Class Title: Intermediate Writing Family History Instructor: A. Mary Murphy Class Term: July 16-September 10, 2012 enroll in this class Synopsis Those familiar with how to collect and interpret various sources of information for family history will take the next step and practice bringing diverse materials together to write fuller episodes of their family history. Class Description Each week, we will discuss a new focus and write a 750-1250 word episode of the family story. The course will set specific task choices for each assignment. The assignments and instructions will be posted in the course classroom (our Yahoo Group), and students will be encouraged to discuss their problems and discoveries using group emails. Completed assignments will be uploaded as Word or PDF documents to each student's file on the website, for the instructor and classmates to offer feedback. At the end of the class, students will be able to consolidate a variety of sources and information and demonstrate a synthesis by telling a story of greater dimension and detail. Outline Unit 1: Calendars. Recurring, annual traditions, such as Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays, and anniversaries. Unit 2: Rites. Ceremonial occasions that bring families together, such as weddings, funerals, and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs. Unit 3: Vacations. Winter or summer travels that take the family away from home together, including road trips, camping, and cruises. Unit 4: Houses. Wherever the family lives or lived and the everyday things that happen(ed) there. Unit 5: What Else? Every family has a list of potential situations and settings that can make a story, such as stories about school, dating, sports and activities, and music lessons. Student Skills, Equipment, and Time Required This course is for those who have completed Introduction to Writing Family History or for experienced writers. Students should be able to complete assignments using a word processor. E-mail and participation in Yahoo group are required. Time required: Students should plan to commit at least two hours per week to completing the planning and writing stages of each unit, but most will find that three or four hours are happily spent involved with their projects. Tuition/Fees for this course SCN members: $160. Non-SCN members: $200. Instructor Bio A Canadian, A. Mary Murphy is a lifelong writer whose doctoral work was in life writing. Her group biography of her mother's family, Pierce: Six Prairie Lives, is forthcoming this fall from Temeron Press. Her poetry collection, Shattered Fanatics, was published by BuschekBooks in 2007, and The Business of Marriage and Medals: A Relationship's Journey Through Elite Performance, co-written with Jeff and Aly Pain, appeared in 2010. Mary teaches post-secondary classes in literature and film, leads field schools to Ireland, and has a freelance writing, editing, and mentoring business, Writing Life.