program description: creative writing

The emphasis in Creative Writing seeks to prepare students to teach in the field, to continue their graduate work in the field, to enter the world of professional writing, or to achieve personal satisfaction through written expression.

Student Learning Objectives

By the end of their graduate course work, students completing a Creative Writing emphasis should be able to:

• understand the history, basic pedagogies, theories, and approaches to creative writing in literary and popular forms.
• read critically and carefully various models in the basic genres (i.e. poetry, drama, short story, novel, scriptwriting) and selected subgenres (e.g. mystery, romance, Western) and to demonstrate mastery of the specific techniques and forms in one’s chosen genre.
• analyze and understand the literary/popular marketplaces and write a publishable story/poem/script for one or both markets.
• demonstrate an appreciation of the subtleties of language.
• understand the writing process, from research through invention to revision.
• offer informed criticism of one’s own work and that of others.
   

Requirements . . . 30 hrs

Students are advised to consult the current Graduate Catalog (available on the Graduate School webpage) and the program advisor to make sure they are fulfilling the appropriate requirements.

Core curriculum…9 hours

ENG 808:   Studies in Modern Composition Theory
ENG 809: Seminar in Scholarship and Writing  OR  ENG 812: Seminar in Research Methods in Rhetoric and Composition Studies
ENG 833:   Modern Literary Criticism


**Core courses must be taken during the first semester of enrollment.

Area of emphasis…9-15 hours, selected from

*ENG 700:   Topics in Professional Writing
ENG 702:   Advanced Creative Writing
*ENG 703:   Creative Writing Workshop (1-3 hours)
ENG 704:         Creative Writing Mentorship (2 hours in conjunction with ENG 703)
ENG 803:   Approaches to Creative Writing
*ENG 804:   Seminar in Creative Writing

                        *Course may be repeated if content differs.

            3 hours (minimum) of a literature course.
            3 hours (minimum) of a course in Language Studies/ESL.

Students in the creative writing emphasis are required to complete a creative thesis:
Students complete six hours of thesis credit, ENG 898: Thesis I and ENG 899: Thesis II, plus any necessary electives to meet the requirement of 30 total hours for a Master of Arts in English. Consult the Program Coordinator for information regarding registering for ENG 898/899. Thesis guidelines and requirements are available to currently enrolled students on the program Blackboard site.

All students are required to pass the Comprehensive Examination.  Comprehensive exam information, including reading list guidelines, is available to currently enrolled students on the program Blackboard site.