Provost’s General Education Course Development Grant Proposal
Proposal: English
1XX-W: Literature and the Creative Process, English Department
Katharine Capshaw Smith, Assistant Professor of English
Course and Work
Description:
This proposal seeks support for a 100-level writing course that would enable students to examine literary texts in various stages of development. By considering the choices artists make in the creative process, students will better understand how the writer’s aesthetic vision shapes evolving work and will arrive at a richer appreciation of the artistic achievement of the final publication. By examining stages of textual production – from idea, to manuscript, to revision, to book dummy, to final publication – students will appreciate the centrality of revision to the creative process. Since art is produced within a social context, students will also consider ways in which historical, biographical, cultural, and economic factors influence the evolving literary text. Requirements will include three papers (see below), quizzes, in-class participation, in-class writing, short written assignments (to be posted to WebCT’s bulletin board), and a final exam.
Course Features:
● The course will be deeply
connected to the archives and special collections at the
● Full analysis of the primary sources will take place through WebCT. During the grant period I will digitally reproduce handwritten drafts, manuscripts, and book dummies, working closely with the Dodd’s staff. Because the material will be available only through WebCT, there will be no copyright or access infringements; also, fragile texts will be preserved.[1]
● Additionally, I will digitally
reproduce salient correspondence between artists and editors, and students will
also read nonfiction essays from writers about the creative process. Creative writers from the English Department,
such as Marilyn Nelson, Samuel Pickering, and
The objectives of the
course for student learning are as follows:
1. To analyze (verbally and in writing) writers’ creative processes. 2. To understand the aesthetic properties of published literary texts. 3. To become aware of the importance of revision to creative and critical writing. 4. To understand the influence of social context on literary texts. 5. To introduce students to the significance of archival research in creating new knowledge. 6. To connect undergraduate students with the larger research mission of the University.
General Education Guidelines:
A 100-level W course designed to address the Arts and
Humanities content component (Group 1) of General Education, Literature and the
Creative Process will enhance students’ analytical skills by encouraging close
study of texts’ features as they evolve during the creative process. The course also fosters broad social
knowledge about aesthetic theory and historical context. Because the course is steeped in archival
study, it involves students in a mode of research that can be extended across
disciplines, but will apply particularly to the humanities. By studying drafts of poems, picture books,
and short stories, students will gain an
understanding of how writers produce art, and become aware of the role of
research and archival work in constructing academic knowledge.
W Course
Requirements:
1. Writing will be essential for student understanding of course content. Assignments will ask students to analyze the choices artists make when constructing texts and will allow students to engage with critical perspectives on the creative process; because students will be revising their writing, the assignments will also allow them to experience themselves the value of reshaping their prose, ideas, and approach. There will be two short papers (five pages each) and one long research paper (ten to fifteen pages), with revisions. The writing component will constitute fifty percent of the student’s grade. Failure to pass the writing component will result in course failure.
2. The primary modes of writing
instruction will be in-class instruction and extensive written commentary on
drafts of essays. Students will be
encouraged to meet with the instructor to discuss their drafts, though
conferencing will not be obligatory.
3. We will use peer editing to
workshop drafts of assignments in class.
After final versions of the drafts have been submitted, the instructor
will return them with suggestions for revision (comments will focus on content
knowledge, organization, and expressive clarity). The students will then have two weeks to
revise the assignment, and will receive comments on their revisions.
Course Relationships
and Innovations:
Literature and the Creative Process will be distinctive in several ways. It will offer a new content-based course by connecting the literary product to the creative process as a means to enhance literary analysis; it also extends the W competency offerings by asking students to reflect expressly on the role of revision to creative writing. Additionally, through archival work the course will involve students in UConn’s research identity from their first semesters as an undergraduate. The course could also serve as a bridge between English 110/111 and the English Major, particularly for those interested in creative writing or in literary research. This class would differ from the English Department’s creative writing courses (English 146, 246, 247) and publishing course (English 294) in that students will not produce or analyze their own literary texts, nor will they gain a broad sense of publishing as a field; instead, students will study the creative process of established literary figures in order to enhance their understanding of (and ability to write about) works of literature as art.
In summary, the course offers new content, a new mode of
instruction through digitized WebCT archival texts,
and a new approach that connects undergraduates to the one of the University’s
major assets, the
Course Evaluations:
In addition to evaluating student progress through grading papers and responding to student WebCT postings, I plan to involve Daniel S. Mercier of Instructional Design and Faculty Development to create surveys of student knowledge at course initiation, course mid-point, and course conclusion.
Departmental
Certification (as of
The department is aware of the proposal and resources are available for the course. I have spoken with the chair about the class; he is out of town until the first week of April. He will send an official statement of support to the GEOC office when he returns.
[1] I have
consulted with