Course Description

Study and practice of the basic techniques of effective imaginative creative writing: concrete language, conflict, characterization, point of view, narrative, lyricism, pace, and setting. Course focuses on multiple genres of creative writing. Employs workshop format to develop reading and feedback skills. Skills developed include close reading, close observation, craft in above-described techniques, revision, discipline and practice, giving and receiving feedback, developing access to imaginative powers. Text is supplemented with additional examples of contemporary creative writing. Group 2 course.

Credit Hours

3

Contact Hours

3

Lecture Hours

3

Required Prerequisites

ENG 112 or permission of instructor

Recommended Prerequisites or Skills Competencies

Students should have language skills at least equivalent to ENG 112.

General Education Outcomes supported by this course

Communications - Direct, Critical Thinking - Direct

Other college designations supported by this course

Infused: Writing Intensive

Course Learning Outcomes

Knowledge:

• Identify basic prose techniques: concrete language, conflict, characterization, point of view, narrative arc, pace, tone, and setting.
• Describe pieces of writing using the language of basic prose techniques.

Application:

• Assess the impact of basic prose techniques.
• Write imaginative prose demonstrating use of basic prose techniques.
• Apply revision techniques to their work and the work of others.
• Demonstrate informed reading of professional examples.

Integration:

• Incorporate knowledge of prose techniques into their reading and discussion of creative prose.
• Incorporate prose techniques into their writing.
• Critique and uncover patterns creative work.

Human Dimension:

• Interact productively in giving and receiving constructive feedback.
• Achieve a deeper understanding of human emotion, desire, belief, and motivation as expressed via basic prose techniques.
• See the world from other points of view.
• Come to see themselves as actors guided by a set of beliefs.

Caring - Civic Learning:

• Write ethically.
• Consider alternative values presented in texts and life.
• Recognize alternative meanings presented in texts and life.
• View the world vis-a-vis potential for story and creative engagement.

Learning How to Learn:

• Use the tools of basic prose techniques to recognize how a piece of writing has been constructed.
• Imagine new possibilities in their own and in the creative work of others.
• Experience how creative processes engage with deeply held values and beliefs.
• Recognize the difference between working in creative community and working in solitude and how these conditions impact their creative process.