Southern Utah University

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Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Writing for the Screen (Face-to-Face)

ENGL 2523-01

Course: ENGL 2523-01
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: ENGL
CRN: 12158

Course Description

This course is an introduction to writing and workshopping original screenplays with a focus on studying deep structure, examples of the form, foundational narrative elements and story design. Students will produce one original 10-minute screenplay.

Required Texts

There are no required texts for this course.

Learning Outcomes

According to NASAD, the program's accreditor, successful filmmaking BFA students will be able to:

LO 1 - think, speak, and write clearly and effectively, and communicate with precision, cogency, and rhetorical force.

LO 2  - understand the communication and aesthetic principles in the elements of film, including the use of time as an expressive design consideration, and storytelling as the primary design objective of a film.

LO 3  - form and defend value judgments about, art and storytelling and to  communicate these ideas, concepts, and requirements collaboratively.

LO 4  - Students must acquire a working knowledge of technologies and equipment applicable to filmmaking.

Course Requirements

Major Assignment Overview

The major assignments are summarized below, but you can find detailed information on each assignment by clicking Assignments over there in the left column. Minor assignments will arise as I respond to what I'm seeing day-to-day during the semester.
  • Exercises and Responses (LOs 1, 2 & 4) - In class I'll give short creativity and script format exercises, as well as written responses to selected short films. Those assigned films will be embedded in the assignments. You'll have the opportunity to choose 1-2 short films on your own, based on your own tastes and interests. 
  • Triple Five (LOs 1, 2 & 4) - You'll write five, five-page scripts in five weeks. One per week. These are quick first drafts, and each one comes with its own parameters that you have to meet.
  • Script Workshop (LO 3) - You'll choose one of your Triple Five scripts and workshop it in the class. This is done by printing copies for each person in class (including the instructor). We'll then read your script and discuss it in class, in a critique session. Once your script has been workshopped, you'll write and submit a reflection and plan for revision. Then you'll revise the script.
  • Table Read (LO 4) - Each of you will participate in a table read of your revised workshop script. This will happen near the end of class. You'll submit a revised version of the script and cast it. In class we'll read through one or more times, giving you the chance to take notes on what the script needs.
  • Script Final Draft (LO 1) - After the table read, you'll revise the script one more time and submit it to me for feedback. 

Course Outline

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 - Up and Running
    • Wednesday, Jan 7 Welcome to Class, policies | How things will run | Introduce the Triple 5 | Getting the software | What do scripts communicate?
    • Friday, Jan 9 Jahanara visits to describe what happens with the scripts | Why writing matters for film makers | Writing Process
  • Week Two - Formats, Action, Description 
    • Monday, Jan 12 Script format, using the software | Introduce three elements: dialogue, scene description, action description | Assign Haikus
    • Wednesday, Jan 14 Short stories vs long form ones. | Dramatization | Scene Structure. Watch: Two Cars, One Night by Taika Waititi
    • Friday, Jan 16
      Talk about the use of haiku for setting description. Turn haiku into American Sentences.
  • Week Three - What Writers Do
    • Monday, Jan 19 - MLK - No Classes
    • Wednesday, Jan 21 - Activity: A Badly-Written Script | Watch: World Cinema by Joel and Ethan Coen
    • Friday, Jan 23 - Activity: Develop a scene, from common dialogue.| Watch: The Long Good Bye by Riz Ahmed
  • Week Four - Script One
    • Monday, Jan 26 - Bring in Outline
    • Wednesday, Jan 28 - Bring in a Scene
    • Friday, Jan 30 - Due | Group Reflection | Assign Script Two
  • Week Five - Script Two
    • Monday, Feb 2 - Bring in Outline
    • Wednesday, Feb 4 - Bring in a Scene
    • Friday, Feb 6 - Due | Group Reflection | Assign Script Three
  • Week Six - Script Three
    • Monday, Feb 9 - Bring in Outline
    • Wednesday, Feb 11 - Bring in a Scene
    • Friday, Feb 13 - Due | Group Reflection | Assign Script Four
  • Week Seven - Script Four
    • Monday, Feb 16 - President's Day - No Classes
    • Wednesday, Feb 18 - Bring in a Scene
    • Friday, Feb 20 - Due | Group Reflection | Assign Script Five
  • Week Eight - Script Five
    • Monday, Feb 23 - Bring in Outline
    • Wednesday, Feb 25 - Bring in a Scene
    • Friday, Feb 27 - Due | Conferences (tell me your choice of script)
  • Week Nine - Choosing and Setting Up Workshop
    • Monday, Mar 2 - Conferences (tell me your choice of script)
    • Wednesday, Mar 4 - Principles of Good Critique
    • Friday, Mar 6 - Distribute Workshop Copies
  • Week Ten - Spring Break
  • Week Eleven - Workshop
    • Monday, Mar 16 - One Script Per Day
    • Wednesday, Mar 18 - One Script Per Day
    • Friday, Mar 20 - One Script Per Day
  • Week Twelve - Workshop
    • Monday, Mar 23 - One Script Per Day
    • Wednesday, Mar 25 - One Script Per Day
    • Friday, Mar 27 - One Script Per Day
  • Week Thirteen - Workshop
    • Monday, Mar 30 - One Script Per Day
    • Wednesday, Apr 1 - One Script Per Day
    • Friday, Apr 3 - One Script Per Day
  • Week Fourteen - Table Reads
    • Monday, Apr 6 - Two Scripts Per Day
    • Wednesday, Apr 8 - Two Scripts Per Day
    • Friday, Apr 10 - Two Scripts Per Day
  • Week Fifteen - Table Reads
    • Monday, Apr 13 - Two Scripts Per Day
    • Wednesday, Apr 15 - Last Script
    • Friday, Apr 17 - Last Day of Classes | Final Reflection | How to Revise

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

Late Work: I will accept late work. The late penalty is 4% taken off the final grade for each day work is late. I grade all work that comes in past the deadline with the rubric only, without detailed feedback.

Make-Up Work: Make-up work is allowed only with an approved university. See above.

Attendance Policy

Attendance: I expect you to attend class. It's an important part of practicing for professional life. Each time you miss a class without first notifying me by email, you will lose 4% of your final grade. If you notify me before the class you're missing, it is possible to negotiate an excused absence, which will have no impact on your grade. I will offer no more than three excused absences for the semester.

This attendance policy will not apply to students with accommodations through the Disability Resources Center (DRC), who follow correct procedures as outlined in their accommodations. Official university absences, as defined by SUU policy 6.30, are also not part of this policy.

Responsibility for Missed Classes: If you miss any class, excused or not, it is your responsibility to reach out and connect with a classmate to get notes and other information that will allow you to class prepared.

Course Fees

$12.00

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.