Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2021 - ENGL 372 D100

Creative Writing I: Poetry (4)

Class Number: 4342

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 8 – Dec 7, 2021: Tue, Thu, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    30 units; or two 200 division English courses; or formal declaration in the creative writing minor and ENGL 272.

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

A seminar-workshop in the theory and practice of creative writing with specific emphasis on poetry.

COURSE DETAILS:

Where do poems come from?

In this course we will read and write poetry with an eye to expanding our understanding of the expressive and intellectual possibilities of the medium while honing our craft as poets. Since poems don’t grow on trees (though that would be nice), we will explore a range of potential “sources” poets turn to for their poetry, including memory and experience, place and locality, reading and research, imagining other lives (and how not to appropriate them), and of course Big Feels (and how to survive them). Our hunt for the sources of poetry will be accompanied by explorations of a range of techniques and practices—with models taken from poems provided by the instructor and discovered by students—including: narrative, image and imagery, voice and tone, diction and “texture,” etc. We will also read Isabella Wang’s collection Pebble Swing (due to be published in late October), and Wang will visit our class later in the semester. I recommend you order Wang’s book through a local bookstore, such as Massy Books, Iron Dog Books, or Paper Hound.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Students will expand their understanding of the expressive and intellectual possibilities of poetry while honing their craft as poets. 

Grading

  • participation and short presentations 20%
  • Reading journal 20%
  • Workshop poems 30%
  • Final portfolio 30%

NOTES:

Participation and short presentations:

I am expecting that everyone will come to class having read the week’s material (whether assigned readings or the workshop poems of your fellow students) and with something to say. The basis of the workshop is respectful and constructive peer feedback: think carefully about your fellow students’ poems, and in class, after a student has presented their poem for workshop, please be ready to offer your polite and helpful comments.

You should be reading as much poetry as you can get your hands on. Sources for contemporary poetry will be provided; at least twice in the semester, each student will present a poem they have discovered to the class, reading it aloud and sharing their thoughts on the techniques employed and the compositional choices the poet in question has made.

Reading journal:                                              

Students will keep a reading journal, comprised of at least five approximately 250-word entries on poems from the reading list provided by the instructor. Journal entries are intended to be reading notes (rather than mini essays) as students think through and reflect upon the poem in question’s poetics—the how and why of the ways the poem is written.

Workshop poems:                                         

Students will compose and submit six poems for workshop during the course. Writing prompts will be provided for each workshop. Poems are shared via the class email list, by the Sunday before our Tuesday class time, on weeks we are workshopping.

Final portfolio:                                                

The final portfolio will comprise 12-15 pages of poetry. It can include revised poems previously submitted for workshop, but at least half of the portfolio should be work not previously workshopped.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Isabella Wang, Pebble Swing (Nightboat Editions 2021)

Department Undergraduate Notes:

IMPORTANT NOTE Re 300 and 400 level courses: 75% of spaces in 300 level English courses, and 100% of spaces in 400 level English courses, are reserved for declared English Major, Minor, Extended Minor, Joint Major, and Honours students only, until open enrollment begins.

For all On-Campus Courses, please note the following:
- To receive credit for the course, students must complete all requirements.
- Tutorials/Seminars WILL be held the first week of classes.
- When choosing your schedule, remember to check "Show lab/tutorial sections" to see all Lecture/Seminar/Tutorial times required.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

TEACHING AT SFU IN FALL 2021

Teaching at SFU in fall 2021 will involve primarily in-person instruction, with approximately 70 to 80 per cent of classes in person/on campus, with safety plans in place.  Whether your course will be in-person or through remote methods will be clearly identified in the schedule of classes.  You will also know at enrollment whether remote course components will be “live” (synchronous) or at your own pace (asynchronous).

Enrolling in a course acknowledges that you are able to attend in whatever format is required.  You should not enroll in a course that is in-person if you are not able to return to campus, and should be aware that remote study may entail different modes of learning, interaction with your instructor, and ways of getting feedback on your work than may be the case for in-person classes.

Students with hidden or visible disabilities who may need class or exam accommodations, including in the context of remote learning, are advised to register with the SFU Centre for Accessible Learning (caladmin@sfu.ca or 778-782-3112) as early as possible in order to prepare for the fall 2021 term.