Creative Writing Track

BA in English (Creative Writing)

Students must apply to become majors in the Creative Writing track. Admission to the Creative Writing track is determined based on the student's preparedness for advanced creative writing study, as illustrated in their application. Students apply for the Creative Writing track when they apply for a 300-level advanced creative writing workshop (but students do not have to be in the Creative Writing track or applying to the Creative Writing track to apply to take a 300-level advanced creative writing workshop).

The application for Creative Writing workshops is online. The fall 2022 deadline to apply for spring 2023 workshops is Wednesday, October 26 at 11:59pm. 

Upon acceptance into the track, students who have declared a major in English/Literature will need to submit a Change of Major form to formally declare their major as English/Creative Writing.

Total credits required to complete major: 44

Basic Requirements - 28 credits

Electives -16 credits

Notes:

• Admission to the Creative Writing track is by selection. Students who wish to pursue the track must submit an application and a sample of their writing. 
• At least 3 of the student's elective courses must be drawn from literature.
• At least one of the student's courses in literature must be at the 400 level.
• 3-credit courses transferred from other institutions may fulfill certain requirements above, but all students must successfully complete a minimum of 44 credits.
• A grade of C- or above is required in any course applied to the program.

Learning Outcomes in English/Creative Writing

200 level: Foundations

The 200 level in the creative writing track provides students with an introduction to the discipline through the study of various genres of creative writing including poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. Creative writing courses at this level help students understand what it means to read as a writer and write with an awareness of the craft elements within the different genres. They provide a working vocabulary for analyzing texts and critiquing peers' writings. Students discuss the choices writers make (and why) and consider those choices in their own writing and editing endeavors.

In creative writing courses at the 200 level, students will demonstrate

• the ability to read texts closely
• the ability to write clear and effective English prose
• an understanding of differences between and requirements of the genre
• knowledge of craft and technique in genres under study
• proficiency at critiquing peer and published work

300 level: Studio

The 300-level creative writing courses are advanced writing workshops in which students will engage in more in-depth study in the various genres. Students will read published works in the class genre, but the majority of the reading material is produced by the students. Because students write a majority of the workshop's reading material it is essential that the workshop participants have successfully met the learning outcomes of the 200-level writing classes for the course to maintain the rigor necessary at this level of their development. All students must submit a writing application for entrance into the 300-level writing workshops, and those applications must be approved by the course professors. Students will write pieces in the course's genre and submit them to their peers for written and verbal critique that the writer will use to revise the work.

In creative writing courses at the 300 level, students will demonstrate

• knowledge of elements, modes, and forms of chosen genre
• proficiency at critiquing peer and published work
• the ability to incorporate criticism into revision of creative work

400 level: Writing in the World

400-level creative writing courses prepare students for the more public aspects of the writing life, including publication and readings. These courses form a bridge between writing for the classroom and writing within a larger literary community. Students will attend various readings (including those of their peers) and literary events to learn about opportunities for writers and ways of sustaining a literary life beyond Geneseo.

In creative writing courses at the 400 level, students will demonstrate

• proficiency at presenting work to readers in public readings, publication or exhibits
• an understanding of the processes of revision, submission, publication
• knowledge of contemporary writers and literary journals