Course Overview
New for 2022!
This course is designed to introduce students to three genres of creative writing: poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction (along mixed literary forms), as well as the craft and skills needed to write effectively in each. We will spend approximately two weeks on each genre.
On Mondays and Tuesdays, our class will function as a discussion seminar. For these meetings, students will read and discuss published work and complete in class writing exercises. The goal here is to learn to read and as writers, not critics. We’ll focus on the techniques of evocative, compelling writing across all literary genres (e.g. narration, significant detail, sound, image, metaphor, simile, voice, tone, structure, dialogue, characterization, and revision). More simply: what makes writing good? What makes something fun/moving/exciting to read? How did the writer do that? While some readings will draw from literary history, our primary focus will be on contemporary work made by authors living and writing today. Some of them may even visit class to talk about their work and answer questions.
On Thursdays, our focus will shift. Students will share their original work in a writer’s workshop format. Writers being workshopped will submit their pieces to class on Tuesdays, allowing students to read their classmate’s pieces on the off day. While this is an opportunity to provide constructive feedback, it’s also a chance to celebrate what the writer being workshopped already is doing well. Everyone will have the opportunity to share a poem, story, and non-fiction piece.
Finally, our last week of class will include a day on revision and publication.
All students who successfully complete the course will receive a Certificate of Completion and have the opportunity to request a Syracuse University credit transcript.
Course Objectives
- Gain familiarity with the structure and practice of a writing workshop.
- Develop a basic craft understanding of how poems, stories, and creative essays work.
- Produce original poetry, fiction, and non-fiction.
- Polish and revise one creative piece.
- Learn nuts and bolts of submitting work to online and print magazines.
- Develop technical skills to make telling the stories one wants to tell easier.
“I loved building a connection with my TA and classmates, and spending time working on a subject I’m passionate about.”
— Ryan W., Summer College – Online Student 2021
Course Information
Course Prefix and Number: ENG 105
Format: On Location: Los Angeles (Sherman Oaks), California (commuter, only)
Eligibility: Students must be of rising high school junior or senior status – or a 2022 high school graduate. Students must be able to commute to and from the Sherman Oaks, CA location for class.
Credit: 3 credits
Grading: A-F
Cost:
- Commuter, only: $2,985
Program rates are subject to change and will be approved by the board of trustees. Discounts and scholarships are also available.
Program Information
Summer College – On Location: Experience what college is really like in one of Syracuse University’s homes on the west or east coasts!
Course Dates and Details
| Program | Course Dates | Location | Class Time (Eastern Time) | Credit/Noncredit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summer College – On Location | 6-Week Session: July 5 – Aug. 11, 2022 | Los Angeles (Sherman Oaks), CA | MTTh; 3-5:30 p.m. | 3 credits | Closed |
Course Requirements
Supplies
Students should budget for required textbooks and supplies.
Typical Day
Tentative Schedule
Students will be required to attend classes on dates on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays from 3 to 5:30 p.m.
Faculty Bios
Jackson Frons
Jackson Frons has an MFA in fiction from Syracuse University and a degree in English and American Literature form Middlbury College. His stories and essays have appeared in the Washington Square Review, Hobart, and the Nervous Breakdown, among others. In his courses at Syracuse he tries to expose students to a variety of styles and approaches to craft, in order to help them develop their own relationship to language and expression. He grew up in the San Fernando Valley, not far from the SU LA campus, but took a ten year break from Los Angeles, living in Vermont, Brooklyn, and upstate New York.