001 Instructor: Galef MWF 11:15 AM – 12:20 PM
002 Instructor: Simas TR 9:30 AM – 10:50 AM
001: This is a fast-paced introductory course in reading and writing short fiction, with the ultimate goal of coming to better understand the writing process not just as an art but also as a craft. Students will read and discuss a broad selection of prose from the ancient world to the present, covering diverse genres and perspectives, with a special focus on reading like a writer, will compose their own fiction in the form of daily exercises and at least one publication-length story, and will give and receive constructive criticism on each other’s writing.
002: Min Jin Lee writes that fiction is a light source; that stories save, enlighten, and edify. In ENGL 2011, Introduction to Creative Writing, Fiction, students will attempt to create a light of their own by studying the foundations of the craft of fiction. Through in-class workshops, imitations, and discussions, students will survey the history, the craft, and the theory of the contemporary American short story from 1972 to present. Readings will include stories from Toni Cade Bambara, Ken Liu, Louise Erdrich, Ursula K. LeGuin, Jamaica Kincaid, Julie Otsuka, Manuel Muñoz, Jhumpa Lahiri, Sandra Cisneros, Stuart Dybek, and others. All students will create at least three short pieces of original fiction throughout the semester, culminating with a full-length short story as the final project.