ENGL 2030 - Contemporary Topics in Creative Writing

Credits: 3
Hours/Week: Lecture 3 Lab None
Internship hours per week None
Course Description: This dynamic creative writing course covers timely and relevant topics of specific interest in creative writing. It is intended for all students and focuses on the writing and close reading of works under the announced contemporary topic. Because creative writing involves both creativity and scholarship, coursework includes critical analysis of student and published writing; forming aesthetic judgments about work in the contemporary topic; writing and revising; form and technique in the contemporary topic area; and responding to the creative work of classmates in a writing community. This course fulfills content area 4 in the English Transfer Pathway, but it does not fulfill the Literature requirement for the Associate of Arts degree at Century College.  This course may be repeated for a total of six credits.
MnTC Goals
6 Humanities

Prerequisite(s): Course placement into college-level English and Reading OR completion of ENGL 0950  with a grade of C or higher OR completion of RDNG 0940  with a grade of C or higher and qualifying English Placement Exam OR completion of RDNG 0950  with a grade of C or higher and ENGL 0090  with a grade of C or higher OR completion of ESOL 0051  with a grade of C or higher and ESOL 0052  with a grade of C or higher AND instructor consent.
Corequisite(s): None
Recommendation: ENGL 1020  with a grade of C or higher OR ENGL 1021  with a grade of C or higher AND ENGL 1027  Introduction to Creative Writing

Major Content

1. Contemporary aesthetics in topic
2. Published examples of contemporary topic as models for student writing
   1. selected readings
   2. observation and discussion of writers’ choices
   3. written reflection on using learned techniques in original work
3. Forms, styles, and techniques in contemporary topic
4. Overview of and practice with the creative process in contemporary topic
   1. discovering and generating material
   2. writing drafts            
   3. practice in a variety of contemporary topic styles and forms
   4. providing written and/or oral feedback in writing groups and a workshop environment
   5. revising drafts
5. Qualities of effective writing communities
   1. guidelines for writing groups and/or writing workshops
   2. criteria for evaluating original contemporary topic work in progress
   3. how to accept and offer thoughtful oral and written feedback within established writing groups and/or writing workshops
6. Criteria for evaluating published work and/or performance of an author in contemporary topic

1. analyze a wide variety of literary works representing the contemporary topic.
2. engage in the creative process through writing and revising under the contemporary topic.
3. articulate informed personal judgments about published works in the contemporary topic.
4. apply principles of contemporary aesthetics to the contemporary topic’s creative work
5. critique published works under the contemporary topic as models for their own writing.
6. exchange constructive feedback about original written work within a writing community of a contemporary topic.
7. evaluate published work and/or performance of the contemporary topic.

Goal 6d: At the end of this course, students will be able to observe and identify techniques under the contemporary topic in order to embark on their own creative process

Goal 6e: At the end of this course, students will be able to articulate an informed personal response to works under the contemporary topic.
Theme Goals (MnTC Goals 7-10)
None

Practicum hours per week: n/a

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