Foundations of Creative Writing

PURPOSE

The purpose of this course is to provide graduate students with a foundation in understanding Creative Writing as a craft and as a discipline. The focal point/theme for this course, as well the other 625 courses, is Pedagogy.

The course is organized around the following key ideas and Student Learning Outcomes:

Foundation: Students will explore the history and development of the field of Creative Writing, as well as pedagogical methods for their own teaching.

Understanding: Through critical texts about the art of fiction, poetry and nonfiction, and writing exercises, students will develop and refine their personal aesthetic.

Context: Students will gain an understanding of the place of Creative Writing within the academy and within larger debates about art, politics, spirituality, etc.

Professionalization: Students will learn the process for preparing and presenting work for publication, as well as how to find an audience for one’s work. Students will also investigate other opportunities for continuing the writing life, via writing groups, retreats, grants, and so on.

 

ASSIGNMENTS

seminar paper

reading responses/ creative writing exercises

sample syllabus and mock workshop

sample query letter

final project/colloquium presentation

 

TEXTS

The Elephants Teach, David Gershom Meyers (2006)

How Fiction Works, James Wood (2009)

Nine Gates: Entering the Mind of Poetry, Jane Hirshfield (1998)

The Situation and the Story: the Art of Personal Narrative, Vivian Gornick (2002)

selected readings in fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction

(list is subject to change; please check with instructor before purchasing texts)