The Creative Writing concentration gives students the opportunity to strengthen their creative writing skills and infuses their analytic reading skills with imagination. Students take beginning, intermediate, and advanced courses in one or more of the following genres: fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Intermediate and advanced courses are primarily workshop classes in which students read and critique one another’s work. At the center of all creative writing courses is the study of craft. Students in the Creative Writing concentration also take a wide variety of English and literature courses that prepare them to be writers by instructing them in literary traditions and styles. An internship program for all English majors offers Creative Writing students positions that may lead to employment. In addition, the Creative Writing program runs a vibrant reading series that gives students the chance to meet visiting writers.

Effective Fall 2022

For graduation, an English major must attain a minimum grade point average of 2.000 in all Composition (CO) and English (E) courses.

Freshman
AUCCCredits
CO 150College Composition (GT-CO2)1A3
E 240Introduction to Poetry 3
SPCM 200Public Speaking 3
Arts and Humanities13B6
Biological and Physical Sciences3A7
Quantitative Reasoning1B3
Electives 5
 Total Credits 30
Sophomore
 
E 210Beginning Creative Writing 3
E 270Introduction to American Literature (GT-AH2)3B3
Select one from the following: 3
British Literature--Medieval Period to 1800 (GT-AH2)3B 
British Literature--After 1800 (GT-AH2)3B 
Additional History Elective - Select one course from the following: 3
  
HIST XXX
  
Black Cinema and Media  
History of Political Thought  
World Theatre History I  
E *** English Elective 3
PHIL *** Philosophy Elective 3
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion1C3
Historical Perspectives3D3
Social and Behavioral Sciences3C3
Elective 3
 Total Credits 30
Junior
 
E 341Literary Criticism and Theory4A,4B3
Select one course from the following: 3
Writing Arguments (GT-CO3)2 
Writing in the Disciplines: Arts and Humanities (GT-CO3)2 
Writing in the Disciplines: Sciences (GT-CO3)2 
Writing in the Disciplines: Social Sciences (GT-CO3)2 
Writing in the Disciplines: Education (GT-CO3)2 
Select one course from the following: 3
Intermediate Creative Writing: Fiction  
Intermediate Creative Writing: Poetry  
Intermediate Creative Writing: Nonfiction  
Second field2 3
Upper-Division English/Composition (See list below) 6
Electives 12
 Total Credits 30
Senior
 
Select one course from the following:3 3
Creative Writing Workshop: Fiction  
Creative Writing Workshop: Poetry  
Creative Writing Workshop: Nonfiction  
Select one course from the following: 3
Chaucer4C 
Topics in Literature and Language4C 
Individual Author4C 
Second field2 9
Upper-Division English/Composition (See list below) 12
Elective4 3
 Total Credits 30
 Program Total Credits: 120

Upper Division English/Composition Electives (18 credits total)

Select at least one course from each Category (1-4) below and at least one course from the Additional Upper-Division English/Composition Electives list below. Selected courses may only count toward one Category. 

Category 1 – Historical Approaches: Literature of the British Isles before 1830, or American or European Literature before 1900

Select a minimum of 3 credits from the following:
E 331Early Women Writers3
E 344Shakespeare3
E 424English Renaissance3
E 425Restoration and 18th Century Literature3
E 426British Romanticism3
E 430Eighteenth-Century English Fiction3
E 440American Literature Before 19003
E 443English Renaissance Drama3
E 444Restoration and 18th-Century Drama3
E 451Medieval Literature3
E 460Chaucer3
E 463Milton3
E 475American Poetry Before 19003

 Category 2 – Historical Approaches: Literatures of the British Isles after 1830, or American or European Literatures after 1900

Select a minimum of 3 credits from the following:
E 332Modern Women Writers3
E 334LGBTQ+ Literature3
E 345American Drama3
E 350The Gothic in Literature and Film3
E 420Beat Generation Writing3
E 421Asian-American Literature3
E 422/ETST 422African-American Literature3
E 423Latino/a Literature3
E 427Victorian Age3
E 43119th-Century English Fiction3
E 43220th-Century British Fiction3
E 433Literatures of the American West3
E 438/ETST 438Native American Literature3
E 441American Literature Since 19003
E 445Modern British and European Drama3
E 455European Literature after 19003
E 478Modern Poetry3
E 479Recent Poetry of the United States3

 Category 3 – Breakthroughs: Ideological, Racial, Cultural, Gendered 

Select a minimum of 3 credits from the following:
E 330Gender in World Literature3
E 331Early Women Writers3
E 332Modern Women Writers3
E 333Critical Studies of Popular Texts3
E 334LGBTQ+ Literature3
E 338Ethnic Literature in the United States3
E 339Literature of the Earth3
E 421Asian-American Literature3
E 422/ETST 422African-American Literature3
E 423Latino/a Literature3
E 428Postcolonial Literature3
E 438/ETST 438Native American Literature3
E 456Topics in Critical Theory3

 Category 4 – Genre Approaches

Select a minimum of 3 credits from the following:
E 310Researching and Writing Literary Criticism3
E 334LGBTQ+ Literature3
E 337Western Mythology3
E 344Shakespeare3
E 345American Drama3
E 350The Gothic in Literature and Film3
E 403Writing the Environment3
E 430Eighteenth-Century English Fiction3
E 43119th-Century English Fiction3
E 43220th-Century British Fiction3
E 443English Renaissance Drama3
E 444Restoration and 18th-Century Drama3
E 445Modern British and European Drama3
E 460Chaucer3
E 463Milton3
E 475American Poetry Before 19003
E 478Modern Poetry3
E 479Recent Poetry of the United States3

 Additional Upper-Division English/Composition Electives

Select a minimum of 3 credits from the following:
Any course not taken previously from Categories 1-4 above
CO 302Writing in Digital Environments (GT-CO3)3
CO 401Writing and Style3
E 300/AMST 300American Lives-Methods in American Studies3
E 302Reading and the Web3
E 305Principles of Writing and Rhetoric3
E 311AIntermediate Creative Writing: Fiction3
E 311BIntermediate Creative Writing: Poetry3
E 311CIntermediate Creative Writing: Nonfiction3
E 320Introduction to the Study of Language3
E 322English Language for Teachers I3
E 323English Language for Teachers II3
E 324Teaching English as a Second Language3
E 326Development of the English Language3
E 327Syntax and Semantics3
E 328Phonology, Morphology, and Lexis3
E 329Pragmatics and Discourse Analysis3
E 370American Literature in Cultural Contexts3
E 401Teaching Reading3
E 402Teaching Composition3
E 405Young Adult Literature3
E 406Topics in Literacy3
E 412ACreative Writing Workshop: Fiction3
E 412BCreative Writing Workshop: Poetry3
E 412CCreative Writing Workshop: Nonfiction3
E 465Topics in Literature and Language3
E 470Individual Author3
E 501Theories of Composition3
E 502The Politics of Literacy3
E 503Investigating Classroom Literacies3
E 505AMajor Authors: English3
E 505BMajor Authors: American3
E 505CMajor Authors: World3
E 506ALiterature Survey: English3
E 506BLiterature Survey: American3
E 506CLiterature Survey: Comparative3
E 507Special Topics in Linguistics3
E 513AForm and Technique in Modern Literature: Fiction3
E 513BForm and Technique in Modern Literature: Poetry3
E 513CForm and Technique in Modern Literature: Essay3
1

Excludes E subject code courses.

2

The department requires majors to complete a second field. This may be met by completing the second semester of the second year of a foreign language or by completing 12 credits of upper division courses in a coherent field of study outside English.

3

Selection must match subtopic of E 311A, E 311B, or E 311C.

4

Select enough elective credits to bring the program table to 120 credits, of which at least 42 must be upper-division (300- to 400-level).

Distinctive Requirements for Degree Program:
For graduation, an English major must attain a minimum grade point average of 2.000 in all Composition (CO) and English (E) courses.

Freshman
Semester 1CriticalRecommendedAUCCCredits
CO 150College Composition (GT-CO2) X1A3
Arts and Humanities  3B3
Biological and Physical Sciences  3A3
Quantitative Reasoning X1B3
Elective   3
 Total Credits   15
Semester 2CriticalRecommendedAUCCCredits
E 240Introduction to Poetry X 3
SPCM 200Public Speaking   3
Arts and Humanities  3B3
Biological and Physical Sciences  3A4
Elective   2
AUCC 1B (Quantitative Reasoning) and CO 150 must be completed by the end of Semester 2.X   
 Total Credits   15
Sophomore
Semester 3CriticalRecommendedAUCCCredits
E 210Beginning Creative Writing X 3
E 270Introduction to American Literature (GT-AH2) X3B3
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion  1C3
Social and Behavioral Sciences  3C3
Liberal Arts/History Elective   3
 Total Credits   15
Semester 4CriticalRecommendedAUCCCredits
Select one course from the following:   3
British Literature--Medieval Period to 1800 (GT-AH2)X 3B 
British Literature--After 1800 (GT-AH2)X 3B 
Historical Perspectives  3D3
E *** English Elective   3
PHIL *** Philosophy Elective   3
Elective   3
AUCC 3A (Biological and Physical Sciences), AUCC 3B (Arts and Humanities), AUCC 3C (Social and Behavioral Sciences), E 210, E 240, E 270 must be completed by the end of Semester 4.X   
 Total Credits   15
Junior
Semester 5CriticalRecommendedAUCCCredits
E 341Literary Criticism and Theory X4A,4B3
Select one course from the following:   3
Intermediate Creative Writing: Fiction X  
Intermediate Creative Writing: Poetry X  
Intermediate Creative Writing: Nonfiction X  
Upper-Division English/Composition Course (See footnote and list on Concentration Requirements tab)   3
Electives   6
 Total Credits   15
Semester 6CriticalRecommendedAUCCCredits
Select one course from the following:   3
Writing Arguments (GT-CO3)X 2 
Writing in the Disciplines: Arts and Humanities (GT-CO3)X 2 
Writing in the Disciplines: Sciences (GT-CO3)X 2 
Writing in the Disciplines: Social Sciences (GT-CO3)X 2 
Writing in the Disciplines: Education (GT-CO3)X 2 
Second Field Course   3
Upper-Division English/Composition Course (See footnote and list on Concentration Requirements Tab)   3
Electives   6
 Total Credits   15
Senior
Semester 7CriticalRecommendedAUCCCredits
Select one course from the following:   3
Chaucer X4C 
Topics in Literature and Language X4C 
Individual Author X4C 
Second Field Courses   6
Upper-Division English/Composition Courses (See footnote and list on Concentration Requirements Tab)   6
 Total Credits   15
Semester 8CriticalRecommendedAUCCCredits
Select one course from the following: (Must match subtopic of E 311A-C)   3
Creative Writing Workshop: FictionX   
Creative Writing Workshop: PoetryX   
Creative Writing Workshop: NonfictionX   
Second Field CourseX  3
Upper-Division English/Composition Courses (See footnote and list on Concentration Requirements Tab)X  6
ElectiveX  3
The benchmark courses for the 8th semester are the remaining courses in the entire program of study.X   
 Total Credits   15
 Program Total Credits:   120