CREATIVE WRITING

Subject abbreviation: CRWT

Faculty | Program | Minor
Undergraduate Curricula | Graduate Curricula
Undergraduate Courses

Christopher Buckley, M.F.A., Chair
Department Office, 2116 Watkins
(909) 787-5312
http://www.chass.ucr.edu/creative_writing

Professors
Christopher Buckley, M.F.A.
Maurya Simon, M.F.A.
Gary A. Soto, M.F.A.
Susan C. Straight, M.F.A.
Professors Emeriti
Eliud Martínez, Ph.D.
Stephen Minot, M.A.
••
Lecturers
Judy Z. Kronenfeld, Ph.D.
Frances H. McConnel, Ph.D.

MAJOR

The Creative Writing major offers a series of workshop courses in poetry, fiction, playwriting, screenwriting, and nonfiction as well as reading courses in poetry and fiction presented from a writer's point of view. They are taught for the most part by poets, fiction writers, and playwrights.

The major consists of 12 units of lower-division courses, 60 units of upper-division courses, and 24 units of concentration in a subject of student choice approved by the Creative Writing Chair or advisor.

The writing courses are taught as workshops, so that the subject matter (the students' stories, poems, and plays) is different each time the course is offered.

Degree Requirements

University Requirements

See the Undergraduate Studies section for requirements that all students must satisfy.

College Requirements

See Degree Requirements, College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, in the Undergraduate Studies Section, for requirements that students must satisfy.

Major Requirements

The major requirements for the B.A. degree in Creative Writing are as follows:

Prerequisites courses: CRWT 056 or equivalent, and ENGL 001A or equivalent.

1.  Lower-division requirements (12 units)Three (3) lower-division literature surveys:

2.  Upper-division requirements (60 units)

Minor

1.  Lower-division requirements (8 units)

2.  Upper-division requirements (20 units)

See Minors under the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences in the Undergraduate Studies section of this catalog for additional information on minors.

GRADUATE PROGRAMS

The Creative Writing Department, in conjunction with the Theatre Department, is developing a Master of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing. Please contact the department for more information.

LOWER-DIVISION COURSES

CRWT 040. Fiction and Film. (4)

Lecture, three hours; practice writing, three hours. Prerequisite(s): none. A study of twentieth-century international fiction and film from a writer's point of view, emphasizing relationships and literary techniques found in both. Explores what is required to move from the novelistic to the cinematic.

CRWT 041. Poetry and Fiction: A Reading Course for Writers. (4)

Lecture, three hours; creative imitation practice, three hours. Prerequisite(s): none. Active, analytical reading of contemporary poetry and fiction in order to broaden and deepen students' understanding of the craft of writing. Students analyze and practice poetic and fictional techniques.

CRWT 042. Poetry and Drama: A Reading Course for Writers. (4)

Seminar, three hours; extra reading, three hours. Prerequisite(s): none. Examines poetic and dramatic techniques in both poetry and drama, including narrative verse, verse novels, and verse drama. Students compose imitations and may also write analytical essays based on the models studied.

CRWT 043. Creative Writing and Ancestry. (4)

Lecture, three hours; outside writing, three hours. Prerequisite(s): none. A study of creative writing that explores personal experience and ancestry. Genres studied may include nonfiction, autobiography, fiction, and visual media. Students are required to write in one or more of these genres.

CRWT 056. Introduction to Creative Writing. (4)

Practice writing, three hours; workshop, three hours. Prerequisite(s): ENGL 001A. Introduction to the writing of imaginative literature, with primary emphasis on the short story and poetry. Enrollment limited.

CRWT 097H. Freshman Honors Project: Poetry. (4)

Seminar, three hours; individual study, one hour; extra reading, one hour; creative projects, two hours. Prerequisite(s): Admission to the University Honors Program or consent of instructor. A course in poetry writing involving the reading of poetry and comments of poetry and critics on poetry in modern and contemporary modes. Designed to foster students' exploration of the diversity of poetic styles in an age with no dominant school, and their awareness of the aesthetic, cultural, and personal resonances of conscious and unconscious artistic choices.

UPPER-DIVISION COURSES

CRWT 150. Beginning Poetry Workshop. (4)

Workshop, three hours; outside research, three hours. Prerequisite(s): CRWT 056 or consent of instructor. Students write poetry which is analyzed by the class. Substantial original work and outside reading are required.

CRWT 152. Beginning Fiction Workshop. (4)

Workshop, three hours; outside research, three hours. Prerequisite(s): CRWT 056 or consent of instructor. Students discuss and analyze outside texts and original work from the class. Substantial original work is required.

CRWT 160. Intermediate Poetry Workshop. (4)

Workshop, three hours; outside research, three hours. Prerequisite(s): CRWT 056, CRWT 150; or consent of instructor. Students produce and bring to class for analysis and commentary, a large quantity of original work in poetry. Course is repeatable to a maximum of 8 units.

CRWT 162. Intermediate Fiction Workshop. (4)

Workshop, three hours; outside research, three hours. Prerequisite(s): CRWT 056, CRWT 152; or consent of instructor. Class work consists of intensive analysis of students' work. Course is repeatable to a maximum of 8 units.

CRWT 164A. Beginning Playwriting. (4)

Seminar, three hours; discussion, one hour. Prerequisite(s): THEA 100 or CRWT 056 or consent of instructor. Seminar in the practice of playwriting centering on the construction of a plot. Cross-listed with THEA 164A. Morton

CRWT 164B. Intermediate Playwriting. (4)

Seminar, three hours; discussion, one hour. Prerequisite(s): CRWT 164A/THEA 164A. Seminar in the practice of playwriting. Revisions of works in progress with emphasis on character development and techniques for writing dialogue. Cross-listed with THEA 164B. Morton

CRWT 164C. Advanced Playwriting. (4)

Seminar, three hours; discussion, one hour. Prerequisite(s): CRWT 164B/THEA 164B. Seminar in the practice of playwriting. Playwrights' participation in staged readings of their work. With consent of instructor, course is repeatable to a maximum of 8 units. Cross-listed with THEA 164C. Morton

CRWT 165. Fundamentals and Concepts of Journalism. (4)

Lecture, three hours; consultation, one hour. Introduction to the journalistic writing process, including history, role in modern society, function and form, editing principles, ethics and legalities. Writing assignments will provide experience in interviewing, story construction and organization, format options and variations in style.

CRWT 166A-CRWT 166B-CRWT 166C. Screenwriting. (4-4-4)

Lecture, two hours; discussion, two hours.
Prerequisite(s):
for CRWT 166A/FVC 166A/THEA 166A: CRWT 056 or consent of instructor;
for CRWT 166B/FVC 166B/THEA 166B: CRWT 166A/FVC 166A/THEA 166A or consent of instructor;
for CRWT 166C/FVC 166C/THEA 166C: CRWT 166B/FVC 166B/THEA 166B or consent of instructor.
Explores the fundamentals of screenwriting including story development, plotting, and characterization as they are used in creating a complete script for television or feature film. 166A: Introduction. 166B: From outline to first draft. 166C: Rewrites and writing for television formats. CRWT 166C/FVC 166C/THEA 166C is repeatable. Cross-listed with FVC 166A-FVC 166B-FVC 166C and THEA 166A-THEA 166B-THEA 166C.

CRWT 167A. Plays in Production. (4)

Workshop, eight hours. Prerequisite(s): CRWT 164A/THEA 164A or CRWT 166A/FVC 166A/THEA 166A or consent of instructor. Development and preproduction of half-hour or one-hour plays written specifically for stage, soundstage, radio, television, or Web-based broadcasting. Students learn the basics of sound and video production to enhance their writing and rewriting process. Course is repeatable to a maximum of 8 units. Cross-listed with THEA 165A.

CRWT 167B. Plays in Production. (4)

Workshop, eight hours. Prerequisite(s): CRWT 167A/THEA 165A or consent of instructor. Advanced production and postproduction of half-hour and one-hour drama (including comedy) for radio, video, or webcasting. Postproduction of previously taped shows. Course is repeatable to a maximum of 8 units. Cross-listed with THEA 165B.

CRWT 170. Advanced Poetry Workshop. (4)

Workshop, three hours; outside research, three hours. Prerequisite(s): CRWT 056, CRWT 150, CRWT 160; or consent of instructor. A workshop in poetry writing for students who wish to attempt, with criticism from class members, to fashion a significant long poem or group of poems. Course is repeatable.

CRWT 171. Anatomy of Poetry. (4)

Lecture, three hours; creative writing, three hours. Prerequisite(s): CRWT 160 or consent of instructor. An introductory study of poetics, including traditional and contemporary forms. Students write in the various poetic forms studied.

CRWT 172. Advanced Fiction Workshop. (4)

Workshop, three hours; outside research, three hours. Prerequisite(s): CRWT 056, CRWT 152, CRWT 162; or consent of instructor. A workshop in fiction writing for students who wish to attempt, with criticism from class members, to fashion a collection of stories or a novel. Course is repeatable.

CRWT 175. Advanced Writing for Journalists. (4)

Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Prerequisite(s): CRWT 165 or consent of instructor. An examination of the techniques and styles representative of modern feature journalism. Writing assignments incorporate advanced reporting skills.

CRWT 176 (E-Z). The Craft of Writing. (4)

Lecture, three hours; extra reading, one hour; practice writing, two to three hours. Prerequisite(s): upper-division standing or consent of instructor. The formal study and practice of the craft of writing, its technical aspects and development through the contemporary period in the genres of poetry, fiction, playwriting, screenwriting, and journalism.

CRWT 187. Metafiction. (4)

Lecture, three hours; creative writing or term paper, three hours. Prerequisite(s): upper-division standing or consent of instructor. Postmodernism, metafiction, and the new novel in Europe and America. Creative writers submit fiction in lieu of a term paper. Cross-listed with WRLT 187.

CRWT 190. Special Studies. (1-5)

To be taken with the consent of the Chair of the Department as a means of meeting special curricular problems.

CRWT 191. Seminar in Creative Writing. (4)

Seminar, three hours; extra reading, three hours. Prerequisite(s): consent of instructor; upper-division standing. Intense study of the work of a visiting writer and poet. Students prepare individual papers for discussion. Minot

CRWT 195H. Senior Honors Thesis. (4)

Consultation, one hour; outside research, four hours; extra reading, three hours; thesis, four hours. Prerequisite(s): consent of Department Chair. The student works independently with a faculty member to prepare a project. For the Creative Writing major, the project may be a group of poems, a long poem, a group of short stories, a novel, or a part of a novel. For the Journalism minor, the project may be a news feature, an investigative article, or a similar story requiring significant endeavor in reporting and writing and demonstrating an understanding of sound journalistic technique.

CRWT 198-I. Individual Internship. (1-12)

Field, two hours per unit. Prerequisite(s): consent of instructor; upper-division standing. Work with an appropriate professional individual or organization to gain experience and skills in any form of writing which meets with the approval of the Creative Writing Chair (e.g., journalism, radio journalism). Letter grading or Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC). Repeatable to 16 units.