Creative Writing
Joyce Dyer (1991), John S. Kenyon Chair in English; Director, Lindsay-Crane Center for Writing and Literature
B.A., Wittenberg University;
M.A., Ph.D., Kent State University
Academic Interest: Creative writing, including creative nonfiction and literary journalism, American literature, Appalachian studies
Willard Greenwood (2001), Chair; Associate Professor of English; Editor, Hiram Poetry Review
B.A., University of Maine;
M.A., Georgia State University;
Ph.D., Purdue University
Academic Interest: Creative writing, including poetry, American literature, ecocriticism
Kirsten Parkinson (2001), Associate Professor of English
B.A., Harvard University;
M.A., Ph.D., University of Southern California
Academic Interest: Victorian literature, gender studies, postcolonial literature, war literature
Paul Gaffney (2006), Instructor of English
B.A., Western Washington University;
M.A., Ph.D., University of Virginia
Academic Interest: Medieval literature, linguistics, Renaissance studies, history of the English language
Mary Quade (2006), Assistant Professor of English
A.B., University of Chicago;
M.F.A., University of Iowa, Writers Workshop
Academic Interest: Creative writing, including poetry and fiction, photography
Jeffrey Swenson (2007), Assistant Professor of English
B.A., St. John’s University;
M.A., University of Alaska, Fairbanks;
Ph.D., University of Iowa
Academic Interest: Writing Across the Curriculum, creative writing, postmodernism, American and Canadian literature
The Creative Writing Major
(12 for classes of 2009 and 2010; 13 courses for 2011 and later)
The major in Creative Writing allows students an opportunity to explore their talent as writers of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and drama or screenplays. The major places emphasis on reading, craft and technique, genre study, workshops, and revision. Although the major requires exposure to multiple genres, the 400-level advanced workshops offer students an opportunity to concentrate on forms of their choosing and to begin to specialize. The major in Creative Writing is carefully sequenced to insure the progress and development of writers. It is also designed to help writers learn about professional opportunities in the field. The major emphasizes literary writing and encourages emerging writers to locate themselves within a literary tradition. This degree is one of only five majors in Creative Writing in the state of Ohio.
Note: The Major in Creative Writing will become effective in the 2007-2008 academic year. It will be available to students in the class of 2009 and later.
Introductory Course in Creative Writing (1 course)
The following introductory course in writing is a prerequisite to all other writing courses:
WRIT 221: Basics of Creative Writing (3 hours)
Students from the Classes of 2008 and 2009 may substitute WRIT 220: Introduction to Creative Writing.
Genre Courses in Writing (3 courses)
Three 300-level genre courses (students must have WRIT 220 or 221 to begin this sequence):
WRIT 304 Craft and Technique: Poetry (4 hours)
WRIT 305 Craft and Technique: Creative Nonfiction (4 hours)
WRIT 306 Craft and Technique: Fiction (4 hours)
WRIT 307 Craft and Technique: Playwriting (4 hours)
WRIT 309 Craft and Technique: Screenwriting (4 hours)
Electives in Writing (2 courses)
We recommend that students select electives that complement their professional or academic goals. Elective clusters might include concentrations in the following areas:
Professional Writing (e.g., COMM/WRIT 240, COMM/WRIT 243, COMM/WRIT 246, WRIT 311, WRIT 312, WRIT 319, WRIT/COMM 320, WRIT 321, COMM/WRIT 345, WRIT 498)
Writing Instruction and Pedagogy (WRIT/EDUC 313, WRIT/COMM 205, COMM/WRIT 333)
MFA/Graduate School Preparation (additional genre courses in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction)
Students may choose electives from the 300-level genre courses and 400-level advanced workshops or from the following courses:
WRIT/COMM 205 Style and Grammar for Writers (3 hours)
WRIT 231 Art of Poetry (3 hours)
COMM/WRIT 240 Survey of Journalism (4 hours)
COMM/WRIT 243 Photojournalism (3 hours)
COMM/WRIT 246 Sports Journalism (3 hours)
WRIT 280 Special Topics (1-4 hours)
WRIT 310 Travel Writing (1-4 hours)
WRIT 311 Writing for Business (4 hours)
WRIT 312 Technical Writing (4 hours)
WRIT/EDUC 313 Teaching and Supervising of Writing (4 hours)
WRIT 314 Writing about Science and Nature (3 hours)
WRIT 316 Metafiction (3 hours)
WRIT 318 Memoir (3 hours)
WRIT 319 Literary Journalism (3 hours)
WRIT/COMM 320 Professional Editing (3 hours)
WRIT 321 Literary Journalism (4 hours)
WRIT 324 Writing about Science and Nature (4 hours)
COMM/WRIT 333 Rhetorical Criticism (4 hours)
COMM/WRIT 345 Writing for Publication (3 hours)
WRIT 380 Special Topics (1-4 hours)
WRIT 498 Internship in Writing(1-4 hours)
Advanced Workshops in Writing (2 courses)
Two 400-level workshops, designed to produce advanced work, from the following:
WRIT 404 Advanced Workshop in Poetry (4 hours)
WRIT 405 Advanced Workshop in Creative Nonfiction (4 hours)
WRIT 406 Advanced Workshop in Fiction (4 hours)
Senior Capstone (1 course)
Classes of 2009 and 2010
A capstone course will not be required. However, a capstone experience will be structured by the English Department and detailed at a later date.
Class of 2011 and later
In their senior year, students must complete WRIT 480: Senior Seminar (3 hours). This 3-week course allows students to revise promising work from their portfolio. They must also write a short essay reflecting on their experience as a major in writing. At the end of the course, students will do a public reading.
Introductory Course in Literature (1 course)
To begin the literature component, students must take ENGL 206.
ENGL 206: Introduction to Literary Studies (4 hours)
Literature Component (3 courses)
A minimum of three other courses in literature, at the 300- or 400-level. The combination of these courses must fulfill the following requirements:
American literature course
British literature course
World literature course
Literature course after 1900
Literature course before 1800
Foreign Language
Students must complete a foreign language through the 103 level.
AP Credit
Students who have received a 4 or 5 on the English Language and Composition Advanced Placement (AP) text receive credit for one of the required elective writing courses in the major. However, the English Department encourages students who are considering graduate work to take additional writing courses.
Majoring and Minoring in English
Students completing the major in Creative Writing may not combine it with a major or minor in English but should take additional literature courses within the major; students interested in taking the majority of their coursework in literature should consider the major in English.
Writing Courses Offered
The writing program serves the needs not only of English majors interested in creative writing, but also students with other majors who want to concentrate on better ways of communicating their knowledge.
105 Basic Exposition 2 hours
This course concentrates on helping students become more effective prose writers. Attention is given to clear thinking and wording, effective organization, insightful analysis, strong detail, and grammatical precision. Students must be willing to read their own work and comment on the work of others. Prerequisite: Permission.
203 Advanced Expository Writing 4 hours
Although individual instructors may emphasize various kinds of prose writing, this course consistently stresses the importance of clear thinking, original style, acute observation, technical precision, and sophistication of content and form. Students will write frequently, as well as study samples of contemporary prose. Students must be willing to read their own work and comment on the work of others.
205 Style and Grammar for Writers
This course will address matters of style and grammar closely and meticulously. It is not a course in developmental grammar, but one designed for serious writers interested in polishing error from their prose and experimenting with their writing styles. The class will be devoted to providing high polish to the individual line and expose students to stylistic patterns and options they may not have seen or noticed before. It will encourage writers to take risks with language, to consider the nuance of punctuation, to think about effect, to make language exact and precise, to develop voice, to distinguish between local advice and general principles in the understanding of "rules," and to gain fuller knowledge and control of individual style. Also listed as Communication 205.
WRIT 221 Basics of Creative Writing
231 The Art of Poetry 3 hours
This course will be structured like an intensive workshop. Readings and exercises will be assigned that help students begin to shape experience and language into poetry. Exposure to contemporary poetry will be central to the course. Does not fulfill prerequisite for 300-level WRIT courses, except WRIT 304.
240 Survey of Journalism 4 hours
This course examines the contemporary professional journalistic field, particularly the areas of writing for media, design, layout, public relations and marketing. It provides students with practical experience and also an understanding of ethical and legal problems facing contemporary journalism. By examining the way First Amendment principles have translated in different political and social arenas, it also addresses how effectively journalism serves its various constituencies. Also listed as Communication 240.
246 Sports Journalism 3 hours
This course is an overview of sports journalism and includes the study of story development from a single idea to a published story in the field of sport. This course examines the various elements necessary to bring a sporting event from the playing field to the public through the print media. Topics include types of print media, the role of sports department personnel, coverage of the sporting event, developing contracts, gaining access to sports figures, interviewing, and story development. The course focuses on developing effective writing skills by approaching sports writing as a process. Also listed as Communication 246.
280 Special Topics Seminar 1 - 4 hours
281 Independent Study 1 - 4 hours
298 Practicum: Field Experience 1 - 4 hours
304 Craft and Technique: Poetry CM 4 hours
Students will write and revise poems through extensive practice and revision, as well as exposure to traditions, theory, prosody and esthetics, and method and craft. The course will focus on both practice and process – the tools needed to complete a successful poem, as well as the lifelong process that writers hone to tap into emotional experience and articulate it honestly. Workshops will be central, and students must be willing to read their own work and comment on the work of others. Prerequisite: Writing 221 or permission
305 Craft and Technique: Creative Nonfiction CM 4 hours
Students learn and practice a wide variety of nonfiction forms, including personal essays, memoir, lyrical essays, literary journalism, nature and science writing, and humor. The course will be coupled with readings by historical and contemporary nonfiction writers. Students will be responsible for writing and rewriting several essays. Workshops will be central, and students must be willing to read their own work and comment on the work of others. Prerequisite:Writing 221 or permission.
306 Craft and Technique: Fiction CM 4 hours
Students learn how to write and perfect short fiction through the study and practice of techniques employed in fiction. The course will include the reading of short fiction by both established and new writers. Students will be responsible for writing and rewriting several original short stories and completing a number of writing exercises. Workshops will be central, and students must be willing to read their own work and comment on the work of others. Prerequisite: Writing 221 or permission.
307 Craft and Technique: Playwriting 4 hours
This course introduces students to the craft of playwriting through investigation of the work of three playwrights and creation of original scripts. Students should expect to produce a set amount of writing every week, to participate in workshop-style writing exercises, and to read portions of their weekly writing aloud, as well as to respond to their classmates’ work. Classic and contemporary plays will provide models for study and critique while students’ own writing is in progress. PrerequisiteWriting 221 or permission.
3XX Craft and Technique: Screenwriting 3 hours
Craft and Technique: Screenwriting is an introduction to the practice of writing for film. Students will learn the vocabulary and format of creating screenplays, study screenplays that have been produced as films, examine films with an eye toward the interpretation of the screenplay, and write and workshop their own work. We will look both at original screenplays and at screenplays that adapt literature to film. Prerequisite: Writing 221 or permission)
310 Travel Writing 1 - 4 hours
Travel writing has a long and impressive history. This course will help writers to know that history and become part of it. The genre of travel writing, beginning with writers like Herodotus and Marco Polo has appealed to a wide range of fine writers, including Mary Montagu, James Boswell, Charles Darwin, Evelyn Waugh, Jan Morris, and Paul Theroux. In addition to reading such writers, students will compose their own travel essays based on travel experiences. Their descriptions of new experiences and sites may be heightened by irony, humor, cultural meditation, and a sense of a “mind in motion” that pushes toward larger meanings — ethical, political, and personal. Prerequisite: Writing 221 or permission.
311 Writing for Business 4 hours
This course will ask students to apply writing and thinking skills to the specific demands of business, from the varieties of business correspondence to the preparation of proposals and reports. Students will practice the modes of business writing and develop the rhetorical and stylistic skills necessary for effective business communication.
312 Technical Writing 4 hours
This course helps students learn to write for an audience that wants factual information for practical use. This specialized information is usually directed to a specific audience which already has familiarity with the field. Professional technical journals provide the primary sources for this writing, as do technical reports written for business and government use.
313 Teaching and Supervising of Writing CM 4 hours
This course is designed to prepare students in all disciplines to teach, tutor, and supervise the writing of high school students and college undergraduates. The course will offer an introduction to the major trends in composition theory and research, as well as practice. It will also develop the technical and interpersonal skills necessary for effective instruction. Students will closely examine their own writing process and style. To fulfill the required laboratory element of this course, students will spend time each week working with a mentor in the Writing Center. Prerequisite: First Year Seminar and permission. Also listed as Education 313.
314 Writing About Science and Nature 3 hours
See Writing 324 for a description of this course.
316 Metafiction 3 hours
Students will explore the craft of metafiction, fiction that deliberately undermines and resists the conventions of traditional fiction. Students will read examples of metafiction, a genre marked by great humor and invention, and write carefully constructed metafiction of their own. Prerequisite: Writing 221 or permission.
318 Memoir 3 hours
Memoir, with its roots in the personal essay, uses the techniques of fiction and other literary genres to allow writers to remember and discover their lives through a specific theme or lens. Students will be asked to read and review several contemporary memoirs and to write a short memoir of their own. Workshops will be central, and students must be willing to read their own work as well as comment on the work of others. Prerequisite: Writing 221 or permission.
319 Literary Journalism CM 3 hours
See Writing 320 for a description of this course
320 Literary Journalism CM 4 hours
(See description of 319) Literary journalism has its roots in the early work of Daniel Defoe, but in the last few decades has come into its own—a genre marked by distinct conventions of style, form, and sensibility. Students will read samples of work by several generations of literary journalist who have shaped (and continue to shape) the genre—work by writers like George Orwell, Stephen Crane, Norman Mailer, Lillian Ross, Tom Wolfe, Mark Singer, Lauren Slater, Annie Dillard, Mark Kramer, John McPhee, Joan Didion, Michael Pollan, Edmund Morris, Ian Frazier, as well as new voices emerging every day. They will write a long piece of immersion journalism themselves, joining the ongoing conversation nonfiction writers are having about this inventive and important form in American letters. Prerequisite: Writing 221 or permission.
324 Writing About Science and Nature 4 hours
This is an intensive writing course. The combination of reading and writing will inspire student insights into science and nature. The course will cover such topics as evolution, genetic research, and the romantic lure of the natural world. We have the daunting yet vitally important task of writing about scientific issues in such a manner that is accessible to a popular audience. Thus class assignments will reflect that goal. Course books will acquaint students with scientific and environmental issues from historical, aesthetic and medical perspectives. Students will learn to write summarize and analyze articles about science and nature and to synthesize historical scientific information – the findings of Darwin – with current scientific and ecological issues and thought. While the class concentrates on scientific issues, it will be crucial to speculate on what these issues mean for our society. Therefore, students will deepen their understanding of how scientific issues intersect with our democracy and culture-at –large. Prerequisite: Writing 221 or permission.
328 Memoir 4 hours
Memoir, with its roots in the personal essay, uses the techniques of fiction and other literary genres to allow writers to remember and discover their lives through a specific theme or lens. Students will be asked to read and review several contemporary memoirs and to write a short memoir of their own. Workshops will be central, and students must be willing to read their own work as well as comment on the work of others. Prerequisite: Writing 221 or permission.
333 Rhetorical Criticism 4 hours
An examination of the nature and practice of rhetorical criticism as theory and methodology for understanding and critiquing contemporary discourse. The tools of rhetorical criticism, different methodological approaches, and the values of analyzing human discourse are explored. Students will do five critiques from a broad variety of contemporary discourse including speeches, essays, letters, editorials, theater, television, film, and other symbolic contexts of their choosing. Prerequisite:Writing 221, Communication 240, or permission. Also listed as Communication 333.
345 Writing for Publication 3 hours
A critical survey of modes and styles in contemporary publications is offered. Emphasis will be placed on developing critical and analytical skills in assessment of manuscripts, as well as on improving research and interview techniques. Instruction will be provided about such issues as copyediting, marketing, agents, working with editors, and assembling feature-length or book-length texts. Students will contact publishers concerning article needs and editorial guidelines to enlarge their understanding of the appreciation for the standards and expectations of publishers. Prerequisite: Writing 221, Communications 240, or permission of instructor. Also listed as Communication 345.
3XX Professional Editing 3 hours
(See New Course Proposal for description; prerequisite: Writing 221 or permission)
380 Special Topics Seminar 1 - 4 hours
404 Advanced Workshop in Poetry 4 hours
This course is a continuation of Writing 304. Students will write poetry at an advanced level. Prerequisite: Writing 304.
405 Advanced Workshop in Creative Nonfiction
This course is a continuation of Writing 305. Students will write creative nonfiction at an advanced level. Prerequisite: Writing 305.
406 Advanced Workshop in Fiction
This course is a continuation of Writing 306. Students will write creative nonfiction at an advanced level. Prerequisite: Writing 306.
481 Independent Research 1 - 4 hours
498 Internship 1 - 4 hours