Curriculum
The BA in Creative Writing is awarded upon the completion of 120 credits, 30 of which must be in Creative Writing and Literature. The major consists of four literature courses, four creative writing workshops, the two-credit Writer's Life Colloquium course,
and a four-credit capstone course.
Creative Writing students can choose writing workshops and literature courses in a wide variety of genres, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, writing for children and young adults, journalism, playwriting, arts writing, and more. Undergraduate BA in Creative Writing students share resources and programming with graduate MFA in Creative Writing students and join an active community of writers that extends beyond the classroom. Creative Writing majors often apply for the Writing & Democracy Honors Program, which is highly compatible with the major and includes scholarship funding.
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Courses
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Credits
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Four NLIT Literature Courses
Sample courses:
NLIT 3324 Emily Dickinson
NLIT 3383 Reading Toni Morrison
NLIT 3530 Science Fiction
NLIT 3384 Reading James Baldwin
| 12 |
Four Creative Writing Workshops
Sample courses:
NWRW 3205 Poetry: The Language of Music
NWRW 3301 The Novel Workshop
NWRW 3403 Finding Your Voice in Nonfiction
NWRW 3611 Arts and Entertainment Journalism
NLIT 4051 Literary Translation Workshop
| 12 |
| NWRW 3906 Writer's Life Colloquium | 2 |
| NWRW 4001 Capstone Project | 4 |
| Total Credits | 30 |
Literature Courses
Students have the freedom to take literature courses—in subjects ranging from contemporary writing linked to the Creative Writing Program’s event series to single-author explorations—that support their own writing interests and expand their understanding of what is possible in their own work. Students may take any NLIT course or any other undergraduate literature-focused course at the university as available.
The Writing Workshop
Guided by an experienced writer-teacher, students focus on their writing, both in the workshop and in individual conferences with the instructor. The emphasis is on the creative acts of self-editing and revision. Structure and content are adapted to the
genre of the workshop.
The Writer's Life Colloquium
Creative Writing majors participate in a semester-long colloquium of visiting writers, critics, writing teachers, editors, and publishers. Students attend readings and events and reflect on their experience and the kind of life they want to build as writers outside of the classroom in an asynchronous online course. The colloquium programming reflects the wide range of cultural activity at The New School and the belief that students benefit
from exposure to many voices and genres. Examples of regular events included in the Writer's Life Colloquium are public readings and award ceremonies co-sponsored with the National Book Critics Circle, the Cave Canem
Poetry Foundation, The Story Prize, Kundiman, the Community of Literary Magazines and Presses (CLMP), PEN America, the Academy of American Poets, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and public readings and discussions in the
many genres of study offered through the Creative Writing Program. Students write critical and reflective essays about the events they attend.
Capstone Project
The Creative Writing Capstone is the culmination of the undergraduate degree, giving students the chance to revise, reconsider, and build upon the writing produced over the course of the major. Students develop their skills as editors, focusing on copy editing
and reexamining the scope, form, and content of their final project. In conversation with their faculty advisors, students also consider next steps for their writing after completing their degrees.