Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Adv Fiction Writing: Novel (Face-to-Face)

ENGL 4020-01

Course: ENGL 4020-01
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: ENGL
CRN: 32273

Course Description

Catalog Description

An advanced course in long-form fiction projects. Students complete 50+ pages of either a novel or novella. (This semester, the focus is on novels.) Extensive close reading and analysis of touchstone works are required. May be repeated once for credit. Enrollment is limited to 15 students. $12.00 Course Fee. Pre-requisite ENGL 3030. 

Required Texts

Required Materials

  • Each of you needs to get a copy of the unique book I assign you directly in the first weeks of class.
  • Everyone needs a copy of A Dash of Style: The Art and Mastery of Punctuation by Noah Lukeman.
  • On occasion I may distribute readings based on needs I'm seeing along the way.
  • You'll also have to print 15+ copies of your workshop submissions to submit to the group in class.

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

LO 1 - Creative Thinking: Students will demonstrate creative thinking through the development of one long-form fiction writing project. I will be looking for a show of divergent and convergent thinking, originality, artful use of language, and risk-taking.

LO 2 - Project Management: Students will demonstrate the ability to plan and execute the start of a long-form fiction writing project with numerous intermediate steps and deliverables.

LO 3 - Revision: Students will demonstrate the ability to revise their language, syntax, and punctuation for correct common usage and expressive effect. 

LO 4 - Analysis: Students will "close read" then analyze works of fiction and articulate how the work's structures function and communicate meaning and emotion.

Course Requirements

Major Assignment Overview

You can find detailed information on each assignment—including the due date, format, and rubric—by clicking Assignments in the left column. over there  .
  • Aesthetic Introduction/Project Pitch (LOs 1 & 2) - An online discussion where you let us know who you are, then pitch your novel project.
  • Prescribed Novel (LO 4) - I will assign each of you a touchstone novel to read and analyze, then you'll complete a written analysis.
  • Dash of Style Quizzes (LOs 1 & 2) - You'll take quizzes on the book A Dash of Style, which is on the artful use of punctuation.
  • Weekly Words (LO 2) - Each week you'll log 250 words a day or more (with two days off) to help you keep pace on your novel draft this semester.
  • Workshop Submissions (LO 3) - Twice during the semester, you'll submit copies of a whole chapter on paper for class-wide critique.
  • Workshop Letters (LO 4) - You will write one-page letters to each of the writers, give those letters to them in class, then compile each of your letters for each workshop and submit them at the end of Workshop #1 and then again for Workshop #2.
  • Workshop Reflections (LO 2) - Twice during the semester, you'll reflect the workshop's advice to you and how you're planning to use it to revise.
  • Focused Revision (LOs 3 & 4) - You'll choose ten continuous pages from anywhere in the total pages you wrote during the semester and revise that section deeply, focusing on the language. This process is to be guided by workshop and your reflections.

Course Outline

Course Schedule Overview

This brief schedule of discussions and activities is broken down by week, and is subject to change. More information on this will be given in class. As I mentioned in the course overview above, the content in this class isn't predetermined except in a general way. Instead it will come in response to your individual projects, looking for patterns of need, then I'll gather the content from there. Assignment due dates are attached to the assignments, but you can see them in the course summary below  .

  • Week One - Introductions | What is a novel? | What does a pitch require?
  • Week Two (Labor Day) - The need for a long-term writing pace? | How short stories and chapters are different.
  • Week Three - Plot is based in character. | How do you hook a reader? | Point of View / Focalization
  • Week Four - Exposition & Scene | Story Time & Narrative Time | Dash of Style: The stylistic use of the period, comma, and semicolon
  • Week Five - Dialogue & Inner states | Dash of Style: The stylistic use of the colon, dash, parenthesis, quotations marks
  • Week Six - The function of a first chapter | Themes in your work | Dash of Style: The stylistic use of paragraph and section breaks
  • Week Seven - How workshops and critique functions | Setting up the first workshop | How will you respond to others' work?
  • Week Eight (Fall Break) - Workshop #1 Begins (3 students a day, 6 per week).
  • Week Nine - Workshop #1 Continues (3 students a day, 6 per week).
  • Week Ten - Workshop #1 Concludes | The function of a second chapter (3 students a day, 6 per week).
  • Week Eleven - Workshop #2 Begins (3 students a day, 6 per week).
  • Week Twelve - Workshop Continues (3 students a day, 6 per week).
  • Week Thirteen - Workshop Concludes (3 students a day, 6 per week).
  • Week Fourteen (Thanksgiving) Take a breath | Pick your revision passage.
  • Week Fifteen - Revision for language | How to prepare a comparison document | How to finish your novel | Seeking publication

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Late Work and Make-Up Work

Late Work: Late work is allowed, but with the following provisions. Submit the work on time and you will get rubric scoring, plus feedback. Submit the work late and there will be a 1% penalty per day, but you will only receive rubric scoring with no feedback. If you haven't turned in an assignment for two weeks, it will close and you will receive a zero on it. Because most assignments can be submitted digitally, being absent does not excuse late work.

Make-Up Work: Make-up work is allowed only with an approved university excuse. Official university excuses are outlined here.

Attendance Policy

Attendance Policy

Attendance: I expect you to attend class. You have some discretionary absences or "free passes." You can be absent up to 3 times in a MWF class, and twice in a TR class without penalty. After that, each missed day will result in a 5% reduction of your final grade. After 9 missed MWF days or 6 TR days, you will receive a failing grade for the course, which will override any grade earned through course work. Approved university absences do not factor into the attendance policy. I follow SUU policy 6.30 in this regard. Any exceptions to this attendance policy will be taken up on a case-by-case basis, and will be finalized in writing.

Responsibility for Missed Classes: If you miss a class, even if we have worked out an agreement, it is your responsibility to reach out and connect with another student to get notes and other instructions so you can return to class prepared.

Course Fees

$12.00 Course Fee.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.