Courses

Area of Concentration Requirements

The joint-disciplinary Area of Concentration in Creative Writing involves the following requirements:

1. 6 units in Creative Writing
   • 2 Units in Writing Workshop: 1 beginning, 1 intermediate-advanced
   • 1 Unit in Reading Like a Writer
   • 2 Units in Craft Seminars
   • 1 Unit in 1 unit in 3rd/4th Year Creative Writing Tutorial
     
2. A thesis that incorporates a sustained piece of imaginative writing of literary merit.
3. At least one Creative Writing Professor on the Baccalaureate Exam committee.

Academic Learning Compact Defining Student Learning Outcomes

Students graduating in this area of concentration should have acquired creative and critical thinking abilities, communication skills, and content knowledge that will allow them to interpret and articulate complex ideas; will serve as the basis for further study in Creative Writing, Literature, English, or related disciplines; and will prepare them for careers that demand strong communication skills together with creative and critical thinking.

Measures to Track Student Progress

Students enrolled in Creative Writing courses are evaluated through their performance in writing portfolios, class presentations, participation in class discussions, craft papers, annotated bibliographies, workshop submissions and responses, and self-evaluations. Many students also pursue independent writing tutorials under faculty direction and are evaluated through original written work and reflective writing. Finally, student progress is continually monitored through faculty conferences. In the fifth semester students submit a provisional AOC form and describe the work they have done and will do to meet the AOC requirements.

This combination of evaluative tools allows each student to gain a picture of their progress in creating polished, original creative work, employing techniques of revision, and developing a rich and articulate understanding of the landscape of contemporary creative writing in the genre(s) in which they write.

Specific Measures to Demonstrate Each Graduate’s Competence

The creative writing portion of student theses are judged according to the quality and originality of creative work; the students’ ability to articulate intention and self-reflexivity in relation to their artistic choices and process; and the students’ ability to situate creative work within the landscape of contemporary creative writing and the history of literature. Performance on the oral exam is judged by how well the student responds to questions, demonstrates knowledge of the field, and articulates intention behind their artistic choices.

Career Opportunities

The Creative Writing AOC prepares students for a variety of careers: as authors, editors, publicists, professors, teachers, lawyers, copywriters, travel writers, speech writers, and marketing associates; in publishing, arts administration, television, news, public relations, content marketing, and sales; for design firms, business journals, media groups, software companies, universities, and other institutions and organizations who have stories to tell.