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CCS 396W. Chicana and Chicano Prose (3) [GE] Department of Chicana and
Chicano Studies 396W aka “Creative Writing
FALL 2014 Syllabus
“As I write, I discover.” Luisa Valenzuela
1. Course Information: CHICANA/O PROSE COURSE #20567
SH 320
Meets MWF: 10:00-10:50
Always bring the book we will be discussing on the day of discussion or you cannot participate and earn points.
(DATES AND ASSIGNMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AS NEEDED.)
Prerequisite: Satisfies Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement for students who have
completed 60 units, completed Writing Placement Assessment with a score of 8 or higher (or
earned a C or higher in RWS 280, 281 or LING 281 if score on WPA was 7 or lower); and
completed General Education requirements in Composition and Critical Thinking. Proof of
completion of prerequisite required: Test scores or verification of exemption; copy of
transcript. A writing workshop. Mutual criticism. Exploration of new form and content in
Mexican American prose. Maximum credit six units.
2. Contact Information
Leilani Grajeda-Higley, RN, MFA, PhD
Office: Arts and Letters 390
Office Hours: MWF 1:30-2:30
Office Phone: 594-8446
E-mail Address: lgrajeda@mail.sdsu.edu
3. Materials: Required Readings/Texts.
1.Writer’s Reference 6th or 7th Edition by Diana Hacker
2. The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz
3. Hummingbird’s Daughter by Luis Urrea
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4. Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg.
(Books are available at KB Books and the bookstore. The store offers offers $5.)) off of each
required book.)
5. Raíces y Más: An Anthology of Young Border Voices, the best stories, poems, and essays
from ten years of Raíces y Más, the literary magazine of the Department of Chicana and
Chicano Studies, Editor, Leilani Grajeda-Higley (This book is available from the instructor.
Price $25.00. Payable by cash or check. Make checks out to SDSU Foundation.)
Set aside money to pay for photocopies of your workshop pieces that you will exchange
with your group prior to the workshops.
4. Course Description
Goal/Rationale of the course: To satisfy the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement. To
consolidate and build on prior learning about composition in order to think and write with
confidence and clarity.
How the course will benefit the student and how the course relates to Chicana/o Studies:
Through the readings and the students’ writings the student will expand on understanding the
Chicana/o vision of life and will gain added expertise in writing.
Type of knowledge that will be emphasized: The student’s experience will range from reading
exemplary examples of multicultural prose and poetry to application of concepts from the
readings.
Learning Objectives: Expected student learning outcomes include the ability to create and
maintain a coherent theme in creative writing.
What students will gain from the course: The writer will gain added writing expertise and an
appreciation of the Chicana/o literary perspective.
Methodology: The course will use the writers’ workshop approach. The student will have
opportunity to revise poems and stories and receive respectful peer and instructor feedback.
CCS 396W stresses logic, creative, innovative thinking, the ability to identify the thesis, or
guiding idea in any writing, coherent development of the theme. In addition, the workshop
approach helps develop team skills.
5. Student Responsibilities
Participation: You will be participating in a workshop-based writing class. Teamwork is
essential. You will be assigned to a writing group at the beginning of the semester. This will be
the group you will meet with on designated days. You will be critiqued by these writers and you
will critique their papers.
The workshop meets the University’s general education requirements: The requirements
include: being able to construct, analyze, and communicate arguments; apply theoretical
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models to the real world, contextualize phenomena, negotiate differences, integrate global
and local perspectives; illustrate relevance of concepts across boundaries and evaluate
consequences of actions.
Read your peers’ work and mark it with useful comments about tone, theme, character
development, settings, dialogue, and finally, grammar and mechanics. You may want to use
the Essay Elements Assessments rubric found at the end of the syllabus to guide your own
responses to your peers’ writing. Always sign your critiques. You will return your marked
copies of your peers’ work after we discuss their writings in the workshops. The writers will
take your returned pieces home and use any of your feedback they find helpful in their
revisions. They will then grade the usefulness of your critiques on a scale of 0 through 10 on a
separate paper. They will turn a list of those grades in to me on a separate sheet of paper that I
will file and tally at semester’s end. The critique grades become part of your semester grade
and are worth a maximum of 40 points. You will receive a point for turning in the peer grade.
Write your comments on your peers’ papers before the workshop begins. Writing
comments during the workshop session when you are not the writer being critiqued will
result in the loss of participation points as will the use or ringing of a cell phone at any
time during class.
Turning in the revisions: Place the revision on the top with the grade sheet next. Underneath,
add the original draft. Last of all add your own grade sheet with your peer’s names on it and
the grade you give them on how well they helped you. Use a grading scale from 0-10. You
will receive one point for turning in the grade sheet.
When we are not in the workshop mode the whole class will meet for regular sessions to do
readings of your work, discuss texts, and do in-class writing, as well as be tested. If you have
not read the designated text prior to due date for discussion or do not bring the assigned
text, you will not be allowed to participate and will be counted as absent. During full-class
discussions be fully engaged in the process. Anything you do that detracts or distracts from
learning possibilities for the class will result in loss of 20 points per occurrence. Disrespecting
others, doing homework for another class, coming in after class has started or leaving early,
and cell phone calls or texting are examples of distractions.
Turn off your cell phone before class begins. The ring of a cell phone during class is the
sound of 20 points being lost.
Participation points will be lost for the following:
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Cell phone calls or texting: 20@.
More than three absences: 20@. Three tardies (coming in after class has started or leaving
before the class is over) equal one absence. (If you are not here, you are not participating.)
Disrespecting the ideas and work of others in the class. 100% of participation points.
Doing homework for another class 20@.
Using an iPad or laptop if you do not have clearance from Disabled Students Services 20@.
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PAY ATTENTION TO THESE ADVISEMENTS FOR A BETTER GRADE
IMPROPER USE OF PUNCTUATION OR MECHANICS IS SUBJECT TO LOSS OF POINTS
ON THE ASSIGNMENT.
TO AVOID SUCH LOSSES PLEASE REFER TO THE WRITER’S REFERENCE BY DIANA
HACKER.
PLEASE NOTE THAT FAILURE TO USE PROPER MLA FORMATING ON ANY
ASSIGNMENT WILL RESULT IN A LOSS OF 10% OF THE FINAL GRADE ON THAT
ASSIGNMENT. TO AVOID SUCH A LOSS, USE THE FOLLOWING FORMATTING
GUIDELINES CHECK-OFF LIST:
1. USE A 1” MARGIN ALL AROUND.
2. USE HEADERS IN THE UPPER RIGHT CORNER INSIDE THE 1” MARGIN: TO
INCLUDE THE WRITER’S LAST NAME, AN IMPORTANT WORD FROM THE
TITLE, AND THE PAGE NUMBER.
3. PLACE THE WRITER’S NAME, COURSE NAME AND MEETING TIME, TITLE OF
THE WORK, DATE (IN ORDER OF DAY, MONTH, YEAR) IN THE UPPER LEFT
HAND CORNER OF THE FIRST PAGE.
4. DOUBLE SPACE ALL LINES EXCEPT WHEN THERE IS A TIME SPACE USED IN
THE STORY/ESSAY.
5. USE A 12 PT. FONT IN TIMES NEW ROMAN.
6. CREATE A TITLE FOR THE WORK AND CENTER IT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
FIRST PAGE DOUBLE SPACED FROM THE LINE ABOVE AND THE LINE
BELOW IT. THE TITLE IS THE NAME OF YOUR “BRAIN BABY”.
7. USE A ½” INDENTATION AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH NEW PARAGRAPH.
8. DO NOT USE ANY SPECIAL FONTS OR LARGER OR SMALLER FONTS.
9. NO BOLD FONTS.
10. DO ITALICIZE FOREIGN WORDS, INCLUDING SPANISH.
11. USE SPANISH ONLY SPARINGLY AND ONLY IF IT IS CLEAR IN CONTEXT TO
STUDENTS WHO DO NOT READ SPANISH.
12. DO NOT ITALICIZE, BOLD, UNDERLINE, OR EMBELISH YOUR TITLE IN ANY
WAY.
13. DO NOT WASTE TREES BY CREATING A TITLE PAGE. MLA DOES NOT
REQUIRE A TITLE PAGE.
NOW YOU ARE READY TO HAVE FUN WRITING. SO DO IT. : )
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Workshop days are especially important and critical to your grade. An absence on the
day of a workshop when your work is to be critiqued will result in loss of credit for the
creative piece even if it was turned in for grading on time. If you are collating and
stapling your manuscript during class, it is technically late and you will lose 10 points
from the ms’ final grade. Also, if you are absent on a workshop day, your critiques of
the other writers will not be accepted.
If you have a schedule conflict, you are responsible for making arrangements with
another writer to change places with you and for making sure that all writers have
received your essays in a timely manner. You must let me know in advance. Use this
alternative only as a last resort. In addition, you must turn in your essay to me and
copies to your group members at the beginning of class on the due date or the essay will
be forfeited.
DO NOT EMAIL YOUR MANUSCRIPT TO YOUR GROUP OR YOU WILL
FORFEIT THE WORK. Do not give your group a revision of your manuscript (MS).
after you turn in your first draft, but before your workshop date. Of course, you can be
revising if you like, but do not turn in a revised MS that does not reflect input from the
group process and my feedback.
You can be absent three times without penalty, although your assignments will still be due
and will not be accepted if late. After three absences each subsequent absence results in a
loss of 20 points per absence from your participation score.
6. Homework and Projects:

1. Letter of introduction of self as a writer. Tell me about you, where you are now,
and where you hope to be as a writer by the end of the semester. FRIDAY SEPT. 5
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Create a portfolio of your work, including your dictionary, to be spiral bound
and submitted for review at the end of the semester. Due at the time of the
portfolio review.
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2. List Poem: The list poem is inspired by your round-trip by bus and trolley to the
border and Chicano Park. Within the first two weeks--sooner is better--of the
semester take a round trip by both bus and trolley to the U.S.-Mexico border,
including a visit to Chicano Park and Northgate Market to gather material for the
list poem and possibly for your fiction project. Keep a journal of the experience to
refer to for inspiration. Include the journal in your portfolio. Do not travel with
more than one person in order to be inconspicuous. DUE: FRIDAY SEPT. 12
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Please follow these instructions for this excursion to standardize the
experience.
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Take the 955 bus from SDSU to 8th Street.
Take the trolley from there to the border. Explore the U.S. side of the border
and observe the people. Do not cross the border.
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Take the trolley to Chicano Park. At the Park observe the murals, the
people, the Coronado Bridge overhead. Visit Northgate Market next door.
Take careful notes.

To return to SDSU take the 11A bus south and tell the driver you want to
transfer to the 955 for the last leg back to SDSU. Do not have some one pick
you up along the way to shorten your trip as this will prevent you from fully
experiencing the feelings needed for the poem.
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This adventure takes about five hours. You may want to take food and water
with you. Northgate Market has a good Mexican restaurant in it. Plan to
depart early in the day on the 955 bus. The trip should give you an idea of the
way millions of people around the world travel daily.
When you write the list poem introduce each stanza with a prose paragraph that
sets the scene to follow (the bus, the trolley, the border, Chicano Park, the market,
and the return). You will be presenting your list poem to your writing group.
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3. Sign the SDSU form releasing the university from any liability for your behavior
during this exercise.

4. Small-Group meetings to workshop manuscripts.

5. Final reflection: here you describe how you have changed as a writer and as a
person over the semester. NOV. 26:

6. Critiques. Thoughtful, helpful written critiques of peers’ writing. Each writer
will take home copies of the poems or stories to be critiqued at the workshop, read
them, write thoughtful, useful comments on the margins, sign the critiques, and
return them to the writers. We will hear your comments at the workshops.

7. Found poem (and a paper about it) based on Luis Urrea’s book, using the
format in The Humament. In doubled groups present your poem inspired by
Hummingbird’s Daughter. These found poems are graded by the quality of the
content. Separately, turn in a paper on the creative process of your “found” poem.
Do not make copies of the “found” creation for your groups.
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8. A short story or the first two chapters of a longer work. (8+ pages)
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9. Create a dictionary and expand your vocabulary. A quiz is part of the
process. Your group will be quizzed on some words at each workshop session.
A final quiz will complete the process. Your team will work on the dictionary
together. Your group will turn in one spiral-bound copy of your dictionary to
me. NOV. 12. You can leave your dictionary unbound. It will become part of
your portfolio.

10. Photocopies for the workshops. Photocopies of poems or stories for peer
review are due at the beginning of the class on the dates noted in the calendar.
Do not email your manuscripts to your group. This disrupts an even playing field
and is unfair to your peers.
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11. Portfolio: Keep all of your papers. Put them in a spiral-bound portfolio in the
same order noted in the assignment section of this syllabus. At the end of the
semester we will review your portfolio to make sure you receive credit for all of
your work. Your portfolio will be graded on content and condition, including
ungraded assignments.

12. Revisions: You can revise the list poem and story once. The revision is due
two weeks from the day it was workshopped, and must include the revision, the
original draft, and an attached grade sheet you make of your peers’ editing based
on a scale of 1-10. The best writing is in the revision. The successful writer
revises until he or she gets the ideas and words just right. If the revision is close to
being outstanding, I will discuss the possibility of one more draft with you. A
revision is never simply cleaning up typos. A good revision will reflect
improvement in style, tone, and ideas. A good revision usually won’t even look
like the original. A good revision is full of discovery. If your revision is nothing
more than cleaning up typos, your grade will not change and may be lowered.
When you turn in your revision, staple it to the front of the original and include
the grade sheet with my comments on it. I will not read your revision without the
original draft, my comments, and, on a separate sheet, your peer grade sheet.
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13. Peer grades: On a separate sheet write the grades you give your peer editors.
The range is 0-10 with 10 being the highest score, based on the quality of the
feedback they offered you. If a critic only writes, “I liked your story or poem,” the
comment is useless and rates a zero. The critic must tell you what works or
doesn’t work and why as well as make helpful, respectful suggestions to
strengthen your writing.

14. Procedure for submitting homework papers: Always make sure that you
place the copy you give me in numerical order in the stack that I will take home
for grading. If I do not receive a copy from you, even though you intended to give
me one and gave all your peer editors a copy, you will forfeit that assignment.
Important: No e-mail submissions will be accepted, nor can email copies be
sent to writing peers.
All submitted work must use the Modern Languages Association (MLA) format.
If you are unfamiliar with that format, refer to your Writer’s Reference book by Diana
Hacker or to the short list included in this syllabus. You will find all you need to
know about MLA as well as punctuation, grammar and mechanics in Hacker’s book.
Failure to format correctly will result in the loss of 10 percent of the project.
15. Tests/Exams: One midterm. Dictionary quiz. Other quizzes are possible if needed.
Grading Scale: The activities and productions add up to a possible 1000 points for the semester.
Workshop participation, in-class work.
Participation in discussions (May include seeing a play.)
Letter of introduction
100
100
20
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Poem (Based on SDSU-to-border-to-Chicano Park round trip.)
Midterm Exam
A “found: poem and paper discussing your Urrea response poem process.
(Use format of Human Document) plus its presentation.
Short story or first two chapters of a novel (8+ pages).
Peer grades
Portfolio--Includes all drafts, art, and journal
Dictionary and quiz
Reading
Final reflection
100
100
Total
1000
30
400
40
20
30
30
30
Due Dates: Please refer to the Course Calendar.
Resources
SDSU has a state-of-the-art library, which you can access on-line for many of your research
needs. The librarians at the information desk are dedicated to helping students with their research
SDSU maintains several computer sites for student use.
Many student organizations offer study groups and are dedicated to helping students reach the
goal of graduation
Chicana/o Studies also offers a mentor program.
Essential Policy Information:
Policy for late work: Papers are due at the beginning of class on the due date. You will lose 10
points for collating the MS in class or bringing it to my office instead of class. No late papers
will be accepted and you will get no credit for the assignment even if you did the work and
forgot it in your room, or your printer broke down. Do not email your pieces to your
group or you will forfeit your paper. Make sure to give me a copy of your
work on the due date or you will forfeit your paper.
Policy for missed test/quizzes. There are no make-up tests. If you know you will have to be
absent on the day of a scheduled test, you may make arrangements to take the test early.
Policy for extra credit. Ten points by donating blood and presenting evidence of having done
so.
SDSU Honor Policy: Institutions of higher education are founded to impart knowledge, seek
truth, and to encourage one’s development for the good of society. University students shall
thus be intellectually and morally obliged to pursue their course of studies with integrity.
Penalties for offenses are part of Title5 of the California Code of Regulations, sec.
41301(a) see http:www.rohan.sdsu.edu/dept/senate/policy/pfacademics.html.
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Plagiarism is a Title 5 crime.
Plagiarism is the act of claiming authorship of a creative work, or failure to cite or
attribute the actual authorship whether intentional or not. In other words, plagiarism is
lying and stealing. This would include paraphrasing another person’s words without
acknowledging the source. To avoid unintentional plagiarism follow the 60:40 rule. A
work must be at least 60% your work and 40% or less from other sources. Over the years,
as you gain expertise, your work will depend less on outside sources
Plagiarism is a form of theft and punishable by law. Plagiarism will result in an F for the
class and expulsion from the class. Your case will be referred to SDSU Judicial Affairs,
and you may be expelled from the University. Plagiarism results in losing face and losing
respect. Nothing can destroy a person’s reputation faster than being known as a thief. It
can even result in lawsuits. To avoid plagiarism always attribute intellectual sources when
using the ideas of another. This includes paraphrasing.
I have had rare instances of plagiarism. When they occurred, Judicial Affairs consulted me
on what I wished to have done. In each instance I asked that the student be kicked out of
SDSU for the semester and receive an F for the class. I understand that the incident goes on
the student’s transcript as a permanent stain on their reputation. When you read The Four
Agreements, you will see that the first agreement is to “be impeccable with your word.”
The social contract depends on our being trustworthy. When we are trustworthy we feel
good about ourselves and others feel good about us too.
ADA Policy: AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT:
SDSU is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for students
with disabilities to permit them to carry out their educational
responsibilities.
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need
accommodations for this class, it is your responsibility to contact Student
Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. To avoid any delay in the receipt of your
accommodations, you should contact Student Disability Services as soon as
possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive, and that
accommodations based upon disability cannot be provided until you have
presented your instructor with an accommodation letter from Student
Disability Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.
If you are receiving services, let me know how I may help…or should you feel
that you have to struggle to keep up with your studies, you might benefit
from consulting SDS.
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There is no shame in having a learning disability. However, it is a shame to
have one and do nothing to help yourself. Your college career should be
full of exciting, intellectual discovery, not one of struggle and
disappointment.
The following is the Essay Elements Assessment rubric. It describes what I am
looking for in your writing. You may want to use it to guide your own critiques
of your peers’ writings.
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Essay Elements Assessment (Refer to this assessment form
to guide your writing and your critiques of fellow writers.)
Originality:
1.____Novel concept or thesis.
2.____A clear thesis leads the essay.
3.____The writer takes a stand/makes an
assertion.
4.____No clichés.
5.____Strong verbs.
6.____Sophisticated vocabulary.
Concept Development: (This helps develop the length of
the paper.)
7.____Details.
8.____Description.
9.___ Dialogue. (Includes quotations.)
10.___Discussion of quotations.
Paragraphs:
11.___Opening paragraph engages reader interest.
12.___Transitions between sentences and paragraphs are
smooth.
13.___Each paragraph helps develop the
thesis statement.
14.___Each paragraph has its own thesis
statement. (Topic sentence)
15.___Final paragraph successfully closes essay.
Parallel Structure:
16.___Verbs are parallel.
17.___Pronouns are parallel.
18.___Ideas/construction are parallel.
Basics:
19.___Grammar/Syntax/ word choice/ repetitious words.
20.___Punctuation and Mechanics.
21.___Spelling.
Critical Thinking:
22.___Uses credible, academic sources.
23.___Uses pertinent research material.
24.___Cites/attributes sources, using MLA format.
25.___Uses quotations of quality.
26.___Explores/discusses those quotations.
27.___Ideas are logical.
28.___Ideas are parallel.
29.___Arguments are parallel.
30.___Comparisons are parallel.
31.___Develops and explores counter arguments.
32.___Uses graphs/charts.
33.___Discusses graphs/charts presented.
34.___Avoids self-reference.
35.___Pathos, Logos, Ethos.
36.___Works cited pages.
37.___60/40% rule observed. To avoid plagiarism, at
least 60% of the piece must be your own thinking, not
quotes or paraphrasing.
Title:
Ten points will be deducted if any component from 38
to 48 has less than a plus.
38.___Pithy, informative, intriguing.
39.___Centered.
40.___First letter of first word and of each important word
thereafter capitalized.
Formatting:
41.___1” margins all around.
42.___5-space indentation of first sentence of each
paragraph.
43.___Jagged right margin. (Turn off right margin
justification.)
44.___Headers at the top of each page after
the first page. (Include last name, part of the title, page
number.)
45.___Name, course, nature of paper, date at top left
of page one
46.___Double spaced. When writing a letter, single space.
And double space between sentences.
47.___Times Roman or Courier font.
48.___10-12 point.
Special:
49.___ Get the lard out and keep it simple, Sweetie.
(KISS).
50.___Show, don’t tell.
51.___Clear only if known (COIK) and jargon.
52.___Pretentious Prose PP.
Grades:
A, A-: The paper sparkles with originality, style,
energy, and intelligence. 90-100%, B-: A superior
paper. 80-89%
C+, C, C-:Undergraduate level. Gets the job
done. 70-79%
D+, D, D-: Scattered, disorganized, unclear thesis. 60-69%
F: Hopefully the writer is getting A’s in social
life????
P: A porker. Cut the lard.
Legend:
__+_Beautiful
___*Work on this.
___?Missing
___: ( Let’s talk.
Comments:
Note: Your revision is due one week (two weeks in
396W) from this workshop or it will not be accepted. To
revise past the first revision, you must discuss you plan
with me first. Staple all prior drafts, including this
form, to the current revision or I will not read it.
Leilani Grajeda-Higley
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PAY ATTENTION TO THESE ADVISEMENTS FOR A BETTER GRADE
IMPROPER USE OF PUNCTUATION OR MECHANICS IS SUBJECT TO LOSS OF
POINTS ON THE ASSIGNMENT.
TO AVOID SUCH LOSSES PLEASE REFER TO THE WRITER’S REFERENCE BY
DIANA HACKER.
PLEASE NOTE THAT FAILURE TO USE PROPER MLA FORMATING ON ANY
ASSIGNMENT WILL RESULT IN A LOSS OF 10% OF THE FINAL GRADE ON
THAT ASSIGNMENT. TO AVOID SUCH A LOSS, USE THE FOLLOWING
FORMATTING GUIDELINES CHECK-OFF LIST:
14. USE A 1” MARGIN ALL AROUND.
15. USE HEADERS IN THE UPPER RIGHT CORNER INSIDE THE 1” MARGIN:
TO INCLUDE THE WRITER’S LAST NAME, AN IMPORTANT WORD
FROM THE TITLE, AND THE PAGE NUMBER.
16. PLACE THE WRITER’S NAME, COURSE NAME AND MEETING TIME,
TITLE OF THE WORK, DATE (IN ORDER OF DAY, MONTH, YEAR) IN
THE UPPER LEFT HAND CORNER OF THE FIRST PAGE.
17. DOUBLE SPACE ALL LINES EXCEPT WHEN THERE IS A TIME SPACE
USED IN THE STORY/ESSAY.
18. USE A 12 PT. FONT IN TIMES NEW ROMAN.
19. CREATE A TITLE FOR THE WORK AND CENTER IT IN THE MIDDLE OF
THE FIRST PAGE DOUBLE SPACED FROM THE LINE ABOVE AND THE
LINE BELOW IT. THE TITLE IS THE NAME OF YOUR “BRAIN BABY”.
20. USE A ½” INDENTATION AT THE BEGINNING OF EACH NEW
PARAGRAPH.
21. DO NOT USE ANY SPECIAL FONTS OR LARGER OR SMALLER FONTS.
22. NO BOLD FONTS.
23. DO ITALICIZE FOREIGN WORDS, INCLUDING SPANISH.
24. USE SPANISH ONLY SPARINGLY AND ONLY IF IT IS CLEAR IN
CONTEXT TO STUDENTS WHO DO NOT READ SPANISH.
25. DO NOT ITALICIZE, BOLD, UNDERLINE, OR EMBELISH YOUR TITLE IN
ANY WAY.
26. DO NOT WASTE TREES BY CREATING A TITLE PAGE. MLA DOES NOT
REQUIRE A TITLE PAGE.
NOW YOU ARE READY TO HAVE FUN WRITING. SO DO IT. : )
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FALL 2014 CALENDAR
CHICANA/O PROSE COURSE #20567
SH 320
Meets MWF: 10:00-10:50
Always bring the book we will be discussing on the day of discussion or you cannot participate and earn
points.
(DATES AND ASSIGNMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AS NEEDED.)
WEEK ONE
AUGUST
MONDAY AUG. 25: FIRST DAY OF CLASSES Orientation Treasure hunt for the senses. As you find the
“treasures,” how do they smell, look, feel, sound, or taste? Describe your experiences in haiku poems.
Place the poems in your portfolio.
WEDNESDAY AUG. 27: Who are we? DNA. The long trek of our ancestors. Why are Mexicans
sometimes called the Cosmic Race?
Sign SDSU Waiver. Get assigned group and personal numbers.
FRIDAY AUG. 29: Discussion and in-class writing.
Place in-class writings in your portfolio. Save all of your papers and arrange them in the portfolio in the
order of assignments according to how they are listed in the syllabus.
Plan Ahead: Make your bus-trolley trip as soon as possible because the poem you create
from it is due on Friday Sept. 12. Travel alone or with a classmate. Do not go as a group
as that will distract you from needed observations as well as distract those you hope to
observe. Take the bus from SDSU and for your return. In between use the trolley.
Take your journal and pen, water and food. To avoid distractions do not listen to your
iPod or use your cell except to take photos Do not cross the border into Mexico.
Think about this. As you travel south how does the city of San Diego change? In your journal describe the
sights, sounds, and people on the bus, on the trolley, at the border, at Chicano Park, and on the bus as you
return to SDSU. Also describe how you feel as you make this journey.
Be reading The Four Agreements. You need to know these agreements in order to make your writing
group more beneficial and productive.
WEEK TWO
SEPTEMBER
MONDAY SEPT. 1: HOLIDAY LABOR DAY
WEDNESDAY SEPT. 3: Cave paintings. (Dress to make a mess.) Do you find yourself striving for
perfection as you do your “painting”? Do not trace your hand.
FRIDAY SEPT. 5: Discussion about the nature and process of writing (Kurt Vonnegut). When did you
learn to write? Then what happened?
Assignment Due: Letter of introduction. A one-page letter describing yourself as a writer and what
you want to learn this semester. (Refer to The Writer’s Reference for the proper letter format.)
Think about this. Why are Chicano/as sometimes called the “Cockroach People”?
WEEK THREE
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MONDAY SEPT. 8: Maxine Hong Kingston/Bill Moyers
WEDNESDAY SEPT. 10: Maxine Hong Kingston/Bill Moyers.
Think about this. How does writing heal?
FRIDAY SEPT. 12: Gender: Pudendum. Mandorla.
DUE: List Poem created from journal observations made on trip to the border, Chicano Park, and your
return to SDSU. You can illustrate it with drawings or photos from the trip.
Exchange copies of your list poem with your writing group. Make sure you place one for
me on the table in numerical order within your writing group. We will do in-class writing after
the exchange.
Purchase your copy of Raíces y Más: An Anthology of Young Border Voices from your
instructor. Price $25.00 cash or by check made out to SDSU Foundation.
WEEK FOUR
MONDAY SEPT. 15: Workshop Group One
WEDNESDAY SEPT 17: Workshop Group Two
FRIDAY SEPT. 19: Workshop Group Three
WEEK FIVE
MONDAY SEPT. 22: Workshop Group Four
WEDNESDAY SEPT. 24: Workshop Group Five
FRIDAY SEPT. 26: Workshop Group Six
Be reading Hummingbird’s Daughter. Mark passages that appeal to you. You will come back to these to
select the best for a “found” poem. Photocopy the best ones. With the photocopies create a “found” poem
using the Humament model. Have fun with this. Use colors, inks, scissors—anything that helps get your
message across. Write a 1 or 2 page paper on what you created. What appealed to you about the words you
chose? What story did you want to tell with the words and illustrations you chose? Write a two-page paper
on the process of creating your poem.
WEEK SIX
OCTOBER:
MONDAY SEPT. 29: Luis Urrea. Lets talk about Hummingbird’s Daughter. Bring the book.
WEDNESDAY OCT. 1: Lets talk about Hummingbird’s Daughter. Bring the book.
FRIDAY OCT. 3: Lets talk about Hummingbird’s Daughter. Bring the book.
Turn in revisions as scheduled.
Plan Ahead: Be writing your short story or chapters for a novel.
Think about this. Are you hung up on writing perfectly?
WEEK SEVEN
MONDAY OCT. 6: Gender: Phallus.
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Due: The paper about creating the “found” poem.
We will pair up groups 1&2, 3&4, and 5&6 for this time only. You will not give copies of this piece to the
group.
Instead, you will share it with your group.
WEDNESDAY OCT. 8: Groups 1 and 2. Bring your “found poem” to show and discuss.
FRIDAY OCT. 10: Groups 3 and 4.
WEEK EIGHT
MONDAY OCT. 13: Groups 5 and 6
WEDNESDAY OCT. 15: Discussion first two sections of Raices y Mas: An Anthology of
Young Border Voices. Bring the book.
FRIDAY OCT. 17: Discussion middle two sections of Raices y Mas: An Anthology of
Young Border Voices. Bring the book.
WEEK NINE
MONDAY OCT. 20: Discussion of last two sections of Raices y Mas: An Anthology of
Young Border Voices. Bring the book.
WEDNESDAY OCT. 22: Midterm: To cover Raices y Mas, The Four Agreements, Writing Down the
Bones, Hummingbird’s Daughter, Maxine Hong Kingston, and class discussions. (Scantron #882ES)
FRIDAY OCT. 24: In-class writing.
WEEK TEN
MONDAY OCT. 27 Assignment Due: Copies of your short story. Bring enough copies for your
group and for me. Make sure you make a copy for yourself to bring to your group session.
WEDNESDAY OCT. 29: Workshop Group One
NOVEMBER
FRIDAY OCT. 31: Workshop Group Two
WEEK ELEVEN
MONDAY NOV. 3: Workshop Group Three.
WEDNESDAY NOV. 5: Workshop Group Four.
FRIDAY NOV. 7: Workshop Group Five.
WEEK TWELVE
MONDAY NOV. 10: Workshop Six
WEDNESDAY NOV. 12: Due: One copy of your team’s collaborative dictionary. Possible
vocabulary quiz.
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FRIDAY NOV. 14: In-class exercise. The required homework to be done over the holiday break is based
on this and cannot be done without the exercise. Place the completed homework project in your portfolio.
WEEK THIRTEEN
MONDAY NOV. 17: Reading of your work.
WEDNESDAY NOV. 19: Reading of your work.
FRIDAY NOV. 21 Reading of your work.
WEEK FOURTEEN
MONDAY NOV. 24: Reading of your work. LAST FULL-CLASS MEETING BEFORE
PORTFOLIO REVIEWS BEGIN.
WEDNESDAY NOV. 26: No class.
FRIDAY NOV. 28: CAMPUS CLOSED.
WEEK FIFTEEN
DECEMBER
MONDAY DEC. 1: Portfolio review.
WEDNESDAY DEC. 3: Portfolio review.
FRIDAY DEC. 5: Portfolio review.
WEEK SIXTEEN
MONDAY DEC. 8: Portfolio review.
WEDNESDAY: 10: Portfolio review.
FINALS:
Friday, Dec. 12
1030-1230
The portfolio reviews will continue on finals day until all are complete.
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