BFA Course Descriptions
- Note: for the most updated day & time information, and for delivery mode, please go to SeaNet and search for courses.
- SeaNet provides the instructors' names and email addresses for searched courses.
- Visit catalogue.uncw.edu for catalogue course descriptions (choose current catalogue year from drop-down, then see link in left column for course descriptions).
Spring 2023
CRW 201-001—010: INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING
Text: Show & Tell 6th ed.
This participation-intensive course offers an introduction to the writing of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Students will learn fundamental craft elements, read and discuss published works, and produce their own poems, stories, and essays to be workshopped in small groups.
CRW 201 partially satisfies University Studies II: Approaches and Perspectives/Aesthetic, Interpretive, and Literary Perspectives.
Sections 001-010 all meet together in an auditorium on Tuesdays at 9:30 with Melissa Crowe, then the individual sections meet on Thursdays at 9:30 in classrooms with the assigned GTA.
CRW 201-011: INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING, KOCUREK W
In this course, you will receive a broad, hands-on introduction to the world of creative writing through its three genres: poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction. Through craft discussions, in-class exercises, and interactive workshops, we will learn how to approach language and stories not as stuffy critics, but as active writers. Our aim is to learn from each other and from the published authors we read as novice craftspeople, discovering our tastes, our weaknesses, our strengths, and, most importantly, the lifelong joy of the creative process.
CRW 201-012: INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING, HANNIGAN R
This writing-intensive course introduces students to writing in three genres: poetry, nonfiction, and fiction. Students will read and analyze contemporary texts, then apply craft and techniques to their own writing. Throughout the semester, students will submit notebook exercises, discussion posts, and drafts to be workshopped, with revision in mind, as the course will culminate in a refined, final portfolio. The course requires active participation, close reading, and engaged discussion. Through conversation and practice, students will learn the essential elements of crafting strong stories and sentences, which benefits all career paths.
CRW 201-013: INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING, WROBEL S
CRW 201-014: INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING, WALKER J
CRW 201-015: INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING, CARDONA L
This introductory course is designed to present students to the three primary genres of creative writing: fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Together, we will read and analyze texts in each genre, working to demystify the writing process by studying the fundamental elements of our craft. Students can expect to write habitually inside and outside the classroom, while striving to sharpen their powers of awareness, harness their imaginations, and mine experiences from their lives for creative inspiration. We will work together to sharpen our critical thinking skills, increase perceptual awareness, embolden self-discovery, and encourage each other through in-class discussions, workshops, and writing exercises, culminating in a final portfolio of revised, polished material.
CRW 201-016: INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING, CROWDER L
CRW 201-017: INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING, MILLER J
This course will be, as the title implies, an introduction to the three genres of creative writing: fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Students will read texts and be exposed to multimedia pieces in each genre, as well as perform writing exercises in class. Each student will submit original short works and workshop each other's drafts with eyes toward revision for a portfolio rather than a traditional final. This is a writing and participation intensive course, meant to foster an appreciation for the written word through a small community of beginners willing to learn together. The environment of a close-knit, supportive writing community will be paramount for this class.
CRW 201-018: INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING, JOHNSON J
This class will introduce students to the elements of fiction, nonfiction and poetry and help students produce and refine their own creative work in those genres. The course requires active participation, close reading and engaged discussion. Students will learn the fundamental elements of storytelling, analysis and critique that benefit all career paths. This course partially satisfies University Studies II: Approaches and Perspectives/Aesthetic, Interpretive, and Literary Perspectives.
CRW 201-020: INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING, KRAMER M
CRW 201-800: INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING, SIEGEL R
This course is designed to introduce students to the reading and writing of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. We will read and discuss examples of each genre, learning how to think about a piece of writing as writers do, in terms of craft. Short analytic and creative responses to the reading will be due each meeting, and there will be in-class writing as well, which we will share. Class discussion will also be key, which makes attendance a crucial requirement. Online, synchronous.
CRW 203-001: EVOLUTION OF CREATIVE WRITING, TYER A
CRW 203-002: EVOLUTION OF CREATIVE WRITING, LOGUE A
This course will introduce students to influential past authors in the horror genre while investigating how creative writing has changed over time. These writers will cover a wide range of genre, subject, and personal voice. Students will write creative, experimental responses to this literature and attempt to find their own voice in relation to the past. Through participation in nuanced discussion and written assignments, students will evaluate the ongoing evolution of craft, theme, and genre as both readers and writers. Students should expect to read widely and write often.
CRW 204-001: RESEARCH FOR CREATIVE WRITERS, MOEZZI M
In this course, students will read and learn about a variety of ways to best employ research in their own creative writing. Recognizing that research is a vital tool for all writers, this open-genre course will invite students to craft their own well-researched pieces within creative nonfiction, fiction, and/or poetry. Students will choose the topics of their work, researching relevant people, places, things, eras, processes and/or events relevant to said topics. Students will learn to better express themselves verbally and in writing, all with a focus on fostering creative capacities, as well as skills, abilities, and perspectives vital for creative writers. Students will also gain a broader understanding and appreciation for writing and literature while learning to critically evaluate diverse ideas, arguments, and perspectives. By the end of the semester, students should have written at least one short, well-researched piece of creative writing that is ready to submit for publication.
CRW 207-001: FICTION WRITING I, KOCUREK W
In this course, we will dive headfirst into the life of a fiction writer. We will develop not only a survey-level understanding of the genre, through varied weekly readings of stories and craft essays, but a practical, hands-on mindset that will prepare you for a productive and enriching lifelong relationship with writing. To that end, workshop will be the jewel of this course. Every Friday, we will meet to discuss each other’s stories, exercising our inner “Kind Critic” while learning to confidently submit our work to readers with an aim for self- and group-improvement. By the end of this course, we will all have broadened our palates, sharpened our aesthetics, and gained an appreciation for our own and our classmates’ talents.
CRW 207-002: FICTION WRITING I, HANNIGAN R
This writing-intensive course focuses on writing short stories. Each week, students will read, critique, and discuss work by contemporary writers. These stories will range from traditional to experimental, realism, magical realism, fairytale, surrealism, and historical fiction. Readings and discussions are intended to advance conversations about craft and technique - particularly around world-building - which can then be applied to writing. Students will submit several notebook exercises, discussion posts, and two complete stories for workshop. In the end, students will submit a final portfolio with two stories that have undergone significant revisions.
CRW 208-001: POETRY WRITING I, TYER A
CRW 208-002: POETRY WRITING I, LOGUE A
In this course, students with an interest in reading, writing, and studying poetry will dive into the specifics of place-based writing. Together, we will examine the work of diverse poets, explore multiple poetic forms, while offering in-class and out of class opportunities for students to produce their own poems. The semester will include time and space for students to workshop their pieces within the classroom and engage with providing feedback for their peers. This course will focus on how to read and write poetry of place.
CRW 209-002: CREATIVE NONFICTION I, KRAMER M
CRW 209-003: CREATIVE NONFICTION I, CROOK C
CRW 306-800: FICTION—READING FOR CRAFT, SIEGEL R
This class is a reading course designed to explore the diverse landscape of fiction, particularly the short story form. Students will write both short analytic and creative responses to the reading. Class discussion will also be key, which makes attendance a crucial requirement. The aim is to learn how to read like a writer. Online, synchronous.
CRW 307-001: INTERMEDIATE FICTION WRITING, DE GRAMONT
In this class, students will work on developing craft through in-class and at-home writing exercises. These exercises should progress toward a completed piece of fiction, either a short story or a chapter of a longer work. Each student will have a workshop for his or her completed first draft. Prior to this workshop, each student will have two shorter workshops of a first page. Students will read, listen to, and discuss each other’s work, as well as handing in written critiques.
CRW 307-800: INTERMEDIATE FICTION WRITING, BRENNER
Note: This course meets 100% online, in real time (synchronous), via Zoom. This fiction writing workshop centers student work. It is our only focus. All types of student projects are welcome: stories, excerpts of longer works, flash fiction, hybrid fiction, short writing exercises, as-yet unnamed forms. Students will read and critique each other’s work, our main text for the course, and will create their own workshop worksheets or itineraries for peers and instructor to use when responding in class. We will also read and discuss short, published work in class, illuminating specific issues of craft that arise, and expanding our understanding of what a story can do, is allowed to do. Central goals: Support and feedback for student work, with special emphasis on how to amplify and refine one’s unique voice on the page, how to find and express one’s most authentic, original content. Students will write one or two “finished” (polished) pieces of fiction and many brief exercises. Participation and Zoom attendance are mandatory. The class won’t meet in person because the instructor lives in Chicago. Students, however, are always encouraged to build community in whatever way works best for them.
CRW 308-001: INTERMEDIATE POETRY WRITING, WHITE M
Why is it that certain poems can make the hair on the back of your neck stand up, can trigger your deepest memories, can sing you into a spell? In this class, we’ll read contemporary voices such as Natalie Diaz and Jericho Brown, and will also explore a variety of modes, from lyric to prose poetry to traditional forms. I’ll assign exercises based on the readings, some of which will result in complete poems to be workshopped. Grade will be based on a final portfolio of six finished poems, to be submitted at the end of class, and on participation, including exercises and journal assignments.
CRW 309-001: INTERMEDIATE CREATIVE NONFICTION WRITING, MOEZZI M
In this course, students will read, write, discuss and critique a wide array of creative nonfiction (CNF). The class will include assigned readings, short writing assignments, and a final project. The aim of the course is to improve students' writing through critical reading, discussion, writing, and revision. By the end of this semester, students should have a better grasp of CNF in general, as well as a respectable portfolio of their own CNF writing.
CRW 309-001: INTERMEDIATE CREATIVE NONFICTION WRITING, WROBEL S
CRW 315-001: JOURNAL WRITING, RASMUSSEN M
“Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart” – William Wordsworth. While journaling can take on different forms and tones, the one thing all journaling has in common is it is very personal. In this class, students will explore the art of journal writing, reading and analyzing examples from prolific journal writers to learn how to best convey personal thoughts or specific moments in time. Students will explore the comical and raw tones of journal writing as seen in Kitchen Confidential and Bridget Jones Diary, as well as the more traditional and informative entries of Lewis & Clark and Virginia Wolfe. The class will also explore poetic forms of journaling as demonstrated by Pablo Neruda. Throughout the semester, students will continuously cultivate their own journal writing techniques and tone through in-class exercises as well as assigned journal prompts. Workshopping and critiquing of both student and assigned text writing will be integral in class discussion.
CRW 318-001 & -002: SCREENWRITING I: INTRODUCTION, FAIRCLOTH C
(FST 318) Prerequisite or co-requisite: FST 201; or prerequisite: PCRW, CRW and CRW 207, CRW 208 or CRW 209; or permission of instructor. Theory and practice of screenwriting with an emphasis on the fundamentals of narrative structure. Students write original scripts, including a short screenplay for possible use in FST 495.
CRW 321-001 & -002: INTRO TO BOOK PUBLISHING, RAMOS M
An introduction to the culture and commerce of books, this course examines the life cycle of a book; the people and processes involved in book publishing; and the history, business, economics, and ethics of the publishing industry. The class will be broken into formal lectures, given by the professor and invited industry professionals, each Tuesday morning, and smaller, discussion-based sections on Thursdays. Readings, research assignments, and a book auction will help students discover how publishing decisions are made. [Note: This course counts toward the BFA degree and the 12-hour Certificate in Publishing.
CRW 322-001: EDITING FOR PUBLICATION, BASS T
Required texts: The New Well-Tempered Sentence, by Karen Elizabeth Gordon, and Polishing Your Prose, by Steven M. and Victor L. Cahn. [Recommended but not required: On Writing Well, by William Zinsser.] CRW and PCRW majors only. Prerequisite: CRW 207, 208, or 209. This course will focus on student strategies for editing their own creative writing for precision and clarity. It is not a traditional copyediting course. We will emphasize developing and applying skills in self-editing for grammar, mechanics, spelling, manuscript formatting, style, and other fundamentals crucial to effective, polished writing in the creative writing profession. Students will complete exercises and write/edit work using a series of prompts and assignments. Several exams and homework assignments will make up the grade. An attendance policy will be enforced. [Note: This course is required for the BFA degree and the Certificate in Publishing.]
CRW 323-001: BOOKBUILDING, RHATIGAN L
This course offers hands-on training in the basics of effective graphic design and typography for book publishing. Students will become familiar with the Adobe Creative Suite, in particular InDesign and Photoshop, while completing a progressively complex series of projects, culminating in a finished chapbook of their own work, which will be designed, printed, and bound by the student. The course also incorporates a survey history of design and publishing, with a focus on current trends and the future of the book. Students should be prepared for a rigorous, fast-paced course that requires work in the Publishing Laboratory outside of class hours. [Note: Bookbuilding counts toward the BFA degree and the 12-hour Certificate in Publishing.]
CRW 324-001: PUBLISHING SPECULATIVE FICTION, DONAHUE M
In The Parable of the Sower, Octavia Butler writes: “The world is full of painful stories. Sometimes it seems as though there aren't any other kind and yet I found myself thinking how beautiful that glint of water was through the trees.” During this time of numerous crises, it can be easy to see only pain and disaster, yet Butler reminds us there is necessary beauty in that glint of water through the trees. This course will explore the modern publishing landscape for the increasingly popular genre of speculative fiction, with a special emphasis on environmental speculative work. This class will explore the ways good speculative stories bring to life both trauma and wonder, beauty and pain. Through workshops and lectures, students will think about speculative fiction from a publisher’s and writer’s perspective. Students will create their own works of speculative fiction while analyzing trends of popular novels in the genre. We’ll explore the ways writers integrate scientific research in fiction and the best approaches to crafting and editing ethical, successful speculative work.
CRW 325-001: LITERARY MAGAZINE: Chautauqua, GERARD J
This course is designed to give students a practical magazine publishing experience. The class is a practicum not a lecture. As such, students will read and respond to submissions, work on editing projects, search for possible cover art, and assist with design work. Most of our work is done in teams. Undergraduate students work with a graduate team leader on a variety of projects. For the academic year 2022-2023, Chautauqua will be publishing two online issues. Students may repeat for credit.
CRW 418-001: SCREENWRITING II: FEATURE FILM, BARROW J
(FST 418) Prerequisites: FST 318 (CRW 318) or consent of instructor. The craft of screenwriting applied to the feature form. Students plan a feature-length screenplay, and write, workshop, and complete the first act.
CRW 418-002: SCREENWRITING II: FEATURE FILM, HACKLER C
(FST 418) Prerequisites: FST 318 (CRW 318) or consent of instructor. The craft of screenwriting applied to the feature form. Students plan a feature-length screenplay, and write, workshop, and complete the first act.
CRW 420-001: HORROR IN CREATIVE NONFICTION, DASGUPTA S
In her extraordinary TED Talk, What Fear Can Teach Us, Karen Walker, the author of The Age of Miracles, says that when you are a child, the link between fear and imagination is easy to see (and experience). As you grow older, you leave most of your fears behind. And yet some of the most creative minds in literature (and art in general) have lived with “strange” fears and channeled that to create incredible work. Walker encourages us to think of our fears as stories, because fears have characters, plots, suspense, and strong imagery, and because they make us grapple with the question, what happens next. This will be our primary goal this semester: to channel our fears into stories, to see them as “gifts” and not burdens. In this rigorous course, students will read a variety of subgenres that fall under the broad category of “horror” and write essays of their own.
CRW 420-002: INTERNATIONAL WRITING & TRANSLATION, MÖRLING M
Octavio Paz said: “Translation is an art of analogy, the art of finding correspondences. An art of shadows and echoes…” Charles Baudelaire said that poetry is essentially analogy. The idea of universal correspondence comes from the idea that language is a micro cosmos, a double of the universe. Between the language of the universe and the universe of language, there is a bridge, a link: poetry. The poet, says Baudelaire, is the translator.”
In this class we will study multiple translations of single poems, examine the choices and strategies of translation. In addition, each student in the class will also provide weekly contributions of their own translation of given poems. These translations will serve as focal points for the larger subject of translation, that of the poet and writer as translator.
Finally, there will be an optional Spring Break, Study Abroad trip to Rennes, France to pursue in person translation collaborations with students at University of Rennes II, in Rennes, France.
For this class, knowledge of a second language is welcome but not necessary.
CRW 420-003: WRITING FROM HISTORY, FINSEL J
In this workshop, students may work in any genre to incorporate history into their original creative work. We’ll investigate the role of history as public memory and address both how to conduct reliable research that produces an accurate record of the past and how to incorporate it seamlessly and ethically into essays, short stories, poems, novels, and long nonfiction narratives. The instructor will incorporate his experience in helping to create a physical and digital history archive and invite students to contribute to that effort, but students are free to pursue whatever area of history most interests them.
CRW 425-001: EXPERIMENTAL BOOKS FORMS, FLEMING K
Every work of fiction, one could argue, is a unique expression of its writer's singular imagination. But even the most complex literary works tend to have at least one basic thing in common—pages of text formatted into the familiar chapters and paragraphs we've come to expect in a book. Every now and then though, a book comes along that’s unlike any other. A novel so unique in form or approach, that it defies norms and conventions and stretches the boundaries of genre. In this advanced special topics course, we will examine several alternative literary texts (see: House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski) and explore the question "What is experimental literature?" Are alternatively formatted books extraordinary works of literature? Works of art? Both? Are they gimmicks intended to entice literary consumers? Does an experimental structure obscure a book's plot or enhance it? Students will analyze works of fiction that use packaging, text formatting, or narrative convention in unusual ways and consider their paths to publication and critical reception. As a final project, students will create their own experimental text (no art experience required).
CRW 460-001: PUBLISHING PRACTICUM, SMITH E
[Students must have been accepted into the Certificate in Publishing program and must have completed CRW 321, 322, and 323. To apply to the Lookout practicum, please reach out to the instructor by email in advance of registration.] Want to gain experience working for an independent publishing house? A select group of undergraduate students works alongside the graduate-student team to support the work of the department's award-winning literary imprint, Lookout Books (lookout.org). This practical course functions as an internship and provides hands-on experience in our daily operations. Interns research marketing and publicity; ship review copies and press kits; design, produce, and mail books and promotional materials; and write copy for social media. Practicum students work approximately 9 hours weekly in the Publishing Lab, including a 2.45-hour staff meeting. Participants are selected by permission of instructor on the basis of excellent performance in previous publishing courses and demonstrated interest in the field. What students get out of the course--in advancement of their own understanding of the publishing enterprise, or in marketable skills to take with them--will be directly proportionate to their leadership, teamwork, and dedication. May be repeated once for credit. [Note: This course counts toward the BFA degree and the capstone requirement in the 12-hour Certificate in Publishing.]
CRW 460-002: PUBLISHING PRACTICUM, DONAHUE M
Students must have been accepted into the Certificate in Publishing program in order to receive permission to enroll in the Publishing Practicum. Prerequisites: CRW 321, 322, 323. Up to five interns support the work of The Publishing Laboratory, with responsibility for editing, designing, producing, and promoting the senior BFA anthology in conjunction with CRW 496, the senior seminar. Practicum students work 9 hours weekly in the Lab (including a staff meeting), under faculty supervision. Participants are selected by permission of instructor; a brief application is required. Working hours are scheduled at each student's convenience during standard Pub Lab hours. May be repeated once for credit. [Note: This course counts toward the BFA degree and the 12-hour Certificate in Publishing.]
CRW 496-001: SENIOR SEMINAR IN WRITING, BASS T
Seminar addressing issues of the profession, including preparing a manuscript for submission to publishers, publishing, advanced study, the writing life, ethics, and employment. Senior thesis, chapbook created in conjunction with the UNCW Publishing Laboratory, and public oral presentation of creative work required.
CRW 496-002: SENIOR SEMINAR IN WRITING, GESSNER D
In Senior Seminar, students consolidate and polish a selection of work from the past three semesters into a cohesive manuscript representing the best of their writing, and then use that manuscript as the basis of two other audience-focused projects. The first of these is a public reading given with other members of the seminar; the second is the creation of a class anthology to be edited and published by The Publishing Laboratory. The Seminar also considers issues facing writers post-graduation, such as how to stay motivated and how to create a supportive writing community.
BFA Course Descriptions Archive |
