Brainstorming Ideas and Starting to Write Discussion: The writing life, overview of good fiction-writing habits, reviewing expectations and the workshop process

Week Two (9/1-9/5): Cultural Significance of Folklore Monday, September 1: Labor Day Readings: Lamott, Getting Started; East of the Sun, West of the Moon PDF (Russia, original tale); East excerpt PDF (retelling) Free-writing Activity: Think of stories that you were told as a child by your grandparents or older relatives. What lessons were in the stories, and what about the stories did you find interesting or troubling? Discussion: Multicultural heritage and the value of folktales in fiction, examples in literature and current writing, retelling folktales in your own writing Due: Workshops 1-6 on Blackboard. (Workshops will always be due a week before workshop.) Week Three (9/8-9/12): Characters Readings: Lamott, Character; Bluebeard PDF (France, original); Carters The Bloody Chamber PDF (retelling) Free-writing Activity: Think of characters that are commonly seen in folktales: e.g. evil villains, cunning animals, intrepid heroes, etc. Pick one character and write a paragraph in which they do something surprising or unexpected. Discussion: Writing dynamic characters, defying expectations and tropes, writing with empathy, how characters transform from original folktales when they are retold Workshop 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Week Four (9/15-9/19): Plot Readings: Lamott, Plot; The Wild Swans PDF (Ireland, original); Marilliers Daughter of the Forest excerpt PDF (retelling) Free-writing Activity: Think of a plot of a folktale that you enjoy. What is the most exciting part? Write a paragraph describing the action, making it seem as dramatic as you can. Discussion: Plot structures, common plot structures, story structure (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, denouement) Workshop 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 Week Five (9/22-9/26): Dialogue Readings: Lamott, Dialogue; Tasik Chini PDF (Malaysia, original), Gaimans Instructions PDF (retelling) Free-writing Activity: The instructor will play audio of people talking. Try to copy down the conversation verbatim, and then reread what you have written. Consider: How is real dialogue different from written dialogue? Try rewriting the conversation, cutting out inconsistencies and making the conversation something you could use in your own writing. Discussion: Crafting effective dialogue, understanding the value of what isnt communicated Workshop 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

Week Six (10/6-10/10): Setting Readings: Lamott, Set Design; Student Folktales 1, 2, 3 Free-writing Activity: Write a paragraph about the home where you grew up, paying special attention to the physical details that you can remember. Discussion: Describing settings, world-building, map-making Workshop 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 Week Seven (10/13-10/17): Style Readings: Le Guin, The Sound of Your Writing; Student Folktales 4, 5, 6 Free-writing Activity: Steering p. 26, Being Gorgeous Discussion: Reading works aloud, using language to establish tone, word choice Workshop 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Week Eight (10/20-10/24): Punctuation Readings: Le Guin, Punctuation; Student Folktales 7, 8, 9 Free-Writing Activity: Steering p. 34, I Am Garca Mrquez Discussion: English grammar and its quirksand how to deal with them Workshop 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 Week Nine (10/27-10/31): Syntax Readings: Le Guin, Sentence Length and Complex Syntax, Student Folktales 10, 11, 12 Free-Writing Activity: Steering p. 56, Short and Long Discussion: English grammar, breaking the rules Workshop 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 Week Ten (11/3-11/7): Advanced Language Tools Readings: Le Guin, Adjective and Adverb, Student Folktales 13, 14, 15 Free-Writing Activity: Steering p. 62, Chastity Discussion: Elevating prose, confidence in the language Workshop 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 Week Eleven (11/10-11/14): Point of View and Voice Tuesday, November 11: Veterans Day Readings: Le Guin, Point of View and Voice, Student Folktales 16, 17, 18 Discussion: First person, second person, third person, close narration, omniscient narration Free-Writing Activity: Steering p. 76, The Old Woman Workshops (buffer, in case we get behind) Week Twelve (11/17-11/21): Focus Readings: Le Guin, Indirect Narration, or What Tells, Student Folktales 19, 20, 21 Free-Writing Activity: Steering p. 119, Telling it Slant Discussion: When to hold back in storytelling, zooming in on the most important parts of the story Introduction to Group Film Project activity, assigning groups

Workshops (buffer, in case we get behind)

Week Thirteen (11/24-11/28): Film Project Preparations Readings: Student Folktales 22, 23 In-class time to work on Film Projects Discussion: Final questions and concerns Workshops (buffer, in case we get behind) Week Fourteen (12/1-12/5): Final Words Final Classes, Portfolios Due Film Festival Presentation Class evaluations

Syllabus Rationale Although I went through a phase where I was kicking myself for crafting a course that seems so theoretical and impractical, I actually found planning the assignments, the readings, and the layout of this class to be extremely enjoyable and much more realistic than I originally thought. As the class is structured, I believe that this class is not too far out of the realm of possibility; even though its unlikely that such a class would be taught at UC, I could easily see myself pitching it to a foreign university and being satisfied in knowing that it fulfills the goals of both an introductory level creative writing course and an ESL elective. One of the main ideas behind designing this class was making sure that although it was aimed at an ESL/international audience, it was still effective in the teaching fiction writing, which I believe Ive succeeded in doing. All reading assignments are relatively short and readable, which should prove accessible to students. Because I imagine that students would have to test into the class (based on the various ESL testing scores), Im hopeful that the students who would enroll would be able to handle the difficulty of the assignments as well as the reading. The course would be challenging, I think, but not impossible, and ultimately would be a rewarding experience. Students will leave the class not only with at least one polished story, but also with another to work on in the future, and a completed film project. The backbone of this course is folktales. I knew that I wanted it as an overarching cultural element from the beginning of my planning process, but the idea to have students bring in folktales to the class came to me much later, while I was solidifying the readings. In the first five weeks of class, students will read an original folktale and a modern-day retelling, and as a class we will discuss how it was adapted. While collecting material, I found myself frustrated by the lack of diversity in my personal collection: many folktales that I can access are from Europe or South East Asia. This, of course, skips over entire continents and countless cultures, and seems woefully inadequate. To my knowledge, there are no extensive international anthologies on the market, which is frustrating when structuring a class like this. It dawned on me that by allowing students to bring in their own fairytales and using them as readings for the class, students are establishing a kind of ownership over their cultural heritage. I worried initially that this may be a difficult undertaking for students, but I think by giving students six weeks to collect materials, its a reasonable request. It would be fascinating as an instructor to see students bring in stories from all over the world, and Im now acutely disappointed that I wont get to teach this class anytime soon. After students finish studying the various elements of storytelling and fiction writing, the course will culminate in the multimodal assignment, the group film project. As inspired by various articles in my praxis report from New Writing: The International Journal for the Practice and Theory of Creative Writing, the film project (which could be adapted into a one-act play should the electronic resources not be available) allows for students to engage with the material weve read, the elements of storytelling weve discussed, and their experience writing creatively in English. Not only does the film project combine everything the students have learned throughout the course, the film itself becomes a cultural artifactsomething students can share and enjoy. Ultimately, the combination of craft readings, primary folklore texts, secondary folktale retellings, student-submitted folktales, and various free-writing exercises will be a good introduction to fiction writing and accessible to an ESL audience. While the reading will not be overwhelming (perhaps 30 pages a week), it will be largely comprehensive in terms of what is usually taught in an introductory fiction-writing class.