Policies and Assignments

"I want you to act as if the house is on fire, because it is."
— Greta Thunberg

This is a writing-intensive class: you will be expected to write a lot and regularly, bring writing into workshop, and comment thoughtfully and helpfully on others’ work. Readings will be assigned, which we will discuss each session. The typical class session may include workshop, close reading, technical discussion, experiential learning, or writing exercises. You will also be required to meet with a course mentor at least once during the semester to discuss your ongoing writing.

All of the course readings are in books, online, or on Canvas. If the reading is online, you are strongly encouraged to print it out and bring it to class in hard copy. Whatever the reading is, you will be expected to come to class prepared to discuss it in depth.

Your main research and writing effort this semester will be a 3000–6000 word research-based creative nonfiction essay oriented toward the general reader, on some specific aspect of climate change, addressing in some respect the ideas of “nature,” the “human,” faith or norms, and “integral ecology.”  Creative responses utilizing innovative literary techniques are encouraged. Through the last weeks of the course, you will build your story piece by piece, writing a pitch, an outline, an annotated bibliography, and a first draft, then revising that draft through rigorous peer workshop. This paper must include:

• A topic relevant to your readers (i.e., your peers in workshop)
• A research component (this can take various forms: interview, investigative research, oral history, scholarly research, scientific or empirical research, or sustained observation)
• An arc (need not be traditional or conventional, nor even necessarily narrative, but the piece needs a shape and it needs to go somewhere

You will be responsible for the following graded assignments: 

• Paper #1 (10 pts): What is Nature? (Literary Criticism and Close Reading): What does nature mean in Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation? How do some of the other texts we’ve read help make sense of or complicate the way we understand nature in Area X? Write a 1250–1500 word essay that explores nature in Annihilation, substantially drawing on at least two other texts we have read (in a comparative, critical, or expository way).
• Paper #1 Revision (10 pts): A substantial revision of paper #1, made in light of workshop and instructor feedback. Your revision must include a two to three paragraph description of the changes you made. 
• Paper #2 (10 pts): Confession (Personal Essay): Write a personal essay or “confession” of 1500–2000 words about your relationship with nature. Reflect on your own faith or non-faith and consider how that connects to your relationship to nature. Include a discussion of Laudato Si’ and make an argument or defend a position about how the Encyclical affects your relationship to nature.
• Six Canvas Posts (12 pts): You will be responsible for six assigned one or two-page reading responses. Your reading responses need to be posted in the appropriate forum on Canvas by 11:59pm on the day they are due (i.e., the day before discussion). You should respond in terms of style, structure, content, and use of evidence, citing specific examples. Your responses will be graded as excellent (+), ok, or minus (–), corresponding to 2 pts, 1.7 pts, or 1.5 pts each.
• Discussion and Participation (8 pts): You will be graded on how well and how often you participate. You should be prepared to speak thoughtfully about the readings and your peers’ work in every single discussion and workshop, and also be prepared to respond and ask questions in lecture. 
• Final Paper (50 pts total, see breakdown below): Your main effort this semester will be a 3000–6000 word research-based creative nonfiction essay oriented toward the general reader, on some specific aspect of climate change, addressing in some respect the ideas of “nature,” the “human,” faith or norms, and “integral ecology.”  Creative responses utilizing innovative literary techniques are encouraged. Put concretely, the basic elements of that paper include: a topic relevant to your readers (i.e., your peers in workshop); a research component (this can take various forms: interview, investigative research, oral history, scholarly research, scientific or empirical research, or sustained observation); an arc (need not be traditional or conventional, nor even necessarily narrative, but the piece needs a shape and it needs to go somewhere). Your final paper will be written in several steps, each of which will constitute a distinct assignment. These include:
  • Pitch (5 pts): A one-page, single-space synopsis of your proposed story, including a hook, a description, a paragraph describing how you intend to report or research the piece, and some argument for the piece’s relevance and urgency. Approximately 300–500 words.
  • Annotated Bibliography (5 pts): A short bibliography of at least four outside works (articles, essays, books, chapters, poems, etc.), with brief annotations describing each work.
  • Outline (5 pts): A three-page outline of your essay.
  • First Page (5pts): The first page of your final essay.
  • Final Paper Clean Draft (15 pts): A clean and edited draft of your essay. Neither a first draft nor a rough draft, this should represent your best efforts.
  • Revision of Final Paper (15 pts): A substantial revision of your clean draft, made in light of workshop and instructor feedback. Your revision must include a two to three paragraph description of the changes you made. 

Labor Based Grading

The single most important factor affecting your this course is student effort. Your grade is not based on how imaginative you are or how capably you can toss off literary bon mots. Your grade will be determined by whether you turn the work in on time, whether you meet word count, whether you edit and proofread, and whether your writing shows care, attention, and thoughtful reflection. You will need to spend time on your writing. You will need to revise your writing. You will need to do the reading and talk about it in class. But if you do all those things and show honest effort, then not only will you get at least a “B” in the course, you will also come out of the course a better writer.  

Please note:

• You must turn in clean copy. That means 1-inch margins, a readable 12-point font, double-spaced, and edited for spelling and grammar. Include your word count at the top of your first page, along with your name. Your story should be uploaded to Canvas, either as a Microsoft Word doc, a Google doc, or a txt file. Make sure the file can be edited (do not lock it), since this is how your instructor will offer feedback. The file name of your story should adhere to the following format: "YOUR NAME STORY1 DRAFT" or "YOUR NAME STORY1 REVISION."
• Building on your work. Pitches and outlines are part of your process: think of them more as sketches than as blueprints. The role of such writing tools is to help get your work to the next level, so feel free to surpass or abandon them as you go. As well, your Canvas posts function in the same way. Think of them as opportunities to try out ideas, develop your thought, and  
• Late assignments: Assignments are due when they are due. Assignments will be marked down a third of a grade (e.g., from a B+ to a B) each day they are late; work will not be accepted more than a week after the due date. 
• Office hours: My office hours are from 1–3pm on Wednesdays, by appointment. My office is Decio 215, or we can meet by Zoom. I’m available to talk about your work in the class, course content, and general academic and career questions. I’m available to all students in the class. Please also consider meeting with your section TA.
• Extra Credit for Literary and Climate Change Events: You can earn 1 point of extra credit for each literary event or climate change-related event that you attend (either in person or remotely) during the semester and write a response to.

Attendance

Any absence without a signed document verifying that the absence is excused in accordance with University of Notre Dame policy (see below) is unexcused. You are allowed one unexcused absence for the semester. Each additional unexcused absence will lower your final grade by a third of a grade, e.g., from A– to B+, or from C to C–. More than three unexcused late arrivals will count as an unexcused absence. 

As per University Policy, absences may be excused in the following situations. Documentation signed by a University official or relevant witness is required.

3.1.3.1 Participation in a university authorized activity. Such notification will come from Student Affairs, Academic Services for Student-Athletes, or the Chair of the Faculty Board on Athletics. 

3.1.3.2 Death or major illness of a member of a student’s immediate family. Immediate family includes: mother, father, sister, brother, grandparents, spouse, child, spouse’s child, spouse’s parents, spouse’s grandparents, stepmother, step-father, step-sister, step-brother, step-grandparents, grandchild, step-grandchild, and legal guardian. In extraordinary circumstances, the Office of Student Affairs may deem it appropriate to approve an excused absence in the case of death or major illness of other persons beyond this definition of immediate family. In all cases, the Office of Student Affairs will be given the final authority to make this judgment and will be charged with notifying all parties concerned. 

3.1.3.3 Participation in off-campus legal proceedings or administrative procedures that require a student’s presence. 

3.1.3.4 Religious holy day. 

3.1.3.5 Injury or illness that a health services provider verifies could have an adverse academic impact. The University Health Services (UHS), the University Counseling Center (UCC), or an off-campus health services provider can provide verification only if those providers are involved in the medical or psychological care of the student. The verification must contain the date and time of the in-person visit occasioned by the injury or illness and the anticipated duration of the absence. The verification must be presented to the instructor no later than two business days after the absence period concludes, although the student or someone authorized to act on the student’s behalf should attempt to notify a professor of a medical condition necessitating absence from class as soon as possible. An absence for illness of an ongoing or chronic nature must be approved and managed through the Office of Disability Services in order to be considered excused. 

3.1.3.6 Required participation in military duties including required ROTC training and medical examinations. 
3.1.3.7 Seniors with mandatory admission interviews for professional or graduate school, or post-graduate employment interviews that cannot be rescheduled. Instructors must be notified at least one week in advance of the absence, and the student must provide proof that the interview cannot be rescheduled. No more than two interviews per semester can qualify as an excused absence. Students are reminded that it is their responsibility to manage scheduling of such interviews to minimize class absences, and to use fall, Christmas and spring breaks for scheduling such interviews whenever possible.

Please let me know in advance of any anticipated excused absences (such as serious illness or University service). In the case of emergencies, alert me to your situation as soon as possible and make sure to follow up after. Your participation grade will reflect your attendance and engagement in class.

Honor Code

This class follows the binding Code of Honor at Notre Dame. The graded work you do must be your own. In cases where you collaborate with other students, make sure to fairly attribute their contribution to your project. The work of others must be cited, even in cases of artistic re-appropriation. Notre Dame students are expected to abide by their pledge to uphold the Academic Code of Honor: "As a member of the Notre Dame community, I will not participate in or tolerate academic dishonesty." (http://honorcode.nd.edu/the-honor-code/)

Students with Disabilities

The University is required to provide reasonable accommodations for the known limitations of otherwise qualified students with disabilities. Thus, students with disabilities must register with the Sara Bea Disability Services ("Disability Services") to qualify for reasonable academic accommodations. Students with questions about this process should consult with their facilitator or the Coordinator of Disability Services. Please let me know if you need accommodation.

Health and Safety Protocols (COVID Prevention)

In this class, as elsewhere on campus, students must comply with all University health and safety protocols. We are part of a community of learning in which compassionate care for one another is part of our spiritual and social charter. Consequently, compliance with these protocols is an expectation for everyone enrolled in this course. If a student refuses to comply with the University’s health and safety protocols, the student must leave the classroom and will earn an unexcused absence for the class period and any associated assignments/assessments for the day. Persistent deviation from expected health and safety guidelines may be considered a violation of the University’s “Standards of Conduct,” as articulated in du Lac: A Guide for Student Life, and will be referred accordingly.

Privacy Practices in This Course

This course is a community built on trust: in order to create the most effective learning experience, our interactions, discussions, and course activities must remain private and free from external intrusion. As members of this course community, we have obligations to each other to preserve privacy and cultivate fearless inquiry. We are also obliged to respect the individual dignity of all and to refrain from actions that diminish others’ ability to learn. Please note the following course principles:

• Using learning materials: Course materials are for use in this course only. You may not upload them to external sites, share with students outside of this course, or post them for public commentary without my written permission. 
• Recording class sessions: Students are prohibited from recording class sessions without the explicit written permission of the instructor. The instructor may record class meetings to support remote students and to provide everyone in the class with useful study aids. These recordings may be made available through Canvas. The University strictly prohibits anyone from duplicating, downloading, or sharing live class recordings with anyone outside of this course, for any reason. 
• Sharing student information: Our materials and activities may provoke argument or spirited discussion; some of us may volunteer sensitive personal information.  Do not share others’ personal information on sensitive topics outside of our course community. Student work, discussion posts, and all other forms of student information related to this course are private. 
• Sharing course information with others: Sharing private information about our course community (including discussions, activities, presentations, student work, etc.) with others for the purpose of inviting external attention, intrusion, ridicule, or harassment is an egregious breach of trust.

Violating these principles will be considered a violation of the Academic Code of Honor and handled appropriately.

Content Advisory

The material in this course and your peers’ writing will deal with various discomfiting aspects of human existence, possibly including species extinction, global ecological collapse, displacement, genocide, death, violence, sexual violence, racism, sexism, drug abuse, colonialism, existential despair, cruelty, depression, disease, radiation poisoning, mental illness, aggression, guilt, and general physical suffering. Some of the material may be challenging. Much of it is intense. None of it is optional. In this course, we will read everything together and we will talk about it together. If you don’t like a certain text, if you find it overwhelming or disturbing or frightening or offensive, I invite you to bring those feelings and concerns into the classroom and articulate them in discussion with your peers. Learning to talk about difficult topics is basically the whole point of a liberal arts education, as I see it.

Workshop Ethics

Workshop is a sacred space for creation, discussion, disagreement, experimentation, failure, questioning, and learning. We must protect that sacred space by approaching each other’s work with compassion, curiosity, good faith, and self-restraint. The workshop is a place to help each other think more deeply and broadly about our work, in which we each have the opportunity to see our work through others’ eyes. In order to respect the vulnerability each participant offers to the community in workshop, we need to be constructive and respectful when we approach each other’s work. We must focus our discussion on the work, not the author, and we need to read that work with generosity, assuming the author has a vision for their project, however illegible it might be to us. We must recognize that while conventions of literary and linguistic practice form the rules that make communication possible, breaking those rules is often the beginning of new thought. We must approach each other in the recognition that any one of us might be capable of acts of grace and genius—even ourselves.