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Creative Writing (CRWR)


CRWR 111. CREATIVE WRITING ORIENTATION. 1 Credit.

Notes: required for students who plan to major or minor in Creative Writing and recommended for students who may be interested in the CRWR program.
This course introduces students to the creative writing major at EWU. The course introduces students to the three genres: poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. We will also examine how to sign up for classes, what types of classes are offered in creative writing, and what opportunities are available for elective credits and clubs. Students will be introduced to at least one local reading, to Northwest Boulevard, our undergraduate literary journal, and to our practicums in publishing.

CRWR 210. INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: ENGL 101 or ENGL 201.
This course introduces students to the process, techniques and forms of creative writing including poetry, fiction and nonfiction.

CRWR 217. BEGINNING FICTION WORKSHOP. 5 Credits.

Notes: required for BA in Creative Writing.
Pre-requisites: CRWR 210.
A beginning workshop focused on writing and discussing short stories. Students will become conversant, in writing and orally, in the language of the craft including story elements such as: viewpoint, setting, plotting, pacing, characterization, etc. They will draft a single short story and will learn to effectively offer written and oral analytical/critical feedback via the workshop format. They will understand sentence mechanics and the revision process as central elements in fiction writing.

CRWR 218. BEGINNING POETRY WORKSHOP. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: CRWR 210.
A beginning workshop focused on writing and discussing contemporary poetry. Students will become conversant, in writing and orally, in the language of poetics including imagery, figurative language, structure and sound devices. They will learn to effectively offer written and oral analytical/critical feedback via the workshop format. They will understand sentence mechanics and the revision process as central elements in poetry writing.

CRWR 219. BEGINNING NONFICTION WORKSHOP. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: CRWR 210.
This is a beginning reading and writing course in creative nonfiction. Participants will analyze published nonfiction for craft tactics used by professional writers, and will learn to formulate their analyses orally and in writing. They will utilize professional craft tactics in their own creative works, and give and receive commentary on strategies for revision. They will understand sentence mechanics, prose style, and the revision process.

CRWR 296. EXPERIMENTAL COURSE. 1-5 Credits.

CRWR 301. FOUNDATIONAL TEXTS: PROSE. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: CRWR 210.
This course is a study of the foundational texts in prose (fiction and creative nonfiction) from a writer’s point of view, considering various periods and stylistic approaches. Students will read literary fiction and creative nonfiction ranging from ancient to Modernist texts. They will learn how to effectively analyze foundational prose texts in writing and orally.

CRWR 302. FOUNDATIONAL TEXTS: POETRY. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: CRWR 210.
This course is a study of the foundational texts in poetry, from a writer’s point of view, considering various periods and stylistic approaches. Students will read poetry and verse ranging from ancient to Modernist texts. They will learn how to effectively analyze foundational texts in writing and orally.

CRWR 311. FORM AND THEORY OF FICTION. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: CRWR 210.
This course is a close study of the style and techniques utilized in contemporary fiction, including a delineation of the development of major technical trends in contemporary fiction. Students will read literary fiction from the post-Modern era (late 20th century) to the present. They will analyze texts (short stories, novels) in writing and orally utilizing the language of the craft.

CRWR 312. FORM AND THEORY OF POETRY. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: CRWR 210.
An intensive study of the current use of prosody and poetics and the application of traditional and innovative theories of contemporary poetry. For this class, students will read poetry from the post-Modern era (late 20th century) to the present. They will analyze texts in writing and orally.

CRWR 313. FORM AND THEORY OF LITERARY NONFICTION. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: CRWR 210.
Students will study the nature of literary nonfiction. Contemporary sub-genres to be studied may include nature writing, travel writing, science writing, the memoir, literary journalism and others.

CRWR 314. ADVANCED CREATIVE WRITING–POETRY. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: CRWR 210 with a minimum grade ≥B or permission of instructor.
This course is an intensive study in writing poetry, including the reading of contemporary and modern poetry to further students' study of craft. Extensive poetry and craft reading as well as completing a poetry portfolio is required.

CRWR 315. ADVANCED CREATIVE WRITING–SHORT STORY. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: CRWR 210 with a minimum grade ≥B or permission of instructor.
This course is an intensive study in writing literary short stories, including the readings on craft and contemporary modern fiction. Students will write two-three short stories which will be critiqued by instructor and peers.

CRWR 397. WORKSHOP, SHORT COURSE, CONFERENCE, SEMINAR. 1-5 Credits.

CRWR 398. SEMINAR. 1-5 Credits.

CRWR 414. LITERARY EDITING AND DESIGN. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: ENGL 270, ENGL 271, CRWR 210.
The history of literary magazine publishing in America since 1950. Also typography, layout, graphics, and editorial vision. Students will be asked to examine and discuss various influential literary magazines of the past as well as the present and to produce a mock-up of their own literary magazine.

CRWR 415. PRACTICUM: WILLOW SPRINGS MAGAZINE, LIT. EDITING AND DESIGN. 1-5 Credits.

Notes: This course is stacked with CRWR 515 section 40. May be repeated up to six quarters.
Pre-requisites: one of the following: CRWR 217, CRWR 218, CRWR 219; and one of the following: CRWR 311, CRWR 312, CRWR 313.
This course is a practicum in reading and critiquing manuscript submissions to Willow Springs Magazine, EWU’s nationally recognized literary journal. As part of the editorial team, students help choose manuscripts for inclusion in the magazine, discuss suggested edits to pieces, and have the opportunity to help proofread the journal.

CRWR 416. PRACTICUM: WILLOW SPRINGS BOOKS, LIT. ED. AND DESIGN. 1-5 Credits.

Notes: This course is stacked with CRWR 515 section 41. May be repeated for up to six quarters.
Pre-requisites: one of the following: CRWR 217, CRWR 218, CRWR 219; and one of the following: CRWR 311, CRWR 312, CRWR 313.
Students market, distribute, promote, sell, and ship the titles already published by Willow Springs Editions, and advertise, organize and manage the Spokane Prize for Short Fiction competition.

CRWR 417. CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP. 5 Credits.

Notes: may be repeated.
Pre-requisites: CRWR 210. One of the following: CRWR 217, CRWR 218, CRWR 219; and one of the following: CRWR 311, CRWR 312, CRWR 313.
Different genres and subjects will be indicated in the quarterly course listings and on the student’s permanent record.

CRWR 469. LITERATURE OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. 5 Credits.

Cross-listed: ENGL 469.
Pre-requisites: ENGL 343 or ENGL 344.
This course is a survey of Northwestern literature from 1800 to the present time, including representative exploration journals as well as more recent works by such writers as Richard Hugo, James Welch, Carolyn Kizer and Ursula LeGuin. Addresses questions of geography and regional culture.

CRWR 491. CREATIVE WRITING SENIOR THESIS. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: CRWR 311 or CRWR 312, 2 sections of CRWR 417.
Satisfies: a university graduation requirement–senior capstone.
A class for senior creative writing majors. Students will revise poetry, fiction and essays from previous creative writing classes, culminating in a final portfolio of polished literary work. A third of the class will be workshops, a third discussion of assigned literary text to supplement the writing of the thesis and a third discussion of career issues (publishing, employment, graduate school).

CRWR 495. INTERNSHIP. 1-5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: permission of the instructor, department chair and college dean.
Internship.

CRWR 496. EXPERIMENTAL COURSE. 1-5 Credits.

CRWR 497. WORKSHOP, SHORT COURSE, CONFERENCE, SEMINAR. 1-5 Credits.

CRWR 498. SEMINAR. 5 Credits.

Notes: may be repeated for credit; the topic covered will be listed on the student’s permanent record.
Special topics in creative writing or literature.

CRWR 499. DIRECTED STUDY. 1-5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: permission of the director of the Creative Writing program, instructor, department chair and college dean.
Independent study under faculty direction, adapted to individual needs of the students.

CRWR 514. LITERARY EDITING AND DESIGN. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: graduate standing.
The class will study the history of literary magazine publishing in America since 1950. It will also study typography, layout, graphics, and editorial vision. Students will be asked to examine and discuss various influential literary magazines of the past as well as the present and to produce a mock-up of their own literary magazine.

CRWR 515. PRACTICUM: WILLOW SPRINGS MAGAZINE, LITERARY EDITING AND DESIGN. 1-5 Credits.

Notes: may be stacked with CRWR 415.
Pre-requisites: graduate standing.
A practicum in literary magazine publishing. The course offers hands-on training with the literary magazine Willow Springs Magazine. Individually assigned projects typically include reading and editing submissions, proofreading, copy editing, layout, production, and marketing. Satisfies required elective credits and satisfies program learning outcomes related to synthesizing an understanding of magazine publishing and knowing the current literary landscape.

CRWR 516. PRACTICUM: WILLOW SPRINGS BOOKS, LITERARY EDITING AND DESIGN. 1-5 Credits.

Notes: may be stacked with CRWR 416.
Pre-requisites: graduate standing.
A practicum in literary book production. Students market, distribute, promote, sell, and ship the titles already published by Willow Springs Books, and advertise, organize and manage the Spokane Prize for Short Fiction competition. Satisfies elective credits for MFA candidates, and satisfies program learning outcomes related to synthesizing an understanding of book publishing and knowing the current literary landscape.

CRWR 517. GRADUATE WRITING WORKSHOP: FICTION, POETRY, LITERARY NONFICTION, DRAMA, SCRIPTWRITING OR TRANSLATION. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: MFA students; or permission of instructor.
Classroom discussion of student writing, concentrating on editing and revision with a view to attaining publishable quality.

CRWR 539. SPECIAL TOPICS. 1-5 Credits.

CRWR 569. LITERATURE OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. 5 Credits.

Cross-listed: ENGL 569.
A survey of Northwestern literature from 1800 to the present time, including representative exploration journals as well as more recent work by such writers as Hugo, Welch, Kizer, Bass, and LeGuin. The course also addresses questions of geography, economics, and regional culture as they relate to the literature.

CRWR 583. FICTION I-THE NOVEL. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: MFA or English MA students or permission of instructor.
A study of the novel, considering periods and stylistic approaches to the form. Works to be considered might include novels by Cervantes, Austen, Tolstoy, Faulkner, Nabokov, Baldwin, Cather, Coetzee, Hurston, Fowles, Morrison, Fitzgerald, Bellow, Calvino, Rulfo, Woolf, Robinson, and DeLillo, among others. Through a study of style and structure, the course concerns itself with the many shapes the novel takes, has taken, or might take, while also examining elements that link examples of the form.

CRWR 584. FICTION II-THE SHORT FORM. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: MFA or English MA students or permission of instructor.
A study of the short form, considering roots, periods, and stylistic approaches. Works to be considered might include texts by Chekhov, Tolstoy, Kafka, Mansfield, Joyce, Porter, Toomer, Murakami, Carver, Munro, Dubus, Lahiri, Dybek, and Davis, among others. Through a study of style, structure, and historical development, the course will concern itself with the many shapes the short form takes, has taken, or might take, while also examining elements that link various examples of the form.

CRWR 585. SELECTED TOPICS IN CRAFT. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: MFA or English MA students or permission of instructor.
Advanced, close study of selected topics in fiction, focusing on elements of craft and technique, such as point of view, voice, time, setting, character, plot. Particular attention will be given to how the choices a writer makes in a work regarding one or some of these elements of craft serve to shape, limit, and inform the fiction being examined.

CRWR 586. LITERARY NONFICTION I–THE SHORT FORM. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: MFA or English MA students or permission of instructor.
Intensive study of the nature and variety of short-form nonfiction, including both contemporary work and the earlier forms which gave rise to it. Nonfiction sub-genres may be considered, with an eye toward perceiving nonfiction as a multi-faceted entity comprised of New Journalism, memoir, personal essay, science writing, nature writing, and other specialties. Students will be encouraged to experience nonfictional forms outside their own areas of knowledge or specialty.

CRWR 587. LITERARY NONFICTION II–THE LONG FORM. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: MFA or English MA students or permission of instructor.
Intensive study of the nature and variety of long-form nonfiction, including both contemporary work and the earlier forms which gave rise to it. Course focus might include book structural concepts, modes of long discourse, audience handling and retention, or other professional-level topics.

CRWR 588. LITERARY NONFICTION III–SELECTED TOPICS. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: MFA or English MA students or permission of instructor.
Advanced, close study of selected topics in creative nonfiction, such as nature writing, travel writing, oral history, memoir, diaries/journals, the personal essay, short nonfiction, radio commentary, literary journalism, biography, nonfiction translation, research methods, ethical questions, cross-cultural writing, political writing, historical writing, and science writing. More than one topic will be considered during the course.

CRWR 589. POETRY I-BACKGROUND AND THEORY. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: MFA or English MA students or permission of instructor.
A study of some early poetry important to the development of the art, including Sappho, Catullus, Horace, the poets of the Tang Dynasty, and the English Metaphysicals. It will also include discussions of traditional forms and prosody.

CRWR 590. POETRY II-THE MODERNS AND MODERNISM. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: MFA or English MA students or permission of instructor.
The course will begin with the study of Dickinson and Whitman and move through the High Moderns" to Robert Lowell also include discussion of Symbolism, the Spanish poets, and the French Surrealists, and other non-English speaking poets of the period.

CRWR 592. POETRY III-CONTEMPORARY WORLD POETRY AND POETICS. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: MFA or English MA students or permission of instructor.
An intensive study of selected authors and literary developments, both national and international, since 1960.

CRWR 596. EXPERIMENTAL COURSE. 1-5 Credits.

CRWR 597. WORKSHOP, SHORT COURSE, CONFERENCE, SEMINAR. 1-5 Credits.

Notes: only one workshop course for up to 3 credits may be used to fulfill graduate degree requirements.

CRWR 598. SEMINAR. 5 Credits.

Cross-listed: if topic is literature, this course includes the prerequisite and may be cross-listed with ENGL 598.
This course deals with specialized aspects of creative writing or literature. A student may take the seminar several times. The exact content of the course will be indicated in the title to be entered on his or her permanent record.

CRWR 599. INDEPENDENT STUDY. 1-5 Credits.

CRWR 600. THESIS. 1-15 Credits.

Pre-requisites: permission of the instructor, department chair and college dean.

CRWR 602. MPA PORTFOLIO. 2 Credits.

An advanced reflective praxis project which a student, following the guidelines provided by the MPA program and with the advice and editorial review of the chair of his/her best work in the MPA program. The portfolio is presented and discussed as part of the comprehensive oral exam for the MPA degree.

CRWR 698. PRACTICUM IN INSTRUCTION: WRITERS IN THE COMMUNITY. 1-5 Credits.