CREATIVE WRITING DEPARTMENT COURSE DESCRIPTIONS Spring 2013 creativewriting.sfsu.edu/courses Class schedule online at wwww.sfsu.edu/online/clssch.

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1 CREATIVE WRITING DEPARTMENT COURSE DESCRIPTIONS Spring 2013 creativewriting.sfsu.edu/courses Class schedule online at wwww.sfsu.edu/online/clssch.htm UNDERGRADUATE CLASSES: Introduction to Creative Writing Tues 4:10-6:55 p.m. Anne Galjour This course is an introduction to the creative writing process, in which you ll do exercises in writing poetry, fiction, and dramatic scripts. There will also be selected readings of exemplary stories, poems, and plays. Open to all students. CROSS GENRE COURSE Fundamentals of Creative Writing Mon 12:10-2:55 p.m. Ariel Fintushel Fundamentals of Creative Writing Thurs 7-9:45 p.m Chris Jennings Fundamentals of Creative Writing Tues 7-9:45 p.m. Sean Negus Prerequisite: English 114, or equivalent. Priority given to Creative Writing majors. Instruction and extensive practice in writing poetry, fiction, and plays, with selected readings of exemplary stories, poems, and plays. This course is the prerequisite to Short Story Writing, Poetry Writing, and Playwriting. CROSS GENRE COURSE. Please note: section 3 is tentatively scheduled, please keep checking the online class schedule. NOTE: The prerequisite for all the undergraduate craft, creative process and writing workshops (CW 510, 511, 512, 513, 600, 602, 603, 604 and 605) is CW 301, Fundamentals of Creative Writing, with a grade of "C" or above. Enrollment in undergraduate writing workshops is limited to undergraduate majors in English: Creative Writing and English: Education (Creative Writing). Non-majors are admitted only with consent of instructor Fundamentals of Creative Reading Wed 12:10-2:55 p.m. Steve Dickison Fundamentals of Creative Reading Tues 12:35-3:20 p.m. Heather Gibbons Fundamentals of Creative Reading Mon 12:10-2:55 p.m. Brian Thorstenson This course will emphasize developing methods and habits of reading, by focusing on exemplary writings in poetry, narrative prose, and drama (with possible forays into its extension cinema). A course in basic elements: time, space, sound, rhythm, silence, texture, color, movement, shape, weight, etc. Poetry (as poesis = making) is intrinsic to all modes of written art, whether narrative prose with its modes of telling, or drama that incorporates action, the play. Students will get exposed to writings historical and contemporary, come to cultivate a habit of active reading and interpretation, build one s desire for reading, and learn ways to talk and write about another s writing (key to reading one s own). Writing assignments will be in response to the assigned readings. CROSS GENRE COURSE Modern Greek Literature Tues Thurs 12:10-1:25 p.m. Martha Klironomos Prerequisite: ENG 214 or equivalent. Introduction to Greece's major modernist and postmodernist writers. Writers to be studied include C.P. Cavafy, Nikos Kazantzakis, George Seferis, Odysseas Elytis and Alki Zei. Exploration of experimental writing techniques using 20th Century literature. Also offered as MGS American Poetics Thurs 12:35-3:20 p.m. Paul Hoover Prerequisite: CW 301 (and strongly advised: completion of CW 511). Enrollment is limited to undergraduate majors in English: Creative Writing and English: Education (Creative Writing). This process course will help students recognize and articulate the concerns of their own writing as well as reading. Beginning with Emerson, Whitman, and Dickinson, the course will survey the development of an American aesthetic in the letters, statements, and poems of Pound and Eliot; Williams and Ginsberg; Bishop and Moore; Olson and Creeley; Zukofsky and Stein; Hughes, Brooks, and Baraka; and Stevens and Ashbery, among others. While examining these and other diverse approaches, students will write poems based on weekly craft assignments.

2 Style in Fiction Wed 4:10-6:55 p.m. Barbara Tomash Prerequisite: CW 301 (and strongly advised: completion of CW 512). Enrollment is limited to undergraduate majors in English: Creative Writing and English: Education (Creative Writing). Focus on the uses of voice in creating prose style and the process of development in prose style as a response to the subject matter. The majority of the discussion will center on published texts. However, student writers will also engage in imitations and respond to creative prompts to be discussed in small groups Craft of Poetry GWAR Thurs 12:35-3:20 p.m. Heather Gibbons Prerequisites: CW 301; ENG 114; ENG 214; B.A. majors in ENG, Creative Writing and ENG, Edu. (Creative Writing). This course focuses on basic craft elements of poetry: diction, imagery, rhythm, voice, form, and the vocabulary of the genre. It also investigates the historical and cultural influences that give us our current assumptions about poetry. Lectures are supplemented by discussion of student and professional poems. Course satisfies the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement Craft of Fiction GWAR Thurs. 4:10-6:55 p.m. Matthew C. Davison Craft of Fiction GWAR Mon. 7-9:45 p.m Will Boast Prerequisites: CW 301; ENG 114; ENG 214; B.A. majors in ENG, Creative Writing and ENG, Edu. (Creative Writing). Using Janet Burroway's WRITING FICTION as a guiding text along with a contemporary anthology, we explore craft elements of fiction: plot, dialogue, character, point of view, place, etc. Focus is on published writing and exercises. Some student work is discussed. Course satisfies the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement Craft of Playwriting GWAR Mon. 4:10-6:55 p.m. Anne Galjour Prerequisites: CW 301; ENG 114; ENG 214; B.A. majors in ENG, Creative Writing and ENG, Edu. (Creative Writing). This course is the study of the principles used in the craft of dramatic writing. Will focus on action, character, conflict, crisis, climax, structure, scene, setting, plot, story, subtext, with an emphasis on the art of writing good dialogue. We will look at the origins of play writing through the study of OEDIPUS by Sophocles, to the birth of modern theatre as expressed through Chekhov s UNCLE VANYA, all the way to modern master works by August Wilson, Nilo Cruz, David Mamet, and Caryl Churchill. Students will write critical essays in response to these playwrights use of language, strategies in craft elements, themes, individual voice, and sources of inspiration for their works. In short we will discover for ourselves why these works continue to get produced to this day. Students will learn proper page formatting for playwriting. They will write scenes and short plays generated from in-class and take home writing assignments throughout the entire semester. Course satisfies the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement Writers on Writing Mon. 7-9:45 p.m. Camille Dungy Faculty and visiting writers representing a wide range of styles and subjects will visit the class to read and discuss their writing. Students will respond to the readings and visits on an ongoing basis through critical essays and creative writing exercises. Paired with CW 820. Note: this course can be used to fulfill 3 units of the creative process requirement. It can only be taken once for credit. Students who have completed CW 820 may not take CW 520 for credit. CROSS GENRE COURSE Poetry Center Workshop Thurs. 3:35-6:20 p.m. Steve Dickison Visiting writers in the celebrated Poetry Center Reading Series provide the basis for exploring both the work of outstanding contemporary poets and student writing generated in response. Guests offer a wide range of aesthetics and concerns, ample opportunity for interaction, and new directions for student writing. Paired with C W 850. Students who have completed C W 550 may not take C W 850 for credit Uses of Personal Experience Mon. 7-9:45 p.m. Donna de la Perrière Prerequisite: CW 301 (and strongly advised: completion of CW 511 or 512 or 513). Enrollment is limited to undergraduate majors in English: Creative Writing and English: Education (Creative Writing). This multi-genre class is here to foster your growth as an emerging writer by encouraging you to experiment with various ways of transforming raw experience into the stuff that art is made of. We ll examine how accomplished writers employ different forms and genres to render intensely personal experience onto the page, while asking ourselves

3 what distinguishes autobiographical anecdotes (no matter how compelling or competently executed) from finished works of art Work in Progress Wed. 4:10-6:55 p.m. Donna de la Perrière Work in Progress Thurs. 12:35-3:20p.m. Truong Tran Prerequisite: Senior standing in Creative Writing. Enrollment is limited to undergraduate majors in English: Creative Writing and English: Education (Creative Writing). In Work In Progress students will identify, investigate and work to revise and re-see a creative project of their choice. Students will spend the semester working on this particular body of work, not to bring it to completion per se, but to help the work illuminate itself. Students will participate in large group discussions and small group investigations and should possess a sincere commitment to reading and writing. The course will help students establish both a rigorous and creative revision practice. CROSS GENRE COURSE Short Story Writing Wed. 12:10-2:55 p.m. Katie Crouch Prerequisite: CW 301 and CW 512. Enrollment is limited to undergraduate majors in English: Creative Writing and English: Education (Creative Writing). The course includes the writing and analysis of short fiction in a workshop setting, with emphasis on developing character and voice Poetry Writing Wed. 12:10-2:55 p.m. Barbara Tomash Prerequisite: CW 301 and CW 511. Enrollment is limited to undergraduate majors in English: Creative Writing and English: Education (Creative Writing). The aim of this poetry writing workshop is to foster your growth as a working poet. Class meetings will be spent engaging in the development of the poetic craft. It will also be a time devoted to experimentation as we enter or re-enter your work and that of your classmates. We will examine the effectiveness of voice, form and the word as it relates to the page. The workshop will hone your craft as both writer and reader, poet and editor through the process of discussions and feedback. Through a series of process oriented exercises, the workshop will enable you to generate new works Write and Perform Monologues Wed. 12:10-2:55 p.m. Brian Thorstenson Prerequisites: CW 301 and CW 513. Enrollment is limited to undergraduate majors in English: Creative Writing and English: Education (Creative Writing) and Theatre Arts. Studying a variety of definitions and models of monologues, we will consider modes of composition and transmission as well as performance techniques. We will explore the connection between the page and the stage. We will practice a variety of vocal, physical and writing exercises designed help the student relax so that characters and their stories can come emerge. Students will develop their own pieces and to apply these techniques and methods to their own projects. (Also offered as TH A 605. May not be repeated under alternate prefix.) Directed Writing: B.A. Student ARR CW 609 Directed Writing BA Student: Permission of the instructor is required to take this course; you will be dropped without prior consent of the instructor. By the middle of the semester before you plan to enroll in Directed Writing, submit a sample of your writing in the instructor s mailbox along with a note explaining that you want to take their Directed Writing class. Be sure you include your name, address, phone number and e- mail. If the instructor is off campus, the Creative Writing Office will mail your writing sample for you Directed Writing: B.A. Student ARR Fiction Dodie Bellamy Directed Writing: B.A. Student ARR Fiction, Playwriting Michelle Carter Directed Writing: B.A. Student ARR Fiction Nona Caspers Directed Writing: B.A. Student ARR Fiction, Poetry Maxine Chernoff Directed Writing: B.A. Student ARR Playwriting Roy Conboy Directed Writing: B.A. Student ARR Poetry Toni Mirosevich Transfer Literary Magazine Tues. 4:10-6:55pm Nona Caspers Prerequisite: CW 301 and either CW 602, 603, 604 or consent of instructor. "The important thing to do is to commit to writing as much as possible... Make a commitment to an independent magazine or publication... We're all connected to this large community and we all need to take an active part in it. If writers can make

4 those kinds of commitments, they'll feel connected" (Jewelle Gomez). Join the staff of Transfer, the literary magazine of the Creative Writing Department. The course is designed to give you a working taste of what it takes to put out a literary magazine (including critical analysis and discussion of short-listed submissions, proofreading, solicitation and distribution) and to make you think about the world of literary magazines and your own beliefs in literature. Come prepared to analyze and discuss text and investigate your own literary aesthetics. This is a process course (not a lab) and can be used to fulfill 3 units of the Creative Process requirement. CROSS GENRE COURSE Community Projects in Literature Tues. 7-9:45 p.m. Chanan Tigay CW 101 or 301 with a grade of C or better. Enrollment is limited to undergraduate majors in English: Creative Writing and English: Education (Creative Writing). Non-majors admitted with consent of instructor. Take this course if you want to do an internship. Students secure internship positions at community arts and literary organizations such as Intersection for the Arts, City Arts and Lectures, 826 Valencia, and other centers so that they acquire practical knowledge of writing in the larger social context. Check out our Community Projects in Literature Internships Leads at May be taken twice for up to 6 units of credit. CROSS GENRE COURSE. 685 Projects in Teaching Creative Writing ARR Prerequisites: Advanced undergraduate standing, grade of B+ or better in the course in which the student will be an aide, and approval of the department Chair. Students are placed with a creative writing faculty member in a supervised practicum/internship experience, in which they explore the theoretical and practical aspects of teaching creative writing. This is the course to sign up for if you want to be an instructional aid, (I.A.) in a specific undergraduate class for 3 units of credit. the Creative Writing Department the first two weeks of the semester in which you wish to be enrolled in Projects Teaching Creative Writing. Please include all of the following information in your your first and last name, your enrollment status (major; undergraduate status), your sfsu id number or sfsu address, the instructor s name and class. You will receive an response with the schedule and permit numbers to use to enroll in this class. CROSS GENRE COURSE. 699 Independent Study ARR Prerequisite: Consent of instructor and a 3.0 GPA. Upper division students may enroll in a course of Independent Study under the supervision of a member of the Creative Writing department, with whom the course is planned, developed, and completed. This course may be taken for one, two, or three units. Enrollment is by petition, and a copy of your SFSU transcript. Petition For Individual Study forms are available in the Creative Writing department office, and online under the section titled Registration, choose Independent Study (699, 899). This form must be signed by the instructor you will be working with, an advisor, and the department chair. After you submit the form to HUM 380, your instructor will give you the schedule and permit numbers to add the course. (You will not be able to enroll in this course before the semester starts; the schedule numbers are unpublished and unavailable until the first week of classes.) CROSS GENRE COURSE. GRADUATE CLASSES: Note: Preference in all Creative Writing graduate courses will be given to students admitted to either the M.A. or the M.F.A. programs in Creative Writing. Preference in M.F.A. level courses will be given to students admitted to the M.F.A. program. Priority in M.A. and M.F.A. writing workshops and creative process courses will be given to students admitted in the genre of the course. Other Creative Writing M.A./M.F.A. students may enroll in these courses only with the permission of the instructor. 785 Graduate Projects in the Teaching of Creative Writing Times By Arrangement Prerequisite: Classified graduate standing in Creative Writing. Consent of Instructor; Grade of B or better in the course or its equivalent in which the student will be an aide. This course is an application of previously acquired knowledge through assisting instruction and learning pedagogical strategies--in other words, you will be a graduate instructional aid (GIA) in the course for 3 units of credit. the Creative Writing Department the first two weeks of the semester in which you wish to be enrolled in Projects Teaching Creative Writing. Please

5 include all of the following information in your your first and last name, your enrollment status (major and graduate program), the instructor s name and class. You will receive an response with the schedule and permit numbers to use to enroll in this class. CROSS GENRE COURSE Advanced Short Story Writing Tues. 7-9:45 p.m. Cooley Windsor Prerequisite: Classified graduate standing in Creative Writing. Priority enrollment given to graduate Creative Writing fiction students; open to Creative Writing students in other genres only on a space available basis, to be determined at the first class meeting. An advanced short story writing course taught in a workshop setting. There will be an emphasis on developing critical thinking skills from the perspective of a writer and the conscious application of narrative craft for the purpose of fulfilling one s artistic intent Advanced Poetry Writing Mon. 4:10-6:55 p.m. Camille Dungy Prerequisite: Classified graduate standing in Creative Writing. Priority enrollment given to graduate Creative Writing poetry students; open to Creative Writing students in other genres only on a space available basis, to be determined at the first class meeting. Intensive reading of the poets work to fellow poets. General discussion of the reading, with remarks by the instructor on issues in prosody raised. Each poet will receive a detailed letter after each reading. Regular attendance is a basic requirement Novel Writing Thurs. 4:10-6:55 p.m. Junse Kim Prerequisite: Classified graduate standing in Creative Writing. Priority enrollment given to graduate Creative Writing fiction students; open to Creative Writing students in other genres only on a space available basis, to be determined at the first class meeting. An advanced novel writing course taught in a workshop setting. Students are welcome to begin a new novel, or further develop or finish a previously written novel. There will be an emphasis on developing critical thinking skills from the perspective of a writer and the conscious application of narrative craft for the purpose of fulfilling one s artistic intent Directed Writing for Graduate Students ARR Prerequisite: Classified graduate standing in Creative Writing. Permission of the instructor is required to take this course; you will be dropped without prior consent of the instructor. The semester before you plan to enroll in Directed Writing, submit a sample of your writing in the instructor s mailbox along with a note explaining that you want to take their Directed Writing class. Be sure you include your name, address, phone number and . If the instructor is off campus, the Creative Writing Office will mail your writing sample for you Directed Writing: Graduate Student ARR Fiction Dodie Bellamy Directed Writing: Graduate Student ARR Fiction, Playwriting Michelle Carter Directed Writing: Graduate Student ARR Fiction Nona Caspers Directed Writing: Graduate Student ARR Fiction, Poetry Maxine Chernoff Directed Writing: Graduate Student ARR Playwriting Roy Conboy Directed Writing: Graduate Student ARR Poetry Toni Mirosevich The Prose Poem Thurs. 7-9:45 p.m. Truong Tran Prerequisite: Classified graduate standing in Creative Writing. Priority enrollment is given to poetry students; open to other genres only on a space available basis, to be determined at the first class meeting. An investigation of metaphorical writing in non-verse forms, and of the theories of composition relating to this kind of writing Plays-Reading and Viewing Wed. 4:10-10:30 p.m. Michelle Carter Prerequisite: Classified graduate standing in Creative Writing. Class meets first 10 weeks only. Prerequisite: classified graduate status in Creative Writing. "Still another suggestion: go to the theatre now and then and watch the stage." Anton Chekov to A.P. Chekov, May 8, Taking our cue from Chekov we'll go "watch the stage" in this process seminar. Our first step will be to study the text looking at plot, story, structure, theatrical syntax, character, spectacle and the world of the play; then move on to attend a local production or view a performance video. We'll look at the implications of production choices (how they illuminate or obscure

6 the text), discuss the "event" driven nature of the theatre, and expand our own theatrical "memories." We'll use these discussions and outings as triggers for our own creative writing Characterization Thurs. 12:35-3:20 p.m. Matthew Davison Prerequisite: Classified graduate standing in Creative Writing. Priority enrollment is given to fiction students; open to students of other genres on a space available basis, to be determined at the first class meeting. A close study of how character is created and used in fiction, by a selection of major writers. A very brief survey of the history of "characterology" and an examination of the phenomenon of "uniqueness" and "universality." Writers on Writing Mon. 7-9:45 p.m. Camille Dungy Faculty and visiting writers representing a wide range of styles and subjects will visit the class to read and discuss their writing. Students will respond to the readings and visits on an ongoing basis through critical essays and creative writing exercises. Paired with CW 520. Note: this course can be used to fulfill 3 units of the CW 810 (creative process) requirement. It can only be taken once for credit. Students who have completed CW 520 may not take CW 820 for credit. CROSS GENRE COURSE Playwrights Theatre Workshop Mon. 4:10-6:55 p.m. Brian Thorstenson Prerequisite: Classified graduate standing in Creative Writing. Priority enrollment is given to playwriting students; open to other genres only at the discretion of the instructor, to be determined at the first class meeting. Projects designed to give playwrights opportunities to refine their craft through workshops, rehearsals, readings, and dramaturgical assignments. May be repeated for a total of 9 units FOURTEEN HILLS Literary Magazine Wed. 7-9:45 p.m. Matthew C. Davison Prerequisite: Classified graduate standing in Creative Writing. Through assigned reading on different aspects of American literary magazines, students will get an insider's view of the life of the magazine editor, and the particular challenges the job of editor entails. In addition, students will learn how to read and discuss work for the magazine (as differs from discussing work in a workshop), and learn the very marketable skills of doubleproofing, copyediting, and proofreading. The students will then apply on a practical level the skills they have learned to the production of Fourteen Hills, taking part in discussions of material to be published, editing the text of the magazine, and constituting the on-campus sales force. It is hoped that by the end of the semester the students of the class will have gained a new understanding--as people applying for jobs in the field of publishing, as writers submitting their work to magazine editors, and as appreciative (and informed) readers of the literary magazine. CROSS GENRE COURSE Poetry Center Workshop Thurs. 3:35-6:20 p.m. Steve Dickison Visiting writers in the celebrated Poetry Center Reading Series provide the basis for exploring both the work of outstanding contemporary poets and student writing generated in response. Guests offer a wide range of aesthetics and concerns, ample opportunity for interaction, and new directions for student writing. Paired with CW 550. Students who have completed CW 850 may not take CW 550 for credit. Creative process course open to graduate CW students in all genres M.F.A. Workshop in Fiction Wed. 7-9:45 p.m. Junse Kim M.F.A. Workshop in Fiction Thurs. 4:10-6:55 p.m. Chanan Tigay to M.F.A. fiction students; open to other M.F.A. genre and M.A. fiction students only on a space available basis, to be determined at the first class meeting. A writing workshop in which students will be expected to concentrate on revision of fiction, on bringing work to a finished, publishable state. The course will emphasize the short story M.F.A. Workshop in Poetry Tue. 4:10-6:55 p.m. Paul Hoover to M.F.A. poetry students; open to other M.F.A. genre and M.A. poetry students only on a space available basis, to be determined at the first class meeting. In this course designed for classified students in the MFA program, students will concentrate on the creation and revision of their poetry. The class format will include discussion

7 of reading assignments, group discussion of student work, and may also in-class and at-home writing assignments M.F.A. Workshop in Playwriting Mon. 7-9:45 p.m. Anne Galjour to M.F.A. playwriting students; open to other M.F.A. genre and M.A. playwriting students only on a space available basis, to be determined at the first class meeting. Students are expected to concentrate on revision of a play, on bringing work to a finished state, ready for production. May be repeated for a total of 18 units. CW Practicum in Teaching Thurs. 4:10-6:55 p.m. Toni Mirosevich Prerequisite: Classified graduate standing in Creative Writing and a GIA placement in an undergraduate CW course or a weekly volunteer teaching position in creative writing in another academic or community setting-- during spring semester This course will provide pedagogical grounding for pragmatic classroom teaching work and provide graduate students with a structured forum to discuss their work with undergraduates under the supervision of an experienced teacher and in collaboration with other graduate students and the CW 859 instructor. Students will learn new pedagogical practices and strategies for dealing with key issues that arise in teaching undergraduate creative writing students. In scheduled practicum meetings students will share experiences, discuss strategies, share materials being used in class by their mentors, discuss selected readings, and meet with guest teachers who will present useful teaching perspectives. In addition to group meetings one-onone mentoring conferences will occur between student and instructor. CROSS GENRE COURSE. Open to both M.A. and M.F.A. Creative Writing students. Note: To be eligible for enrollment in CW 859 Practicum in Teaching students are required to secure a GIA placement in an undergraduate CW course for the 2013 spring semester Teaching Creative Writing Mon. 4:10-6:55 p.m. Michelle Carter Teaching Creative Writing Wed. 7-9:45 p.m. Nona Caspers Prerequisite: Classified graduate standing in Creative Writing. This course introduces advanced graduate students to the art and practice of teaching creative writing. Creative Writing 301 will serve as our prototype. We ll be reading essays and interviews, discussing aspects of creative writing pedagogy, and performing a variety of rigorous teaching activities. We ll discuss giving useful feedback for student writers; designing effective writing assignments; use of texts and craft models; strategies for leading discussions of literary works and student works-in-progress. Students will also prepare and execute mini-lectures on a range of craft and process topics, and develop a detailed syllabus for an introductory creative writing course. CROSS GENRE COURSE Community Projects in Literature Tues. 7-9:45 p.m. Chanan Tigay Prerequisite: Classified graduate standing in Creative Writing. Take this course if you want to do an internship. Students secure internship positions in community arts and literary organizations such as Intersection for the Arts, City Arts and Lectures, 826 Valencia, and other centers so that they acquire practical knowledge of writing in the larger social context. Check out our Community Projects in Literature Internships Leads at May be taken twice for up to 6 units of credit. CROSS GENRE COURSE. May be taken for 6 units of credit. CROSS GENRE COURSE Creative Nonfiction Tues. 12:35-3:20 p.m. Toni Mirosevich to M.F.A. students; open to M.A. students only on a space available basis (11 students max), to be determined at the first class meeting. A creative process course, we will read and discuss contemporary writers who have explored the world of fictionalized nonfiction. We will focus on autobiographical work, the true or semi-true story that shuttles between the world of fact and possibility (Mimi Schwartz). We ll experiment with stretching the truth and explore finding a balance between the uses of objective facts and subjective takes. Texts and sources we will draw from include; AutoBioDiversity: True Stories from Zyzzyva, A Small Place by Jamaica Kincaid, Rings of Saturn by W.G. Sebald, The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, Running With The Family by Michael Ondaatje, The Fishing Report by Brian Hoffman, works by Tsering Wangmo Dhompa, Alain de Botton, and others. During the course of the semester students will lead discussions on selected texts

8 and give collaborative oral presentations on various aspects of the genre. Throughout the course there will be generative exercises to stimulate new work. This is not a workshop. While students will share new works, the focus of this creative process course will be on development and discovery not on the revision and editing of new or existing drafts Art of Short Fiction Wed. 4:10-6:55 p.m. Chanan Tigay to M.F.A. fiction students; open to other M.F.A. genres and M.A. fiction students only on a space available basis, to be determined at the first class meeting. THE COMIC SHORT STORY: If laughter is the best medicine, then short story writers are among our best doctors. From the pens of writers like Lorrie Moore, John Cheever, Sam Lipsyte, Philip Roth, and Eudora Welty, the comic short story remains a source of much laughter, entertainment, and insight. In this process course, we will read some new comic stories and some classic ones, too and then take them very seriously. We ll explore what makes them funny; the techniques their authors use to make ordinary situations hilarious; and how they are able to use humor to highlight some of the strangeness of human life. Then we ll try our own hands at it: through a series of short writing exercises, we ll aim to emulate some of the techniques that make successful comic stories tick The Displaced Person Thurs. 7-9:45 p.m. Dodie Bellamy to M.F.A. fiction students; open to other M.F.A. genres and M.A. fiction students only on a space available basis, to be determined at the first class meeting. Explores the human personality in a state of alienation. Study of literary works in which the individual is exiled by class, age, sexuality, politics, or psychiatric disorder Poets and Their Thinkers Tues. 12:35-3:20 p.m. Paul Hoover to M.F.A. poetry students; open to other M.F.A. genres and M.A. poetry students only on a space available basis, to be determined at the first class meeting. This M.F.A. process course will examine the work of modern and contemporary world poets and the philosophers that influenced their thinking for example Emerson and Whitman, Nietzsche and Mallarmé, William James and Gertrude Stein, Whitehead and Charles Olson, Santayana and Wallace Stevens, and Wittgenstein and language poetry. It will also focus on poetics essays of poets like Anne Carson, Nathaniel Mackey, and Lyn Hejinian that have impacted current practice. Craft assignments will be made based on assigned readings in philosophy and poetry Poems From Nature Tues. 12:35-3:20 p.m. Camille Dungy to M.F.A. poetry students; open to other M.F.A. genres and M.A. poetry students only on a space available basis, to be determined at the first class meeting. Through poetry we access our environmental imaginations. We consider the role of the human animal in the fight with and for the earth. In this course, we will study the land and what grows from it. We will learn what it means to write fluidly about oceans and rivers, to write beautifully about mulch. Through careful reading, critical and creative responses, and discussion, we will approach some of the many things nature can teach us, and ways these lessons can serve our poems. Poets studied in this course will include Robert Hass, Cleopatra Mathis, Linda Hogan, Wendell Berry, Ed Roberson, and Eva Saulitis. 893 Written M.A. Creative Project (3 units) These 3 units M.A. students sign up for while working on the culminating experience/thesis/written creative project, which may be a collection of short stories, a group of poems, a novel or a play. Prerequisite: advancement to M.A. candidacy in English: Creative Writing. Advancement To Candidacy (ATC) and Culminating Experience Proposal forms must be on file in the Division of Graduate Studies the semester before registration. Please cwriting@sfsu.edu for registration schedule number. You must enroll in this course or your will not receive credit for your thesis. 893 Written M.F.A. Creative Work (6 units)

9 These 6 units M.F.A. students sign up for while working on the culminating experience/thesis/written creative project, which is expected to be a book length collection of short stories, or poems, or a novel or a play of publishable quality. Prerequisite: advancement to M.F.A. candidacy in Creative Writing; Advancement To Candidacy (ATC) and Culminating Experience Proposal forms must be on file in the Division of Graduate Studies the semester before registration. Please cwriting@sfsu.edu for registration schedule number. You must enroll in this course or your will not receive credit for your thesis. 899 Special Study Prerequisite: consent of instructor and a minimum GPA of A special study is planned, developed, and completed under the direction of a faculty member. The course may be taken for one, two, or three units. Enrollment is done through the Creative Writing Department office using an Individual Study Petition, and a copy of your SFSU transcript. Individual Study Petitions are available in the Creative Writing department office, and must be signed by the instructor you will be working with, an advisor, and the department chair. After you submit the form, your instructor will give you the schedule and permit numbers to add the course.