| Tim Kahl (916) 393-1548 (Please no calls after 9:30 PM) | Monday, Wednesday 5:30 PM-9:50 PM |
| e-mail: tnklbnny@accessbee.com | Room: TBA |
Required Texts:
Highly Recommended:
Course Objectives:
Attendance Policy: There are 10 days we are scheduled to meet. Please be present for all of them. Any absence will greatly affect your ability to meet the requirements of the course. Absences and/or early departures in excess of 3 class periods will result in my dropping you from the course. Attendance will be noted and taken into consideration concerning borderline grades when the final grade is given. Remember: You're paying for the time whether you come or not.
Electronic Submissions: You may choose to submit any and or all of your work via electronic submissions. You may submit:
Workshop Days: The latter half of each class will be devoted to workshopping student work.
Revision Policy: The assignments may be turned in for revision. This assignment must be below a 90 % to be eligible for revision.
Late assignments: Late assignments will be assessed a 10% penalty per late class session.
{Electronic submissions will be considered late if they are received after the end of the class period. Some leeway may be given for first-time offenders and for technical problems, but the discretion will be mine. [Note: most students choose to e-mail assignments the night before they are due.]}
Grading Scale:
| 87%89% B+ | 77%79% C+ | 67%69% D+ | Below 60% F | |
| 92%100% A | 83%86% B | 74%76% C | 63%66% D | |
| 90%91% A- | 80%83% B- | 70%73% C- | 60%62% D- |
Criterion For Grades On Written Assignments:
| A work requires a compliance with the guidelines and the stated purpose of the assignment. Content is clear and balanced. There are no tangled sentences. A varied length of sentences is present and correct sentence structure is used. The pattern of development is clear and apparent and demonstrates forethought regarding the desired effect upon the reader. The styleand tone are appropriate to the topic and audience. There may be an occasional mistake in mechanics. The topic of the paper should aim to be fresh and original and should attempt to stretch the academic horizons of the writer. |
| B work requires a compliance with the guidelines and the stated purpose of the assignment. Content is generally clear and balanced, but there may be some instances in which there are some confusing or awkward sentences, though these do not detract from the overall effect of the paper. A somewhat limited variety of sentences may exist, but the sentence structure is generally correct. The pattern of development is apparent, but may deviate at times. The style and tone of the paper are generally appropriate to the topic and audience. There are relatively few mistakes in mechanics. The topic may not demonstrate any original thinking or particularly or novel approach to the assignment. |
| C work requires a fair amount of compliance with the guidelines and the stated purpose of the assignment, but may miss the stated objectives to some degree. Content is generally clear and balanced, but there may be several points where the sentence structure becomes jumbled and confused and this interferes with the flow of the paper. A limited variety of sentences is readily apparent. The pattern of development may be vague and unclear, but there is more than a semblance of formal constraint apparent. The style and tone may be somewhat varied and inappropriate for both the topic (misnomers) and the perceived audience. The topic does not demonstrate any novel approach to the given assignment. There are a distracting number of mistakes in mechanics. |
| D work demonstrates a minimal amount of compliance with the guidelines and the stated purpose of the assignment. Content is unclear and unbalanced and there may be a significant amount of jumbled and confused sentences. The pattern of development is unapparent and it demonstrates a lack of forethought on the part of the writer. The style and tone of the paper are wildly varied and inappropriate for both the topic and the perceived audience. The topic does not demonstrate any novel approach to the given assignment. There are an overwhelming number of mistakes in mechanics. In general, the paper demonstrates a hurried and haphazard approach devoid of any forethought (i.e. the paper that is written the night before). |
| F work demonstrates a minimal amount of compliance with the guidelines and the stated purpose of the assignment. Any work deemed to be completely unsatisfactory with regard to content, pattern of development, style, tone, topic, or mechanics. A paper in this category demonstrates an absolute minimum of effort. |
Scoring
| Completed Drafts of Poems 7 (pts.) x 50 | 350 |
| Portfolio of all work (including all revisions) | 200 |
| Final | 50 |
| Contingencies | +/- |
| Total | 600 |
Monday/Wednesday 5:30 PM- 9:50 PM
Note: This schedule reflects work that will be discussed in class on the date given. Students should be prepared to discuss the items listed for that day.
Week 1
| April 8 |
Introduction/syllabus Discussion: Absurd Premise, Bill Knott Sonnett, Love Poem, Community Life |
| April 10 |
Exercise: Old Photo Discussion: Childhood Memory, Catalog/List poem, Work Poems Critiques |
Week 2
| April 15 |
Exercise: Penny Saver Discussion: Object Poem, Familiar Poem, Prayer Poem Critiques |
| April 17 |
Exercise: Dictionary Game Discussion: Courting the Art of Fiction; Fiction Assignments Critiques |
| April 20 (Saturday) [8-12:30] |
Exercise: Postcards Discussion: Fugue Poem, Ineffable, Disembodied Voice Critiques |
Week 3
| April 22 |
Exercise: Night Mind Discussion: Nocturne, Elegy, Flowers, Birds Critiques |
| April 24 |
Exercise: Addressing The News Discussion: Newspaper Poem, Writing Between The Lines Critiques |
Week 4
| April 29 |
Exercise: Response To the Old Poets Discussion: Remembering the Old Poets, Invoking an Historical Personage, Poems about Ancestry Critiques |
| May 1 |
Exercise: Imitation Critiques |
| May 4 [1:00-5:30] | Reading/Dramatization |