Fishtrap College Classes Now Available in fall 2013 and spring 2014
We are pleased to announce that after a two-year hiatus, Fishtrap College has been redesigned and will re-open for the 2013/2104 school year. Fishtrap has formed a new collaborative relationship with Oregon State University that allows us to offer WR 121 (English Composition) in the fall of 2013 and WR 199 (Special Studies: Introduction to Creative Writing: Poetry) in the spring of 2014 through OSU.
Information on Writing 121 – English Composition (3 credit course)
Course Description: Writing 121 will help you develop and strengthen your writing skills. This course is designed as an introduction to college composition, and its focus is on the writing process. This process includes reading and research, critical thinking, pre-writing, drafting, and revising (taking your essay through multiple versions). You will be encouraged to develop an individualized process which is suited to your unique learning and writing style and which should serve you well in future academic or professional writing endeavors.
Work for Writing 121 includes assigned reading, three major essays, shorter supporting assignments, and regular attendance and participation in class. Instructor conferences and peer review will guide the various drafts of your essays. During the last six weeks of the course, you will work with a research question or topic of your own choosing as you develop introductory research skills necessary for success at the college level.
Instructor: The instructor will be Sally Parrish, an accomplished writer and poet who has spent the past two years teaching WR 121 as a graduate student in the Masters of Fine Arts Creative Writing program at Oregon State University.
Credit: Wallowa County students who successfully complete the class with a minimum grade of C- will receive OSU college credit and an OSU transcript.
Price: Thanks to the Ford Family Foundation, Fishtrap and OSU are able to offer these classes at a vastly reduced price of $300/student. A limited number of scholarships will also be available. Students will also need to budget for buying required text books (about $100 new, less if purchased used).
Location: The class will be held at the Fishtrap House in Enterprise, Oregon (400 East Grant Street).
Dates & Times: The class will be held on Friday mornings (8:30-11:30 AM) beginning on September 20, 2013 and ending on December 6, 2013. There will not be class on November 15th or 29th.
Application & Enrollment Process: We are now accepting applications from students who will be seniors in high school in fall 2013. If there are still openings after June 15th, we will open the class to others. If you will be a high school senior and want to make sure you have the chance to take this class before it fills up, apply before June 15th. The class will be capped at 12 students. The application process is quite simple – it is just a one page form and there are no tests required. Applications are available at the Fishtrap House, and the three Wallowa County high schools and online below. You can download the form, fill it out, print it and send it in, or you can fill out the application and submit it online. Once you apply, we will let you know within 2 weeks if you are accepted and then help you get registered. If you have questions about whether you are ready to take this class, see the information below.
Download the fillable .pdf application here.
Or you can fill out the application and submit it online by clicking here.
Are you ready for Writing 121?
Writing 121 is an entry-level college course. You should be ready for the class if you are doing well in your high school English classes. Writing 121 students should have a general grammatical understanding of sentence structure, and they should be comfortable reading complex essays and articles for content.
A good attitude is essential for the course, too. You should be willing to think critically about what you’ve read and to engage in respectful discussion with your classmates and instructor.
Also, you’ll need to be open to re-thinking and revising your writing. It is okay if, at the beginning of the course, you are intimidated by the thought of writing a college-level essay; the more important question is, are you willing to work at it and to ask for help along the way when necessary? The instructor, Sally Parrish, will have office hours and be available to offer guidance and support on a regular basis.
College classes do require dedication both in and outside the classroom, so make sure you can fit it in your schedule. If you enroll in the course, you are making a commitment to attend Friday morning classes and to dedicate approximately six hours per week to coursework (reading, writing, researching, and completing online assignments). It will be your responsibility to manage your time effectively.
If you have any questions/concerns about whether or not this is a class for you, feel free to contact Sally Parrish at sally@fishtrap.org.
For questions about the application and enrollment process contact Ann Powers, Fishtrap’s Executive Director. She can be reached at ann@fishtrap.org or 541-426-3623.
Thank you to the Ford Family Foundation for underwriting this program.