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Arts Academy Boarding High School
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Course of Study
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| Creative Writing Major Program :: |
A new Creative Writing student must take (a) a Workshop and (b) Elements of Poetry and Fiction in his/her first year.
After the first year, majors must take workshop and one other writing course. In their senior year, majors are encouraged (not required) to take three creative writing courses. Majors are also required to attend individual tutorials with their writing instructors on a weekly basis, and they are expected to participate fully in all program activities, including guest writers' workshops and readings (usually Thursdays).
Students who chose to major in Creative Writing should take into account, when planning their class schedules, that time must be reserved for writing, and therefore care should be taken to avoid an overload of homework.
Although it is not required of them, writing students are encouraged to enroll in a foreign language course. All writing majors should consult with their Workshop instructors to address any scheduling questions or conflicts.
Seniors are required to participate in a senior showcase reading in May. We strongly encourage seniors to take advantage of submission opportunities offered throughout the year.
CREATIVE WRITING COURSES FOR ENGLISH CREDIT
The following courses may be taken for English credit at 11th and 12th grade level only (pending available space): *
Elements to Creative Writing - Fiction/Poetry
Tradition and the Individual Talent/Poetry & Fiction
The Writing of Nonfiction (One semester only for English credit)
Playwriting (One semester only for English credit)
*Enrollment by freshman or sophomores in the creative writing courses does not satisfy the English graduation requirements.
Course Descriptions: First and Second Semester Offerings
ELEMENTS OF CREATIVE WRITING: FICTION and ELEMENTS OF CREATIVE WRITING: POETRY are separate, semester-long courses, designed to introduce students to the basic concepts of writing poetry and fiction. They may be taken either semester and do not need to be taken in order. Both courses are literature based, with emphasis on class discussion and individual writing assignments. Students are expected to produce a portfolio of their work at the end of the each semester. Major assignments include a minimum of two stories per semester and six poems, depending on the genre studied.
ADVANCED SCREENWRITING
Grades 10-12
Prerequisite: Introduction to Screenwriting (or Instructor permission)
This course may be taken twice
Creative Writing and Motion Picture Arts students have priority seating
Seating open to non-writing majors in grades 11-12 space permitting
.50 credit, class meets daily
This class is designed as an intense workshop for screenwriting students who are ready to work on longer projects or more short pieces. Having learned the basics students are now expected to further develop their own voice as a screenwriting, create their own goals and deadlines, and fully participate in daily workshops. Students will continue to read professional feature-length screenplays, and each student will be expected to lead a discussion on the script of their choice.
Objectives:
Students are expected to become more disciplined screenwriters through the ongoing assessment of goals and evaluations.
Students will have an opportunity to have their work read at a screenwriting showcase.
Students will be able to complete portions of, if not all, a feature-length screenplay, and explore stories that go beyond ten pages.
Motion Picture Arts students who take the class the semester before Production Workshop have another opportunity to create a piece which they can produce.
ELEMENTS OF CREATIVE WRITING: FICTION
Grades 9-12
This course is required for Creative Writing majors in their first year.
Creative Writing, Motion Picture Arts and General Arts students have priority seating
Seating open to non-writing majors in grades 11-12 space permitting
First or second semester
.50 credit, class meets daily.
ELEMENTS OF CREATIVE WRITING: POETRY
Grades 9-12
This course is required for Creative Writing majors in their first year.
Creative Writing and General Arts students have priority seating
Seating open to non-writing majors in grades 11-12 space permitting
First or second semester
.50 credit, class meets daily.
INTRODUCTION TO SCREENWRITING
Grades 10-12
Creative Writing and MPA majors have priority seating followed by General Arts students
Semester One: MPA students grade 11-12
Semester Two: MPA students Grade 10
Seating open to non-majors in grades 11-12 space permitting
First or second semester
.50 credit, class meets daily
This course will introduce the concepts of writing for the screen. Students will learn the three act structure and page format by reading and analyzing feature-length screenplays. The class will explore how to use the tools of filmmaking to create filmic language and write visually. Weekly writing assignments are given to further the students' grasp of creating character, setting, conflict, theme, tone, dialogue and subtext. All writing assignments are brought in to workshop, giving the students an opportunity to hear their projects read aloud and to get comments on their work before revision. Students will also develop a feature-length treatment, get an introduction to the art of pitching stories, and learn about the professional aspects of screenwriting.
Objectives:
Students will be able to recognize and break down the traditional three act structure of the screenplay, and will be exposed to a variety of writing styles from professional screenwriters.
Students will have completed and revised six short screenplays and one feature length treatment.
Students will learn about the Writer's Guild of America, how to register their screenplays, and get an introduction to the business side of screenwriting.
Students will be exposed to the collaborative experience of writing for the screen with a writing-partner assignment, as well as through weekly workshops and the mixed ratio of Creative Writing and Motion Picture Arts students.
Motion Picture Arts students are encouraged to write things they can produce in later production classes.
THE WRITING OF NON-FICTION
Grades 9-12
This course may be taken twice
Creative Writing and General Arts students have priority seating
Seating open to non-writing majors in grades 11-12 space permitting
First or second semester
.50 credit, class meets daily
This is an advanced writing course designed for students who are interested in an active career in magazine writing, or are interested in developing the skills necessary to produce non-fiction on a free-lance basis. The workshop format will include the study of contemporary magazine writing, travel writing, personal essay, profiles, etc. Emphasis will be placed on developing a personal article writing style and the business side of non-fiction writing. In addition, the majority of assignments and articles written will be based on student interest and self direction.
APPROACHES TO THE FANTASTIC IN CONTEMPORARY FICTION
Grades 11-12
Creative Writing and General Arts students have priority seating
Seating open to non-writing majors in grades 11-12 space permitting
First or second semester
.50 credit, class meets daily
In this course students will read and discuss a wide range of contemporary short stories by "genre-twisters," authors of literary fiction who appropriate elements of "genre" fiction (fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, ghost stories, gothic, etc.), as well as those whose work is inspired by fables, myths and fairy tales. How and why these authors choose to interweave fantastic elements into their work, and the place of "fantastic" or "fabulist" fiction in contemporary literature will be a topic of investigation, as will a brief look at some pioneering "genre-twisters" who have inspired many imitators and admirers. Students will discuss the role of storytellers in an increasingly fantastic postmodern culture, and examine the relationship between the "realistic" and "fabulist" veins of contemporary fiction. Creative written assignments will be given on a regular basis, and a portion of class time will be devoted to sharing and discussing students' own "genre-twisting" tales.
A course pack will include stories and interviews by the following authors, among others: Aimee Bender, Kelly Link, Dan Chaon, Edgar Allan Poe, Franz Kafka, Ryan Hardy, Kurt Vonnegut, Ray Bradbury, William Gay, Angela Carter, Shirley Jackson, Dennis Lehane, Joyce Carole Oates, Steven Millhauser, Sarah Shun-lien Bynum, George Saunders, Louise Erdrich and John Cheever.
WORKSHOPS
Grades 9-12
Required of all Creative Writing Majors each semester
Class limited to Creative Writing Majors
.50 credit, class meets daily
Introductory, intermediate, and advanced writing workshops provide the informal experience of group critique and exchange. Because the workshop faculty rotate each term, students receive instruction and practice in fiction and poetry. Both student writing and the works of professional authors are studied.
Course Descriptions: First Semester Only
WRITER IN RESIDENCE: Julie Case
Grades 9-12
This course may be taken each semester
A different course is offered each semester
Creative Writing, then General Arts students have priority seating,
Seating open to non-writing majors in grades 11-12 space permitting
First Second semester
.50 credit, class meets daily
Beyond our Borders: Contemporary Non-American Literature
Words Without Borders estimates that 50 percent of books published worldwide are translated from English, but only 6 percent are translated into English. How can we live in a global world without knowing the experiences of our global citizens? Literature translates other worlds for us. It brings us the smells and sounds of places we have never been, or may never go. It invites us into the inner worlds of the people who live in those places. Literature translates the real, human experiences of life in big cities, in small towns in fractured communities divided by religion and politics, in families united by love and in countries divided by war. How can we know the world if we do not read it? In this course we'll examine the works of authors contributing to the body of contemporary literature—primarily fiction—outside the United States. Some write despite the fear of imprisonment, some write from behind a burqa, some write under threat of war, some write under beautiful, starry skies. While the text list for this course is still being developed, books and authors may include the anthology "Words Without Borders," novelist Orhan Pamuk, poet Ilya Kaminsky, and short story writers such as Etgar Keret and Shahrnush Parsipur. In traversing the worlds these writers devise for us we might read on both sides of the Israel West-Bank barrier, explore the works of authors jailed for their writing, or survey new literature out of China, Afghanistan, Iraq, Nigeria and more.
Julie H. Case: M.F.A. in Creative Writing (fiction) from Rainier Writing Workshop at Pacific Lutheran University; B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from Arizona State University. Alumna of Interlochen Arts Academy. Fiction and essays have appeared on A River and Sound Review. Has been a featured poet in MetroKC's Poetry on Buses; and she has been finalist for the Annie Dillard Award for Creative Nonfiction. Magazine articles have appeared in a variety of magazines including Alaska Airlines Magazine, Horizon Air, and Wired. Currently completing first short story collection, entitled Stay.
FINDING A VOICE: Reading and Imitating Masters of the Novel and Short Story
Grades 9-12
Creative Writing, then General Arts students have priority seating,
Seating open to non-writing majors in grades 11-12 space permitting
First Second semester
.50 credit, class meets daily
In this course students will explore the idea that imitating the voices of great writers can help them to hone and discover their own unique voices. Students will read a wide range of authors, paying careful attention to the stylistic elements that make up each writer's distinctive voice. In response to the reading assignments, students will write short creative exercises imitating the tone, form, point of view, characterization and use of language exhibited by these masters. Class time will be devoted to discussion of the reading assignments, with some time spent sharing student writing exercises and discussing various approaches to them. By listening for and re-creating the distinctive qualities of such diverse voices, students will discover techniques they can use to expand the possibilities of their own writing, pushing it further in many different aspects.
Texts will include Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson, The Collected Works of Billy the Kid by Michael Ondaatje, and a course pack that includes stories and novel excerpts by James Baldwin, William Faulkner, William H. Gass, Virginia Woolf, Ernest Hemingway, Ray Carver, Denis Johnson, Marilynne Robinson, Jamaica Kincaid, Henry James and Alice Munro, among others.
PLAYWRITING
Grades 10-12 (9th grade with instructor permission)
This course may be taken twice
Creative Writing and General Arts students have priority seating
Seating open to non-writing majors in grades 11-12 space permitting
First or second semester
.50 credit, class meets daily
This course will introduce students to basic concepts of writing for the stage. Students will demonstrate knowledge of these concepts by working in the following sub-genres: monologue, the scene, ten-minute play, and the one-act play. Elements of contemporary playwriting will also involve study of characterization, kinds of dialogue, plot structures, types of conflict, and adaptation of idea to stage conventions. Course will explore the collaborative aspects of playwriting. Students taking the course for the second time will write in longer and more experimental forms.
Objectives:
Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of basic terms of contemporary playwriting by applying them in script writing and analysis.
Students will have completed at least one example of each of the following: monologue, ten-minute play, and one-act play.
Students will have studied several published plays as well as completed critical writing about the plays. Students will have read and discussed a selection of plays. Students will demonstrate understanding of these models through written analysis, class discussions and presentations, and application to their own scripts.
Students will prepare a ten minute stand-up scene or excerpt of their scripts through participation in the "Playwrights Showcase".
Students will experience the collaborative nature of playwriting by creating an alliance with theater students here at IAA or possibly (where appropriate and with supervision) through links with the community theatre in the area. Specifically, and again only where appropriate, they will seek feedback from the theater classes on their scripts and will enter whatever revision process is recommended as a result.
Students will be encouraged to learn the practical side of writing for the stage by entering contests, festivals, and applying for production.
Texts:
Hatcher, The Art and Craft of Playwriting
Selected plays, TBA
Course Descriptions: Second Semester Only
TRADITION AND THE INDIVIDUAL TALENT/POETRY & FICTION
Grades 11-12
Creative Writing and General Arts students have priority seating
Seating open to non-writing majors in grades 11-12 space permitting
Second semester only
.50 credit, class meets daily.
Emphasis is on contemporary American Literature in the context of western literary tradition. Writing assignments will include creative exercises to familiarize students with techniques of various genres and critical essays.
Texts are selected from the following list:
Jim Harrison - New and Selected Poems
Robert Bly - Selected Poems
Mary Oliver - American Primitive
Mark Strand - Selected Poems
Jack Driscoll - Fishing the Backwash
Jim Harrison - Farmer
Paul Theroux - The Mosquito Coast
Tom McGuane - Ninety-Two in the Shade
Louise Erdrich - Love Medicine
LITERARY PUBLICATIONS
Grades 10-12,
Creative Writing and General Arts students have priority seating
Seating open to non-writing majors in grades 11-12 space permitting
Second semester
May be taken twice
.50 credit, class meets daily and some evenings during publication.
The course is designed to teach students how to prepare a literary publication including soliciting writing, developing criteria for selection, developing guidelines for revision, communicating with authors about revision, copy editing, galley editing, managing all aspects of the selection, revision, and editing process, and publication of the Interlochen Review as well as other creative writing projects. The class may involve work with graphics and cover art. The course may also involve the publication of broadsheets, contributions to IAA's website, interviews with guest writers and artists, and columns for the various publications.
Objectives:
To read for publication using the analytical skills required to assess well-written material.
To prepare a text (specifically the Interlochen Review but also other in house projects) for publication, including solicitation and selection of writing and art, development of text, interviews, etc.
To learn editing skills from the "editor's" point of view.
To select material for a specific audience with an established set of criteria.
To manage the submission process.
To communicate revision suggestions and to assess revisions.
To meet publishing deadlines.
WRITER IN RESIDENCE: Katherine Factor
Grades 9-12
This course may be taken each semester
A different course is offered each semester
Creative Writing, then General Arts students have priority seating,
Seating open to non-writing majors in grades 11-12 space permitting
Cut this item—confusing. First Second semester
.50 credit, class meets daily
Writer-in-residence courses are special studies electives for writers and those deeply interested in writing, designed by the writer-in-residence and based on that writer's specific field of interest or knowledge. These offerings are one-of-a-kind in nature, and are rarely offered again after that writer has completed a residency here at IAA. Assignments will include creative work as well as extensive readings and responses to the readings. A formal essay or portfolio may be required.
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