ENGL 302A, Autumn 2022: "Writing about Ourselves and Others"
Instructor: Dr. Anu Taranath. Please call me Dr. Anu. You can find out more about me and
my work at my personal website or my English department profile.
Class Time & Location: Mondays and Wednesdays, 1:30-3:20pm.
Office Hours:
Thursdays 8-9am. My office hours will be virtual, so please send me an email at anu@uw.edu to let me know you're coming to office hours.
Use this zoom link for office hours: https://washington.zoom.us/j/8261550894
Email: anu@uw.edu
Please note: I'm pretty old school. I don’t check email on my phone and need to be in front of my laptop to access email. I have a lot going on outside of this class, and sometimes take a day or so to respond to non-urgent messages. Rest assured though, I do respond to all student notes, and I’ll definitely write you back. :)
Course Description: Join us as we delve into the politics, practices and peculiarities of writing about oneself and others. We'll discuss the ways that genres influence how we write about whom, and what we feel we can say or can't say and why. We'll also read examples of how different authors thread together their various identities and experiences on the page. This is a praxis class which means we will examine how specific authors navigate these issues, and also practice doing so ourselves in our own writing. Students are invited to get to know their classmates and create an intentional learning community where we can share and converse together as colleagues.
Required Texts:
How To Tell A Story-- co-written by Bowles, Burns, Hixson, Jenness, & Tellers
Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping--Matthew Salesses
A Stranger's Journey: Race, Identity and Narrative Craft in Writing-- David Mura
a few assorted readings on Canvas
Course expectations:
- All readings & assignments completed on assigned days; attendance and participation in classes, good faith effort with assignments, course work to be turned in on time; engagement and respectfulness toward classmates, colleagues and course ideas. Late papers are not accepted unless you've communicated with me in advance or something dramatic is happening in your life. In that case, please do reach out!
- If you are absent from class, check with your Podmates to find out what you have missed. Once you do this you can then contact me for additional information.
- I will be posting reading prompts, short questions, and other course information via Canvas announcements, so configure your email and notifications appropriately.
Assignments and Grade Distribution:
Assignment One: 10%
Assignment Two: 10%
Assignment Three: 10%
Final: 20%
In-class participation and writing engagement: 50%
I use the following grading system and scale:
https://www.washington.edu/students/gencat/front/Grading_Sys.html
https://www.uwb.edu/nhs/student-resources/grading-scale
In-class Participation and Writing Engagement:
- The format of the class consists of discussions and in-class writing and workshopping. Therefore, a significant portion of your final grade depends on your consistent and collaborative contributions to the course. On the most basic level, you should come to class on time and stay for the duration, completed the readings, think about the readings in preparation for participating in class discussion, and engage in our in-class writing activities. For a full participation grade, you will contribute thoughtfully and consistently to in-class discussions. Grades will be based on the consistency, frequency, content, and relevance of spoken and written participation.
There are multiple opportunities to participate and engage with one another including:
-
- attending virtual office hours
- engaging with peers through any or all forms of class discussion
- maintaining a participation journal;
- posing and/or responding to questions on the canvas discussion board;
- demonstrating effort toward creating a presence in our classroom community
- adding a profile pic in Canvas;
- offering support to other students;
- arriving in class on time and prepared, etc.
- collaborative engagement with class colleagues;
- overall good faith effort to contribute to a positive and engaging classroom space.
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Schedule of Readings & Assignments, subject to revision
intro week—
Wed Sept 28th:
introduction to course themes, philosophies, pedagogies, expectations.
week 1—
Mon Oct 3rd:
first chapter from Ruth Behar's book The Vulnerable Observer
Forward and Introduction to How To Tell a Story (hereafter referred to as Story)
Peruse my website. Notice the use of voice, representation, story, images and writing style. What are you noticing? How might the writing offer a feeling or emotion for some readers, and what might the writing close off for others? Write a paragraph or two answering these questions, and bring that to class for us to discuss.
Wednesday Oct 5th:
Story: Chapter 1 and Chapter 2
week 2—
Monday Oct 10th:
Story: Chapter 3 and Chapter 4
Assignment One "Me and My Writing" due. Bring a hard copy of your assignment to class.
Wednesday Oct 12th:
Taranath, Beyond Guilt Trips: Mindful Travel in an Unequal World,-- please see Announcements for a PDF of this reading.
Story: Chapter 5
week 3—
Monday Oct 17th:
Story: Chapter 6, Chapter 7 and Chapter 8
A Stranger's Journey (hereafter referred to as Journey): pages 1-21; Kelly McMasters, "The Ethics of Writing Hard Things in a Family Memoir" essay
Wednesday Oct 19th:
Journey: pages 22-42
Ijeoma Oluo, "Sometimes Writing is Just a Job" essay
week 4—
Monday Oct 24th:
Journey: pages 22-42 (reread), and 52-75
Wednesday Oct 26th:
Journey: pages 76-86; 100-105
Saturday Oct 29th midnight:
Assignment Two "Three Moments and a Deep Dive" due: List three moments in which you felt like you were not yourself. Choose one of these moments, and take a deep dive. Write about what happened in as much detail, voice, perspective and craft you can. Practice what we have been reading about in How To Tell A Story. Recommended length 3 pages double spaced (about 750 words).
Include an Artists Statement in which you offer insight and reflection into your creative process. Recommended length: 3/4 -1 page (about 200-250 words).
week 5—
Monday Oct 31st:
Journey: pages 117- 131.
Wed Nov 2nd:
Journey: pages 151-159, 164-171.
week 6—
Monday Nov 7th:
No class today. Spend time working on your writing. Set an intention for what you'd like to practice, start a timer for 15-20 minutes, and begin. Take a short break, set another intention, start the timer and do it again. And again. Commit to three rounds of this activity. Fill out the brief check in on Canvas.
Wed Nov 9th:
Craft in the Real World (thereafter referred to as Craft): Preface, pages 1-39
Meet with your Podmates today during class time. You can meet in our classroom, or meet somewhere else on campus or off campus. Talk about the reading and prompts together. Collectively take notes on your conversation (meaning everyone should contribute to the notes) and upload to Canvas.
week 7—
Mon Nov 14th: Special Guest: Amy Hirayama!
Amy Hirayama is a writer-in-residence with Seattle Arts and Lectures' Writers in the Schools program teaching creative writing to public school students. She is also the Workshop Administrator for the Clarion West six-week residential program, and the co-founder of Beam Pedagogy, which provides support and community to public school teachers through workshops and retreats.
To prepare for this special guest, read Craft: pages 49-110
Wed Nov 16th: Special Guest: Amy Hirayama!
Workshopping Drafts
week 8—
Monday Nov 21st:
Virginia Woolf, "A Room of One's Own" essay
Wed Nov 23rd:
Craft: pages 111-129; 144-167--VIRTUAL ZOOM CLASS, use this link:
https://washington.zoom.us/j/8261550894
week 9—
Monday Nov 28th:
Assignment Three: Connected to Class, due. Attend a free lecture, poetry reading, book talk, presentation or other virtual or in-person event that focuses on the broad issues we are discussing this term. Events may be held either on or off campus. To make sure the event you plan to attend will count for this assignment, run your idea by your Podmates first. Write a report that briefly describes the event and explores the connections to our class readings and discussions. Suggested length 1.5 pages (500 words).
Bring a print copy of your assignment to class today.
Wednesday Nov 30th:
Rey Katz, "Writing Nonbinary Characters" essay
week 10—
Monday Dec 5th:
Alicia Elliott, “On Seeing and Being Seen: The Difference Between Writing With Empathy and Writing With Love” essay
Wednesday Dec 7th:
Workshop
Finals Week:
Monday Dec 12th noon: Finals due
ASSIGNMENTS
Assignment One: "Me and My Writing"-- due Oct 10th
Use the prompts from David Mura's A Stranger's Journey pages 239-240, "Assignment One: Some Questions About Process." You will be answering each of the 20 prompts. You don't have to rewrite the prompts in your paper. Just use the prompt number to number your answers and dive right in. Recommended length 3-4 pages double spaced (about 750-1000 words). Submit and upload your assignment on Canvas, AND bring a hard copy to class. Double-sided preferable.
Assignment Two: "Three Moments and a Deep Dive"-- due Oct 29th midnight
List three moments in which you felt like you were not yourself. Choose one of these moments, and write about what happened in as much detail, voice, perspective and craft you can. Recommended length 3 pages double spaced (about 750 words).
Include an Artists Statement in which you offer insight and reflection into your creative process. Recommended length: 3/4 -1 page (about 200-250 words).
Assignment Three: "Connected to Class"-- due Nov 28th
Attend a free lecture, poetry reading, book talk, presentation or other virtual or in-person event that focuses on the broad issues we are discussing this term. Events may be held either on or off campus. To make sure the event you plan to attend will count for this assignment, run your idea by your Podmates first. Write a report that briefly describes the event and explores the connections to our class readings and discussions. Suggested length 1.5 pages (500 words).
Final: "Writing about Myself and Others: A Retrospective"-- due Dec 12th noon
Assemble all your formal submitted assignments, and the in-class brainstorms and free-writes that you've worked on this term. Read through everything slowly. Write an Artists Statement in which you offer insight and reflection on the full body of work you've produced this term. Engage with these prompts: What do you notice in your writing journey this quarter? What stands out to you? Consider voice, representation, story, images and writing styles. How has your writing shifted, expanded, changed, deepened, or something else this term? Why was this class exactly what you needed at this stage in your writing journey and in your life? Suggested length 3.5-4 pages (1000 words).