Spring 2025 - ENGL 374 E100
Creative Writing II: Fiction (4)
Class Number: 3337
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, 4:30–8:20 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Clint Burnham
cba15@sfu.ca
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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 prose fiction.
COURSE DETAILS:
A workshop in which we read super short fiction - both by such literary writers as Félix Fénéon, Thomas Bernhard, Rachel Cusk, Renee Gladman, Lydia Davis and, yes, me, and in such found/digital forms as internet commentary, subreddits, and social media. Legal fiction & subject; what are the short forms of narrative and fictions we encounter/read/write in our everyday life? In our writing/literary life? In our political life? In our emotional life? Online, in books, pamphlets? How do they compare to texts from the class readings and how can you write in response. How & what to change. Is googling & watching YouTube “research” lol? Ethnography of one’s reading practice. We do this to write our own: your assignment on the first day will be to write a 200 word story about a recent digital mishap - a bad wikipedia experience, airdrop, someone liking/not liking your post, the ekphrasis of watching someone play a video game, a group chat. Further, how do our politics today make their way in, or stay out of, our writing - from settler colonial concerns (as many of us, certainly, me, are uninvited guests on Coast Salish territories) to the ongoing genocide in Gaza, from class conflict on public transit or maybe in your own home? We will share our work, discuss and dissect and respecfully agree and disagree.
Grading
- writing journal 30%
- final portfolio 30%
- three submissions for crit 30%
- attendance and partcipation 10%
Materials
MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:
all readings will be provided on Canvas
REQUIRED READING NOTES:
Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.
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 website 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
RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION
Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.