CREATIVE WRITING (CRWR)

CRWR 153 - INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING

Through work in three genres--fiction, poetry, and either creative nonfiction or playwriting--students develop personal voice and effective use of concrete and metaphoric detail. The craft unique to each genre explored through critique of student writing and close reading of work by notable authors, both contemporary and historic.

Credits: 3

Attributes: Humanities

Prerequisites: ENG 101

CRWR 250 - FICTION WRITING WORKSHOP

In this class you will read and discuss a number of published short stories as well as examine the elements that make them successful. Using these short stories as models, you will write exercises, scenes, and a full-length short story that demonstrate, along with the rest of your work, your understanding of the fictional craft fundamentals.

Credits: 3

Attributes: Humanities

Prerequisites: ENG 153 or CRWR 153

CRWR 251 - POETRY WRITING WORKSHOP

Students will read, discuss, write, and workshop poems; through this discussion and practice, they will steadily improve their understanding of the fundamentals of poetry writing.

Credits: 3

Attributes: Humanities

Prerequisites: ENG 153 or CRWR 153

Course Notes: Part of the concentration in Creative Writing English Degree

CRWR 252 - CREATIVE NONFICTION WRITING WORKSHOP

This course introduces students to the art and craft of writing creative nonfiction. Students will explore the essay, the memoir, the new journalism, and more.

Credits: 3

Attributes: Humanities

Prerequisites: ENG 153 or CRWR 153

Course Notes: Counts toward ENG major concentration in creative writing

CRWR 253 - SCREEN WRITING WORKSHOP

Students produce a full-length screenplay in a workshop atmosphere while analyzing the techniques professional screenwriters use to create complex characters, thrilling action, and original plots. Some attention to marketing the screenplay, including the treatment and pitch.

Credits: 3

Attributes: Humanities

Prerequisites: ENG 102

CRWR 255 - WRITING, WORKSHOPING, AND STAGING THE EXPERIMENTAL PLAY

Following a non-illusory aesthetic, our original plays will never portray characters or suspend disbelief. How can we create fully realized, three act plays, using only the space we are in, the life we have lived, and the constraint of two minutes? We will workshop monologues, deconstructions, found text, and more. We will also read a wide range of text; from Italian Fluxus to Chicago Neo-Futurism. Lecoq’s Bouffon to Daisey’s lies.

Credits: 3

Attributes: Humanities

Prerequisites: ENG 102 or CRWR 153

Course Notes: This playwriting course follows the workshop model. We will be devising, developing, and revising our own original two- minute plays. Students leave this class with a strong portfolio at least ten wildly experimental, non-illusory plays.

CRWR 303 - CREATIVE WRITING CAPSTONE

Through work in two genres--chosen by the instructor from fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction--students develop their craft and build their portfolios. Focus on critique of student work; analysis of work by notable authors, both contemporary and historic; and exploration of voice, style, and techniques for effective revision.

Credits: 3

Attributes: Humanities

Course Notes: Prerequisites: ENG 153 or CRWR 153 and two courses chosen from either CRWR or ENG 250, 251, or 252, with minimum grades of C-.

CRWR 383 - LITERARY MAGAZINE INTERNSHIP

All student staff edits Oyez Review, a literary journal featuring fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction, published at Roosevelt for over 40 years. Hands-on internship in editing, designing, producing, publicizing, and distributing the journal. Some instruction in protocols for book, magazine, and newsletter publishing.

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: CRWR 153 or IMC 220 or JMS 220