Syllabus: Writing About Your Experiences - Part I

Course Description

This four-week course will orient you towards some of the skills needed to share thoughts and express ideas that are accessible and of interest to others. The same skills are useful for writing about your own psi experiences, those of others, fictionalized versions of your own experiences, or straight-up fiction. Class sessions will cover basic writing concepts such as purpose, audience, genres, narrative voice, setting, imagery, dialogue, style/tone, and narrative structures – in parapsychological contexts, with examples focused on psi experiences.

Course Objectives

Through exercises and critiquing, you'll explore your own writing with the instructor and with other students. You'll post it in an online forum each week, reviewing it online and in class discussions. Through the above process, you’ll develop your writing in ways that will interest potential readers. This four-week course is Part I of a two-part series. Part II will involve longer or more involved written work, to take place at a future date. You must take Part I to qualify to register for Part II, but you can also take Part I by itself. (Students taking this course to complete a certificate program must take both Part I & Part II.)

Course Outline

  • Week 1: Purpose, Audience, and Genre

    • Introduction to class members and the syllabus
    • Possible writing purposes
    • Who is your audience?
    • Possible writing genres: your choice

  • Week 2: Narrative Voice, Setting, and Imagery

    • Options for narrative voice
    • Aspects of setting
    • Imagery: what makes writing stand out

  • Week 3: Dialogue, Style/Tone, and Narrative Structure

    • The importance of dialogue
    • Overall style and tone
    • Narrative structures and strategies

  • Week 4: Critiquing of student writing done over the break

    • In class, we’ll go over an example of your writing. It can be in whatever genre and style you find suitable to what you want to say. Try to post it before the class meets.

Course Materials

  • Main reference or materials for the course
  • Various articles selected by the instructor and provided for download throughout the course.

Course Activities

  • Students will be expected to view the class broadcasts or the recordings of the classes each week.
  • Students will be expected to participate in weekly discussion forums and activities. Each student will be expected to provide an original posting each week and to respond to at least one other student in the discussion forums. Greater participation in this area will be considered during class evaluations.
  • Final Project: The final project will be two to five pages of writing, in any genre, that employs the writing techniques discussed in class. It will be due 10 days after the final class is broadcast.

Evaluation and Grading

Students who are taking the course for a grade will be assessed using a letter grade based on the standard letter grade format.

  • A (90-100)
  • B (80-89)
  • C (70-79)
  • D (60-69)
  • F (below 60)

Participation in the forums is a large component of the grading, and substantive postings are necessary to get full credit for each discussion topic.

The following activities will be considered to contribute to the courses as follows:

  • Discussions (10 points per week; Total 40%)
  • Final Project (60%)