For a schedule of Spring 2010 MFA classes click here.

56:200:511         Craft course: Studies in Poetic Form (3)
A course in poetic form that features concentrated study and imitation of several major poetic forms, including the sonnet, sestina, and villanelle, along with attention to the varied approaches to form available to all practitioners.

56:200:516         Personal Essay (3)
Techniques for writing autobiographical prose and memoir, focusing on strategies for transforming personal material.

56:200:517, 518         Fiction (3,3)
Exploration of traditional and nontraditional narrative forms and techniques, including point of view, character delineation, and dialogue.

56:200:519, 520         Creative Writing: Poetry (3,3)
Using a variety of forms from sonnet and sestina to free verse, students experiment with poetic techniques and voices.

56:200:521,522         Special Topics in Creative Writing (3,3)
Courses with the history and practice of particular genres of writing (consult the program director to determine course content).

56:200:523,524         Individual Study in Creative Writing (3,3)
Closely supervised work on a sustained project in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry.

56:200: 525,526,527         Problems in Advanced Writing (3,3,3)
Intensive workshop in multiple genres for advanced writers. The Summer Writers' Conference, an intensive series of events with a dozen nationally known visiting writers, is offered under this course.

56:200:530         Creative Writing for Children (3)
Study and practice of techniques in plot, character, theme, and stylistics used by professionals in writing for children.

56:200:531         Introduction to Publishing and Editing (3)
Introduction to the editorial and production procedures involved in the publication of a literary or academic journal.

56:200:559         Craft course: Suspense (3)
The element of suspense is what keeps readers turning pages-and, when the suspense is sufficiently anxiety-making, gets them flipping ahead to the last page. The tropes of suspense are most evident in ghost stories and detective tales, but o mater what the genre, literature relies on certain techniques to manipulate reader interest. This course will examine how authors build suspense and maintain it throughout a narrative.

56:200:560         Craft course: The Long Poem (3)
A course in the writing of poetic narrative that includes readings in canonical and contemporary long or narrative poems, from Whitman through Stevens and Crane to Vikram Seth's The Golden Gate.

56:200:561         Craft course: Worldwide Weird: Global Fantasy and Surrealism (3)
This course will examine the use of magical realism and imaginative flights of fancy to comment on contemporary problems and contemporary possibilities, using the work of authors from five continents.

56:200:562         Craft course: Translation (3)
A course that combines students' original creative work with their interest in and experience of work in different languages, Poetry In/And Translation is open to anyone with reading knowledge of a foreign language and familiarity with at least one author writing in that language whose work has proven or is proving a significant personal influence.

56:200:563         Craft course: Writing the Child (3)
Examination of novels and stories written from the point of view of children or featuring child protagonists. What are the struggles writers face, especially in terms of voice and tone? Students will be encouraged to assess both the successes and the failures of the representation of children in the course reading, and to submit their own work featuring child protagonists.

56:200:564         Internship (3)
Close work on creative projects, including literary magazine editing.

56:200:565         Craft course: Memoir (3)
The urge to tell your life story is human; the ability to make your story interesting, divine. This course looks at both recently-published and classic memoirs to determine what makes memoir exciting, intriguing, and universally relevant.

56:200:567         Craft course: Writing the Woman (3)
Examination of novels and stories written from the point of view of women or featuring female protagonists. We will ask how and indeed whether voice is gender based.

56:200:568         Craft course: Point of View (3)
Intensive study of the issues of establishing point-of-view in a work of fiction.

56:200:569         Craft course: Truth and Lies: Autobiographical Fiction and Fictional Autobiography (3)
A look at the controversy about "telling the truth" in memoir, and the complexities of using autobiographical material in fiction.

56:200:570         Craft course: Creative Writing Workshop: Screenwriting (3)
Course in writing for film, with emphasis on film structure and dialogue.

56:200:587, 588         Creative Writing: Literary Nonfiction (3,3)
Exploration of the essay, with an emphasis on journalistic nonfiction, creative reporting and subjects of contemporary interest.

56:200:591         Creative Writing: Playwriting (3)
Exploration of traditional and nontraditional approaches to writing plays, with emphasis given to completing the first draft of a two-act play.

56:200:650         Thesis Seminar (3)
Seminar about working on a sustained project in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry for MFA thesis.

56:200:651         Thesis: Individual Research and Final Creative Thesis (3)
Final creative project for the MFA. Credits may be taken concurrently with 56:350:560 in one semester or consecutively if more time is required for finishing thesis.

56:200:800         Matriculation Continued (0)
Continuous registration may be accomplished by enrolling for at least 3 credits in standard course offerings, or by enrolling in this course for 0 credits. Students actively engaged in study toward their degrees who are using university facilities and faculty time are expected to enroll for the appropriate credits.

56:200:877         Graduate Assistantship (0)
Practicum for students holding teaching assistantships.