Writing Fiction I, II, & III English 237, 238, and 239 Syllabi *(Combined) Fall 2014

Writing Fiction I, II, & III English 237, 238, and 239 Syllabi *(Combined) Fall 2014

Writing Fiction I, II, & III
English 237, 238, and 239 Syllabi *(combined)
Fall 2014

Course Information

  • Instructor: Rhonda Gilliam
  • E-mail:
  • Phone: (425) 564-2123
  • Office location: B-200F
  • Office Hours: (on-campus) 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. (Tuesday & Thursday only) & (online) noon to 1 pm (Monday and Wednesday)

*Please note that Canvas lists this class as ENGL 237 only. It's a software limitation. We are all doing the same work, so please note that this one website is for all three classes.

Books Required

You are not required to purchase books. All reading will come from lectures on the website or internet sources. If you REALLY want to purchase a book, buy the following book which is an excellent book on revising and editing:

Rand, Ken.The 10% Solution.Fairwood Press, Seattle. (ISBN: 0966818407)The bookstore does not have this book because it is NOT required. However, you can get a copy easily on Amazon or at Barnes & Nobles. It costs about $10 and is an excellent book about revision and editing your writing.

My Expectations

  1. Iexpect that you will participate in all class activities, whether individually or in groups, as assigned on the class calendar, instructional pages and the syllabus.
  2. I expect that you come to this class with some basic readings skills, such as
  3. the ability to identify most main points and key information in a text (i.e. the literal meaning of the text)
  4. the ability to distinguish a main idea from a less important idea
  5. the ability to recognize obvious symbolism and other inferences
  6. the ability to write using the conventions of modern English grammar and mechanics
  7. I expect that you will "attend" class at least 5 days each week.
  8. I expect that you will participate inALLclass activities. Every quarter someone who has failed to participate fully asks me for an incomplete or for an extra credit assignment. Here are my policies in these areas:
  9. Incomplete (I) grades: I give an incomplete in the following situation ONLY: (1) the student has completed 80% of the coursework, and (2) the student has a verifiable medical or family emergency that prevents him/her from completing the coursework on time.
  10. Extra credit: I do not assign extra credit for any reason unless I decide to offer it to the entire class; I rarely offer extra credit in this class.Furthermore,if a student has failed to participate fully in the rest of the class, I donotpermit extra credit to be submitted so that the student can pass.
  11. I expect that you will be responsible tosave and backup your assignment files, so that in the event of some computer catastrophe, you will still be able to produce the work on time as requested. In case you have a computer emergency, I also expect that you will have a realistic and reliable backup plan of where you can access a computer in order to submit class work on time. Please make these arrangements ahead of time, so that you are not stressed out if something should happen to your computer.
  12. I expect that you will be courteous and respectful to everyone in the class.Please write your critiques with care and courtesy; constructive feedback is the best. Keep in mind that even if you're thick-skinned, some of your classmates are not and shouldn't have to be. So balance your honest assessment with positive comments. You are a writer, so choose your words carefully. Any student who seriously disrupts the learning environment of our class will be referred to the College Disciplinary Officer and asked to withdraw.
  13. I am available for face-to-face conferences on your work if we can arrange a mutually convenient time to meet on campus. Otherwise, e-mail or phone conferences may be scheduled.

Course Outcomes

  • Distinguish between plot and story
  • Create believable characters through description, action, scene, and dialogue
  • Show, rather than tell, by using specific details, naming nouns and strong, active verbs
  • Develop scenes
  • Establish and sustain a point of view
  • Create and sustain tension
  • Control sentence structure, length and word choice to create a particular tone and mood
  • Critique, revise and edit works in progress

How Outcomes will be Met

I have created the following assignments to help you meet these outcomes:

  1. Read instructional material from our class website and from the internet.
  2. Participate in weekly class reading discussions.
  3. Complete weekly homework assignment.
  4. Review stories posted by others.
  5. Write and revise two (2) short stories.

Grading

Assignments and Grades:

  • Discussions: 80 points (8 reading discussions @ 10 points each)
  • Writing Workshop Feedback: 60 points (6 workshop reviews @ 10 points each)
  • Homework Assignments: 160 points (8 homework assignments @ 20 points each)
  • Short Story 1: 100 points (original, work-shopped and revised draft)
  • Short Story 2: 100 points (original, work-shopped and revised draft)

Total Points for the Course: 500 points

IMPORTANT POLICIES

Late Policy:

Assignments submitted after the due date listed the monthly course calendar will lose 10% of their total points per 24 hour period that they are late. I will not accept late assignments if they arrivemore than 72 hoursafter the original due date/time.

Grading Policies:

Check out BC’s Grading Policies (see page 10 of the Course Catalog) and also on the web at:

Student Code:

“Cheating, stealing and plagiarizing (using the ideas or words of another as one’s own without crediting the source) and inappropriate/disruptive classroom behavior are violations of the Student Code of Conduct at Bellevue College. Examples of unacceptable behavior include, but are not limited to: talking out of turn, arriving late or leaving early without a valid reason, allowing cell phones/pagers to ring, and inappropriate behavior toward the instructor or classmates. The instructor can refer any violation of the Student Code of Conduct to the Vice President of Student Services for possible probation or suspension from Bellevue College. Specific student rights, responsibilities and appeal procedures are listed in the Student Code of Conduct, available in the office of the Vice President of Student Services.”

The Student Code, Policy 2050, in its entirety is located at:

My Plagiarism Policy:

I expect honesty. I expect that you will do your own work, that you will neither do work for others nor use work done by others. Cheating and/or plagiarizing will not be tolerated. Plagiarizing is cheating, as is copying answers on a test, glancing at nearby test papers, swapping papers, buying papers, using ideas from other sources without proper documentation, writing papers for others, or having them written for you.

Do not get caught using other people's ideas or words. If you cheat or plagiarize, the following actions will be taken:

  • You will receive a grade of "0" on the work (period).
  • A report of the incident will be filed in the Dean of Students Office. This report may become part of your permanent record or the Dean may choose to pursue further disciplinary action.

A good resource for plagiarism can be found at this link:

IMPORTANT RESOURCES

Student E-Mail and Access to MyBC

All students registered for classes at Bellevue College are entitled to a network and e-mail account.Your student network account can be used to access your student e-mail, log in to computers in labs and classrooms, connect to the BC wireless network and log in toMyBC.Please note that Faculty are required to communicate with students through their BC College Email.To create your account, go to:

To access the MyBC student portal, where you access student e-mail and the campus network, go to the BC homepage: the top of the web page, look for the MyBC link and click on it. Use your student e-mail address and password to access MyBC.

Disability Resource Center (DRC)

The Disability Resource Center serves students with a wide array of learning challenges and disabilities. If you are a student who has a disability or learning challenge for which you have documentation or have seen someone for treatment and if you feel you may need accommodations in order to be successful in college, please contact us as soon as possible.

If you are a person who requires assistance in case of an emergency situation, such as a fire, earthquake, etc, please meet with your individual instructors to develop a safety plan within the first week of the quarter.

If you are a student with a documented autism spectrum disorder, there is an additional access program available to you. r 425.564.2764. ASN is located in the Library Media Center in D125.

The DRC office is located in B132 or you can call our reception desk at 425.564.2498. Deaf students can reach us by video phone at 425-440-2025 or by TTY at 425-564-4110. Please visit our website for application information into our program and other helpful links at

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Site Created and Maintained by R. Gilliam
Last Updated: 9/05/2014

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