Writing Spiritual Memoir

Course Number: PARW 6328
Credit Hours: 2
Grade Option: OP Grade Option
Semester: Spring 2022
Meeting Times and Days: 2pm-5pm: Friday Jan 21 & Saturday Jan 22; Fridays Feb 11, Mar 4, Apr 1, Apr 15, May 6
Class Location: Online via Zoom
Instructor: Monica Mody, Ph.D., M.F.A.
Office Hours: By appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The word 'spiritual' comes from the Latin spirare, meaning 'to breathe.' We understand spiritual in this workshop-style writing course to refer to the activating force at the center of one's being that is both vital and essential to being alive. Spiritual encompasses, but is not limited to, experience traditionally thought of as religious. The primary aim of this course is to provide inspiration to participants to identify their own spiritual journeys in order to articulate them through non-fiction writing. This will be realized throughout the course through writing prompts, feedback from the class and the instructor on participants' in-course writings, and reading assignments that will include contemporary spiritual memoir.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
COURSE TEXTS AND MATERIALS
Myers, Linda Joy. The Power of Memoir: How to Write Your Healing Story. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2010.
Supplementary required readings will be used in this class and made available by the instructor.
COURSE ASSESSMENT MEASURES
50% Writing exercises and final memoir project
Expect to write often and regularly in class. Please have a dedicated notebook or digital file for journaling and in-class writing.
The expected length for the final memoir is approximately 15-18 pages, double-spaced, for Master's students, and 20-22 pages, double-spaced, for PhD students.
50% Class participation
Full participation in this class requires that you:
COURSE CALENDAR
Please complete all reading assignments in advance of the sessions in which they are listed. A writing exercise will also be usually assigned in class to be attempted for the next meeting.
January 21: Introductions
Myers, Step 1: Understanding Your Reasons for Writing
January 22: Memoir as A Genre
Myers, Step 2: Doing Your Research
February 11: Research & Memory
Myers, Step 3: Planning Your Memoir
Harjo, pp. 15-40
March 4: Diving into the Deep
Myers, Step 4: The Psychology of Memoir Writing; Step 5: The Dark Stuff
Anzaldúa, Gestures of the Body— Escribiendo para idear
April 1: Shaping the Clay
Myers, Step 6: Organizing the Narrative Arc
Pollack, The Interplay of Form and Content in Creative Nonfiction
Armstrong, pp. 264-306
April 15: Revision
Andrew, Living Revision, pp. 19-53, 141-153, 245-267
Myers, Chapter 3: Stories from the Workshops (read 3-5 stories)
Myers, Step 7: To Publish—or Not
May 6: Writing Practice & Spiritual Practice
Myers, Step 8: The Power of Writing to Heal
Myers, Chapter 1: Spirituality, Meditation, and Inner Listening
Final Memoir Due: May 10
Credit Hours: 2
Grade Option: OP Grade Option
Semester: Spring 2022
Meeting Times and Days: 2pm-5pm: Friday Jan 21 & Saturday Jan 22; Fridays Feb 11, Mar 4, Apr 1, Apr 15, May 6
Class Location: Online via Zoom
Instructor: Monica Mody, Ph.D., M.F.A.
Office Hours: By appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The word 'spiritual' comes from the Latin spirare, meaning 'to breathe.' We understand spiritual in this workshop-style writing course to refer to the activating force at the center of one's being that is both vital and essential to being alive. Spiritual encompasses, but is not limited to, experience traditionally thought of as religious. The primary aim of this course is to provide inspiration to participants to identify their own spiritual journeys in order to articulate them through non-fiction writing. This will be realized throughout the course through writing prompts, feedback from the class and the instructor on participants' in-course writings, and reading assignments that will include contemporary spiritual memoir.
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Understand memoir as a spiritual and literary genre
- Engage in a process of inner inquiry and critical self-reflection about their writing process
- Construct their own unique spiritual memoirs
- Give feedback to and receive feedback from peers
COURSE TEXTS AND MATERIALS
Myers, Linda Joy. The Power of Memoir: How to Write Your Healing Story. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 2010.
Supplementary required readings will be used in this class and made available by the instructor.
COURSE ASSESSMENT MEASURES
50% Writing exercises and final memoir project
Expect to write often and regularly in class. Please have a dedicated notebook or digital file for journaling and in-class writing.
The expected length for the final memoir is approximately 15-18 pages, double-spaced, for Master's students, and 20-22 pages, double-spaced, for PhD students.
50% Class participation
Full participation in this class requires that you:
- attend all synchronous virtualized classes,
- complete the readings and any other assignments on specified dates,
- be actively and fully engaged in class.
COURSE CALENDAR
Please complete all reading assignments in advance of the sessions in which they are listed. A writing exercise will also be usually assigned in class to be attempted for the next meeting.
January 21: Introductions
Myers, Step 1: Understanding Your Reasons for Writing
January 22: Memoir as A Genre
Myers, Step 2: Doing Your Research
February 11: Research & Memory
Myers, Step 3: Planning Your Memoir
Harjo, pp. 15-40
March 4: Diving into the Deep
Myers, Step 4: The Psychology of Memoir Writing; Step 5: The Dark Stuff
Anzaldúa, Gestures of the Body— Escribiendo para idear
April 1: Shaping the Clay
Myers, Step 6: Organizing the Narrative Arc
Pollack, The Interplay of Form and Content in Creative Nonfiction
Armstrong, pp. 264-306
April 15: Revision
Andrew, Living Revision, pp. 19-53, 141-153, 245-267
Myers, Chapter 3: Stories from the Workshops (read 3-5 stories)
Myers, Step 7: To Publish—or Not
May 6: Writing Practice & Spiritual Practice
Myers, Step 8: The Power of Writing to Heal
Myers, Chapter 1: Spirituality, Meditation, and Inner Listening
Final Memoir Due: May 10