ENGLISH 465-01 – CREATIVE NONFICTION WORKSHOP, FALL 2012
Instructor: Professor Joe Oestreich
Office: EHFA, Room 215
Campus phone: (843) 349-2433
Email: joeo@coastal.edu
Class Meets: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Edwards, Room 166.
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and by appointment.
Course Description
English 465 is a workshop course in the writing of creative nonfiction. You will learn the craft of this “fourth
genre,” developing skills in memoir, personal essay, and literary journalism.
Additional Course Description
Other than being cemented in truth, what ties the CNF subgenres together is that the writing is an act of
exploration, born out of curiosity. The impetus for the project is often the desire to answer some question about
the world and the writer’s (and by extension the reader’s) place in it. The first unit of this class will focus on the
memoir essay—writing wherein the author tells stories to make meaning of the events of his own life. However,
we will be careful not to engage in self-important navel gazing. Just because something happened to you does
not automatically make it important to anyone else. We will write to discover why the events in our lives matter
and how the things that happened, happened. By examining our own lives as honestly as we can, we not only
expect to discover more about ourselves, but we also hope to unearth the universal truths that make our stories
resonate with those who read them. In the second unit we will expand beyond the memoir to the personal essay
(writing more about ideas than events), and we will experiment with forms (the fragmented essay, the hermit
crab essay) that challenge the primacy of straight, chronological narration. Please note that although this is a
writing class, there will be a heavy reading load. Musicians listen to music, artists look at paintings, and writers
read. A lot.
Instructional Objectives
Upon completion of the course, students will:
1. Become analytical readers who read with an eye for craft—who “read like writers.”
2. Gain experience with the research skills necessary to dig up true stories.
3. Make effective and artful authorial choices when writing creative nonfiction.
4. Understand how to effectively critique their peers’ writing and, ultimately, their own.
Student Learning Outcomes
In order to successfully complete the course, students must:
1. Demonstrate an understanding the skills and techniques necessary to write high-quality creative
nonfiction: specificity in detail and description, precision with regard to diction, clarity of thought, the
development of a strong and unique voice, and the ability to make experience into art.
2. Recognize these skills and techniques in work by professional writers and by students’ peers.
3. Produce written and oral critiques of others’ writing to illustrate how effectively these skills and
techniques have been used.
4. Show a command of these skills by producing original, artful creative nonfiction pieces.
5. Demonstrate the ability to make, discuss, and defend authorial choices when writing creative nonfiction.
Course Requirements and Assignment Weight
Essay #1: 20%
Essay #2: 20%
Peer Critiques: 15% (7.5% each for Essay #1 and Essay #2)
Class Participation and Writing Exercises: 15%
Final Portfolio: 30%
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Grading Scale
The class operates on a four-point scale (as opposed to a 100-point system). Your grades will be calculated in
the following manner:
Grade
A
B+
B
C+
C
D+
D
F
Weight
4.0
3.5
3.0
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.0
Final
Scale
A
B+
B
C+
C
D+
D
F
From
3.75
3.25
2.75
2.25
1.75
1.25
0.75
0.00
To
4.00
3.74
3.24
2.74
2.24
1.74
1.24
0.74
You can keep track of your grade using the grade calculator I will post to our Blackboard site.
Attendance Policies
Your attendance is crucial to the success of this class and to your development as a writer. You will be allowed
THREE unexcused absences. Each unexcused absence after three will result in the lowering of your final grade
by a half letter (e.g. B+ to B).
WARNING: If you total EIGHT unexcused absences, you will have missed over 25% of the class
meetings, and according to University policy, you will automatically receive an F for the course.
NOTE: If you have an unexcused absence on the day your writing is to be workshopped, your grade for that
assignment will be lowered by a full letter grade, in addition to the penalties stated above.
Tardiness is disruptive to the classroom environment and prevents you from fully participating in class.
Excessive tardiness will lower your participation grade. Two unexcused tardies (ten minutes or more after
the start of class) will count as one unexcused absence.
Excused absences and tardies, such those for documented illness, family tragedy, religious observance, or travel
for inter-collegiate athletics, will not affect your grade. For more information about the University’s attendance
policy, please refer to pages 43-44 of the 2011-12 Undergraduate Catalog.
Required Materials
 This class is 100% paperless. No traditional textbooks are required. Class readings will be available on
the Internet, posted to Blackboard, or emailed to you.
 BUT YOU WILL NEED A LAPTOP OR TABLET COMPUTER THAT YOU CAN BRING TO
EVERY CLASS MEETING. If it is absolutely impossible for you to bring a computer to class every
day, please see me so that we can make other arrangements.
Course Procedures and Policies
A word about participation: This class is designed as a creative writing workshop, and each of you will write
and workshop two creative nonfiction essays. We will go over the workshopping procedure in detail in class, but
understand this: your participation is vital. You will be expected to come to class every day having completed
the required readings, but simply doing the reading is not enough. A workshop is a focused discussion, and it is
necessary that each of you participate in that discussion. Every day. If you are not an active participant, the
whole class suffers. As you can see above, 15% of your grade will be determined by participation. This should
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be easy. If you read carefully, come to class prepared and on time, are a strong voice in our discussion, and
comment thoughtfully on your peers’ manuscripts, you will get an A for participation.
However, there is one catch. In order to receive an A or a B for class participation, you will be required to attend
one reading in CCU’s Words To Say It Visiting Writer Series (authors and dates to be announced soon). You
will write a 300-word response paper describing your experience, due the first class after the reading. Your
attendance and this short essay will count toward your participation grade, and again, you will earn a C+ or
lower for participation if you do not fulfill this requirement. Please plan on staying for the whole event. The
readings never last more than an hour. If I see you leave early, you will not be credited for attending. If it is
absolutely impossible for you to attend one reading (due to your work schedule or some other legitimate reason),
you must see me in advance to arrange for a make up essay assignment.
Turning In Assignments
In addition to turning in one hard copy of your essays to me, you must also post your work to our Blackboard
site for your classmates to download, and you must do this BEFORE class on the day your work is due. If you
turn in your work late, your grade for that assignment will be lowered according to the following policies:





Your grade will be reduced by a full letter for every day (every DAY, not every class meeting) your
manuscripts are late. The clock starts at the beginning of the class period when the assignment was due.
If you turn in the assignment on time, but fail to post your essay on Blackboard, your grade will be
reduced by a half letter every day until your classmates receive their copies.
If your work is so late that the class has less than two days to read your piece before your workshop,
then you will fail the assignment.
It is your responsibility to download from Blackboard copies of your classmates’ work. If you don’t
read and comment on your classmates’ essays in advance of the workshop, your participation grade will
suffer.
Your grade will not be affected when a piece is late for reasons that would result in an excused absence.
Students who know they will miss the class when the assignment is due must contact me as soon as
possible in advance of class to arrange for the distribution of your work.
Please note: I want you to do well, and I hate handing out these grade reductions. If you turn in your
assignments on time, and if you print out, read, and comment on your peers’ work, your grade will not suffer
needless penalties.
Academic Dishonesty Policy
Plagiarism is the unauthorized use of the words or ideas of another person. Please remember that at no point
during the writing process should the work of others be presented as your own. Nor is it acceptable to turn in
an assignment that you’ve written for another class. Violations will be reported to the Academic Integrity
Officer. For more information about the Code of Student Conduct and Academic Responsibility visit:
http://www.coastal.edu/aic/
Technology in the Classroom
You must bring your computer to class every day. If you forget your computer and have to look over the
shoulder of one of your classmates, your participation grade will suffer. Surfing the Internet, facebooking, or
sending or reading text-messages or emails will result in me asking you to leave class, giving you an unexcused
absence for the day. Also: Please turn off and put away your phone.
Please feel free to contact me by email, but understand that I am not handcuffed to my computer. During the
week you can expect a response within 24 hours; on the weekends I may take a bit longer to write back. If you
have questions that aren’t overly personal, I encourage you to ask them in class or post them to Blackboard.
Chances are that somebody else has the same question.
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Class Cancellation Policy
In the unlikely event class is cancelled due to emergency, I will contact you via email and request that a note on
department letterhead be placed on the door. In addition, I will contact you as soon as possible following the
cancellation to let you know what will be expected of you for our next class meeting.
Additional Resources
Students who identify themselves as having disabilities are referred to the Office of Services for Students with
Disabilities. This office is responsible for ensuring that reasonable accommodations are provided for students
with documented learning, physical, and psychological disabilities. If you have a documented disability, please
contact the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities at 349-2305.
The Writing Center (Prince 208) is an essential resource for all students. At the center, skilled consultants offer
one-on-one instruction in all aspects of writing, from matters of grammar and style to large-scale organizational
issues. Again, writers of all levels are welcome.
Daily Schedule
Unit One. The Story of Your Life: The Memoir Essay
Day 1: Tuesday, 8/21/12 – Introduction
Introduction to course, texts, and syllabus.
Day 2: Thursday, 8/23/12 – What Makes Creative Nonfiction Creative?
Read: “First Jody” by Jason Skipper at Waccamaw
http://www.waccamawjournal.com/pages.html?x=203
Read: “All the Ways We Fool Ourselves” by Amy Monticello at Waccamaw
http://www.waccamawjournal.com/pages.html?x=306
Day 3: Tuesday, 8/28/12 – Narration and Writing in Scene
Read: “First” by Ryan Van Meter at The Gettysburg Review
Read: “Forgiving the Governor of South Carolina” by Heather Kirn Lanier
http://fictionaut.com/stories/heather-kirn-lanier/forgiving-the-governor-of-south-carolina
Day 4: Thursday, 8/30/12 – Characterization and Dialogue
Read: “Mr. Popular” by David Sedaris (PDF posted to Blackboard)
Day 5: Tuesday, 9/4/12 – Voice and The Narrator as Character
Read: Read: “The Love of my Life” by Cheryl Strayed at The Sun
http://www.thesunmagazine.org/archives/2192?page=1
Read: “An Insiders Guide to Jailhouse Cuisine” by Sean Rowe at The Oxford American
http://www.oxfordamerican.org/articles/2010/sep/14/insiders-guide-jailhouse-cuisine/
Day 6: Thursday, 9/6/12 – Technology Day
Day 7 Essays Posted to Blackboard by class time
Read: “The Mercy Kill” by Joe Oestreich (PDF posted to Blackboard)
Day 7: Tuesday, 9/11/12 – Essay #1 Workshop Day #1
Day 8 Essays Posted to Blackboard by class time
Workshop 2 Essays: ______________________, ______________________.
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Day 8: Thursday, 9/13/12 – Essay #1 Workshop Day #2
Day 9 Essays Posted to Blackboard by class time
Workshop 2 Essays: ______________________, ______________________.
Day 9: Tuesday, 9/18/12 – Essay #1 Workshop Day #3
Day 10 Essays Posted to Blackboard by class time
** Read: “Goodbye to All That” by Joan Didion (PDF posted to Blackboard)
Workshop 2 Essays: ______________________, ______________________.
Day 10: Thursday, 9/20/12 – Essay #1 Workshop Day #4
Day 11 Essays Posted to Blackboard by class time
Workshop 2 Essays: ______________________, ______________________.
Day 11: Tuesday, 9/25/12 – Essay #1 Workshop Day #5
Day 12 Essays Posted to Blackboard by class time
**Read: “The Crack Up” by F. Scott Fitzgerald at Esquire
http://www.esquire.com/features/the-crack-up
Workshop 2 Essays: ______________________, ______________________.
Day 12: Thursday, 9/27/12 – Essay #1 Workshop Day #6
Day 13 Essays Posted to Blackboard by class time
Workshop 2 Essays: ______________________, ______________________.
Day 13: Tuesday, 10/2/12 – Essay #1 Workshop Day #7
Day 14 Essays Posted to Blackboard by class time
**Read: “Shooting an Elephant” by George Orwell
http://www.online-literature.com/orwell/887/
Workshop 2 Essays: ______________________, ______________________.
Day 14: Thursday, 10/4/12 – Essay #1 Workshop Day #8
Day 15 Essays Posted to Blackboard by class time
Workshop 2 Essays: ______________________, ______________________.
Day 15: Tuesday, 10/9/12 – Essay #1 Workshop Day #9
**Read: “Once More to the Lake” by E.B White (PDF posted to Blackboard)
Workshop 2 Essays: ______________________, ______________________.
Unit Two. Pushing Beyond the Memoir: Experimenting with Content and Form
Day 16: Thursday, 10/11/12 – Exposition and The Personal Essay
Read: “The Question of Where We Begin” by Kyle Minor at Gulf Coast
http://www.gulfcoastmag.org/index.php?n=2&s=2607
Read: “Generation Why?” by Zadie Smith at The New York Review of Books
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2010/nov/25/generation-why/?pagination=false
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Day 17: Tuesday, 10/16/12 – The Braided/Fragmented Essay
Read: “Auscultation” by Steven Church at The Pedestrian
http://thepedestrian.org/issues/no2/3
Read: “36 Tattoos” by David Shields at The Village Voice
http://www.villagevoice.com/2002-10-15/news/36-tattoos/
Day 18: Thursday, 10/18/12 – The Hermit Crab Essay
Read: “Index for F” by Jon Chopan at Swink
http://www.swinkmag.com/index.php?page=archives&artID=118&catID=2
Read: “The Pain Scale” by Eula Biss (PDF posted to Blackboard)
Day 19: Tuesday, 10/23/12 – Cultural Criticism
Day 20 Essays Posted to Blackboard by class time
Read “Leaving Reality” by John Jeremiah Sullivan at GQ
Read “Twilight of the Dinosaurs” by Steven Hyden at Grantland
Day 20: Thursday, 10/25/12 – Essay #2 Workshop Day #1
Day 21 Essays Posted to Blackboard by class time
Workshop 2 Essays: ______________________, ______________________.
Day 21: Tuesday, 10/30/12 – Essay #2 Workshop Day #2
Day 22 Essays Posted to Blackboard by class time
**Read: “A Valediction of Mourning” by Stephen Kuusisto (PDF posted to Blackboard)
Workshop 2 Essays: ______________________, ______________________.
Day 22: Thursday, 11/1/12 – Essay #2 Workshop Day #3
Workshop 2 Essays: ______________________, ______________________.
Tuesday, 11/6/12 – Election Day
Day 23 Essays Posted to Blackboard by 12:15 p.m.
NO CLASS. VOTE!
Day 23: Thursday, 11/8/12 – Essay #2 Workshop Day #4
Day 24 Essays Posted to Blackboard by class time
Workshop 2 Essays: ______________________, ______________________.
Day 24: Tuesday, 11/13/12 – Essay #2 Workshop Day #5
Day 25 Essays Posted to Blackboard by class time
**Read: “Our Daily Toast” by Brenda Miller at Sweet
http://www.sweetlit.com/3.1/proseMiller.php
Workshop 2 Essays: ______________________, ______________________.
Day 25: Thursday, 11/15/12 – Essay #2 Workshop Day #6
Workshop 2 Essays: ______________________, ______________________.
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Tuesday, 11/20/12 – Thanksgiving Break
No Class
Wednesday, 11/21/12
Day 26 Essays Posted to Blackboard by midnight
Thursday, 11/22/12– Thanksgiving Break
No Class
Day 26: Tuesday, 11/27/12 – Essay #2 Workshop Day #7
Day 27 Essays Posted to Blackboard by class time
**Read: “9/11: The View from the Midwest” by David Foster Wallace at Rolling Stone
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/9-11-the-view-from-the-midwest-20110819
Workshop 2 Essays: ______________________, ______________________.
Day 27: Thursday, 11/29/12 – Essay #2 Workshop Day #8
Day 28 Essays Posted to Blackboard by class time
Workshop 2 Essays: ______________________, ______________________.
Day 28: Tuesday, 12/4/12 – Essay #2 Workshop Day #9
**Read: “On Life and Work” by David Foster Wallace at The Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122178211966454607.html
Workshop 2 Essays: ______________________, ______________________.
FINAL EXAM: (Thursday, 12/13/12 at 1:30 p.m. in our regular classroom)
Final Portfolio Due
Publishing Lecture
NOTE: The policies and schedule described in this syllabus are subject to change at the discretion of the
instructor.
English 465 - Oestreich