The Self-Directed MFA Syllabus Design Guide
The Self-Directed MFA Syllabus Design Guide
The Syllabus Design Guide is a 17-page PDF download that includes the following:
1. An example approach to designing your syllabus, and ideas for other approaches (your own approach will, of course, be your own).
2. Brainstorming sheets to help you clarify what you’d like (and need) to study and generate lists of titles for your self-directed study.
3. Guidance to help you search for and find the craft talks, lectures, and other resources that are already available to you online, with links to get you started on your own search.
4. Tracking/planning sheets to use as you curate your own syllabus and track your progress.
So much of what you need to study your craft is already available to you—it’s just a matter of finding it and determining where your focus should be. The brainstorming sheets will help you clarify what you want and need to study, and the research guidance will help you find the resources that can help you to increase your knowledge of your craft and stretch your skills as a writer.
This document includes tracking and planning sheets for one year (four quarters) and a separate tracking sheet for the entire year. Print out multiple copies to use for planning and tracking, or use the quarterly sheets for planning and the year-long sheet for tracking.