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WHAT HAVE YOU GOTTEN YOURSELF INTO?

This quarter of creative and analytical work is designed to introduce you to a range of novels and films that engage in what we think are fascinating and complex relationships to historical fact. Weekly discussions of novels and films will provide examples and conceptual background for your own creative and critical endeavors. Our work together will emphasize an analytical process of reading and viewing these art forms and the development of specific theoretical & technical questions related to our focus on history. This same analytical work will provide some of the foundation for our creative work as we develop the tools for critiquing and revising fiction.Every week begins with an All Program Meeting on Tuesday. For the first half of the quarter, these meetings will lead right into a structured workshop designed to introduce a significant course concept or skill. Around the midpoint of the quarter, these workshops will be replaced by Project Group "Check-ins" with faculty. Small groups of students will meet with a faculty member to discuss their progress and concerns related to final projects.Every week, Wednesday and Thursday will begin with writing workshops. On Wednesdays, workshops will be small group activities, usually focused on giving each other feedback on a specific assignment. These assignments will be turned in with an articulated "revision strategy." Thursday mornings will be a seminar-group critique session led by a faculty member. Every student will have at least one opportunity to have their work discussed in this large-group format, but the emphasis is on instruction in and practice with critical techniques, not manuscript development.Every Thursday afternoon, we will watch a film together. After each film, you will be given time to record notes, ideas, and questions in your film journal. Discussion may follow. Your journal will be indispensible to you as you will need to bring significant ideas from your film journals to bear in seminar, in your analytical seminar papers, and in your synthesis papers.Every week, you will be reading a novel, often complimented by an article or other material.For the first few weeks, you will write a short analytical paper for Friday's seminar, concluding in week four with a Synthesis Paper that represents ideas from seminar and all of our learning from the first part of the quarter. In the second half, seminar papers are not required, but a second Synthesis Paper, due week eight, will take the place of the same critical process.

In place of seminar papers, the emphasis of your assigned work will be a creative project, including a proposal, research materials, outline, and drafts. The result of all of this will be a refined creative manuscript of substantial length and content.