Syllabus—ENG 750F Spring 2015
M 7:00-9:40, Hepner Hall 128
Instructor: Katie Farris
kfarris@mail.sdsu.edu
Office: AL 267
Office Hours: Wednesday 2-3 and by appointment.
This class is linked to the 750F also taught by Professor Farris this semester.
Students taking 791B and 750F this semester will also need to sign up for those
courses in Spring 2015. This linked two-semester class (12 total units) is required
for all third-year fiction students to complete the program of study for MFA in
fiction. It may be open to other students with the permission of the instructor only.
Students with questions should contact Professor Farris at farris_katie@yahoo.com
This course will consist primarily of one-on-one meetings developing the narrative,
structural, and linguistic elements of each student’s MFA thesis, which can consist of
a novella or collection of short stories. Each student will be expected to produce
between 45-60 pages of their thesis by the end of the semester, for a total of 90-120
pages by the end of the year. In addition to the production of a thesis, students will
be assigned individual reading lists and will be expected to produce roughly 30
pages of reading journals per semester.
Student Learning Outcomes:
By the end of this semester, students will have:
1. Identified the particular genre and tradition they’re working with and read
deeply into that tradition
2. Practiced writing analyses of literature from a writerly point of view, which
will be useful both for their lives as writers, but also potentially for their lives
as teachers and scholars.
3. Prepared and presented a lecture on literary craft, preparing them for
interviews, job talks, guest lectures, and future positions as writing
professors.
4. Begun the process of professionalization by: preparing a CV, teaching cover
letter, and teaching philosophy; submitting creative work for publication in
literary magazines; and preparing for the next level of work on their
manuscripts, including preparing a query letter and compiling a list of agents
and presses to which they may submit their books.
Graded Assignments
1. 10 Reading Journals based on individual reading lists (40% of final grade)
Roughly 1000 words, post on Blackboard every Monday by 6 pm,
beginning October 1.
2. 2 In-Class Presentations on aspects of literary craft. These can be developed
from your Reading as a Writer papers, but should be rethought/rewritten as
lectures. (40% of final grade/20% each)
3. Class participation (10% of final grade)
Policy on Students with Disabilities
Students who need accommodation of disabilities should contact me privately, early
on in the semester (at least 1 week before the first graded assignment), so we can be
sure that you have everything you need to succeed in this course. If you have a
disability, but have not contacted Student Disability Services at 619-594-6473
(Capulli Center, Suite 3101), please do so before making an appointment to see me.
The website for Student Disability Services is:
http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/sds/index.html
Policy on Students with Financial Difficulties
If purchasing books for this class will create financial difficulties for you or your
family, please contact me early on in the semester. I’ll work with you to be sure you
can have the supplies you need.
Policy on Late Work
“Potius Sero Quam Nunquam” Titus Livius. For each day a digital copy is late, I will
dock 5% of your grade.
Schedule of Assignments (subject to change!)
26 January: Back to School; Sign Up for meetings; Overview of Semester
Homework: 1. Write a teaching philosophy statement, 1-2 pages long, due on
Blackboard by 7 pm February 9th. 2. For the first meeting of the semester,
please send me the pages I read last semester along with the next 30
pages in your manuscript, with a clear line marking off where the old
pages end and the new ones begin. You may submit revised pages if you
have revised them, but I will not be commenting on the old pages, only
skimming them if I need the reference. You must submit these materials 4
days before our meeting, as outlined on the sign-up sheet. 3. 5 pages due
on Blackboard by 7 pm
2 February: Class Cancelled for One-on-One Meetings
Homework: Write a cover letter for teaching/Ph.D. OR fellowship
applications, due on Blackboard by 7 pm February 9th.
9 February: Class Cancelled for One-on-One Meetings. Cover Letter & Teaching
Philosophy Due by 7 pm.
Homework: Write a CV, due on Blackboard by February 16th at 10 pm. Print
out 11 copies of your Teaching Philosophy and your Cover Letter to bring to
class on Monday, 16th of February.
16 February: Teaching Philosophy and Cover Letter Cold-Read Workshop/Library
Visit. (Begins at 3:30)
Homework: Prepare a list of 10 literary magazines or contests to
which you’d like to submit stories or excerpts from your book, due on
Blackboard by February 7 pm on February 23d. I’m looking for you to find
magazines that are appropriate to your form and content. The best way to
discover this is by reading through them—you can do so during our SDSU
Library trip and at Paras bookstore on the 30th at the corner of University.
You may submit one piece to ten magazines (if they permit simultaneous
submission) or 10 different pieces to 10 different magazines, or any variation
thereon; but I want to see evidence of at least ten submissions over the
course of the semester (evidence of submissions due by Monday, May 4th, at
the latest).
23 February: Class Visitor TBD (Adam Deutsch, Editor at Cooper Dillon press)
Homework: Put together a list of 10 agents or presses where you think
you’d be interested in submitting your book. You need to write up a few
sentences to a single paragraph about why each would be appropriate—for
instance you could compare authors on the publisher’s or agent’s list to your
own work, address their mission statement or whatever.
2 March: Class Visitor TBD (Public/Private High School Teachers from San Diego)
Homework:
9 March:
Homework: Write Query Letter and bring in 11 copies on the 16th March for
a query letter workshop.
16 March: Query Letter Cold-Read Workshop
Homework:
23 March: Class Visitor TBD (Elise Capron?)
Homework:
30 March: SPRING BREAK
Homework: Final 30 pages of your manuscript due to me.
6 April: Class Cancelled for One-on-One Workshops
Homework:
13 April: Class Cancelled for One-on-One Workshops
Homework:
20 April: Craft Lectures
Homework:
27 April: Craft Lectures
Homework:
4 May: Craft Lectures
Homework: I need to see evidence of submission to 10 magazines. You can
take a screenshot of your Submittable page or give me the hard copies, which I will
drop in the mail for you.
Class Visitors: Agent; High School Educators (Private and Public); Community
College Educators; Susan Rich for Peacecorps;
If you’re not interested in pursuing teaching positions, you may collect information
on any
Reading Workshop
One more craft talk
Class Access to Publisher’s Marketplace
Last semester, I tried to pair each of you up with someone whose work was similar
to yours in some way. This semester, I’m thinking I’ll pair you up randomly. It might
be good for you to get more than one individual’s feedback. If you’d prefer to remain
with your current partner, please let me know ASAP.
Complete a submission schedule for magazine submissions, fellowship applications
etc. I want 20 items on your list and dates (when the contests open and close)
Craft Lectures
Thesis Buddy
Self Publishing
Reading Workshop