The Creative Writing and Literature Major is open to ALL LSA students.
Creative Writing and Literature Majors write fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction under the close guidance of faculty mentors, and may workshop their writing with other student writers in small writing seminars. Majors also study the art of writing through the study of literature. Majors specialize in fiction, poetry, or nonfiction early in their studies.
Creative Writing graduates pursue successful careers as writers, editors, educators, advertising professionals, and many other writing related-fields. Every year our graduates are admitted to competitive graduate school programs in the fine arts, education, law, business, public policy, social work, and other courses of professional study that demand proficient writing skills and creative approaches to problem solving.
RC Creative Writing students have demonstrated unparalled success in the esteemed U of M Hopwood Awards, winning over 100 awards since the 1994-95 school year.
Advising
Students meet with the creative writing major advisor when declaring, making course substitutions, discussing transfer/study abroad credit evaluations, internships, preparing major release forms, and information on graduate school study and career paths.
Although students may pursue study in multiple genres, most specialize in a single genre:
Fiction / Creative Nonfiction
Poetry
Digital Storytelling
Advising appointments can be made here or by calling RC Academic Services at 763-0032.
Requirements
Minimum Credits: 28
The major is structured into four genre tracks. In addition to the Fiction / Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, and Digital Storytelling tracks, students may elect a multi-genre track in consultation with their principal writing instructors and the major advisor.
Each track consists of:
Four elective creative writing courses
Five elective upper level literature courses
Fiction / Creative Nonfiction Track
Poetry Track
Digital Storytelling Track
Honors
Creative Writing faculty
Laura Kasischke Poetry; Fiction
Christopher Matthews Fiction; Poetry
Sarah Messer Poetry; Creative Nonfiction; Prison Creative Arts Program
Susan Rosegrant Creative Nonfiction; Journalism; Fiction
Laura Thomas Fiction; Creative Nonfiction
A. Van Jordan Poetry, Film Studies
Aisha Sloan Creative Nonfiction, Digital Storytelling
Open to All
You don’t need to be a dedicated major to participate in workshops, tutorials, and classes taught by Creative Writing faculty, which are open to enrollment from all students. If even only for a semester, you wish to explore your interest in writing, consider taking a RC Creative Writing course!
For RC students, creative writing courses fulfill the RC Arts Practicum requirement. For RC and LSA students, RCHUMS 220, RCHUMS 221, and RCHUMS 325 satisfy Creative Expression distribution.
You can participate in the RC Review, our annual student-run journal featuring student poetry, fiction, and visual art. RC students can get a credit for participating in the RC Review.
Or consider joining the RC Creative Writing Forum, which like RC Review, offers RC students a credit, but is open to all for participation.