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Sophie Dean
Hannah Wynne
Professor Bialas
ENGL297

A Study of a Scriptwriting Teacher: Doug Kern

Introduction
Professional writing can be applied in many different capacities, screenwriting among them.
Screenwriting is a diverse field that requires a writer to not only be well versed in creative writing
and the many requirements for writing a script, but the scriptwriter is also required to know the
editing process of a script. It is also essential for a writer to remain abreast of current trends and
the overall movie/tv/play culture. At the University of Maryland, there is only a handful of
scriptwriting courses, one of which is taught within the English department, and not the film
department. Even so, students are not given a large opportunity to explore the field of
scriptwriting unless they are explicitly a film or theatre major.

This study will investigate how one teacher of scriptwriting teaches the finer aspects of the craft,
the environment in which said teacher works, the heuristics applied to his teaching, and how he
applies his editing knowledge to students work and workshops. We will analyze how our
informant uses writing in the context of his workplace by observing several classes, reading his
works, and interviewing him a couple times. To analyze our ethnographic observations, we will
be using Chapter 5, Researching People: The Collaborative Listener from Fieldworking:
Reading and Writing Research as a lens for our discussion.

Research Location and Subject

To better understand the professional writing of a teacher of scriptwriting at the college level, we
sought out the University of Maryland English Department, which offers a course titled
ENGL275: Writing to be Seen: Scriptwriting for Theater, Film, and Television. The English
Department is located in Tawes Hall on the University of Maryland College Park campus and is
home of the offices of its English professors and where almost all of their diverse courses are
held. This course is taught by our informant, Douglas (Doug) Kern, who has been a senior
lecturer at UMD since 2013. Doug has a Masters degree in Writing and Performance as well as
a Ph.D. in Film and Television from University of York, England, which he acquired after getting
his B.A. in English from the University of Maryland. In addition to championing the inclusion of a
scriptwriting class within the English departments course offerings, Doug also currently teaches
multiple sections of ENGL101, the Universitys mandated introduction to academic writing
course, and ENGL398A: Writing for the Arts, which is one of the Universitys required
professional writing electives. Dougs experience in the professional world of writing both in the
classroom and in scholarly contexts make him a great subject to investigate to answer our
research questions.

Data Collection Procedures

Over a one-week period, we were able to collect data through an on-site interview with our
informant, in addition to observing his scriptwriting class and ENGL101 class, and briefly
analyzing some of his editing work as a teacher and his own scholarly academic articles.

The on-site interview was vital to understand how Doug sees himself professionally, as it
provided information on his personal experience teaching scriptwriting and what methodology
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he employs in the writing and editing process of his students in the course. We were able to
observe him in his office, noting that he shares an office with another English teacher.
Conducting the interview in this environment allowed us to analyze how his location in the
English building and open layout of his office facilitates many student meetings about the writing
and editing process.

Another method of data collection occurred during the interview, as Doug was holding a stack of
student scripts, which he was in the process of revising. We were able to get a glimpse of the
format and content of the edits as he explained to us how he likes to mark up student work and
provide constructive feedback within the script itself, because of the technology he was using to
type onto the text would not let him write on the margins. This provided some useful data on the
texts Doug uses within his scriptwriting class as well as insight on what tools he utilizes in the
editing and revising process with his students.

The in-class observations provided an accurate experience of how Doug handles student writing
within the professional context of his classroom. The observation of the scriptwriting class
illuminated the workshop aspect of creative writing, whereas the observation of his ENGL101
class demonstrated how Doug brings examples of his own scholarly writing to the classroom to
instruct his students on successful writing strategies.

Results
Workplace Environment
Doug Kerns office is situated in the top corner of the Universitys English building, the Tawes
fine art building. While not one of the oldest buildings on campus, it is also not one of the newer
buildings. The relatively clean walls and pin boards stuck with various student opportunities
make the building look lived in and inviting. The top floor of the building is dedicated to shared
teacher and teacher assistant classrooms as well as a teacher lounge complete with coffee
makers.

Doug shares his office with several other colleagues. There are desks lined up parallel to each
other, with three desks on each side of the wall. Dougs desk is fairly clean. He has the back
wall of the desk filled with notes from past students, a candy jar that seemed halfway eaten, and
various office supplies colored orange his power color. He also had an Obama sticker
amongst other pictures and posters, presumably famous playwrights or authors, hanging above
his desk. The environment did not seem cohesive. While Im sure everyone who shared the
office got along, there was no one else in the room during observations, Doug is the only
teacher who specializes in teaching script. He cannot ask his cohorts for specific advice on the
nuances of teaching his class.

The class I observed was located in the Benjamin Key building on the schools Mall. This is an
older building, with smaller classrooms, and limited adjustment of class room temperatures.
While I was not able to observe the entire class, Doug had the students situated in a large
circle. Every student could see one another, and was able to focus in on who was speaking.
Doug situated himself within the circle and presented himself as a peer to the students instead
of a strict despotic authority to them.

Interview Observation
We both met with Doug for an interview in his office in Tawes Hall. He appeared relaxed
amongst the backdrop of his decorated desk, and he was wearing jeans and a blue hooded,
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zippered sweatshirt. Throughout the interview his body language was also decidedly casual, as
he would often lean back in his chair, put his arms behind his head, and cross his legs.

At the start of our interview, Doug tenderly touched the stack of student scripts, saying This is
my heart, this class. It was clear that Doug took great pride in teaching students about his
passion. He loves playwriting and being able to shape students creativity in that field. During
our interview, we asked him pointed questions about how he taught his students how to write.
His approach to teaching was less giving strict writing rules, and more of giving the students
guide points to better shape their writing. As with most creative outlets, he implied that there
was a great amount of flexibility with scriptwriting. Below is a short transcript of one of our
interview questions:

Hannah: What type of writing do you do in order to teach these students how to script write?

Doug: Well, I mean, Im an academic, and Im a creative writer, and Im a teacher. So, I think
thats how I do. My academics come first,

Hannah: Like personal academics? As in youre a student?

Doug: Well, Im no longer a student, but Im a student of the art. I mean Im no longer an official
student. I have a PhD in theatre, film, and television, I study theatre, film and television, I write
critically about theatre, film, and television, which allows me to teach courses like writing for the
arts. I dont just write plays you see, I write about plays, and I write critical pieces about plays
using theory, critical race theory - a lot of my work is about race. So as an academic - and I go
see shows, and I go to the cinema, I just saw Arrival and Moonlight, and I go to the theatre.

Doug is not above learning, and he passes that view on to his students. He tells them to write
consistently, expose themselves to the culture, and to be serious with their craft but still have
fun. He also strongly discourages students from pursuing scriptwriting because of money. Doug
insists that passion is what keeps him writing and continuing to learn and improve in his work.
Listed below is a brief excerpt from one of Dougs published works where we can see how he
critiques plays, and especially connects them back to the critical race theory his work is
engrossed in:

The reason hadnt changed; the fires were fueled by a rather predictable occurrence in relation
to the U.S. racial climate: a Black person (Freddie Gray) was allegedly killed at the hands of
White racists. Amiri Baraka tapped into such danger throughout his 1964 drama, Dutchman, and,
though I think we can agree that progress has been made over the past years, it is impossible to
address a production of Barakas work without acknowledging its modern-day significance.

Teaching Process
ENGL101 observations:
Similarly to his scriptwriting class, Doug embraces writing workshops in his ENGL101 sections
as well. As a TA for the course, I had prepared a lesson plan on revision strategies for this
particular class day. After my lesson plan, Doug concluded the class by pulling up his most
recent writing on the projector. He has been candid with the class regarding his scholarly
writing, as he had noted on Mondays class that he had an article due the following day, which
he mentioned he still had to finish. He used his current writing deadline as a way to relate to and
motivate his students, as they are working on writing their final position papers, which is a
culmination of their research and argument from the semester.
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Doug then went on to read the introductory sentences of his article aloud to the class. The class
appeared attentive at this moment, as they knew they were receiving an authentic glimpse into
the life of a professional scholar. Doug immediately made his professional writing applicable to
the academic context of his ENGL101 classroom as he explained that in his own writing he
opened up with a narrative voice, which he encourages his students to pursue within their own
papers. He ended this discussion with a final reminder that the final position paper is a chance
for students to develop their own voices, and to write with their own authority as they present
their academic argument. This observation highlighted how Doug uses similar methodology
from his creative scriptwriting class in the more academic context of ENGL101, as well as
provided an example of how Dougs professional scholarly writing functions in the classroom as
an instructional tool.

ENGL275 - Script Writing Class Observations:

For the sake of teaching scriptwriting, Doug heavily emphasized the importance of
workshopping students works. Feedback is essential to improving writing in any field. Not only
did Doug allow students to comment on each others work, but he also acted as a guide to help
students hone their work, and to call to attention certain details which might otherwise be
missed. It is important to note that the class was arranged in a circle while workshopping
student pieces. Even more important was how Doug, instead of separating himself from the
students, was a part of the circle. He sat relaxed in the chair, clearly attentive, and you could tell
he had a high respect for the students and their ideas.

The important difference between learning to script-write and learning to write professional, is
the type of content being consumed. Doug highly encourages students to engage in the culture
outside of class as well as in class. He said, I encourage them to go out and watch things in the
world. He brings in media clips that are important to the craft and is something the students can
learn from. He also does this with written works, such as plays, to teach the students the many
different avenues there are for creative writing and to teach them about the many different styles
that must be known in order to write professionally. He also gave assignments in which students
were required to analyze and critically think about what they have read or watched. Discussion
posts combined with a free-write journal give the students a nudge to write a little bit every day
and think critically about what they ingest. If you really want to be a screenwriter or a
playwright, you have to study the art, and thats what he tricks his students into doing with
these assignments.

Doug teaches more than how to write, he teaches students how to have a passion for writing
creatively and he also teaches them how to have the drive to match. This is a unique skill, which
no heuristic could aptly explain. He combines his own passion for playwriting with his knowledge
and experience, to create a class that is engaging, informative, passionate, and very fun.

Analysis
To analyze our research observations of Doug, we will be using concepts from Chapter 5
Researching People: The Collaborative Listener of Fieldworking: Reading and Writing
Research. This chapter emphasizes the importance of translating details which relate to the
overarching themes found in our data about Doug, to properly bring him to life on the page. As
the chapter goes on to state, Creating verbal portraits means studying your field notes,
selecting your most relevant details and drafting sentences that portray the informant against a
cultural backdrop (302). Throughout our Results section, we kept these principles in mind as
we described his decorated workspace, including some memorable elements of his desk such
as the orange colored supplies, which are indicative of his power color - the color he describes
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as what he feels most comfortable in and energized by. Our recognition of the objects and
aesthetics of his desk fall into the material artifacts category that Chapter 5 discusses, as
these artifacts are key in creating a verbal portrait.

Some other material artifacts we noticed were his way of dress, specifically his hooded
sweatshirt, jeans, and, although not mentioned previously, a small silver earring in each ear.
These material artifacts represent how Doug wishes to portray his ethos in the classroom, as
this is his normal uniform as a teacher. The way he presents himself through these material
artifacts creates an approachable, down to earth persona, especially when compared to, say, a
collared shirt and tie, which would suggest a different, more traditionally strict personality, which
Doug seems to actively resist.

Body language is another key detail that Chapter 5 elaborates upon, and it is one that we
observed within Doug as well. We acknowledged that his body language was notably casual, as
he sat with his arms behind his head at times, in addition to leaning back in his chair, and
crossing his legs. This body language conveyed that he was at ease during our conversation,
and reinforced the approachable and friendly demeanor that his other material artifacts
depicted.

During the interview, we learned about his personal history, another element of detail that
Chapter 5 discusses. Doug mentioned that he would define himself as a student of the art, and
goes into the history of his education as he obtained his PhD in film, and what kinds of writing
his current academic profession affords him in the field. This personal history is key in
describing Doug as a teacher, as it provides insight into his background and contextualizes his
teaching style.

Connecting these details to the larger theme of our work, which Chapter 5 defines as emerging
from active interpretation of data...Themes are bigger than the actual details, but those details,
as they cluster...generate larger interpretations will inform how our observation of Doug
contributed to our impression of his profession and its creative genres of writing (304). A theme
that emerged is Dougs personal, passionate stake in the teaching of writing, both in the
scriptwriting and academic sense. His active presence in the classroom, and within the editing
process of his students, is centered around empowering his students to have productive
conversations about their writing and successfully contribute their own voices to the craft. This
theme is clearly a recurring element of his work in both genres of classes that he teaches, and
particularly apparent in his role as a teacher of scriptwriting, which was our chosen focus for this
ethnographic project.

Conclusions
Our study examined the writing process and methodology of one playwright and English lecturer
within the University of Maryland English Department, which provides beneficial insight into the
field of scriptwriting and its pedagogy at the university level. Analyzing how Doug managed his
writing in this specific professional context can help emerging creative writers and playwrights
better understand what it means to pursue this career. This study is particularly useful for
students at the University of Maryland College Park who are interested in scriptwriting or the
related field of English and creative writing. It is important to continue to research professionals
in creative fields such as scriptwriting, to ensure that students have an accurate depiction of the
profession and the writing it requires.
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Works Cited:
Chiseri-Strater, Elizabeth, and Bonnie S. Sunstein. FieldWorking: Reading and Writing
Research. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1997. Print.

Kern, Doug. "DUTCHMAN by Amiri Baraka." The Journal of African Diaspora Drama, Theatre,
and Performance 2.1 (2015): n. pag. Web. 22 Nov. 2016.

"Personal Interview with Doug Kern." Personal interview. 17 Nov. 2016.