Orientation to the program; lessons in five genres; craft lessons; alumni panels; faculty panels; workshops; readings.

This is an intermediate course in writing fiction. Students will study, explore, and practice the process, form, and discipline of writing fiction. Students will write and analyze a variety of short fiction samples that demonstrates their understanding of basic fiction elements, point of view, and narrative style.

This is an intermediate course in writing poetry. Students will study, explore, and practice the process, form, and discipline of writing poetry. Students will write and analyze a variety of poems that demonstrate their understanding of basic poetic elements, diverse forms, and poetic style.

This is an intermediate course in writing screenplays. Students will study, explore, and practice the process, form, and discipline of writing screenplays. Students will write and analyze a variety of scenes that demonstrate your understanding of basic film design, diverse forms, and cinematic styles.

An intermediate level course in writing plays. Students will explore, study and practice the process, forms, and discipline of writing all forms of stage plays. Students will write and analyze a variety of scenes and short plays that demonstrate their understanding of the basic stage elements, theatrical conversations, and dramatic forms.

This is an intermediate level course in writing creative nonfiction. Students will explore, study and practice the process, forms, and discipline of writing all forms of creative nonfiction. Students will write and analyze a variety of short creative nonfiction samples that demonstrate their understanding of basic narrative elements, point of view, factual research, and narrative prose styles.

Students create project outlines and writing proposals for drafting new work in the major field of study area. Courses in research methods; lessons in craft, community, and career; intro to oral interpretation for writers; lectures and required readings; meetings with faculty mentors.

CW 512F. Genre and Context in Fiction
Students will read, analyze, critique, and discuss in-depth their agreed upon fiction reading list with a mentor writer. Individually the student will write responses to each assigned text and complete an annotated bibliography (of the reading list approved by the writer mentor). 

CW 512P. Genre and Context in Poetry
Students will read, analyze, critique, and discuss in-depth their agreed upon poetry reading list with a mentor writer. Individually the student will write responses to each assigned text and complete an annotated bibliography (of the reading list approved by the writer mentor).

CW 512S. Genre and Context in Screenwriting
Students will read and view, analyze, critique, and discuss in-depth their agreed upon film reading list with a mentor writer. Individually the student will write responses to each assigned text and complete an annotated bibliography (of the reading list approved by the writer mentor).

CW 512L. Genre and Context in Playwriting
Students will read and view, analyze, critique, and discuss in-depth their agreed upon playwriting reading list with a mentor writer. Individually the student will write responses to each assigned text and complete an annotated bibliography (of the reading list approved by the writer mentor).

CW 512N. Genre and Context in Nonfiction.
Students will read, analyze, critique, and discuss in-depth their agreed upon nonfiction reading list with a mentor writer. Individually the student will write responses to each assigned text and complete an annotated bibliography (of the reading list approved by the writer mentor).

CW 512U. Genre and Context in Publishing.
Students will research, analyze, critique, and discuss in-depth their agreed upon publishing house list with a mentor editor/publisher. Individually the student will write responses to each assigned company and complete an annotated bibliography (of the list approved by the writer mentor).

CW 512D. Genre and Context in Making Documentary Films
Students will read and view, analyze, critique, and discuss in-depth their agreed upon documentary film reading/viewing list with a mentor filmmaker. Individually the student will write responses to each assigned text and complete an annotated bibliography (of the reading list approved by the mentor).

CW 514F. Drafting Project in Fiction
Students will complete a draft of a new work in fiction that may include a novel, story collection, linked story collection, or novella.  All proposed projects must be approved by the writer mentor and program director.

CW 514P. Drafting Project in Poetry
Students will complete a draft of a new work in poetry that may include a chapbook, collection, or novel in verse.  All proposed projects must be approved by the writer mentor and program director.

CW 514S. Drafting Project in Screenwriting
Students will complete a draft of a new work in screenwriting that may include many of various feature-length film genres.  All proposed projects must be approved by the writer mentor and program director.

CW 514L. Drafting Project in Playwriting
Students will complete a draft of a new work in playwriting that may include a full-length play, an extended one-act, or a collection of one-act plays.  All proposed projects must be approved by the writer mentor and program director.

CW 514N. Drafting Project in Nonfiction
Students will complete a draft of a new work in nonfiction that may include a collection of essays, memoir, biography, or another related nonfiction form.  All proposed projects must be approved by the writer mentor and program director.

CW 514U. Drafting Project in Publishing
Students will complete a draft of an overall business plan, mission, goals statements, and creative strategy to build their own publishing company, journal, or other approved publishing project.  All proposed projects must be approved by the mentor and program director.

CW 514D. Drafting Project in Making  Documentary Films
Students will complete the research, writing, and preliminary filming for a documentary film project.  All proposed projects must be approved by the mentor and program director.

Students in CW 516 will participate in a workshop prior to the residency, to get feedback on their writing in CW 514. They will attend the Capstone readings, craft lessons, a workshop on “The Long Form” and an Oral Interpretation class, as well as preparing for, and (at the end of the week participating in) a “pitch” session with agents and editors to help them to narrow the focus of their thesis project.

CW 520F. Final Project/Fiction Thesis
CW 520P. Final Project/Poetry Thesis
CW 520S. Final Project/Screenwriting Thesis
CW 520L. Final Project/Playwriting Thesis
CW 520N. Final Project/Nonfiction Thesis
CW 520U. Final Project/Publishing Thesis

Students will revise, polish, and prepare their final M.A. project for review by an outside evaluator who will be an agent, producer, publisher, or editor, depending upon the course project. All proposed projects must be approved by the mentor and program director.

The final presentation and public reading of each M.A. students' completed writing project. Each work will receive a written critique and final reading by an agent, editor, producer, or director. This residency week will include several seminars and workshops aimed at moving the individual project towards its appropriate public venue.

This course allows students to continually register where needed for further revision in preparation of their final project. Students must continually register until revisions are complete or they complete the required capstone.

Reading and analyzing full-length works in one genre, and writing an extensive graduate essay (25-50 pages) that demonstrates the student's understanding of the history, tradition, various forms, and diverse styles of contemporary literature in one area of study-fiction, creative nonfiction, film, drama, or poetry--focusing on a particular theme or craft element. Reading list will be provided by the faculty and students' essays' approach must be approved by faculty mentor and
the Program Director.  Must follow MFA format, include an annotated bibliography.  Students present a formal 15-minute presentation at the subsequent residency to complete this course.

Students will have the opportunity to continue to work with a faculty mentor to revise their creative thesis and prepare it for publication/production OR begin a new project, built upon the strengths of the Master of Arts thesis.

Students will be required to make a formal paper presentation during this residency to complete CW 612. Students will complete work generated by team-taught modules to prepare them for either a teaching or publishing internship. They will meet with peers, mentoring faculty and create and deliver mini-lesson plans for proposed courses or a study plan in publishing. Such work must be drawn upon the best practices of the pedagogy of teaching creative writing or working in publishing in a variety of settings. Students will continue to sharpen their own oral and writing skills as they build an acceptable syllabus, course materials/internship goals for an internship and sample lessons/work plan by week's end. By week's end, students will have an internship experience and internship supervisor assigned to them.

Students will be required to teach creative writing in one or several various educational venues OR complete an internship with a magazine, small press, literary agency or other writing organization. Students will document their work through student portfolios and will be supervised by a faculty mentor. In whatever experience students select, they must demonstrate student contact hours of no fewer than 40 hours per term for teaching and 20 hours per week for publishing/writing organization internships. Students will present a final analysis of their teaching or publishing experience in writing and orally at term's end.

This course allows students to continually register where needed for further revision in preparation of their final project. Students must continually register until revisions are complete or they complete the required capstone.