Professional Writing (WRIT) Course Descriptions

• WRIT 2100 Storytelling in Creative Writing

  Prerequisite(s): NARR 1300
  Corequisite(s): NARR 2200

  Provides students opportunities to apply the principles developed in Art of Storytelling to specific creative writing projects.

• WRIT 3121 Special Topics/Independent Study

  Prerequisite(s): None

  Topics are selected on basis of student need and academic qualifications of staff. If regular lectures are not given, a minimum of 30 hours of work for each hour credit must be included.

• WRIT 3180 Special Topics/Independent Study

  Prerequisite(s): Will vary depending on the specific topic
  Fee(s): Narrative Arts Facilities
  Restriction(s): This course may be repeated for credit.

  Topics are selected on basis of student need and academic qualifications of staff. If regular lectures are not given, a minimum of 30 hours of work for each hour credit must be included.

• WRIT 3221 Special Topics/Independent Study

  Prerequisites: None

  Topics are selected on basis of student need and academic qualifications of staff. If regular lectures are not given, a minimum of 30 hours of work for each hour credit must be included.

• WRIT 3280 Special Topics/Independent Study

  Prerequisite(s): Will vary depending on the specific topic
  Fee(s): Narrative Arts Facilities
  Restriction(s): This course may be repeated for credit.

  Topics are selected on basis of student need and academic qualifications of staff. If regular lectures are not given, a minimum of 30 hours of work for each hour credit must be included.

• WRIT 3321 Special Topics/Independent Study

  Prerequisites: None

  Topics are selected on basis of student need and academic qualifications of staff. If regular lectures are not given, a minimum of 30 hours of work for each hour credit must be included.

• WRIT 3331 Creative Writing: Poetry

  Prerequisite(s): None
  Fee(s): Narrative Arts Facilities

  An introduction to poetry writing, accomplished through the study and analysis of reputable literary models, followed by production of original poems and discussion of those poems in a workshop format.

• WRIT 3341 Creative Writing: Fiction

  Prerequisite(s): None
  Fee(s): Narrative Arts Facilities

  An introduction to fiction writing, accomplished through the study and analysis of reputable literary models, followed by production of original short stories and discussion of those stories in a workshop format.

• WRIT 3345 Technical Writing

  Prerequisite(s): None

  This course trains students to write effectively in the modern workplace. Students study audience analysis, document design, graphics and web design. They apply what they have learned by creating a variety of written documents, including email messages, memos, letter, resumes, and reports. Some group work is required as students need to practice collaborative writing and peer review. Students may select this course for credit towards the Professional Writing Specialization in Technical Writing and for elective credit towards the Professional Writing Specialization in Creative Writing.

• WRIT 3350 Creative Writing Non-Fiction

  Prerequisite(s): None

  This course explores non-fiction prose and its rhetorical elements. Students both read and write creative non-fiction, compiling a reading journal and a writing portfolio of their own essays.

• WRIT 3351 Creative Writing: Non-Fiction

  Prerequisite(s): None
  Fee(s): Narrative Arts Facilities

  This course explores non-fiction prose and its rhetorical elements. Students both read and write creative non-fiction, compiling a reading journal and a writing portfolio of their own essays.

• WRIT 3354 Creative Writing Poetry

  Prerequisite(s): None

  An introduction to poetry writing, accomplished through the study and analysis of reputable literary models, followed by production of original poems and discussion of those poems in a workshop format. Note: WRIT 3354 fulfills Smith College credit under Humanities and may be used for the Professional Writing Specialization.

• WRIT 3355 Creative Writing Fiction

  Prerequisite(s): None

  An introduction to fiction writing, accomplished through the study and analysis of reputable literary models, followed by production of original short stories and discussion of those stories in a workshop format. Note: WRIT 3355 fulfills Smith College credit under Humanities and may be used toward the Professional Writing Specialization.

• WRIT 3371 Professional & Technical Writing

  Prerequisite(s): None
  Fee(s): Narrative Arts Facilities

  This course trains students to write effectively in the modern workplace. Students study audience analysis, document design, graphics and web design. They apply what they have learned by creating a variety of written documents, including email messages, memos, letter, resumes, and reports. Some group work is required as students need to practice collaborative writing and peer review.

• WRIT 3380 Special Topics/Independent Study

  Prerequisite(s): Will vary depending on the specific topic
  Fee(s): Narrative Arts Facilities
  Restriction(s): This course may be repeated for credit.

  Topics are selected on basis of student need and academic qualifications of staff. If regular lectures are not given, a minimum of 30 hours of work for each hour credit must be included.

• WRIT 3383 Advanced Grammar and Writing

  Prerequisite(s): None
  Fee(s): Narrative Arts Facilities

  The course includes an overview of the history of the English language. It emphasizes descriptive grammar using sentence diagramming and analysis. The course includes the in-depth study of construction, forms, and usage of words, phrases, clauses, and sentences. Required for teacher certification in Language Arts grades 4-8 and 8-12.

• WRIT 4101 Writing Internship

  Prerequisite(s): WRIT 3303 or WRIT 3345 and a minimum 3.0 GPA in English and an application and two letters of recommendation to the Intern Selection Committee at least one semester in advance. Students who excel in English may also enroll at the discretion of the Director of the Writing Specialization Program

  This course provides students the opportunity to apply the principles of effective and correct written and oral communication in a professional or academic environment. Students will design, write and edit various documents while working in an approved position on or off campus. Students must complete 45 clock hours per credit hour.

• WRIT 4160 Advanced Practicum

  Prerequisite(s): Permission of the Instructor
  Restriction(s): This course may be repeated for credit.

  Programmed with specific topics each semester, this practicum provides students the opportunity to hone their craft through specific projects or apprenticeships overseen by a faculty member. If regular lectures are not given, a minimum of 30 hours of work for each hour credit must be included.

• WRIT 4194 Junior Portfolio

  Prerequisite(s): NARR 3310
  Fee(s): Narrative Arts Facilities

  Working with a faculty member, students prepare a resume and portfolio in order to secure a professional internship. WRIT 4194 is the prerequisite to WRIT 4195/4295/4395 – Internship.

• WRIT 4195 Internship

  Prerequisite(s): WRIT 4194
  Restriction(s): This course may be repeated for credit.

  Credit is awarded for approved professional internships, secured as part of WRIT 4194 Junior Portfolio. A minimum of 30 hours of work for each hour credit must be included.

• WRIT 4199 Senior Portfolio

  Prerequisite(s): WRIT 4194
  Fee(s): Narrative Arts Facilities

  Working with a faculty member, students complete a professional resume and portfolio featuring their best coursework and personal projects (in preparation for interviews, etc.)

• WRIT 4201 Writing Internship

  Prerequisite(s): WRIT 3303 or WRIT 3345 and a minimum 3.0 GPA in English and an application and two letters of recommendation to the Intern Selection Committee at least one semester in advance. Students who excel in English may also enroll at the discretion of the Director of the Writing Specialization Program

  This course provides students the opportunity to apply the principles of effective and correct written and oral communication in a professional or academic environment. Students will design, write and edit various documents while working in an approved position on or off campus. Students must complete 45 clock hours per credit hour.

• WRIT 4260 Advanced Practicum

  Prerequisite(s): Permission of the Instructor
  Restriction(s): This course may be repeated for credit.

  Programmed with specific topics each semester, this practicum provides students the opportunity to hone their craft through specific projects or apprenticeships overseen by a faculty member. If regular lectures are not given, a minimum of 30 hours of work for each hour credit must be included.

• WRIT 4295 Internship

  Prerequisite(s): WRIT 4194
  Restriction(s): This course may be repeated for credit.

  Credit is awarded for approved professional internships, secured as part of WRIT 4194 Junior Portfolio. A minimum of 30 hours of work for each hour credit must be included.

• WRIT 4301 Writing Internship

  Prerequisite(s): 6 hours of WRIT coursework

  This course provides students the opportunity to apply the principles of effective and correct written and oral communication in a professional or academic environment. Students will design, write and edit various documents while working in an approved position on or off campus. Students must complete 45 clock hours per credit hour.

• WRIT 4331 Advanced Poetry Writing

  Prerequisite(s): WRIT 3331
  Fee(s): Narrative Arts Facilities

  This advanced poetry writing course is designed to build upon the groundwork established in WRIT 3331. Class time is spent in the analysis of models – works from the tradition and more recent works in experimental veins – and intensive discussion of student poems.

• WRIT 4341 Advanced Fiction Writing

  Prerequisite(s): WRIT 3341
  Fee(s): Narrative Arts Facilities

  This advanced fiction writing course is designed to build upon the groundwork established in WRIT 3341. Class time is spent in the analysis of models – works from the tradition and more recent work in experimental veins – and intensive discussion of student short stories or chapters from novels or novellas.

• WRIT 4351 Advanced Non-Fiction Writing

  Prerequisite(s): WRIT 3351
  Fee(s): Narrative Arts Facilities

  This advanced non-fiction writing course is designed to build upon the groundwork established in WRIT 3351. Class time is spent in the analysis of models – works from the tradition and more recent work in experimental veins – and intensive discussion of student writing.

• WRIT 4360 Advanced Practicum

  Prerequisite(s): Permission of the Instructor
  Restriction(s): This course may be repeated for credit.

  Programmed with specific topics each semester, this practicum provides students the opportunity to hone their craft through specific projects or apprenticeships overseen by a faculty member. If regular lectures are not given, a minimum of 30 hours of work for each hour credit must be included.

• WRIT 4364 Advanced Poetry Writing

  Prerequisite(s): WRIT 3354 or WRIT 3355

  This advanced poetry writing course is designed to build upon the groundwork established in WRIT 3354. Class time is spent in the analysis of models – works from the tradition and more recent works in experimental veins – and intensive discussion of student poems. Students may select this course for credit toward the Professional Writing Specialization.

• WRIT 4365 Advanced Fiction Writing

  Prerequisite(s): None

  This advanced fiction writing course is designed to build upon the groundwork established in WRIT 3355. Class time is spent in the analysis of models – works from the tradition and more recent work in experimental veins – and intensive discussion of student short stories or chapters from novels or novellas. Students may select this course for credit toward the Professional Writing Specialization.

• WRIT 4391 Senior Seminar: Creative Writing in Poetry

  Prerequisite(s): WRIT 3354

  This seminar is designed to build upon the groundwork established in WRIT 3354. Class time is spent in the analysis of model-works from the tradition and more recent works in experimental veins–and intensive discussion of student poems. Students also present and monitor their progress on the research project and share final results with the class.

• WRIT 4392 Senior Seminar: Creative Writing in Fiction

  Prerequisite(s): WRIT 3355

  This seminar is designed to build upon the groundwork established in WRIT 3355. Class time is spent in the analysis of models-works from the tradition and more recent works in experimental veins–and intensive discussion of student short stories or chapters from novels or novellas. Students also present and monitor their progress on the research project and share final results with the class.

• WRIT 4395 Internship

  Prerequisite(s): WRIT 4194
  Restriction(s): This course may be repeated for credit.

  Credit is awarded for approved professional internships, secured as part of WRIT 4194 Junior Portfolio. A minimum of 30 hours of work for each hour credit must be included.

• WRIT 6185 Internship

  Prerequisite(s): 18 Hours of WRIT Courses

  Credit is awarded for approved professional internships. Opportunities include media related work in the Houston area or summer internships in Austin, Hollywood, or other regions.

• WRIT 6285 Internship

  Prerequisite(s): 18 Hours of WRIT Courses

  Credit is awarded for approved professional internships. Opportunities include media related work in the Houston area or summer internships in Austin, Hollywood, or other regions.

• WRIT 6310 Faith, Culture, and the Arts

  Prerequisite(s): None
  Restriction(s): This course may be repeated for credit.

  This course explores the role of the Christian artist in culture. Students will study how great Christian thinkers have thought about culture and art throughout church history and be challenged to understand their vocation as writers from a biblical perspective. Students will also develop an understanding of how to live out their faith through their work as they seek to affect the culture around them.

• WRIT 6320 Topics & Genres: Writers on Writing

  Prerequisite(s): None
  Restriction(s): This course may be repeated for credit.

  An in-depth study of great works of writing from a writer’s perspective. Unique topics or genres are selected each semester. Students will acquire skills to read like writers and learn craft from these great works. Students will also acquire the skills to articulate what makes a well-crafted work of literature compelling.

• WRIT 6330 Poetic Techniques

  Prerequisite(s): None

  A study of the techniques available to the writer of poetry. Students will examine the various uses of form, metaphor, symbolism, meter, and narrative in poems. Poetry students must take WRIT 6330.

• WRIT 6331 Creative Writing Workshop: Poetry

  Prerequisite(s): None

  A writing workshop in which students will create and revise original works of poetry. Over the course of the semester students will learn to critically assess their own work as well as the work of their peers. WRIT 6331 is an introduction to the writing workshop.

• WRIT 6332 Creative Writing Workshop: Poetry II

  Prerequisite(s): WRIT 6331

  A writing workshop in which students will create and revise original works of poetry. Over the course of the semester students will learn to critically assess their own work as well as the work of their peers. WRIT 6332 builds upon the experience and skills acquired in WRIT 6331.

• WRIT 6333 Creative Writing Workshop: Poetry III

  Prerequisite(s): WRIT 6332

  A writing workshop in which students will create and revise original works of poetry. Over the course of the semester students will learn to critically assess their own work as well as the work of their peers. WRIT 6333 is an intermediate level course and builds upon the experience and skills acquired in WRIT 6331 and 6332.

• WRIT 6334 Creative Writing Workshop: Poetry IV

  Prerequisite(s): WRIT 6333

  A writing workshop in which students will create and revise original works of poetry. Over the course of the semester students will learn to critically asses their own work as well as the work of their peers. WRIT 6334 is an advanced level course and builds upon the experience and skills acquired in WRIT 6331, 6332, and 6333.

• WRIT 6340 Fiction Techniques

  Prerequisite(s): None

  A study of the techniques available to the fiction writer. Students will examine the various uses of person, character, voice, dialogue, detail, and plot in works of fiction. Fiction students must take WRIT 6340.

• WRIT 6341 Creative Writing Workshop: Fiction

  Prerequisite(s): None

  A writing workshop in which students will create and revise original works of fiction. Over the course of the semester students will learn to critically assess their own work as well as the work of their peers. WRIT 6341 is an introduction to the writing workshop.

• WRIT 6342 Creative Writing Workshop: Fiction II

  Prerequisite(s): WRIT 6341

  A writing workshop in which students will create and revise original works of fiction. Over the course of the semester students will learn to critically assess their own work as well as the work of their peers. WRIT 6342 builds upon the experience and skills acquired in WRIT 6341.

• WRIT 6343 Creative Writing Workshop: Fiction iII

  Prerequisite(s): WRIT 6342

  A writing workshop in which students will create and revise original works of fiction. Over the course of the semester students will learn to critically assess their own work as well as the work of their peers. WRIT 6343 builds upon the experience and skills acquired in WRIT 6341 and 6342.

• WRIT 6344 Creative Writing Workshop: Fiction IV

  Prerequisite(s): WRIT 6343

  A writing workshop in which students will create and revise original works of fiction. Over the course of the semester students will learn to critically assess their own work as well as the work of their peers. WRIT 6344 builds upon the experience and skills acquired in WRIT 6341, 6342, and 6343.

• WRIT 6351 Creative Writing Workshop: Non-Fiction

  Prerequisite(s): None

  A writing workshop in which students will create and revise original works of literary non-fiction. Over the course of the semester students will learn to critically assess their own work as well as the work of their peers. WRIT 6351 is an introduction to the writing workshop.

• WRIT 6356 Memoir & Personal Narrative

  Prerequisite(s): None

  A writing workshop in which students will create and revise original works of memoir and personal narrative. Over the course of the semester students will learn to critically assess their own work as well as the work of their peers.

• WRIT 6357 Criticism and Reviews

  Prerequisite(s): None

  A writing workshop in which students will learn the craft of criticism and review writing. Over the course of the semester students will learn to critically assess their own work as well as the work of their peers.

• WRIT 6380 Special Topics in Creative Writing

  Prerequisite(s): None
  Restriction(s): This course may be repeated for credit.

  A writing workshop whose emphasis will be chosen by the professors based on their personal expertise and the desires and needs of students.

• WRIT 6385 Internship

  Prerequisite(s): 18 Hours of WRIT Courses

  Credit is awarded for approved professional internships. Opportunities include media related work in the Houston area or summer internships in Austin, Hollywood, or other regions.

• WRIT 6390 Master Class

  Prerequisite(s): 27 hours of WRIT Courses

  This course is a capstone experience for students. In this course, students will reflect upon what they have learned in all previous courses. WRIT 6390 will also prepare students to begin their thesis. Master Class should be taken the semester before students begin their thesis.

• WRIT 6390 Thesis I

  Prerequisite(s): WRIT 6390

  Under the direction of a faculty mentor, students will write and defend a faculty-approved creative writing thesis.

• WRIT 6392 Thesis II

  Prerequisite(s): WRIT 6390

  Under the direction of a faculty mentor, students will write and defend a faculty-approved creative writing thesis.