ENGL 219 - Writing Creative Nonfiction

Number of Credits: 3
Writing Creative Nonfiction provides students with the opportunity to express their creativity in writing about their experience of life and the world around them. Students will study a variety of forms- memoir, portrait, essay of place, and others- and will read the work of accomplished creative nonfiction writers as models for their own writing. Emphasis will be placed on the writing process, from drafting to shaping to workshopping to revision. In supportive and constructive workshops, students will be encouraged to find and develop their individual voices and to engage fully in the process of discovery which this genre invites. Credit by portfolio available. (Spring Term) Three hours lecture. Three Credits. Three billable hours.

Pre-requisite(s): ENGL 101 with a minimum grade of C or better.
Course Objectives: Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Discover topics for writing by keeping a writer’s notebook and participating in writing exercises.
Discover topics for writing by reading and analyzing published works of creative nonfiction.
Engage fully in the writing process: drafting, shaping, workshopping, and revision.
Experiment with form by writing at least four completed pieces from different sub-genres (memoir, the personal essay, the portrait, the essay of place, the visual essay, travel writing, nature writing, and narrative journalism).
Engage in the self-reflection necessary to developing an individual voice.
Compile a portfolio of revised creative nonfiction essays.