Creative Writing Concentration
See Also: Creative Writing Program
Description
The creative writing concentration provides students with an opportunity to explore and develop their skills as writers of poetry, fiction, drama, and/or screenplays. Combining individualized instruction with workshop interaction, the English Department's creative writing courses immerse students in the processes of discovery, expression, and rewriting; engage them with questions of form and structure; and give them practice in the art of rewriting. Courses in individual genres address more specific aspects of the writer's craft: free verse and its challenges, narrative voice, dramatic dialogue, and screenplay format, to name just a few. By working with their writing at an advanced level, students deepen their sensitivity to language as a medium: its layers of meaning and association, its rhythms and music. Creative writing classes also address the question of getting creative work published.
In addition to working with the department's distinguished and widely-published creative writing faculty, students have opportunities to participate in events organized by the Creative Writing Program, such as the annual Young Writers' Institute. Each year nationally known writers sponsored by the John C. Hodges Better English Fund offer readings and workshops. Recent visitors have included Yusef Komunyakaa, Brenda Hillman, and George Garrett. The Creative Writing Program also sponsors contests each year (with cash awards) for undergraduate and graduate student writing. (Click here for more information on the Creative Writing Program contests.)
The creative writing concentration provides an excellent foundation from which students can continue to grow as writers. Because of the extensive training it provides in writing, editing, advanced reading, and critical thinking, creative writing has prepared students for careers in all fields of writing, publishing, editing, advertising, business, education, public relations, and public service.
The creative writing curriculum consists of the following courses: Introduction to Creative Writing (263), Writing Poetry (363), Writing Fiction (364), Playwriting/Screenwriting (365), Advanced Poetry Writing (463), and Advanced Fiction Writing (464). English 484 (Special Topics in Writing) offers specialized courses in creative writing--one example of such a course is the journal-based "Dreamworks" poetry-writing class.
Students concentrating in creative writing complete the two-course sequence in either poetry writing or fiction writing, plus three additional writing classes. In fulfilling this latter requirement, students may take additional courses in creative writing, or they may elect to take courses in expository, argumentative, or technical writing, editing, and design.
So that they may also develop a well-rounded background in British and American literature, students who concentrate in creative writing take four courses in literature (two of which must be before 1900, and at least one of those before 1800). Iin addition, they take a course in language, theory, cultural, ethnic, or gender studies.
The remainder of a student's courses may be taken in any departmental offering, including literature, writing, criticism, film, folklore, language, or either of the department's off-campus drama courses. Students admitted into the Honors Program may elect to compose and submit a creative writing manuscript in fulfillment of the Senior Honors Thesis.
Requirements
- English 363-463 or 364-464
- Three other writing courses. In addition to those listed in item 1 above, you may choose from the following list: 355, 360, 365, 455, 460, 462, 484, 495, 496
- Four courses in literature, two of which must be before 1900 (listed below), and at least one of those before 1800 (indicated here by asterisks): *301, *401, *402, *404, *405, *406, *409, *410, *411, *412, *413, 414, 415, 416, 419, 420, *431, 432, 433, 435
- One course in language, theory, cultural, ethnic, or gender studies: 301, 302, 331, 332, 333, 371, 372, 422, 443, 471, 472, 474, 475, 476, 479, 485, 486, 490
- One or more courses from any of the department's offerings, including criticism, film, folklore, language, literature, rhetoric, and writing (Necessary only if student has overlapped courses in categories 3 and 4 above)