Academics

Graduate Writing Courses

Prose/Poetry Workshop I/II/III/IV
A two-year workshop sequence in the student’s area of emphasis, i.e. fiction, poetry, non-fiction. Also, as part of the course, the student may meet with the program director and other graduate faculty during the semester.

Literary Seminar
In-depth seminars focusing on particular issues or currents in contemporary international and American literature, (e.g., "City as Fiction," "Poetry's Public," "Political Fictions," "Literature and Evil," “On Comedy,” “Birth of the Cool,” “Documentary Strategies”), as well as monographic courses on major literary figures such as Herman Melville, James Joyce, Gertrude Stein, William Faulkner, Eudora Welty and others.

Translation Seminar
This course is a study of translation and its impact on English-language poetry and fiction. Poetry or fiction translation is an option for the course's critical essay. Students, in either case, acquire first-hand knowledge of literary traditions outside that of Anglo-American literature.

Visiting Writers
A bi-weekly reading series featuring poets, fiction writers, and essayists from the U.S. and abroad. Students are required to attend the readings.

Publishing Practices
An optional year-long course directed toward the world of contemporary publishing, as well as working on our graduate program’s literary tabloid and the Otis Books/Seismicity Editions imprint.

Thesis
Students, supervised by the program director or faculty, complete a publishable, book-length work of fiction, poetry or creative non-fiction. The work is submitted to a faculty committee of the student's choosing for final approval.

Back to Curriculum