English 273 – Introduction to Literature: Creative Writing and Literature
“Short Stories of Hawai’i”
Course Description
How has Hawaii told its stories? Who are the people writing these stories? What do these stories have to say about Hawaii, its history, and its people? Throughout the semester, we will canvass a number of short stories which traverse Hawaii’s cultures, generations of peoples, and various geographic locations. While we read these texts, we will carefully consider the socio-political and historical context of each work, but also focus on craft – not only the what, but also the how. By evaluating the basic elements and foundations of a story, and analyzing how each are used by various authors, we will come to understand the self-reflective nature of writing – how are we, as authors, forced to interrogate our perceptions of setting, social class, gender, education, et cetera, in order to develop characters and situations worth reading? How do we inform our writing and how might this process of producing story inform us about ourselves?
Required Texts:
- Kaopio, Matthew. Written in the Sky. Honolulu: Mutual Publishing, 2005.
(Note: This is an abbreviated list. Additional readings will be added. Every effort will be made to make additional readings available to students at little to no cost.)
Class Requirements and Expectations (assignments & attendance/participation)
This course is designated as writing intensive (WI). This designation requires that all students produce at least 16 pages of “polished” prose. Drafts and peer evaluations will be an integral part of the writing process throughout the semester to ensure such requirements are met. In addition, the following coursework is mandatory.
Required Coursework:
- One (1) introductory, personal narrative – 1000 words or about 4 pages.
- Fifteen (15) “blog” postings to our course website concerning assigned readings – 250 words minimum or about 9.5 total pages.
- Attend one (1) community event involving land stewardship, conservation, and/or sustainability, and compose a reflection essay grounding your experiences in the readings for the particular week – 500 words minimum or about 2 pages.
- Two (2) literary analysis essays where you’ll engage, and put into conversation, both creative works and critical scholarship– 1000 words minimum or about 4 pages each.
- One (1) final project proposal/draft – 1000 words minimum or about 4 pages.
- One (1) final project – 1500 words minimum or about 6 pages.
- One (1) final examination – Thursday, May 11, 2017 @ 9:45AM.
Participation:
- Because this course is discussion-based, student participation is mandatory. All students are expected to engage with the course content, materials, lessons, and in conversation/discussion with peers. Those who arrive unprepared will have participation points deducted. This includes all in-class work, such as writing exercises, peer-review, group work/discussion, etc.
Attendance:
- Attendance is mandatory. Students are expected to come to class prepared with the correct materials (including any reading materials). Excessive absences will impact your course grade significantly.
Note:
The entirety of this course description is tentative and subject to change. Please contact me, Kapena Landgraf, at KAPENAML@HAWAII.EDU should you have any questions.