Creative Writing at St. Olaf College
As an integral part of the English curriculum, creative writing courses converse with a broad range of experiences in literature including cross-cultural studies, cross-disciplinary studies, genre studies, and literary history— the four categories of the English major.
Course Sequence
The study of creative writing at St. Olaf College emphasizes literary craft and offers a broad introduction to mixed genres as well as intermediate and advanced study in creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. English 150 and 200-level and 300-level creative writing workshops carry WRI credit.
English 150: Fundamentals of Creative Writing gives students a mixed-genre introduction to literary craft. This course is required for English Education licensure and is the recommended gateway to the creative writing course sequence. Students are encouraged to begin their study of creative writing with English 150.
200-Level Intermediate Workshops, which do not have a prerequisite, focus on developing an understanding of genre conventions. Students read contemporary models of published work and write and revise their own writing.
• English 289: Journalistic Writing
• English 291: Intermediate Creative Nonfiction Writing
• English 292: Intermediate Poetry Writing
• English 293: Intermediate Fiction Writing
• English 296: Screenwriting
200-Level Literature and Creative Writing Courses balance reading literature with the practice of writing creatively.
• English 200: The Personal Essay
• English 281: Studies in Poetry
300-Level Workshops in creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry are offered during alternating years and facilitate advanced work in small seminar settings. These courses are open to students who have taken a 200-level workshop in that genre or by instructor permission. Projected offerings for 2011-2012:
• English 371: Advanced Poetry Writing
• English 373: Advanced Creative Nonfiction Writing
Projected offerings for 2012-2013:
• English 372: Advanced Fiction Writing
For more information about specific courses, please see the course descriptions on the English Department website: http://www.stolaf.edu/depts/english/courses/
Off-Campus Study
St. Olaf College sponsors off-campus student at The University of East Anglia, which specializes in creative writing and film studies with an emphasis on professional development. St. Olaf students have attended writing conferences such as Writers in Paradise, sponsored by Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, and the Iowa Summer Writing Festival. Students have also participated in Writing for Social Change, a semester-long program in Minneapolis, sponsored by HECUA, a consortium program dedicated to education for social justice.
