Sometimes assignments are due between sessions. These are not marked with a session number, and are on their own lines, under the KEY DATES column.
| SES # | TOPICS | KEY DATES |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to the Course: Why Write Autobiographically? | Distribute: Introductory materials: (syllabus, in-class writing exercise, first reading and writing assignments) |
| 2 | Beginning to Tell Our Stories | Due: Introductory exercise - Beginning To Tell Your Story |
| Due: Writer’s Letter Assignment | ||
| 3 | Crafting the Self: Experience and the Shaping Of Identity; Writer and Audience | Due: Homework exercise on Walker |
| 4 | Crafting the Self: Experience and the Shaping Of Identity | Due: Homework exercise on Orwell |
| 5 | Family Relationships, Language, Legitimacy and the Writer’s Craft |
Due: Homework exercise on Tan |
| Due: Essay 1 | ||
| 6 | Workshop: Essay 1 | Due: Marked-up essays and comment letters for classmates |
| 7 | The Self and the Community | Due: Homework exercise on Edelman and Marin |
| Due: Proposals for oral presentation topics | ||
| 8 | Work and Education |
Due: Homework exercise on Douglass and Nelson Bring five copies of Proposal / Paragraph, Essay 2 |
| 9 | Work: Creativity and Integrity |
Due: Homework exercise on Witherspoon Peer review: Proposal, Essay 2 (2 paragraphs) |
| 10 | Self-Writing / Speaking: Captivity and Advocacy (1) | Due: Homework exercise on Frank |
| 11 | Self-Writing / Speaking: Captivity and Advocacy (2) | Due: Homework exercise on King |
| Due: Essay 2 | ||
| 12 | Workshop I (Large Group): Essay 2 | |
| 13 | Workshop II (Small Groups): Essay 2 | Bring review letters and marked-up essays |
| 14 |
How to Tell a Story of War or Struggle: Writing About Groups Oral Presentations |
Due: Homework exercise on O’Brien |
| 15 | How to Tell a Survival Story | Due: Homework exercise on Eggers |
| 16 | Oral Presentations | |
| 17 | Writing About Illness (1) | |
| 18 |
Writing About Illness (2) Oral Presentations |
Due: Homework exercise on Ehrenreich Bring four copies of Proposal / Paragraph, Essay 3 |
| Due: Revision of Essay 1 with commented-on first version and cover letter | ||
| 19 | Writing About Mental Illness (1) | Due: Homework exercise on Kaysen |
| Due: Essay 3, Version 1 | ||
| 20 | Workshop: Essay 3 | Due: Marked-up essays and comment letters for classmates |
| 21 |
Writing about Mental Illness (2) Oral Presentations |
Due: Homework exercise on Thompson |
| 22 | Writing About Mental Illness: Autobiographically Inspired Fiction / Beyond the Known: Autobiographical Travel Writing | Due: Homework exercise on Gilman |
| Due: Revision of Essay 2 with commented-on first version and cover letter | ||
| 23 | Workshop: Essay 4 |
Due: Essay 4, Version 1 Bring five copies |
| 24 | Beyond the Known: Autobiographical Travel Writing (cont.) / The Challenge of Closure in Autobiography | |
| 25 | Online Course Evaluations | |
| 26 | Course Overview / Celebration | Due: Final Submissions of Essays 3 and 4 |
