Shanghai Lost and Found: Spring 2010
New York University A Private University in the Public Service
Class Title Shanghai Lost and Found Listed as “Creative Writing” C39.9815003/K.9501001 4 points Instructor Name: David Perry Contact Information Class Time Tuesday, 5:00‐8:00 Course This is a creative writing class for students looking to turn the raw Description material of their experience and imagination into compelling writing.
We’ll work with a range of forms and genres, focusing on short fiction, creative nonfiction, travel writing and poetry, with an emphasis on writing about the dizzying experience of life in one of the world’s most dynamic, exciting—and occasionally bewildering— cities, Shanghai. We’ll also consider hybrid forms and look at how the Web is facilitating new ways of writing and reading, using the zaiShanghai.org group blog as a space to experiment with writing in the age of the Internet.
Students will explore the city in both a literary and literal sense, reading what great writers have written about Shanghai while directly exploring it themselves.
In addition to learning from texts that deal directly with Shanghai and China, we’ll consider writing as writing and study exemplary short works by writers from around the world, focusing on methods and forms particularly suited to capturing something essential of one’s unique experience in China.
Finally, students will have the opportunity to publish work in zaiShanghai, the NYU‐in‐Shanghai annual print magazine, and online at zaiShanghai.org, a frequently updated NYU‐in‐Shanghai webzine.
No previous creative writing experience necessary. Course To write, read and discuss texts that use your individual Objectives experiences of Shanghai as a focal point in the broader pursuit of developing your writing skills.
New York University in Shanghai Shanghai Lost and Found: Spring 2010
To gain a better understanding of Shanghai’s cultural history, future‐oriented present, and the unique roles the city has played in the interpenetrating stories of China and “the West”—and to use what you learn to help you write your own accounts of what it means for you to be here now. To sharpen your critical eye by reading and critiquing the work of other students in frequent workshops. You will also present your work for constructive critique
Grading Attendance, discussion, workshop participation: 35% Components Individual writing assignments (including blogging): 35% Final Portfolio (three workshopped longer pieces or collections of shorter pieces): 30%
Grading A: Excellent performance showing a thorough knowledge and Expectations understanding of the topics of the course; all work includes clear, logical explanations, insight, and original thought and reasoning. B: Good performance with general knowledge and understanding of the topics; all work includes general analysis and coherent explanations showing some independent reasoning, reading and research. C: Satisfactory performance with some broad explanation and reasoning; the work will typically demonstrate an understanding of the course on a basic level. D: Passable performance showing a general and superficial understanding of the course’s topics; work lacks satisfactory insight, analysis or reasoned explanations. F: Unsatisfactory performance in all assessed criteria. Required We will leave the classroom on occasion to engage directly with the Activities city as part of writing exercises, to learn something about Shanghai’s literary culture and history, and to take advantage of any events relevant to our class (for example, Shanghai Literary Festival talks or other readings given by visiting authors). Some individual writing assignments may also require students to go to locations in Shanghai for site‐specific investigation Suggested Optional and suggested trips and events will be discussed Activities throughout the semester. Attendance NYU in Shanghai has a strict policy about course attendance that Policy allows no unexcused absences. Each unexcused absence will result in the deduction of three percentage points from the final grade. More than two unexcused absences will result in failure of the course. All
New York University in Shanghai Shanghai Lost and Found: Spring 2010
absences due to illness require a signed doctor’s note from a local facility as proof that you have been ill and have sought treatment for that illness. All absence requests and excuses must be discussed with the Academic Support Coordinator. Non‐illness absences must be discussed with the Academic Support Coordinator or the Program Director prior to the date(s) in question.
Students should contact their instructors to catch up on missed work but should not approach them for excused absences. If you must miss class (for any reason), the Academic Support Coordinator will determine whether or not it is an unexcused absence. If your absence is not excusable, you risk missing class as a detriment to your grade.
Students are expected to arrive to class promptly both at the start of class and after breaks. The Academic Assistant will check attendance 15 minutes after class begins. Arriving more than 15 minutes late or leaving more than 10 minutes early will be considered an unexcused absence.
Unexcused absences from exams are not permitted and will result in failure of the exam. If you are granted an excused absence from an exam by the Academic Support Coordinator, your instructor will decide how you will make up the exam.
This attendance policy also applies for classes involving a field trip or other off‐campus visit. It is the student’s responsibility to arrive at the agreed meeting point on time.
There will be no adjustment of attendance records after the end of the semester. If you wish to contest a marked absence, you must do so before you leave Shanghai; so if you think that there may be a discrepancy about your attendance in class on a given day, ask the NYU in Shanghai academic staff to let you look at the attendance record. Submission of Written work due in class must be submitted during class time. Late Work Late work should be submitted in person to the Academic Support Coordinator during regular office hours (9:30‐6:00, Monday‐Friday). The Academic Support Coordinator will mark down the date and time of submission in the presence of the student. In the absence of the Academic Support Coordinator, another member of the
New York University in Shanghai Shanghai Lost and Found: Spring 2010
administrative staff can accept the work in person, following the same protocol.
Work submitted within five weekdays will be penalized one portion of a grade for every day that it is late (so if it is late by one day, an assignment marked an “A” will be changed to an “A‐,” and so on). Work submitted more than five days after the due date without an agreed extension will be given a zero.
Please note that final essays must be submitted on time. Plagiarism Plagiarism: the presentation of another person’s words, ideas, Policy judgment, images or data as though they were your own, whether intentionally or unintentionally, constitutes an act of plagiarism.
Students must retain an electronic copy of their work until final grades are posted on Albert. They must be prepared to supply an electronic copy if requested to do so by NYU in Shanghai. Not submitting a copy of their work upon request will result in automatic failure in the assignment and possible failure in the class.
Penalties for confirmed cases of plagiarism are set out in the Academic Guide. Required Text(s) A course packet will be provided the second week of class that will include texts by Eileen Chang, Grace Paley, Yiyun Li, Paul Theroux, Peter Hessler, Ma Jian, Bei Dao, “short‐short” stories collected in Loud Sparrows: Little Stories From Big China, Ezra Pound, Mian Mian, Du Fu, Li Bai, Frank O’Hara, Jack Kerouac, Chen Dongdong, Ed Go, Joan Didion, Zachary Mexico, Elizabeth Bishop, Tao Lin, excerpts from The Best American Travel Writing, excerpts from Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six‐Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure , and more.
Eileen Chang, Lust, Caution. (68 pp., paperback).
One book by a Shanghai Literary Festival author (to be determined)
Ang Lee’s film adaptation of Lust, Caution (DVD viewed in class).
Selected mp3 files of readings, performances and discussions of works by various authors. (Provided via email; students should be able to listen on computer or mp3 player). Supplemental Full copies of many of the books from which works we read are taken
New York University in Shanghai Shanghai Lost and Found: Spring 2010
Text(s) will be available in the NYU in Shanghai library. Class 1 Course introduction March 2nd In‐class writing Workshop practice round Shanghai Literary Festival overview
Read for next class: Eileen Chang (Zhang Ailing), “From the Mouths of Babes” Anonymous, “Anonymous” Write for next class: Anecdote, memory, narrative Class 2 Pick up course reading packet March 9th Discuss Chang Workshop Anonymous Read and discuss examples of student work Shanghai Literary Festival assignments
Read for next class: Eileen Chang, “Seeing with the Streets,” “With the Women on the Tram” and “Sealed Off” Write for next class: Seeing with the streets (blog post) Class 3 Discuss Chang March 16th Read for next class: Peter Hessler, “Wheels of Fortune”; Yiyun Li, “Passing Through”, Shanghai Literary Festival assignment (TBD) Write for next class: Shanghai Literary Festival report (blog post) Class 4 Discuss Hessler, Yiyun Li March 23rd Discuss Literary Festival assignments
Read for next class: Literary Festival assignments, student work for workshop Write for next class: Draft of portfolio piece 1; travel, city or SLF report blog post Study Break Week‐long Study Break: Friday, March 26th‐Sunday, April 4th Class 5 Workshop 1 April 6th Read for next class: Grace Paley, ʺSomewhere Elseʺ Write for next class: Writing the city (blog post) Class 6 Discuss Paley Makeup Day Friday, April 9th Read for next class: Paul Theroux, “Shanghai Express” Write for next class: Revised portfolio piece 1, character study
New York University in Shanghai Shanghai Lost and Found: Spring 2010
Class 7 Discuss Theroux April 13th Read for next class: Short‐short story selections from Silent Sparrows: Contemporary Chinese Short-Shorts, Paul Theroux short- short stories Write for next class: Short‐short stories Class 8 Discuss readings April 20th Discuss student work
Read for next class: Student work for workshop Write for next class: Portfolio piece 2 draft Class 9 Workshop 2 April 27th Write for next class: Portfolio piece # 2 revisions, travel blog post Read for next class: Eileen Chang, Lust, Caution May Holiday Week‐long May Holiday vacation: Friday, April 30th‐Sunday, May 9th Class 10 View Lust, Caution and discuss (class may end 10‐15 minutes May 11th late; pizza will be provided)
Read for next class: Ancient Chinese poetry into Modernist American poetry: Ezra Pound, Du Fu, Li Bai, Lu Xun and others Write for next class: The image (scene and/or poem) Class 11 Lust, Caution wrap‐up discussion May 18th Short lecture & discussion: poetry
Read for next class: Frank O’Hara, Ted Berrigan, Chen Dongdong, others Write for next class: Location & action in poetry Blog: City poems (prose or verse) Class 12 Discuss readings and student work May 25th Read for next class: Elizabeth Bishop, Chen Dongdong, Lydia Davis, Linh Dinh, selected hitotoki Write for next class: Portfolio piece; extra‐credit/makeup blog post Class 13 Discussion of reading June 1st Workshop 3
Writing assignment: Portfolio piece 3 revision, hitotoki
New York University in Shanghai Shanghai Lost and Found: Spring 2010
Class 14 Final portfolio workshop June 8th Final Exam Final portfolio due at the beginning of class June 15th
New York University in Shanghai