ENGL 250 - Creative Writing

3 Credit: (3 lecture, 0 lab, 0 clinical) 3 Contact Hours:

In this course, students will learn to write creatively in two forms: poetry and fiction. The workshop approach emphasizes the process of peer review, with participants providing constructive feedback and criticism, as part of refining their chosen pieces. A final portfolio, comprised of polished pieces in each genre, research and reflection, will be used as final assessment.
Semesters Offered: as needed

Course Goals/ Objectives/ Competencies:
Goal 1: Create original short stories using narrative modes expected in fiction.

Utilize descriptive details, images or symbols in creating believable characters, mood, setting, or emphasizing theme.
Explore action and thought as a means of revealing character and motivation, creating suspense and moving the plot forward.
Select the point of view and setting appropriate to story’s theme.
Create dialogue that individualizes character and moves the plot forward.
Craft scenes to move stories through the various plot stages.
Recognize and practice using language effectively to create style, tone and voice.

Goal 2: Craft original free verse and fixed form poems.

Practice imagery and sense impressions to create a sense of immediacy and vibrancy.
Utilize figurative language to create and develop meaning.
Execute effective choices in the use of line length and line breaks.
Craft effective stanzas to shape and control the poem’s movement.
Practice various sound devices, and rhyme and rhyme patterns effectively.
Recognize the impact of denotation and connotation and evoke desired emotions with their use.
Recognize and practice using language effectively to create and develop voice.

Goal 3: Revise and edit original work.

Generate successive drafts of poems and short stories.
Participate as a reader/critic in peer group work and workshopping.
Respond to and integrate constructive feedback to enhance work.