Creative Writing  {SF State Bulletin 2015 - 2016}

Image: San Francisco State University seal on a gold background

Creative Writing

 

College of Liberal & Creative Arts

Dean: Andrew Harris

 

Department of Creative Writing

HUM 380
Phone: 415-338-1891
E-mail: cwriting@sfsu.edu
Website: http://creativewriting.sfsu.edu

Chair: Maxine Chernoff
Undergraduate and Graduate Advisors: Carter, Caspers, Chernoff, Conboy, Hoover, Joron, Mirosevich, Orner, Packer, Tigay

 

Faculty:

Professors: Carter, Caspers, Chernoff, Conboy, Glück, Hoover, Langton, Mirosevich, Orner
Assistant Professors: Joron, Packer, Tigay
Lecturers: Bellamy, Davison, de la Perrière, Dickison, Galjour, Phillips, Tomash, Tran

 

Programs

Bachelor of Arts in English: Concentration in Creative Writing

Master of Arts in English: Concentration in Creative Writing

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

 

 

Program Scope

The Department of Creative Writing offers undergraduate and graduate programs. The three degree programs emphasize the primary importance of the study and practice of imaginative writing in the genres of creative nonfiction, fiction, playwriting, and poetry. All three degree programs combine an intense workshop requirement and a variety of special topic creative process classes with requirements in the English Department. The core literature classes assure that students will continue to absorb and be trained in a study of the best literature of the past. In Creative Writing classes, students work with an active, publishing faculty. They learn by vigorous practice; by focused studies of craft; and by extensive reading, analysis, and discussion of their own work, as well as that of published authors.

 

The undergraduate major combines the academic specifications of the traditional English major with the experiential needs of the writing student. Students who enter this program should do so only under the strongly held assumption that they have abilities as writers that may be fostered and trained by such a discipline as is described here. It is hoped that this combined program of writing and literature will lead students to a cohesive study and discipline that combines breadth with intensity.

 

Accordingly, some greater latitude of choice in literature courses is allowed in the creative writing major. Studies will lead them to a degree in English with a creative writing emphasis. Ample guidance of the creative writing advisors helps insure that students will not be deprived of a sense of the history of literature. In this regard they will continue to be fully qualified as potential graduate students in English as well as prepared should they wish to continue as M.A. or M.F.A. candidates in a creative writing program.

 

The two graduate programs differ in scope. Both programs are distinguished by innovative classes. Both include seminars, opportunities for community projects, and a thesis. Students may apply for admission to either the Master of Arts in English with Concentration in Creative Writing (30 units) or the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (54 units). In no case will a student be admitted to both programs simultaneously.

 

The Master of Arts in English with Concentration in Creative Writing serves a double purpose: to extend and broaden the student's familiarity with literature, and to provide the help of a faculty of professional writers and critics in developing the student's own potential as a professional writer. The Creative Writing Department has a strong core faculty and invites several visiting faculty each semester.

 

The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing is regarded as the terminal degree in the field. The M.F.A. in Creative Writing offers extended experience in small seminars and in individual instruction with faculty. It also develops the student's understanding of the history and theory of literature and incorporates correlative patterns of study in elective areas such as other cultures, other arts, technical studies, and/or the teaching of writing.

 

Career Outlook

The career goal is to train and encourage writers of creative nonfiction, fiction, plays, and poetry. Many celebrated and distinguished writers are graduates of the department. In the job market, good writers are hard to find. The skills developed in creative writing translate well into corporate editing, publishing, teaching, and working for arts organizations.

 

Complementary Studies

Bachelor of Arts students must complete at least twelve units of complementary studies outside of the primary prefix for the major. (Note: Students may not use an alternate prefix that is cross-listed with the primary prefix for the major.)

 

Creative Writing majors will satisfy this requirement from within the major by taking 15 units of literature classes required in the major, which are recognized in the major list of any or all of the following prefixes: ENG, AFRS, CWL, LTNS, WGS, HUM, AAS, MGS, or AIS.

 

Students who have earned AA-T or AS-T degrees and are pursuing a similar B.A. degree at SF State are required to fulfill the Complementary Studies requirement as defined by the major department. Students should consult with a major advisor about how transfer units and/or SF State units can best be applied to this requirement in order to ensure degree completion within 60 units.

 

Bachelor of Arts in English: Concentration in Creative Writing

How GWAR is satisfied in for the English major, Concentration in Creative Writing:

C W 511 GW, C W 512 GW, or C W 513 GW. Completion of C W 301 Fundamentals of Creative Writing and second year written composition (ENG 214 or equivalent) with a grade of C- or better is a prerequisite for C W 511 GW or C W 512 GW or C W 513 GW.

 

English (B.A.): Concentration in Creative Writing — 42 units

Courses are 3 units unless otherwise indicated.

A. (6 units)

Fundamentals of Creative Writing and Fundamentals of Creative Reading; both are prerequisites to all other Creative Writing courses; C W 302 is prerequisite to ENG 460, ENG 461, ENG 462, and all other upper division English literature courses. C W 302 must be taken at SF State; upon completion of C W 302, courses from sections E. and F. may be taken at any time. C W 301 and C W 302 may be taken concurrently:

B. (3 units)

Course in the Craft Area selected from the following (must be taken after C W 301 and C W 302 and BEFORE workshop course).

C. (15 units)

Courses in the Creative Process Area and /or Workshop Areas selected from the following (One of these courses must be chosen from variable topic process courses C W 510 OR C W 600. Seek advising for substitution.):

D. Capstone Course (3 units)

E. (9 units)

Courses in the Literature Area, one course to be selected from three of the following four groups. (More course offerings in this category will become available over time.) Prerequisite for C W majors to take these courses is C W 302; once completed, courses from sections E. and F. maybe taken at any time.

American Literature
Literature in English Surveys or Age (of)
The Genre
Individual Authors

F. (3 units)

Three units selected from Writing from the American Experience or Global Literatures in English (substitution may be made with advisor's approval). (Prerequisite for C W majors to take these courses is C W 302; once completed, courses from sections E. and F. maybe taken at any time.):

Global Literatures in English

(More course offerings in this category will become available over time.)

Writing from the American Experience

(More course offerings in this category will become available over time.)

G. (3 units)

Three units selected from Theory and Language Studies:

Theory and Language Studies

(More course offerings in this category will become available over time.)

 

Master of Arts in English: Concentration in Creative Writing

Admission to the Program

Students interested in this program must submit a meaningful sample of their writing (15 to 20 pages of creative nonfiction or fiction, or 15 to 20 poems, or a full-length stage play or two short plays), two letters of recommendation, and transcripts, along with the Creative Writing Department application form. Submissions should be sent to the Creative Writing Office by December 15 for the fall semester. Applicants from graduate creative writing programs at other colleges or universities may transfer six units to the M.A. program, on review and recommendation of the Creative Writing Admissions Committee and approval of the Division of Graduate Studies. For further clarification, contact the Creative Writing Department. Students accepted into the program with an undergraduate major that is not English are accepted conditionally. Admission to the M.A. does not imply admission to the M.F.A. Students who wish to earn both degrees must finish the M.A. before beginning the M.F.A. degree.

 

Written English Proficiency Requirement

Level One: Statement of purpose and writing sample (15 to 20 pages of fiction or creative nonfiction, or 15 poems, or 1 full-length play or 2 short plays) scored 8.0 or higher on a scale of 1 to 10 based on the following criteria: 1) fluency and precision of expression; 2) ability to embody and illustrate ideas creatively; and 3) appropriateness of the applicant’s interests, life experiences and goals to the program.
Level Two: Satisfactory completion of C W 893 Written M.A. Creative Project on the following criteria: thesis deemed by two faculty readers to be publishable in part or whole (book, chapbook and/or literary journals).

 

Selected upper division courses offered by the department may be used for the master's degree upon approval of a departmental advisor. Enrollment is not required in the semester of graduation.

 

English (M.A.): Concentration in Creative Writing — Minimum 30 units

Courses are 3 units unless otherwise indicated.

Program (9 units)

Writing courses selected from the following

Creative Process (9 units)

courses selected from the following:

Upper division/graduate literature courses (9 units)

Courses in the English, Comparative and World Literature, or Theatre Arts Departments, to be taken on advisement.

 

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

Admission to the Program

Students interested in this program must submit a meaningful sample of their writing (15 to 20 pages of fiction or creative nonfiction, 15 to 20 poems, or a full-length stage play or 2 short plays), two letters of recommendation, and transcripts, along with the Creative Writing Department application form. Submissions should be sent to the Creative Writing Office by December 15 for the fall semester.

 

Applicants from creative writing programs at other colleges or universities may transfer 9 units to the M.F.A. program, on review and recommendation of the Creative Writing Admissions Committee and approval of the Division of Graduate Studies. For further clarification, contact the Creative Writing Department.

 

Students in the Master of Arts in English with Concentration in Creative Writing at SF State who wish to enter the M.F.A. program are required to apply for admission and are subject to the same admission standards as are all other applicants. For students entering with an earned M.A. in English: Creative Writing from SF State, the M.F.A. is a 30-unit degree as described below.

 

Written English Proficiency Requirement

Level One: Statement of purpose and writing sample (15 - 20 pages fiction, or 15 poems, or 1 full-length play or 2 short plays) scored 8.0 or higher on a scale of 1 to 10 based on the following criteria: 1) fluency and precision of expression; 2) ability to embody and illustrate ideas creatively; and 3) appropriateness of the applicant’s interests, life experiences and goals to the program.
Level Two: Satisfactory completion of C W 893 Written M.F.A. Creative Work on the following criteria: work deemed by two faculty readers to be publishable as a book and evaluated along the following criteria: 1)ability to use the craft of the art form to illustrate ideas, vision, and imagination creatively, using fresh, precise language; 2)ability to suggest, via the craft to the art form, a subtext and themes that display the writers’ complex relationship with her/his ideas, vision, imagination, and form (story, poem, dramatic monologue and/or play); and 3)mastery of at least one genre form per the above.

 

Selected upper division courses offered by the department may be used for the degree upon approval of a department advisor. Enrollment is not required in the semester of graduation.

 

Priority in M.F.A. classes is given to classified M.F.A. students accepted in the genre of the course.

 

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing — Minimum 54 units

Courses are 3 units unless otherwise indicated.

Writing Workshops at the M.F.A. Level (6 units)

A minimum of 6 units selected from the following:

M.A./M.F.A. level Creative Process Directed Writing/Special Study/Writing Workshops (12 units)

Units selected from the following:

Creative Process courses at the M.F.A. level. (6 units)

Minimum of 6 units selected from the following:

Literature or Theatre Arts courses or Graduate Creative Process courses: (12 units)

 

Upper division/graduate (300 level and above) literature courses in the English or Comparative and World Literature or Theater Arts Departments, to be taken on advisement, with the consent of an M.F.A. advisor. Theater Arts courses include TH A 401, 660, 705.

 

Graduate Creative Writing process courses include C W 785, 806, 810, 814, 820, 825, 840, 850, 859, 860, 866, 875, 880, 881, 882, 899.

 

Correlative courses related to the candidate's interests and planned with the approval of the M.F.A. advisor. Sequences and patterns are especially appropriate. The English Department's course in the teaching of composition is an option in this sequence. For students planning a culminating project in playwriting, the following courses in Theatre Arts are acceptable: TH A 401, 660, 705). Other tracks include careers in Creative Writing, (C W 806, C W 840, C W 875 and C W 785), teaching Creative Writing (C W 859, C W 785, C W 860, C W 875), Book Arts (under development with the Art Department), and a different genre than the student’s own within the department. A poet, for instance, can have a fiction correlative. More specialized correlatives in other areas of study pertaining to the student’s interests as a writers can also be taken in consultation with an advisor.

 

 

Priority in M.F.A. classes is given to classified M.F.A. students accepted in the genre of the course.

 

For students with a B.A. degree, the M.F.A. degree is 54 units as stated above.

 

For students with an earned M.A. in English: Concentration in Creative Writing from SF State, the M.F.A. degree requires an additional 30 units composed of the following elements:


Units chosen in M.F.A.-level workshops (C W 853, 854, 855, or 856)  (6 units)

 

Units chosen in M.F.A.-level Creative Processes classes (C W 880, 881, or 882) 1, 4  (6 units)

 

Units selected in the Correlative area listed above (12 units)

 

 

Footnotes

  1. May be repeated for credit when topics vary.
  2. May be taken for two semesters of credit.
  3. May be taken for three semesters of credit.
  4. May be taken for six semesters of credit.

 

 

SF State Home