In this class, students work on-on-one with a mentor in writing a 40-page critical essay on a craft element in the work of a selected writer in their genre. The student will produce a research-based paper in which he or she crafts an original argument about the writer’s use of a certain craft element and supports his or her argument with quotations from scholarly secondary sources. Students are expected to write using the conventions of formal academic prose, including correct use of quotations and citations. Students will combine a close reading of the primary texts by their chosen writer with relevant points made by other critics. The critical essay will be graded on the originality and complexity of the student’s analysis; the quality of the student’s research; the use of the conventions of academic writing, including organization, structure, quotations and citations; and the quality of the student’s prose, including elements such as syntax, diction and style. The student will submit monthly portfolios of work to the mentor for comments and will revise in response to the mentor’s suggestions. The student and the mentor will draft a timetable of due dates and logistical processes at the beginning of each semester. In addition to monthly portfolio comments, the mentor will write an end-of-semester evaluation detailing the students’ strengths, weaknesses, and progress in the program.