Creative Writing

Featured Courses

Course offerings in Creative Writing cover a wide array of English and American literature (from the monsters and heroes of Old English epic to the experimental creations of contemporary American short fiction); a full range of forms and genres (including, prose, poetry, drama, film, and emerging media); and a variety of literary-critical methodologies. Moreover, while the Creative Writing faculty is committed to acquainting majors with the works of traditionally canonical authors and a robust sense of literary historical periodicity, they are equally devoted to familiarizing students with the works of historically under-represented groups and to emerging issues connected to the study of literature.

Introduction to Creative Writing

This discussion-driven course introduces students to the practice of creative writing. We explore questions: How do writers read? How do they think about the signs and signals surrounding them? How do they move from a spark of inspiration to a completed work of art? Students write their own poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, and learn how to understand their own work within the context of contemporary writing.

Directed Thesis in Creative Writing

Do you ever think that you have a great idea for a book—but you’re not sure how to get it on the page? In this senior capstone course, students do a deep dive into the creative project of their choosing, whether it’s fiction, poetry, drama, or creative nonfiction. Throughout the semester, students conduct self-directed research that relates to their projects; learn how writers pitch and submit work to magazines and anthologies; and prepare, revise, and edit their creative project into a finished, polished portfolio of work.

SEXUAL TEXTUAL POLITICS: LIT & GENDER

Prepare to do some resisting, some dismantling, some disrupting, some agitating in this course. We examine a variety of texts, from poetry to short stories to novels to YA lit—with attention to what they reveal about gender, sexuality, and politics. We start by exploring current literary and critical theories and developing a shared vocabulary that in turn provides a framework for the literature we read. We ask questions like, How is masculinity and femininity defined through these texts? How have concepts of gender evolved over the course of time, as captured through literature? What emerging genres address LBGTQ+ identities and conversations? These discussions can deepen our understanding not only of literature but the world.

 

REQUIRED COURSES

core requirements

Foundation Courses (6 Credits)

ENG 208 Writing Non-Fiction
ENG 209 Introduction to Creative Writing

Creative Writing Sequence (15 Credits)

ENG 309 Advanced Creative Non-Fiction
ENG 311 Advanced Poetry Workshop
ENG 312 Advanced Fiction Workshop
ENG 411 Directed Thesis Workshop
Creative Writing Elective

Literature Sequence (9 Credits)

One course selected from each area:
Drama
ENG 303 Development of Drama to 1850
ENG 304 Dev. of Drama 1850-Present
ENG 305 Shakespeare
Fiction
ENG 318 Restoration & Rise of the Novel
ENG 300 American Literature to 1900
ENG 381 American Lit. 1900-Present
ENG 382 Contemporary Novel
Poetry
ENG 313 Literature of the Middle Ages
ENG 320 Donne, Milton & End of Ren.
ENG 401 Modern Poetry
ENG 402 Contemporary Poetry

Gender & Multi Cultural Studies (3 Credits)

ENG 327 Post-Colonial Literature
ENG 346 Literature and Gender
ENG 351 African American Literature

One 300 level English lit. course (3 Cr.) 

GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

Humanities (30 Credits)

UNDERGRADUATE CATALOG

The Catalog