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Contacts

Elise Juska \ ejuska@uarts.edu \ 215.717.6264
Creative Writing Program Director

Description

The BFA in Creative Writing is a 60-credit major that prepares students for professional careers in the literary arts. The 45 credits of writing courses include small, intensive workshops and craft seminars that emphasize contemporary literature and guide students toward the completion of a potentially publishable manuscript. While students majoring in Creative Writing concentrate in one of two genres—poetry or short fiction, an emphasis chosen in the sophomore year—they also take four craft seminars focused on specialized writing forms and genres, four literature courses, a hands-on course in publishing, and a cross-disciplinary course requiring close collaboration with a student in another artistic field.

In the freshman year, Creative Writing students acquire a working knowledge of the elements of both poetry and short fiction. All freshmen take two year-long courses, Introductory to the Contemporary Poem and Introduction to the Contemporary Short Story, which emphasize reading and writing in equal part. Here students begin learning to read as writers, to critique material productively, and to practice and hone their writing skills by using as models the significant poetry and story collections of the last fifteen years.

As sophomores, students continue to explore and refine their writing interests by taking the Intermediate Workshop in poetry or fiction and choosing from among the diverse roster of craft seminars. These seminars are not literature courses in the traditional sense, but reading/writing courses that look closely at a particular form or genre with an eye to craft. These electives, offered on a rotating basis, include Creative Nonfiction, Arts Criticism, The Linked Short Story Collection, Writing and New Media, Translation and Adaptation, and The Graphic Novel.

As juniors, in addition to taking increasingly advanced writing workshops, students have the opportunity to explore connections between their writing and other arts. In the cross-disciplinary Writing and Collaboration course, students undertake a creative project with a student from another major. In the spring, juniors take a hands-on publishing course covering all aspects of producing a literary magazine. To complete their degree, students also enjoy 15 credits of free electives, which may be used for additional courses in Creative Writing or studio courses from programs across the University, including Playwriting and Writing for Film & TV. Free elective credit may also be allocated for internships, such as working at The American Poetry Review, a nationally renowned poetry magazine housed on campus at UArts.

In the senior year, Creative Writing majors take a two-semester, twelve-credit seminar concentrated on revising and producing finished and potentially publishable work. The senior year culminates in a portfolio of revised pieces, an exit interview conducted by members of the writing faculty, and a public reading.

Program Objectives

Students graduating with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Creative Writing will:

• Understand the elements of the poem and the short story and be able to use them, skillfully and deliberately, in their own work;
• Be close and careful readers, able to analyze text with a writer’s eye;
• Demonstrate knowledge of the significant books, writers and trends in the contemporary writing landscape, as well as the context for the development of these literary models and traditions;
• Write ably in a range of forms and genres;
• Critique writing usefully and productively, delivering detailed, well- supported verbal and written peer feedback;
• Find and articulate connections between their writing and other artistic disciplines;
• Demonstrate practical knowledge of producing a literary magazine, including editing, proofreading, consistency, and design;
• Hone public speaking skills by reading work aloud, introducing visiting writers, and participating in public readings and other presentations;
• Engage in thorough, substantial revision of written work;
• Produce a final portfolio of professional-quality poetry or fiction;
• Have something to say.

Program Requirements (121.5 credits)