Course Description: Good writing, sometimes, works mysteriously. For one thing, it can have a powerful and seemingly unexplainable effect on its audience, as it may ring “true” to readers so much so that they may find themselves feeling a powerful unity or kinship with the author, or feeling that the words are speaking to them specifically, evocatively. Adding to this mysterious quality, these effects of good writing can seem to be accomplished by writers with little effort—as if they were simply putting these truths down on paper, straight from thought to page. Accompanying this perception is the idea that writing is best when it is least complicated: when a writer “tells it like it is,” when she “cuts through the BS,” or writes in “plain English.” As we will find in this course, all of this is wrong (or, is at least dangerously over-simplified). In fact, good writing—and as we will see in this course, good nonfiction writing—works by disguising its own complexity. Those powerful effects mentioned in the previous paragraph may seem mysterious, effortless, and uncomplicated. When we look more closely, however, we observe in writing a high degree of intricacy and nuance—a high degree of complexity. The end result may well be simple, it may cut through the BS, and it may be plain. But, even in the most basic of sentences is great complexity. In this course, by looking more closely at this complexity of writing we will better understand how it works, and (as is a goal of the course) will become able to get behind the mystery, and become more effective writers ourselves. We’ll start out slowly, reading a variety of nonfiction work and mapping the basic contours of the prose. As the course progresses, though, we will gradually zoom in on the writing, peeling back the different layers of its function one by one, and gaining a better understanding of the way writing in all forms—from the majestic to the mundane—can move people. Along the way, we will zero in on one specific controversy: the debate over the “fabrication” of details in nonfiction work. This controversy illustrates writing’s mysterious power well, as what seems like a simple debate over the truth of remembered details exposes the way that all writing is elaborately manufactured, and, that the seemingly straightforward categories we use to classify writing are in fact tools we use to pretend this complex manufacturing does not exist.

ENG 401B/601B Advanced Nonfiction Writing

Course Info: Prerequisite(s): ENG 303 or junior standing Section 1001: M/W 1:00-2:15 Mack Social Science 241

Chris Mays Info: cmays@unr.edu Office: Frandsen 105 (775-682-6381) Hours: M/W 2:30-4:00 & by appointment

2

Student Learning Outcomes

The basic goals of the course:

Develop knowledge of basic rhetorical principles

Understand how the label “nonfiction” is applied in different situations, and why that is important to the success of the writing

Understand how to write effectively in different writing situations

Understand how writing “works” on audiences

Demonstrate a facility with language in course writing assignments

Participate vocally and thoughtfully to class discussion

Become a more effective and more ethical writer and reader

Course Learning Outcomes (as listed in the UNR general catalog)

These are the official goals of the course, with certain lines bolded for quick reference: Upon completion of this course:

Students will be able to revise effectively for style, using readers’ feedback, with attention to such qualities as clarity, concision, coherence, and variety.

Students will be able to conduct rhetorical inquiry into professional and academic contexts and purposes for advanced nonfiction writing. [note: this can mean that students will be able to understand rhetorical principles and how to apply them]

Students will be able to critically discuss key genres and documents of creative nonfiction and professional writing—such as narrative journalism, memoir, proposal, and investigative report.

Students will be able to conduct appropriate research for assigned topics and effectively incorporate research results into their creative and professional writing.

Students will be able to provide constructive response to the manuscripts of other writers.

Students will be able to list, use, and evaluate resources that assist with developing and revising nonfiction writing for various settings and publication venues. [note: while such resources can be online sites and previously published material, they can also be rhetorical concepts themselves, or they can be other people—in and out of class]

Students will be able to assemble a polished writing portfolio targeted to specific professional writing goals, using effective drafting, revision, and editing strategies in several nonfiction genres. [note: a portfolio can be constituted by the collection of essays written for this course]

Students will be able to produce oral and written reflections on ethical issues in creative nonfiction and professional writing.

While the UNR course catalog describes this course as a study of the “writing of nonfiction modes from the classical essay to contemporary imaginative prose,” as you should be able to see, this description is just the tip of the iceberg.

3

Required Texts:

Sharon Crowley & Debra Hawhee, Ancient Rhetorics for Contemporary Students (5th ed)

David Sedaris, Naked

Other short texts, either distributed in class or available online

Course Assignments and Policies

In this course, you will: read a variety of short and longer texts

write a 1-1.5 page (single spaced) response essay about one of the readings, and read your essay aloud in class

write peer-review letters

participate in peer conferences

write two longer essays, one per section of the course

revise those essays

complete a final project consisting of a rough draft, a peer conference, peer letters, and a final draft

If work is not completed on time—that means at the start of class in class on the day it is due, or by email at the time specified on the syllabus—it will be lowered by one full letter grade, and subsequently half a letter grade each additional day it is late. As well, the final project must contain all components or else it cannot receive a grade higher than a D.

Grade Percentages

Response essay 5%

Peer-review letters 7.5% (2.5% each section)

Conference participation 7.5% (2.5% each section)

Section essays (Sections 1-2) 40% (20% each)

Final Essay 40%

Note: As we move through the semester, each student will sign up for a date on which their response assignment will be due. Not every student will have the same due date for this assignment.

4

Response Essays

Each student, once during the semester, will write a response paper on one of the readings, and will read the response aloud to begin class discussion. While the format of these responses may differ (specific instructions will be given for each response), they will always be 1 to 1.5 pages in length, single spaced. These responses will be graded on a scale of 0-2, with 2 being excellent, 1 being satisfactory, and 0 being unsatisfactory. Students will sign up at the beginning of each section on the date specified for the responses available during that section.

Conferences and Peer Letters During the last week of each section, we will meet for 40 minutes in small groups to discuss rough drafts of the essay assignment for that section (group composition and scheduling will be arranged during the first few weeks of the course). Students are responsible for emailing a rough draft of their essay to everyone in their group (and emailing me a copy) by 8:00 p.m. on the Sunday prior to the last week of the section. At the start of the conference, students are responsible for having, in print form, peer letters for three members of their peer group. They should also have an extra hard copy to hand in to me. I will hand out before the first peer reviews specific examples of successful peer letters so that students will know the contours of this genre. Grading of these items will be on a credit/no credit basis; if students do not follow the assignment stipulations as discussed in class, they will not receive credit for this portion of the assignment (peer review for each essay counts for 2.5% of the final course grade).

Grading Scale for Essays

The grading scale for the major essays in the course will follow the standard UNR model. As stated in the catalog: “‘A’ the highest grade, [and] is given for work of exceptional quality. Each credit earned with a grade of ‘A’ carries 4.0 grade points.” Additionally, in this course essay grades may be used that fall in between letters (i.e. so-called “slash” grades): for example, a grade of “B+/C-“ may be assessed, and would count as halfway between a “B” and an “A”—this grade would be higher than a C+, but lower than a B-. Final course grades will not use these in between (“slash”) grades, and will adhere to the standard model that incorporates either standalone letter grades, pluses, or minuses.

Course Structure and Assignment Due Dates

The course will be divided into three sections organized around a central theme/question, with each section culminating in a separate essay relating both to the theme and to the section readings and discussions. Note: the final draft of essays 1 and 2 will be due, via email, by 8:00 pm on the SUNDAY following the last week of the section. The rough draft will be due on the Sunday one week prior. For example, the final draft of essay 1 will be due on the Sunday following week 7, the rough draft one week earlier. The final essay will be due in class the day of the final exam.

5

The basic section schedule and assignment due dates are as follows:

Section 1 (weeks 1-7, August 24th-October 9th):

Central theme: How does writing (and nonfiction writing) work?

SSeeccttiioonn 11 NNoottaabbllee DDuuee DDaatteess::

EEssssaayy 11 rroouugghh ddrraafftt dduuee:: SSuunnddaayy,, OOccttoobbeerr 44tthh ((bbyy 88::0000 pp..mm.. vviiaa eemmaaiill))

PPeeeerr ccoonnffeerreenncceess//ppeeeerr lleetttteerrss dduuee:: MMoonnddaayy,, OOccttoobbeerr 55tthh//WWeeddnneessddaayy,, OOccttoobbeerr 99tthh ((iinn ccllaassss))

EEssssaayy 11 ffiinnaall ddrraafftt dduuee:: SSuunnddaayy,, OOccttoobbeerr 1111tthh ((bbyy 88::0000 pp..mm.. vviiaa eemmaaiill))

Section 2 (weeks 8-11, October 12th-November 6th):

Central theme: What exactly is “nonfiction” writing?

SSeeccttiioonn 22 NNoottaabbllee DDuuee DDaatteess::

EEssssaayy 22 rroouugghh ddrraafftt dduuee:: SSuunnddaayy,, NNoovveemmbbeerr 11sstt ((bbyy 88::0000 pp..mm.. vviiaa eemmaaiill))

PPeeeerr ccoonnffeerreenncceess//ppeeeerr lleetttteerrss dduuee:: MMoonnddaayy,, NNoovveemmbbeerr 22nndd//WWeeddnneessddaayy,, NNoovveemmbbeerr 44tthh ((iinn ccllaassss))

EEssssaayy 22 ffiinnaall ddrraafftt dduuee:: SSuunnddaayy,, NNoovveemmbbeerr 88tthh ((bbyy 88::0000 pp..mm.. vviiaa eemmaaiill))

Section 3 (weeks 12-16 + final exam, November 9th-December 14th):

Central theme: Putting the knowledge you’ve gained into practice in your own work.

SSeeccttiioonn 33 NNoottaabbllee DDuuee DDaatteess::

FFiinnaall eessssaayy rroouugghh ddrraafftt dduuee:: SSuunnddaayy,, NNoovveemmbbeerr 2299tthh ((bbyy 88::0000 pp..mm.. vviiaa eemmaaiill))

PPeeeerr ccoonnffeerreenncceess//ppeeeerr lleetttteerrss dduuee:: MMoonn,, NNoovveemmbbeerr 3300tthh//WWeedd,, DDeecceemmbbeerr 22nndd//MMoonn,, DDeecceemmbbeerr 77tthh ((iinn ccllaassss))

FFiinnaall eexxaamm//ffiinnaall eessssaayy ffiinnaall ddrraafftt dduuee:: MMoonnddaayy,, DDeecceemmbbeerr 1144tthh,, 1100::1155--1122::1155 ((iinn ccllaassss))

The detailed daily reading and assignment schedule for each section will be discussed in class (at the beginning of each section) and made available on WebCampus. If you would like a hard copy of this schedule please ask and I will be happy to provide one.

Attendance and General Participation

Per university policy: “It is the personal responsibility of the student to consult with the instructor regarding absence from class. Students are responsible for material covered in class, and it is the student’s responsibility to arrange for the completion of all missed classroom

work.”

Per course policy, students missing over 20% of class (6 class periods) will automatically fail.

It should also be noted that missing even 10% (3 classes) will have a substantial influence on your grade (albeit unofficial influence), as the work we do in class is crucial to receiving the maximum possible grade. Thus, failure to attend class will inevitably lead to a failure to complete successfully the necessary work for the course.

6

Public Writing

The writing you do for this class is public writing; do not write about things you do not wish to be shared with others. Also, always respect others’ work that you encounter throughout this course: even if you do not agree with a classmate’s point of view, you should provide thoughtful, balanced, and constructive feedback. In general, your responses to peers’ work and comments should evince the sort of careful attention you hope to receive from them.

UNR Statement on Academic Dishonesty “Cheating, plagiarism or otherwise obtaining grades under false pretenses constitute academic dishonesty according to the code of this university. Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and penalties can include canceling a student's enrollment without a grade, giving an F for the course or for the assignment. For more details, see the University of Nevada, Reno General Catalog.”

Statement of Disability Services Any student with a disability needing academic adjustments or accommodations is requested to speak with the Disability Resource Center (Thompson Building, Suite 101) as soon as possible to arrange for appropriate accommodations. As well, all students are more than welcome to drop by during office hours or schedule an appointment to ask questions, continue discussion of these (or any other) issues, or to offer comments.

Statement on Audio and Video Recording Surreptitious or covert video-taping of class or unauthorized audio recording of class is prohibited by law and by Board of Regents policy. This class may be videotaped or audio recorded only with the written permission of the instructor. In order to accommodate students with disabilities, some students may be given permission to record class lectures and discussions. Therefore, students should understand that their comments during class may be recorded.

Statement on Online Course Evaluations Your chance to evaluate this English course will appear two weeks before the last day of classes in the form of a new course on your WebCampus home page. This new course contains only the evaluation survey. These online course evaluations are extremely important to your instructor and to the Department of English, so please take a few minutes to complete your course evaluation when it becomes available. The evaluation is completely anonymous and your comments can never be connected with your name. Instructors cannot see the evaluation course on WebCampus and will not have access to the contents of these evaluations until after final grades have been posted.

7

Office Hours

I encourage everyone to take advantage of the opportunity to receive individual feedback on the readings, ideas, or the final project for the course. While I will provide as much personal assistance as possible to each member of the class, in class, there will inevitably be times when some of you will want to further discuss something that came up in discussion or on an assignment. These are what office hours are for, and to neglect to pursue the complex issues we encounter is to miss out on a key part of the course. This is not to say that you are required to see me outside of class—some students prefer to work through the complexities of the course on their own. However, this is to say that I fully expect if you feel you could benefit from further discussion you will come to office hours. All that said, you should know that the hours posted at the beginning of this syllabus do not represent the only times I am available, and I encourage anyone who cannot meet during those hours, and wants to meet, to ask me about further availability.

The Writing Center / Academic Success Services I also encourage everyone to take advantage of the Writing Center to work one-on-one with experienced consultants trained in writing. This is no charge to go to the Writing Center, and it can be of valuable assistance in your writing as these experienced writing consultants can offer useful perspective and feedback on a variety of assignments. Your student fees cover usage of the University Writing Center (775) 784-6030 as well as the Math Center (775) 784-4422 and the Tutoring Center (775) 784-6801. All of these centers support your classroom learning; it is your responsibility to take advantage of their services. Keep in mind that seeking help outside of class is the sign of a responsible and successful student.

And Finally… Communications from instructor to students including communication of class cancellations, meeting times, or room changes will be done using the email address listed for each student on the WebCampus site for this course.

8

Eng 401B/601B: Advanced Nonfiction Writing Reading/Assignment Schedule, Weeks 1-7

Week 1 (August 24th→28th)

Day 1: Course introduction / introduction to basic course principles.

Day 2: Syllabus.

Week 2 (August 31st→September 4th)

Day 1: Sign up for the first THREE responses. Discuss first response.

Have ready Sedaris “Chipped Beef,” “A Plague of Tics,” and “Get Your Ya-Ya’s Out!”

Discuss first essay assignment: “Three things in nonfiction writing”

Day 2: Have ready Crowley and Hawhee Chapter 1 (up to “Rhetorical Activities), & section on

“Commonplaces and Ideology” (~128-140).

Audience workshop today (time permitting).

Week 3 (September 7th→11th) Monday: Labor Day Holiday

Have ready David Grann: “The Lost City of Z” (available online or on course reserves).

First response assignment due today for those who signed up.

Week 4 (September 14th→18th)

Day 1: Discuss the second response.

Sign up for small groups (for conferences); set conference schedule.

Crowley and Hawhee: Chapter 6, “Ethical Proof” (up to “Rhetorical Activities”).

Day 2: Sedaris: “Next of Kin,” “Cyclops,” “The Women’s Open,” “True Detective,”

“I Like Guys.”

Discuss first essay assignment: “Three things…”

Week 5 (September 21st→25th)

Day 1: Harriet McBryde Johnson: “Unspeakable Conversations” (available online / on

course reserves)

Second response assignment due today for those who signed up.

Exploring complexity in small sections of writing (“Major Minor Decisions” workshop)

Discuss the third response. (last two items time permitting for this day)

Day 2: Crowley and Hawhee: Chapter 11, “Imitation.”

Bring in a passage (written by someone else) you find particularly well-written.

Week 6 (September 28th→October 2nd)

Day 1: Reading TBA

Third response assignment due today for those who signed up.

Discuss possible first essay ideas.

9

Day 2: Topic/text workshop

Have your text chosen this week for the first essay (rough draft due Sunday!)

Week 7 (October 5th→October 9th)

Small group conferences, ~40 minutes each.

Rough drafts of first essay assignment must be emailed to the group and to me no

later than Sunday the 4th at 8:00 pm.

Peer letters (every student must write three) due at the start of your

scheduled conference—must be hard copies.

Final draft of first essay assignment due via email by 8:00 pm,

Sunday, October 11th.

Eng 401B/601B: Advanced Nonfiction Writing Reading/Assignment Schedule, Weeks 8-11

Week 8 (October 12th→16th)

Day 1: Sign up for the final responses. Sign up for Short Response Assignment #4.

Day 2: Have read(y) Sedaris “Dix Hill” and “Dinah, The Christmas Whore”

And (read these after Sedaris!):

AAlleexx HHeeaarrdd ““TThhiiss AAmmeerriiccaann LLiiee””

[link: http://www.newrepublic.com/article/american-lie-midget-guitar-teacher-macys-elf-and-

thetruth-about-david-sedaris] --also available on Webcampus

PPaauull FFaarrhhii ““TThhee DDaavviidd SSeeddaarriiss DDiilleemmmmaa””

[link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/david-sedariss-exaggerations-in-memoirs-

npr-nonfiction-program-raise-questions/2012/05/13/gIQAm9QONU_story.html] –also available

on Webcampus

HHaannnnaahh GGoollddffiieelldd ““TThhee AArrtt ooff FFaacctt--CChheecckkiinngg””

[link: http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-art-of-fact-checking] –also available on

Webcampus

(Note: these are all short articles! So make sure to read them all carefully)

Week 9 (October 19th→ 23rd)

Day 1: Have ready Sedaris “Planet of the Apes,” “The Incomplete Quad,” “Something For

Everyone,” “Ashes”

10

AND

DDaavvee BBrryy ““SSppeeaakk,, FFaauullttyy MMeemmoorryy:: WWhhyy MMeemmooiirr WWrriittiinngg IIss HHaarrddeerr TThhaann YYoouu TThhiinnkk””

[link: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/04/03/speak-faulty-memory-why-memoir-

writing-is-harder-than-you-think.html]

KKiimm OO’’CCoonnnnoorr ““PPeenniiss RRaayyss,, SSeellff--LLooaatthhiinngg aanndd PPssyycchhiicc VVooooddoooo:: AAuuttoobbiiooggrraapphhiiccaall

CCaarrttoooonniissttss oonn TTrruutthh aanndd LLiieess””

[link: http://www.theawl.com/2012/08/truth-and-lies-autobiographical-cartoons]

note: also be sure to read the first ~10 comments on this one

WWiilllliiaamm BBrraaddlleeyy.. ““OOppiinniioonn:: TThhee EEtthhiiccaall EExxhhiibbiittiioonniisstt’’ss AAggeennddaa:: HHoonneessttyy aanndd FFaaiirrnneessss

iinn CCrreeaattiivvee NNoonnffiiccttiioonn””

[pdf available on Webcampus].

Day 2: Have ready Friedrich Nietzsche: “On Truth and Lies in a Nonmoral Sense”

[link: http://ieas.unideb.hu/admin/file_7421.pdf] –also available on Webcampus.

Fourth response assignment due today for those who signed up.

In Class: Discuss Essay #2

Week 10 (October 26th→30th)

Day 1: Have ready Iris Marion Young Inclusion and Democracy “Chapter 1: Democracy and

Justice”

[pdf available on Webcampus]

Fourth response assignment due today for those who signed up.

Day 2: Paper Workshop: Have ready one or two paper ideas.

Have your text chosen this week for the second essay (rough draft due Sunday!)

Week 11 (November 2nd→November 6th)

Small group conferences, ~40 minutes each.

Rough drafts of first essay assignment must be emailed to the group and to me no

later than Sunday the 1st at 8:00 pm.

Peer letters (every student must write three) due at the start of your

scheduled conference—must be hard copies.

Final draft of first essay assignment due via email by 8:00 pm,

Sunday, November 8th.

11

Eng 401B/601B: Advanced Nonfiction Writing Reading/Assignment Schedule, Weeks 12-16

Week 12 (November 9th→13th)

Day 1: Intro final essay, final class section.

Day 2: Veterans Day—NO CLASS

Week 13 (November 16th→ 20th)

Day 1: In-class presentation (Zac).

Discussion: Fiction, nonfiction, perception.

Day 2: Final Essay discussion.

Have ready Tuck “Gestalt Principles in Design”; and “The Whole Is Other Than the

Sum of the Parts.”

Available via WebCampus or links here:

http://sixrevisions.com/web_design/gestalt-principles-applied-in-design/

http://www.intropsych.com/ch04_senses/whole_is_other_than_the_sum_of_the_parts.html

Week 14 (November 23rd→27th)

Day 1: Genre demonstrations/examples shown: short, medium, long.

Day 2: Topic/Essay Workshop

Week 15+16+Final Exam (November 30th→December 2nd→December 7th→December 14th)

Small group conferences, ~40 minutes each.

Rough drafts of first essay assignment must be emailed to the group and to me no

later than Sunday the 29th at 8:00 pm.

Peer letters (every student must write two) due at the start of your

scheduled conference—must be hard copies.

Final draft of first essay assignment due IN CLASS during the final exam period:

Monday, December 14th 10:15-12:15.