creative writing capstone nyu

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Course Offerings

English (2022 - 2024), core courses for majors and minors.

Offered every term. Required for all English majors: ENGL-UA 101, and three out of the following four courses: ENGL-UA 111, 112, 113, 114. Majors in the creative writing track must also take ENGL-UA 201 in addition to those four courses. Required for English minors: ENGL-UA 101 and one course chosen from ENGL-UA 111, 112, 113 or 114.

Introduction to the Study of Literature ENGL-UA 101 Formerly Literary Interpretation (ENGL-UA 200). Prerequisite: completion of the College's expository writing requirement. Restricted to declared and intended English majors and minors. 4 points. Gateway course to the major that introduces students to the demands and pleasures of university-level investigation of English literature. Develops the tools necessary for advanced criticism: close-reading skills, knowledge of generic conventions, mastery of critical terminology, and skill at a variety of modes of analysis, from the formal to the historical. Also emphasizes frequent writing.

Literatures in English I: Medieval and Early Modern Literatures ENGL-UA 111 Formerly British Literature I (ENGL-UA 210). Prerequisite (or corequisite with permission of the department and/or instructor): Introduction to the Study of Literature (ENGL-UA 101) or equivalent approved by the course instructor. 4 points. Survey of English literature from its origins in the Anglo-Saxon epic through Milton. Close reading of representative works, with attention to the historical, intellectual, and social contexts of the period.

Literatures in English II: Literatures of the British Isles and British Empire, 1660-1900 ENGL-UA 112 Formerly British Literature II (ENGL-UA 220). Prerequisite (or corequisite with permission of the department and/or instructor): Introduction to the Study of Literature (ENGL-UA 101) or equivalent approved by the course instructor. 4 points. Survey of literature in English from the British Isles and British Empire, from the Restoration through 1900. Close reading of representative works with attention to the historical, intellectual, and social contexts of the period.

Literatures in English III: American Literatures to 1900 ENGL-UA 113 Formerly American Literature I (ENGL-UA 230). Prerequisite (or corequisite with permission of the department and/or instructor): Introduction to the Study of Literature (ENGL-UA 101) or equivalent approved by the course instructor. 4 points. Surveys the evolution of literary themes and forms from the period of European exploration through and beyond the Civil War, tracing distinctive traditions of writing and thinking that have shaped the development of modern literature and thought in the United States.

Literatures in English IV: Twentieth and Twenty-first Century Literatures ENGL-UA 114 Prerequisite (or corequisite with permission of the department and/or instructor): Introduction to the Study of Literature (ENGL-UA 101) or equivalent approved by the course instructor. 4 points. An overview of English-language literary production as it expands and diversifies from 1900 onward. Topics: international modernisms; literatures of imperialism, anti-colonialism, and diaspora; race, ethnicity, and representation; and the significance of English-language writing in an increasingly globalized cultural field.

Reading as a Writer ENGL-UA 201 Prerequisite (or corequisite with permission of the department and/or instructor): Introduction to the Study of Literature (ENGL-UA 101) or equivalent approved by the course instructor. 4 points. Creative and critical reading and writing as reciprocal activities. Theories and criticism of literature. Close attention to genre, style, and mode. Focus may vary by instructor.

Courses in Literature for Majors and Minors (Open to All Undergraduates)

The following courses are open to all undergraduates who have fulfilled the College's expository writing requirement.

Theory of Drama ENGL-UA 130 Identical to DRLIT-UA 130. Offered every year. 4 points. Theories of meaning and theories of performance. Theories of meaning include semiotics, deconstruction, feminism, psychoanalysis, new historicism, and postmodernism. Theories of practice include naturalism, Dadaism, futurism, epic theatre, theatre of cruelty, poor theatre, and environmental theatre. Theories are examined through theoretical essays and representative plays.

Drama in Performance in New York ENGL-UA 132 Identical to DRLIT-UA 300. Offered every year. 4 points. Combines the study of drama as literary text with the study of theatre as its three-dimensional translation, both theoretically and practically. Drawing on the rich theatrical resources of New York City, students see approximately twelve plays, covering classical to contemporary and traditional to experimental theatre. Readings include plays and essays in theory and criticism.

Dante and His World ENGL-UA 143 Identical to MEDI-UA 801, ITAL-UA 160. 4 points. See description in the medieval and Renaissance studies section of this Bulletin.

Film as Literature ENGL-UA 170 Identical to DRLIT-UA 501. Offered every year. 4 points. The development of the film as a major art form and its relationship to other art forms. Particular attention to the language of cinema, the director and screenwriter as authors, and the problems of translating literature into film, with extensive discussion of the potentials and limitations of each art form. Milestone films are viewed and analyzed.

Writing New York ENGL-UA 180 Offered periodically. 4 points. An introduction to the cultural history of New York through an exploration of fiction, poetry, plays, and films about the city, from Washington Irving to the present. Social and cultural backgrounds and issues.

American Short Story ENGL-UA 240 Offered periodically. 4 points. Study of theme and technique in the American short story. Content will vary from semester to semester. Please consult the department's undergraduate website for further information.

Shakespeare ENGL-UA 410 Identical to DRLIT-UA 225. Offered every year. 4 points. A survey of Shakespeare's major plays and poems, with attention to their historical, cultural, and theatrical contexts.

English Renaissance Drama ENGL-UA 420 Formerly English Drama to 1642. Offered periodically. 4 points. Reading of major non-Shakespearean drama, including plays by Marlowe, Jonson, Middleton, Webster, and others, with attention to both formal and historical questions. Issues of genre, gender and sexuality, status, degree, and nation.

17th-Century English Literature ENGL-UA 440 Identical to MEDI-UA 440. Offered periodically. 4 points. Introduction to the prose and poetry of the 17th century, an age of spiritual, scientific, and political crisis. Readings in Jonson, Donne, Bacon, Herbert, Marvell, Milton, Browne, and others.

19th-Century British Novel ENGL-UA 530 Formerly English Novel in the 19th Century. Offered every year. 4 points. Studies in the forms and contexts of the 19th-century British novel.

20th-Century British Novel ENGL-UA 605 Formerly British Novel in the 20th Century. Offered periodically. 4 points. Studies in the forms and contexts of the 20th-century British novel.

20th-Century British and Anglophone Literature ENGL-UA 606 Offered periodically. 4 points. Poetry, fiction, and drama since World War I. Selected major texts by modernist, postcolonial, and postmodern writers.

American Fiction, 1900-1945 ENGL-UA 635 Formerly American Fiction Before World War II. Offered periodically. 4 points. Literary movements and social contexts in a period of remarkable innovation. Focus on realism, naturalism, modernism, and contemporary eclectic style. Novels by Theodore Dreiser, John Dos Passos, Willa Cather, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, Saul Bellow, and Ralph Ellison, as well as short fiction and critical and cultural essays.

Post-1945 American Fiction ENGL-UA 640 Formerly American Fiction Since World War II. Offered periodically. 4 points. Particular focus on the literary art and cultural meanings forged in a period of creative innovation and troubling uncertainty. Readings likely to include works by John Updike, E.L. Doctorow, Thomas Pynchon, Don DeLillo, Flannery O'Connor, Alison Bechdel, Marjane Satrapi, Tim O'Brien, Louise Erdrich, Phil Klay, Art Spiegelman, Amy Tan, Jonathan Lethem, and Junot Diaz.

Literature and the Environment ENGL-UA 675 Identical to ANST-UA 475 and ENVST-UA 675. Topics determine prerequisites. 4 points. Topics vary.

Asian American Literature ENGL-UA 716 Formerly SCA-UA 301. Identical to COLIT-UA 301, SCA-UA 306. Offered every year. 4 points. See description in the Asian/Pacific/American studies section of this Bulletin.

Tragedy ENGL-UA 720 Identical to COLIT-UA 110, DRLIT-UA 200. 4 points. See description in the comparative literature section of this Bulletin.

Science Fiction ENGL-UA 728 Offered periodically. 4 points. Contemporary science fiction as literature, social commentary, prophecy, and a reflection of recent and possible future trends in technology and society. Writers include Asimov, Ballard, Butler, Clarke, Delany, Dick, Gibson, Heinlein, Herbert, Le Guin, Stephenson, and Sterling.

Queer Literature ENGL-UA 749 Identical to SCA-UA 482. 4 points. Study of notions of queerness and its relation to mainstream culture through detailed exploration of literary texts and other cultural productions in a variety of genres. Historical period and national focus (e.g., British, American, Commonwealth) may vary; please consult the department's undergraduate website for further information.

Topics in Irish Literature ENGL-UA 761 Identical to IRISH-UA 761. 4 points. See description in the Irish studies section of this Bulletin.

Advanced Courses in Literature

The following courses have departmental prerequisites (as noted below). Qualified nonmajors may enroll with the permission of the instructor.

18th- and 19th-Century African American Literature ENGL-UA 250 Identical to SCA-UA 783. Prerequisite: African American Literary Cultures (ENGL-UA 185) or Literatures in English III (ENGL-UA 113). Offered periodically. 4 points. Survey of major autobiographies, fiction, and poetry from the early national period to the eve of the New Negro Renaissance. Writers include Equiano, Wheatley, Jacobs, Brown, Douglass, Harper, and Wilson.

20th-Century African American Literature ENGL-UA 251 Identical to SCA-UA 784. Prerequisite: African American Literary Cultures (ENGL-UA 185) or Literatures in English III (ENGL-UA 113). Offered periodically. 4 points. Major fiction, poetry, autobiography, and drama from Du Bois's The Souls of Black Folk (1903) to works by Toni Morrison and Claudia Rankine. Discussion of the Harlem Renaissance and its key figures, including Langston Hughes, and Zora Neale Hurston. Other writers may include Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, James Baldwin, Amiri Baraka, and Jayne Cortez.

Contemporary Black Literature ENGL-UA 254 Formerly Contemporary African American Fiction. Identical to SCA-UA 786. Prerequisite: African American Literary Cultures (ENGL-UA 185) or Literatures in English III (ENGL-UA 113). Offered periodically. 4 points. Study of the development of black literary expression and critical thought in late 20th- and early 21st-century writing.

Medieval Literature in Translation ENGL-UA 310 Identical to MEDI-UA 310. Prerequisite: Literatures in English I (ENGL-UA 111). Offered periodically. 4 points. Introduction to the culture and literature of the medieval world through translations of diverse texts written in Latin, French, German, Italian, Icelandic, and other vernacular languages. Texts are selected according to the theme or focus chosen by the instructor.

Medieval Romance ENGL-UA 311 Prerequisite: Literatures in English I (ENGL-UA 111). Offered periodically. 4 points. Study of how these tales of adventure, love, and magic both construct and deconstruct ideals of selfhood, masculinity, femininity, heterosexuality, nationality, geography, temporality, religion, spirituality, nature, and the function and performance of linguistic discourse. Consideration of other genres (saints' lives, chronicles, travel writing, allegory, and exempla). Readings in Middle English and in translation.

Introduction to Old English Language and Literature ENGL-UA 315 Prerequisite: Literatures in English I (ENGL-UA 111). Offered periodically. 4 points. The grammar and vocabulary of this earliest surviving form of English. Topics: the heroic code; conversion and cultural syncretism; the rise of English national identity; monasticism and spirituality; the law and customs of the Anglo-Saxons; the Viking invasions and the Norman Conquest; and hybridity and multilingualism. Concludes with reading excerpts from Beowulf in the original and performing scenes from the poem.

Chaucer ENGL-UA 320 Identical to MEDI-UA 320. Prerequisite: Literatures in English I (ENGL-UA 111). Offered periodically. 4 points. Major poetry, with particular attention to The Canterbury Tales . General language training is provided. Special attention to Chaucer's narrative skill, techniques of characterization, style, varieties of formal invention, and particular thematic preoccupations. Chaucer's writing as a lens onto late medieval society and culture.

Early Modern Literature ENGL-UA 445 Identical to MEDI-UA 445. Prerequisite: Literatures in English I (ENGL-UA 111). Offered periodically. 4 points. Topic varies each term. Consult the department's undergraduate website for further information.

Milton ENGL-UA 450 Identical to MEDI-UA 450. Prerequisite: Literatures in English I (ENGL-UA 111). Offered periodically. 4 points. Emphasis on the major poems ( Paradise Lost, Paradise Regained, and Samson Agonistes ) with some attention to the early poems and the prose. Traces the poet's sense of vocation, analyzes the gradual development of the Miltonic style, and assesses Milton's position in the history of English literature, politics, and theology.

Restoration and Early 18th-Century Literature ENGL-UA 500 Prerequisite: Literatures in English II (ENGL-UA 112). Offered periodically. 4 points. In 1660, the theatres reopened after nearly two decades of Puritan rule and prohibition, and the publishing trades boomed as never before. Topics: the birth of the novel and journalism; continuity and transformation of epic poetry, drama, the essay, and satire; and the emergence of professional women writers. Authors include John Dryden, Joseph Addison and Richard Steele, Alexander Pope, Jonathan Swift, Daniel Defoe, and Eliza Haywood.

Mid- and Late 18th-Century British Literature ENGL-UA 501 Prerequisite: Literatures in English II (ENGL-UA 112). Offered periodically. 4 points. Explores a range of genres (the novel, journalism, drama, poetry, satire, essays, travel writing, and biography) in various contexts: the growth of London and other cities; colonies gained and lost; new scientific theories and discoveries; and Enlightenment challenges to authority. Authors include Samuel Richardson, Henry Fielding, Samuel Johnson, Thomas Gray, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Ann Radcliffe, Francis Burney, and Jane Austen.

Restoration and 18th-Century Drama ENGL-UA 505 Identical to DRLIT-UA 235. Prerequisite: Literatures in English I (ENGL-UA 111) or History of Drama and Theatre I (ENGL-UA 125). Offered periodically. 4 points. Urban comedies and classical tragedies, closet dramas and box-office successes, propaganda pieces and broad satires, puritan reform and libertine excess. Playwrights may include John Dryden, Margaret Cavendish, George Etherege, William Wycherley, Aphra Behn, John Milton, Thomas Otway, Joseph Addison, John Gay, and Henry Fielding.

The 18th-Century British Writer ENGL-UA 515 Prerequisite: Literatures in English II (ENGL-UA 112). Offered every other year. 4 points. Topic varies by term. Consult the department's undergraduate website for further information.

Major Victorian Writers ENGL-UA 525 Formerly Major British Writers: 1832-1870. Prerequisite: Literatures in English II (ENGL-UA 112). Offered periodically. 4 points. Writers may include Thomas Carlyle, Emily Brontë, Lord Alfred Tennyson, Walter Pater, Charles Darwin, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robert Browning, Charles Dickens, Matthew Arnold, John Ruskin, Christina Rossetti, and Algernon Charles Swinburne.

British Literature of Transition ENGL-UA 540 Prerequisite: Literatures in English II (ENGL-UA 112). Offered periodically. 4 points. Study of late Victorian and early modern literature and a reassessment of the notions of transition and modernity. Writers to be studied may include Thomas Hardy, Joseph Conrad, James Joyce, D.H. Lawrence, Virginia Woolf, Walter Pater, Oscar Wilde, Lytton Strachey, and T.S. Eliot.

Topics in 19th-Century Literature ENGL-UA 545 Prerequisite: Literatures in English II (ENGL-UA 112). Offered periodically. 4 points. Topic varies each term. Consult the department's undergraduate website for further information.

19th-Century American Poetry ENGL-UA 550 Prerequisite: Literatures in English III (ENGL-UA 113). Offered periodically. 4 points. A survey of 19th-century American verse. Considers both popular (that is, forgotten) and acknowledged major poets of the period, with an eye toward discerning the conventions that bind them to and separate them from one another.

19th-Century American Writers ENGL-UA 565 Prerequisite: Literatures in English III (ENGL-UA 113). Offered periodically. 4 points. Topic varies each term. Consult the department's undergraduate website for further information.

Modern Poetry in English ENGL-UA 600 Formerly Modern British and American Poetry. Prerequisite: Literatures in English II (ENGL-UA 112) or Literatures in English III (ENGL-UA 113). Offered periodically. 4 points. Readings from poets writing in English from roughly 1850 to 1930, such as Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Thomas Hardy, Gerard Manley Hopkins, W.B. Yeats, Ezra Pound, Wallace Stevens, William Carlos Williams, Marianne Moore, Claude McKay, H.D., Mina Loy, Langston Hughes, and T.S. Eliot.

Contemporary British and American Literature ENGL-UA 601 Prerequisite: Literatures in English I (ENGL-UA 111), Literatures in English II (ENGL-UA 112), or Literatures in English III (ENGL-UA 113). Offered periodically. 4 points. Readings in late 20th- and early 21st-century poetry and fiction.

Contemporary British Literature and Culture ENGL-UA 607 Prerequisite: Literatures in English II (ENGL-UA 112). Offered periodically. 4 points. Studies in contemporary British fiction, exploring postwar British culture in an era of profound political and economic change and social upheaval. Examines a range of avant-garde, neorealist, postcolonial, and popular texts that challenge received notions of "Englishness." Particular attention paid to the interaction between literature and other cultural forms, such as cinema, popular music, and sport.

Modern British Drama ENGL-UA 614 Identical to DRLIT-UA 245. Prerequisite: Literatures in English II (ENGL-UA 112) or History of Drama and Theatre II (ENGL-UA 126). Offered periodically. 4 points. Topics and focus vary. Playwrights may include: George Bernard Shaw, John Millington Synge, Sean O'Casey, Brendan Behan, John Osborne, Harold Pinter, Tom Stoppard, Edward Bond, Brian Friel, David Storey, David Hare, David Edgar, Howard Brenton, Pam Gems, Caryl Churchill, and Sarah Daniels.

Transatlantic Modernism ENGL-UA 615 Prerequisite: Literatures in English II (ENGL-UA 112). Offered every year. 4 points. Focus on works written between the two world wars, but may also consider earlier works as well as postmodern writing after 1945. Writers may include Virginia Woolf, T.S. Eliot, James Joyce, Ezra Pound, Djuna Barnes, Willa Cather, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Ernest Hemingway.

The Irish Renaissance ENGL-UA 621 Identical to IRISH-UA 621. Prerequisite: Literatures in English II (ENGL-UA 112). Offered every other year. 4 points. Covers the tumultuous period from the fall of Charles Stuart Parnell, through the Easter Rising in 1916, and into the early years of national government in the 1930s. Readings in various genres (poetry, short story, novel, drama). Writers may include Oscar Wilde, W.B. Yeats, James Joyce, Lady Gregory, John Millington Synge, Sean O'Casey, Samuel Beckett, and Flann O'Brien.

Irish American Literature ENGL-UA 622 Identical to IRISH-UA 622. 4 points. From the 19th century to the present. Examines the literary responses of generations of Irish immigrants to the American experience. The works of writers such as Fitzgerald, O'Neill, O'Connor, O'Hara, and Kennedy are explored, as are the connections between ethnic and literary cultures.

James Joyce ENGL-UA 625 Prerequisite: Literatures in English II (ENGL-UA 112). Offered periodically. 4 points. Study of James Joyce's majors works. Readings will span the entire oeuvre, from Dubliners to Finnegans Wake , with a detailed reading of Ulysses .

20th-Century American Writers ENGL-UA 626 Prerequisite: Literatures in English III (ENGL-UA 113). Offered periodically. 4 points. Topic varies each term. Consult the department's undergraduate website for further information.

20th-Century American Poetry ENGL-UA 630 Formerly American Poetry, 1900-present. Prerequisite: Literatures in English III (ENGL-UA 113). Offered periodically. 4 points. Study of the development of 20th-century poetry.

Modern American Drama ENGL-UA 650 Identical to DRLIT-UA 250. Prerequisite: History of Drama and Theatre I (ENGL-UA 125), History of Drama and Theatre II (ENGL-UA 126), or Literatures in English III (ENGL-UA 113). Offered every other year. 4 points. Study of the drama and theatre of America since 1900, including O'Neill, Glaspell, the Group Theatre, Wilder, Williams, Miller, Albee, Shepard, Mamet, Fornes, and Hwang.

Irish Dramatists ENGL-UA 700 Identical to IRISH-UA 700, THEA-UT 603, DRLIT-UA 700. 4 points. A study of the rich dramatic tradition of Ireland since the days of Yeats, Lady Gregory, and the fledgling Abbey Theatre. Playwrights covered include Synge, O'Casey, Beckett, Behan, Friel, Murphy, McGuinness, and Devlin. Issues of Irish identity, history, and postcoloniality are engaged alongside an appreciation of the poetic achievements and theatrical innovations that characterize this body of work.

The Postcolonial Writer ENGL-UA 708 Prerequisite: Introduction to the Study of Literature (ENGL-UA 101). Offered every other year. 4 points. Study of the works of a single author (varies by semester), most often a recent Anglophone writer from one of Britain's former colonies in Africa, South Asia, or the Caribbean. The postcolonial literary canon includes writers who have won international recognition, marked by awards like the Nobel Prize for Literature (Wole Soyinka, V. S. Naipaul, Derek Walcott) or the Man Booker Prize in Britain (Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy, Kiran Desai).

Major Texts in Critical Theory ENGL-UA 712 Prerequisite: Introduction to the Study of Literature (ENGL-UA 101). Offered every semester. 4 points. Study of the major texts in critical theory from Plato to Derrida, considered in terms of their historical development. Topics and thinkers associated with such modern movements as historicism, psychoanalytic criticism, feminism, queer theory, subaltern studies, postcolonial theory, deconstruction, affect theory, and eco-criticism.

History and Literatures of the South Asian Diaspora ENGL-UA 721 Identical to HIST-UA 326, SCA-UA 313. Offered every year. 4 points. Introduces the many and varied fictions produced by diasporic South Asians across the globe over the last 150 years in Australia, Africa, Europe, and the Caribbean. Explores the poetics and politics of immigration and draws on a wide range of media (including literature, cinema, and music). Particular attention to the diverse geographies of Asian migration: plantations, dance floors, restaurants, and call centers. Themes include coolietude, globalization, the impact of 9/11, and technoservitude.

Digital Literary Studies ENGL-UA 731 Prerequisite: Introduction to the Study of Literature (ENGL-UA 101). Offered every year. 4 points. How digital texts, resources, and media, and computational tools and methods are transforming literary studies. Topics: how access to online literary texts, criticism, scholarly resources, and archives affects the study of literature; new analyses of literary texts and new evidence for literary arguments that computational tools and methods make possible; how dispersed readers and scholars collaboratively produce knowledge; and the nature and significance of online forums and modes of communication (blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc.).

Topics in Contemporary Literary Theory ENGL-UA 735 Prerequisite: Introduction to the Study of Literature (ENGL-UA 101). Offered every year. 4 points. Topic varies each term. Consult the department's undergraduate website for further information.

Representations of Women ENGL-UA 755 Identical to SCA-UA 734. Prerequisite: Introduction to the Study of Literature (ENGL-UA 101). Offered every other year. 4 points. Study of literary representations of gender as they intersect class, race, nation, and sexuality. Readings will likely include works by Mary Wollstonecraft, Phyllis Wheatley, Charlotte Brontë, Virginia Woolf, Jean Rhys, Toni Morrison, and others.

Topics ENGL-UA 800  Topics determine prerequisites. May be taken four times for credit as topics change. 4 points. Topics vary based on the interests of faculty and students.

The Contemporary Literature Lab ENGL-UA 995 May be repeated for credit. 2 points. Bridges scholarly and professional training. Topics vary and include: literary publishing, forums for literary discussion and criticism, literary organizations and institutions, and the possibilities and challenges of writing scholarly literary criticism about contemporary literature.

Senior Seminars

All majors must take one of the following seminars. Topics vary by semester; consult the department's website for details. Prerequisites for all senior seminars: Introduction to the Study of Literature (ENGL-UA 101) and three of the following: Literatures in English I (ENGL-UA 111), Literatures in English II (ENGL-UA 112), Literatures in English III (ENGL-UA 113), Literatures in English IV (ENGL-UA 114), or permission of the instructor. Majors in the creative writing track must complete these four courses plus Reading as a Writer (ENGL-UA 201) before taking one of these seminars. Note: all were formerly listed as "Topics" courses.

Senior Seminar: Medieval Literature ENGL-UA 950 Identical to MEDI-UA 953. 4 points.

Senior Seminar: Renaissance Literature ENGL-UA 951 Identical to MEDI-UA 954. 4 points.

Senior Seminar: 17th-Century British Literature ENGL-UA 952 Identical to MEDI-UA 955. 4 points.

Senior Seminar: 18th-Century British Literature ENGL-UA 953 4 points.

Senior Seminar: 19th-Century British Literature ENGL-UA 954 4 points.

Senior Seminar: 20th-Century British Literature ENGL-UA 955 4 points.

Senior Seminar: Early American Literature ENGL-UA 960 4 points.

Senior Seminar: 19th-Century American Literature ENGL-UA 961 4 points.

Senior Seminar: 20th-Century American Literature ENGL-UA 962 4 points.

Senior Seminar: African American Literature ENGL-UA 963 4 points.

Senior Seminar: Emergent American Literatures ENGL-UA 964 4 points.

Senior Seminar: Transatlantic Literature ENGL-UA 965 4 points.

Senior Seminar: Critical Theories and Methods ENGL-UA 970 4 points.

Senior Seminar: Dramatic Literature ENGL-UA 971 4 points.

Senior Seminar: Genre Studies ENGL-UA 972 4 points.

Senior Seminar: Interdisciplinary Study ENGL-UA 973 4 points.

Senior Seminar: Poetry and Poetics ENGL-UA 974 4 points.

Senior Seminar: World Literature in English ENGL-UA 975 4 points.

Senior Seminar: New York Literature and Culture ENGL-UA 976 4 points.

Creative Writing Track Capstone

Creative Writing Capstone Project ENGL-UA 910 Restricted to English majors in the creative writing track with an approved proposal. Prerequisites: the five core courses for this major track (ENGL-UA 101, 201, and three out of the following four courses: ENGL-UA 111, ENGL-UA 112, ENGL-UA 113, ENGL-UA 114); Creative Writing: Introduction to Fiction and Poetry (CRWRI-UA 815); and one intermediate level CRWRI-UA course. Corequisite: Creative Writing Capstone Colloquium (ENGL-UA 911). Offered in the spring. 2 points. Students typically produce a novella, a poetry chapbook, a collection of short stories, or a work of a hybrid genre. Requires frequent conferences with the project director. Proposals, approved by the student's faculty advisor, must be submitted in advance of the registration period for the term in which the capstone project is to be conducted.

Creative Writing Capstone Colloquium ENGL-UA 911 Restricted to English majors in the creative writing track with an approved proposal. Prerequisites: the five core courses for this major track (ENGL-UA 101, 201, and three out of the following four courses: ENGL-UA 111, ENGL-UA 112, ENGL-UA 113, ENGL-UA 114); Creative Writing: Introduction to Fiction and Poetry (CRWRI-UA 815); and one intermediate level CRWRI-UA course. Corequisite: Creative Writing Capstone Project (ENGL-UA 910). Offered in the spring. 2 points. Meets approximately eight times during the semester to workshop writing projects and engage collectively in the writing process.

Honors Courses

Senior Honors Thesis ENGL-UA 925 Identical to DRLIT-UA 925. Prerequisites: successful completion of the major's senior seminar requirement; a 3.65 GPA both overall and in the major; and permission of the director of undergraduate studies. Repeatable once for credit up to a maximum of 4 points. 2 or 4 points per term. Two terms required of all honors students. Weekly individual conferences with the faculty thesis director. Students must also concurrently enroll in two terms of a colloquium for thesis writers (ENGL-UA 926). The default expectation for ENGL-UA 925 is 2 points per term; students must obtain permission from the department to register for 4 points.

Senior Honors Colloquium ENGL-UA 926 Identical to DRLIT-UA 926. Prerequisites: successful completion of the major's senior seminar requirement; a 3.65 GPA both overall and in the major; and permission of the director of undergraduate studies. Repeatable once for credit up to a maximum of 4 points. 2 points per term. Two terms required of all honors students, taken concurrently with two terms of thesis writing (ENGL-UA 925). Meets approximately eight times each term.

Internship and Independent Study

Internship ENGL-UA 980, 981 Prerequisite: permission of the department's internship director. Restricted to English majors and minors. May not be used to fulfill the minimum requirements of the major or minor. Graded Pass/Fail. 2 or 4 points per term, with a maximum of 8 total internship points allowed. Requires a commitment of 8 to 15 hours of work per week in an unpaid position approved by the department's internship director. The intern's duties should involve some aspect of literary work, whether in research, writing, editing, or production. A written evaluation is solicited from the intern's supervisor. Grading based on internship seminar attendance, a final reflection paper, and other shorter assignments submitted to the department's internship director.

Independent Study ENGL-UA 997, 998 Prerequisite: permission of the director of undergraduate studies. May not duplicate the content of a regularly offered course. Intended for qualified junior and senior English majors or minors, but may not be used to fulfill the minimum requirements of the major or minor. 2 or 4 points per term. Requires a paper of considerable length and frequent conferences with the student's director. The paper should show the student's ability to investigate, collect, and evaluate material, and to reach conclusions that are discussed in a sound and well-written argument. Proposals, approved by the student's faculty director, must be submitted to the director of undergraduate studies in advance of the registration period for the term in which the independent study is to be conducted.

Graduate Courses Open to Undergraduate English Majors

Junior and senior English majors may take 1000-level ENGL-GA courses in the Graduate School of Arts and Science with permission from the director of undergraduate studies. Consult the department's graduate website for descriptions of 1000-level courses being offered in a given term.

Washington Square News

Creative Writing Community Persists Despite Lack of Major

The home page of NYU’s Creative Writing Program is impressive at first glance. Prominently featuring a photo of a contemplative Zadie Smith and, just below it, an interior shot of the ever-charming Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House, the program promises world-class instruction in an intimate setting.

The MFA program consistently churns out critically acclaimed writers , such as recent graduate and Plimpton Prize winner Isabella Hammad, among many others, and makes the top five of MFA program rankings.

The undergraduate program ranks No. 3 in College Magazine’s September 2018 list  of 10 colleges for writers, and No. 8 in The Adroit Journal’s 2019 ranking . An August 2019 PrepScholar blog post titled “The 12 Best Creative Writing Colleges and Programs” lists NYU as a 13th “bonus school.”  

Alex Heimbach, the author of the post, wrote, “I didn’t include NYU in the main list because it doesn’t have a dedicated creative writing major, but it’s a great school for aspiring writers nonetheless, offering one of the most impressive creative writing faculties in the country and all the benefits of a Manhattan location.”  

It’s possible that the lack of a distinct major is deterring otherwise interested young writers from choosing to cultivate their talents at NYU rather than the other schools — Emerson College, Emory University and Washington University in St. Louis, to name a few of NYU’s most direct competitors — included on such lists. WSN spoke to five students on the creative writing track about this, as well as the state of the undergraduate program overall.

Considering the international repute of the MFA program, a number of students felt that a major in the undergraduate program was not only warranted but also highly feasible.

“They wouldn’t need to change that much to make a major possible,” CAS senior Griffin Vrabeck said. “They literally just need to write it down on paper that it’s an offering, and then boom. They have all the classes, all the resources to make it happen.”  

CAS junior Anastasia Foley said, “I think that the interest is there. And it would attract more students to the humanities department.”

Others found it a matter of allowing students the freedom to explore their passion, such as CAS junior Cassandra Rohr. “If someone’s life and blood is creative writing,” Rohr said, “they should be able to explore that path in its entirety.”

While torn on whether or not a creative writing major should be offered, CAS senior Leah Muncy defended the English major, pointing out the importance of an academic background in literature for aspiring writers as opposed to jumping straight to writing.  

“It’s important to study the evolution of writing, which author or tradition you’re invoking if you decide to omit, say, grammatical rules or to mess around with the form,” Muncy said. “People sometimes don’t realize that the reason why certain literary works are considered ‘great’ is because the work was very much tethered to its time.”  

She cited Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” — a poem he famously read aloud at Washington Square Park in 1996 — as an example of a work which was innovative for the time, but wouldn’t cause a stir today.

  “It’s not scandalous to write poems like that anymore,” Muncy said. “You’re not pushing the limitations of the form. Ginsberg did it first. The English major gives you the awareness that a creative writing major may not.”  

CAS junior Noah Borromeo agreed, saying “I love that the department requires us to drench ourselves in literature,” but adding that the concentration, or potential major, “would benefit from more classes tailored toward writing and craft, aside from the workshops.”

“I’ve found that how well the class goes is more dependent on who is in the class, and less dependent on the actual professor or the program itself,” Muncy said.  

A few students said that more selective classes, or simply some classes reserved only for those on the creative writing track, would give serious students an opportunity to work on their craft with more like-minded peers.  

“The creative writing classes are of mixed majors,” Borromeo said. “Meaning some people aren’t there with a concentration in creative writing, or even an English major, which is not a bad thing at all, but I think the students whose concentrations are creative writing might benefit from majors-only sections.”  

Vrabeck felt similarly, attributing what he sees as a lack of community within the program to the “lack of requirements for creative writing students,” as “there aren’t necessarily a lot of classes in which you’re surrounded only by creative writers.” The core classes of the English program — Literatures in English I, II, III and IV — on the other hand, are open exclusively to English majors.

Currently, the English major with a concentration in creative writing only requires two creative writing workshops, culminating in a senior capstone project. The other option for English majors is the concentration in literary studies, which doesn’t require any workshop credits. It does require a course in both British Literature before 1800 and Critical Theories and Methods, while the creative writing concentration requires only one or the other.  

The minor requires 16 points of coursework in creative writing. While advisors encourage those in the creative writing concentration to pursue the minor as well, it’s perhaps counterintuitive that the minor requires twice as many workshop credits as the major track.

Despite the lack of an official major, most felt that there was a community within the program so long as one sought it out.

  “I’ve made some of my best friends from creative writing workshops, especially nonfiction workshops,” Muncy said. “People come in and they’re like, ‘Here’s a story about my sh-tty dad.’ So by the end of the semester, you know everyone’s trauma, all the ins and outs. You really just start rooting for each other.”

Foley, in reference to her experience with the Writers in Paris program — one of three eight-credit summer intensives offered, with the other two located in Florence and New York — said, “I think that people are willing to get to know others in the program, share their work, and be supportive of one another.”

Many of the students interviewed said they aspired to study in the graduate program — in fact, everyone that expressed an interest in an MFA named NYU’s program as their first, and often only, choice.

“Considering the staff and the fact that I’m never leaving New York, the NYU MFA is my top choice,” Borromeo said. “I pray that I get in.”

Every semester, the program offers a handful of undergraduate master classes, which require an application for admission and are taught by the program’s most acclaimed faculty — past instructors have included Rick Moody, Eileen Myles, Zadie Smith, Rachel Zucker and Anne Carson, to name a few.  

“Everyone was such a genuinely good writer, and we all cared about writing so much,” Muncy said of her master class with Pulitzer Prize winner Jeffrey Eugenides. “You could tell that everyone just loved to be there, and we all respected each other immensely.”

“Professor Eugenides was the first writing professor I’d had who would tell something to you straight,” Muncy said. “He’d be like ‘This isn’t working. Your heart isn’t in this.’ He made my friend cry once, but after she was like, ‘This is the best thing that ever happened to my writing.’ After taking that class I was able to finally be like, ‘I’m a writer.’ I hadn’t had the courage to say that about myself before.”  

This semester, the program is offering master classes with professors such as poet Nick Laird, winner of the 2005 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, and Ishion Hutchinson, winner of a 2016 National Book Critics Circle Award and 2019 Windham-Campbell Literature Prize in Poetry.  

Students all indicated that the faculty is generally excellent and supportive.  

“The professors will offer you their time and guidance; they want you to get published and succeed more than anything,” Muncy said. “You have to dedicate yourself to writing, but the program will be there for you if you do.”

A version of this article appears in the Monday, Sept. 16, 2019 print edition. Email Julie Goldberg at [email protected] .

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BA in Humanities

The BA in Humanities provides a strong pre-professional education in the liberal arts. Students acquire the writing, critical thinking, aesthetic, and analytical abilities required to pursue a graduate degree, or to advance in their career.

Humanities of Now

The broad-based humanities curriculum encourages students to think in the cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary ways needed to succeed in today's increasingly globalized business, cultural, and communication environments.

Faculty Contact

Dr. Bri Newland, Assistant Dean, Division of Applied Undergraduate Studies (212) 998-7201 [email protected]

Dovetail is the annual art and literary journal of the NYU School of Professional Studies. It is devoted to publishing and honoring the voice, craft, and originality of emerging writers and artists. We publish original fiction, non-fiction, poetry, playwriting, and all forms of visual art. Our editorial staff is comprised of students enrolled in the "Literary Magazine Production" course, which runs every spring semester. Dovetail is open for submissions every year from September 15 - February 15.

Program Structure

Core courses.

Core courses provide an in-depth exploration of the liberal arts that expands your critical thinking and analytical skills, increases your knowledge, and develops your intellect.

Concentrations

Select one of the following concentrations: Art History and Visual Culture, Creative Writing, or Literature.

Work in close consultation with a faculty advisor on a senior thesis or project in your field of study.

Students select elective credits from DAUS course offerings in consultation with their advisor.

Internships

Earn academic credit while gaining industry experience. Work with coaches at the Wasserman Center to learn how to land an internship that will let you put what you have learned in the classroom into action.

Students may select one of the following concentrations

Art History and Visual Culture

Analyze and comprehend the cultural, social, and political messages that lie hidden beneath art’s aesthetic beauty.

Explore how literature serves to enrich understanding and foster critical thinking in a complex world.

Creative Writing

Designed for beginner through experienced writers who wish to develop their craft.

Core Requirements

The degree is a 128 credit program consisting of a required set of core courses (32 credits), foundation courses (20 credits), methods and theory courses (8 credits), major requirements (20 credits), concentration courses (16 credits),  free electives (26 credits), and a graduation project (4 credits).

Foundation Courses: Humanities

Prior to beginning a concentration, students must complete a series of foundation courses within their major. A student¿s chosen concentration determines which particular combination of the following required courses and elected humanities and social sciences courses will make up the foundation curriculum of their humanities major. Students select four of the following courses.

• CWRG1-UC5240 Foundations of The Creative Process 4
• ARTH1-UC5430 History of Art I: Earliest to Middle Ages 4
• ARTH1-UC5431 History of Art II: Renaissance to Modern 4
• MEST1-UC6033 The Language of Contemporary Images 4
• LITR1-UC6241 Introduction to Literature 4
• HUMN1-UC6403 Foundations of Philosophical Thought 4
• RELG1-UC7003 Judaism, Christianity, & Islam 4
• RELG1-UC7004 Hinduism, Buddhism, & Taoism 4

Foundation Courses: Social Sciences

Prior to beginning a concentration, students must complete a series of foundation courses within their major. A student¿s chosen concentration determines which particular combination of the following required courses and elected humanities and social sciences courses will make up the foundation curriculum of their humanities major. Students select one of the following courses.

• ECON1-UC0301 Intro to Macroeconomics 4
• ECON1-UC0302 Intro to Microeconomics 4
• BUSN1-UC0504 Business Organization & Management 4
• ORBC1-UC1301 Organizational Behavior 4
• SOCS1-UC2201 Oral Communications 4
• ANTH1-UC5003 Cultural Anthropology 4
• MEST1-UC6028 Understanding Media 4
• POLS1-UC6602 Political Thought 4
• POLS1-UC6604 American Politics 4
• POLS1-UC6605 International Relations 4
• PSYC1-UC6801 Intro to Psychology 4
• SOCY1-UC7200 Intro to Sociology 4
• ECON1-UC6607 The Global Economy 4
• ECON1-UC6608 History of Economic Thought 4

Methods and Theory

Students select two Methods and Theory courses in consultation with their advisor.

• ARTH1-UC5471 Art Theory & Criticism 4
• CWRG1-UC5247 Seminar in Reading & Writing 4
• HUMN1-UC7900 Humanities Research Seminar 4
• LITR1-UC6280 Literary Theory & Criticism 4
• MEST1-UC6002 Media and Literary Genres I 4
• MEST1-UC6003 Media and Literary Genres II: 2

Major Requirements

To enhance their area of concentration and to broaden their knowledge base, students select 20 credits by combining their choice of the concentration courses; other humanities or social sciences courses; and the following courses. Students in the Art History and Visual Culture concentration must select at least one ARTS1-UC course. Students select 20 credits in consultation with their advisor.

• ARTH1-UC5426 The Art and History of Advertising and Graphic Design 4
• ARTH1-UC5427 The History of Interior Design 4
• ARTH1-UC5457 Oppositional Dress: A Subtext of Fashion 4
• ARTH1-UC5454 American Art & Architecture 4
• ARTH1-UC5452 Gender Studies in Art History 4
• ARTH1-UC5421 History of Photography 4
• ARTH1-UC5423 The Manhattan Skyline 2
• ARTH1-UC5422 New York City Architecture 2
• ARTH1-UC5425 Public Art in New York 2
• ARTS1-UC5445 The Arts: Art Studio Techniques and Practices 2
• ARTS1-UC5439 The Arts: The Blues 2
• ARTS1-UC5432 The Arts: Collage & Mixed Media 2
• ARTS1-UC5417 The Arts: Drawing 2
• ARTS1-UC5434 The Arts: Drawing, Expression,Space & Form 2
• ARTS1-UC5435 The Arts: Fundamentals of Painting & Design 2
• ARTS1-UC5411 The Arts: Jazz 2
• ARTS1-UC5406 The Arts: Opera 2
• ARTS1-UC5414 The Arts: Photography: The World Through the Lens 2
• ARTS1-UC5440 The Arts: Rock, Soul, Salsa 1950-1980 2
• ARTS1-UC5421 The Arts: Roots of American Music 2
• ARTS1-UC5450 The Arts: World Music 2
• ARTS1-UC5420 The Arts: Writing About the Arts 2
• CWRG1-UC5276 Editorial Conference 2-4
• CWRG1-UC5244 Focus on Technique: 2
• CWRG1-UC5292 Intensive Workshop in Creative Writing 4
• CWRG1-UC6091 Literary Magazine Production 4
• LITR1-UC6290 Sp Tpcs in Literature 2-4
• CWRG1-UC5290 Sp Tpcs in Creatve Wrtg 2-4
• LAIN1-UC7942 Liberal Arts Internship 4

The following courses may be required based on a writing placement assessment, and should be successfully completed within the first three semesters.

• EXWR1-UC7501 Introduction to Creative and Expository Writing 2
• EXWR1-UC7502 Writing Workshop I 4
• EXWR1-UC7503 Writing Workshop II 4

Critical Thinking

Students are required to take the following course.

• HUMN1-UC6401 Critical Thinking 4

Quantitative Reasoning

Students, in close consultation with their advisor, select Math 1 and Math II or one of the following other courses based on a math placement assessment.

• MATH1-UC1101 Math I 2
• MATH1-UC1141 Math II 2
• MATH1-UC1105 Mathematical Reasoning 4
• MATH1-UC1171 Precalculus 4
• MATH1-UC1174 Calculus W/Applications to Business & Economics 4

Scientific Issues

Students select one of the following courses in consultation with their advisor.

• SCNC1-UC2001 Human Biology 4
• SCNC1-UC3203 Environmental Sustainability 4
• SCNC1-UC3207 Stars, Planets, & Life 4
• SCNC1-UC3215 Biology of Hunger & Population 4

Historical Perspectives

• HIST1-UC5804 Renaissance to Revolutn 4
• HIST1-UC5820 The American Experience 4
• HIST1-UC5821 Classical & Medieval World 4
• HIST1-UC5822 Contemporary World 4

Global Perspectives

• ANTH1-UC5011 World Cultures: Africa 4
• ANTH1-UC5012 World Cultures: Middle East 4
• ANTH1-UC5013 World Cultures: Asia 4
• ANTH1-UC5014 World Cultures: Latin America & The Caribbean 4

Literary and Artistic Expressions

• ARTS1-UC5438 History of Music 4
• ARTH1-UC5443 Visual Expressions in Society 4
• LITR1-UC6201 Contemporary Global Literature 4
• LITR1-UC6209 Oral Traditions in Literature 4

Students select 26-28 credits from DAUS course offerings in consultation with their advisor.

Graduation Project

A student¿s chosen concentration determines which particular course will fulfill the graduation project requirement of their humanities major. Students select one of the following courses in consultation with their advisor.

• HUMN1-UC7991 Senior Project: Humanities 4
• LAIN1-UC7992 Liberal Arts Senior Project: Internship 4

APPLICATION DEADLINES

Visit the Admissions Deadlines page to view the application deadlines.

Admissions Criteria

The NYU SPS Admissions team carefully weighs each component of your application during the admissions review process to evaluate your ability to benefit from and contribute to the dynamic learning environment and the challenging curriculum that the NYU School of Professional Studies offers.

CONTACT ADMISSIONS

The NYU SPS Admissions team is here to help you navigate the admissions process and ensure that all of your questions and/or concerns are addressed. Call or email to set up a Zoom or Skype appointment.

212-998-7100 •  [email protected]

Financing Your education

We know that financial planning for your education is of the utmost importance. We want to support you. Click the link below to learn about financial aid opportunities or download the financial aid guidelines document.

Take the next step

Learn more about your program of interest and apply.

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Program Structure

A major in Literature and Creative Writing prepares students for careers that require critical thinking, forceful and lucid writing, and the ability to undertake challenging research. The Literature and Creative Writing major might lead to graduate school in literature or creative writing, but could just as readily lead to graduate work in law or public policy, and to careers in journalism, publishing, international relations, advertising and media, arts administration,  museum and gallery work, or work in the non-profit sector.

The major in Literature and Creative Writing offers two twelve-course tracks, one emphasizing scholarship, the other emphasizing creative work. The program is devoted to the idea that an undergraduate literature major becomes more fruitful when literary scholarship and creative literary work enrich and inform one another.

Students in both tracks take five required courses, which explore the interplay between reading, scholarship, and creative practice: Literary Interpretation ; Foundations of Literature I: Epic and Drama ; Foundations of Literature II: Lyric Poetry and the Novel ; Introduction to Creative Writing ; and Problems and Methods of Literary Studies .

Students in the scholarship track take five scholarly electives (at least one of which must be from a list of courses dealing with “pre-modern” subjects). One of these five electives may include an additional creative writing course. Students in the creative track take three creative writing electives and two scholarly electives, which prepare them to produce a creative capstone that is informed by a scholarly perspective. Students in the scholarly track may take one additional creative writing course in lieu of a scholarly elective.  All students must take one 3000-level course, one course in premodern literatures, and may count only one course with a core curriculum course number (e.g. CADT-UH 1021) for elective credit. All seniors enroll in two semesters of Capstone Seminar and Project in addition to intensive study with a faculty mentor on the project.

Capstone Project

The Capstone Project is a graduation requirement aimed at creating a significant piece of research and/or creative work. In Literature and Creative Writing, this project can take the form of a scholarly thesis or a creative composition. The Capstone experience culminates in a Capstone defense and the public presentation of the student project during the Capstone festival.

Literature Capstone

The Capstone Project in Literature represents the culmination of a student's work as a Literature major. It is a substantial work of written scholarship that enables a student to explore and make a scholarly contribution to areas of particular personal interest. Students are expected to work on the Capstone project throughout the senior year and, ideally, to conduct research during the previous summer. The final project should be a polished and professional example of scholarly research and writing at its best.

Creative Writing Capstone

The Capstone Project in Creative Writing draws on the work that students have done both in Creative Writing workshops and courses in Literature. These projects may take the form of a novel; a collection of short stories, poems, or personal essays; a play; a screenplay; or a similarly substantial creative endeavor. Students are expected to work on the Capstone project throughout the senior year and, if necessary, to conduct research during the previous summer.

The Literature and Creative Writing program recommend that students complete four of their five required courses before studying abroad. Students use their first study-away semester to explore the breadth of NYU’s global liberal arts curriculum and to seek courses that complement their literary studies. Students who choose to apply for a second semester abroad should do so in consultation with their major advisor, who will help them take into account their possible capstone topic or other academic endeavors. All students planning to be away in spring of junior year should meet with the Literature and Creative Writing Program Head in the fall semester to discuss a capstone plan.

Students are encouraged to pursue language studies as a complement to the major and we recommend that, where possible, students take at least one course that focuses on the literature of the study-away site.

Collaborative Arts

Interdisciplinary arts, performance, media & technology, the future of performing arts education..

Collaborative Arts is an innovative new Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts where students get hands-on training in a wide variety of artistic disciplines. Our students acquire foundational knowledge and develop their skills in the areas represented by Tisch’s three divisions: the Institute of Performing Arts, Emerging Media, and the Kanbar Center for Film & Television. Artists of all types are required to work both inside and outside their areas of interest:  creating cutting-edge multidisciplinary arts projects that are performed and/or exhibited, as they gain invaluable experience in producing and entrepreneurship. Whether it is directing a show, choreographing a dance, or conducting creative research, the Collaborative Arts BFA nurtures self-starters who want to engage in multi-disciplinary work, generate projects, address complex themes, and refine their artistic vision.

The Collaborative Arts Program seeks multi-disciplinary students open to discovering new ways of making and thinking about art. We look for creative experimentalists - young artists eager to enhance their natural talents with newly-acquired skills, gaining proficiency in more than one medium. Following a first-year immersion in the program’s foundational areas - performance, movement and acting, visual art and filmmaking, emerging media and technology, music production, fabrication, playwriting, screenwriting, and art theory - students go on to tackle new forms and technologies, empowering them to become artists confident as both do-it-yourself initiators and collaborators. Our BFA is founded on the tenet that an aptitude in more than one discipline combined with an openness toward play and experimentation will best prepare the artist of the future. Collaborative Arts provides the ideal opportunity for “self-motivated cooperation”: we give you cutting-edge tools to develop your craft, you engage in creative play with others. The program culminates for each student with a capstone, thesis project.

What is Collaborative Arts?

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Students interested in creative writing should begin with English 223-Creative Writing . English 223 provides an introduction to the reading and writing of poetry and prose and to the workshop method of critiquing student writing.

Students who complete English 223 are encouraged to declare the English major, and continue through the following sequence of courses:

• Intermediate Fiction (English 323), Advanced Fiction (English 423)
• Intermediate Poetry (English 324), Advanced Poetry (English 424)

English majors who wish to specialize in the writing of poetry or prose fiction may, in the winter term of their junior year, apply to the Capstone Program in Creative Writing , which is an optional path to a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. Students in the program take the creative writing workshops described above in sequence, and, in their last term, compile a major manuscript of poetry or prose fiction while working closely with the creative-writing faculty in a tutorial reserved for creative writing capstone students (English 428); this program is small and selective. Students not enrolled in the Capstone Program may still pursue their interest in creative writing by applying to the appropriate upper-level workshops.

Application Process

Admission to the Capstone in Creative Writing Program will occur during winter term and is limited to juniors who have taken or are enrolled in English 323/324 (or 423/424).

The application process will involve the submission of the application, a writing sample, and a transcript. Acceptance will be based on an evaluation of the writing sample by a committee of three readers.

The application cycle for the 2024-2025 academic year is currently  open , and the deadline is  Friday, February 23, 2024 . Please see the  application form for more information.

Program Requirements

Students planning to complete the Capstone Program in Creative Writing must satisfactorily complete the following:

• Prerequisite course: English 223 
• Choose a track: Fiction or Poetry and complete the appropriate classes (English 323/324 and 423/424)
• Completion of a thesis (English 428)
• Completion of all English major requirements

Click here to download the checklist for English Majors completing the Capstone Program in Creative Writing. Although students will receive University credit for additional writing courses (such as repeated enrollment in 323, 324, 423, or 424), only one such course will count for English credit. Additional writing course credits will not count toward the Capstone.

Creative Writing Honors

Students who have maintained a 3.5 English GPA may apply for honors in creative writing after they have been accepted into the Capstone Program.

Honors will be awarded based on the student maintaining a 3.5 English GPA, a 3.4 cumulative GPA, and earning a grade of A- or better on the thesis. The College of LSA will not award honors degrees if the student does not have the minimum cumulative GPA.

Contact Us :

Cody Walker Director, Undergraduate Program in Creative Writing [email protected]

English Undergraduate Studies Office 3187 Angell Hall (734) 764-6330

Hours: M-F 8 am - 4:30 pm

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• Creative Writing Minor
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Minor in TV Writing

Our Minor in TV Writing offers students a creative path toward enhanced engagement with subjects in their major field of studies. Students will explore creating stories for the world of episodic and narrative television, learn to analyze current trends, and engage in creative and intellectual exploration of the issues and emotions that excite them. The minor is designed for students who wish to develop their creativity and expand their writing abilities while pursuing other studies.

With our emphasis on VISUAL STORYTELLING and VISUAL COMPOSITION, a Minor in TV Writing provides the visual literacy skills necessary in today’s marketplace. This distinct minor is designed to empower the aspiring TV writer to break into this growing and dynamic field and to offer students the necessary background to pursue writing on a graduate level. TV Writing minors should graduate with a SPEC SCRIPT and a REVISED PILOT SCRIPT, building a strong portfolio of creative work. In addition, students will learn how to pitch themselves and their stories to producers and networks. Students will be guided in storytelling technique designed to harness their imagination as they create compelling, authentic, and original stories for today’s audiences.

Faculty and graduate teaching assistants come from Stony Brook University’s Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Television Writing. This stand-alone MFA is one of a handful in the country to offer in-depth graduate studies in the burgeoning field of TV writing.

Program Director: Karen Offitzer

Karen Offitzer, Director Minor in TV Writing Melville Library N3022 [email protected]

How Do I Earn a Minor in TV Writing?

Your entryway to the 21-credit minor consists of three required courses: FLM 101, Introduction to Filmmaking and Television, FLM 102, Introduction to Film and Television Composi5on, and FLM 215, Scriptwriting for Film and TV. These three courses, open to everyone, invite you to participate hands-on in the experience of visual literacy and introduce you the nuts and bolts of visual storytelling.

The heart of the television writing experience is two advanced seminars, chosen from TVW 220, TVW 221, FLM 302 or FLM 303. In TVW 220, Advanced Television Writing, students can delve deep into writing, choosing from topics such as Comedy Writing, Writing the Web Series, or Writing the Drama Script. In TVW 221, The Writers Room, students engage in a collaborate writing workshop designed to mimic a professional writers room. Students work together to develop and write a TV show or web series.

Students can choose to enroll in FLM 302, Producing Practices for Film and TV, with topics such as Directing Actors for Film and Television and Understanding the Business of TV, or FLM 303, Podcasting, which explores audio podcasting as the essence of storytelling: listening to and communicating via the spoken word, person-to-person, and visualized exclusively through the imagery conjured via methods and choices specific to the oral tradi5on.

Minors also take one upper-level advanced theory course, FLM 310 Topics in Film and TV or FLM 320, Story Analysis for Film and TV writers, or an equivalent course from another department. Our FLM and TVW courses are taught by working writers who approach visual storytelling from the ground up, as fellow practitioners.

Our minor offers a cohesive approach to fulfilling Stony Brook's general education requirements, including SPK, ARTS, HUM, HFA+, and EXP. Even a single course in the art of television writing presents a rich complex of learning opportunities, not only for those in the arts and humanities, but those in any field: hands-on immersion in the narrative, analytical and technical skills required for cinematic expression will enable students to create visual stories about the issues at the core of their own studies, whatever they may be. At the conclusion of their studies, students will have the opportunity to choose a final course that best serves their interest. Students can enroll in the Capstone Project, offering an intensive pilot revision workshop, or complete an Internship, or can or enroll in an addi5onal advanced TV Writing workshop.

Students should declare the Minor in TV Writing sometime during their sophomore year, at which time they should consult with advisors of both their major and minor to plan their course of study. The objective is to fulfill the TV writing minor's requirements in a way that is coherent and complementary to the major. The minor can be declared online from within SOLAR. Please refer to the Academic Calendar regarding the deadline for submission of the Minor Declaration form.

For questions about the minor, or to set up an appointment to meet with an advisor, please contact us at tvw_undergrad@stonybrook .

The director of the TV writing minor is Karen Offitzer: [email protected]

Sample Course Offerings

FLM 101: INTRODUCTION TO FILMMAKING AND TELEVISION: VISUAL STORYELLING TOPIC: Exploring Visual Storytelling: A hands-on introduction to the art of narrative filmmaking and cinematic storytelling. Using smartphones or comparable devices, students will become familiar with the ideas, materials and technical skills needed for creative expression in this medium. Participants will learn how to use images in conjunction with sound, text and narrative structure as a basis for communicaitng ideas visually. Specific visual communication skills include: clarifying a subject, defining a goal, defining an audience, exploring the tools and resources available.

FLM 102: INTRODUCTION FILM AND TELEVISION COMPOSITION: HOW FILMS AND TV SHOWS SAY WHAT THEY MEAN TOPIC: Film and Television Across the World: During this semester, we will take a close look--and listen--to a survey of films and television shows from across the world and throughout history. Screenings will include short films, animated films, documentaries, TV shows, music videos, etc. We will attempt to break apart the different components of these selected works to better understand how they operate and how they combine with one another to impact us as viewers--to excite us, to move us, to frighten us, etc. – and how they inform us as practitioners.

TVW220 : ADVANCED TV WRITING Topic: Introduction to Late Night, Sketch, and Joke Writing. This course covers the fundamentals of joke writing, late night comedy writing and sketch comedy writing in the style of SNL, Amber Ruffin, Full Frontal, and The Daily Show. Structured like a comedy writers' room, students learn to pitch jokes and sketches live in front of their peers.

FLM 215: SCRIPTWRITING FOR FILM AND TV Topic: Writing the Television Pilot: Over the semester, students will work in a supportive, collaborative environment, learning how to analyze past and current television in a variety of genres, to hone their skills on the principles of story and the medium of television writing. Using this foundation, students will then pitch their own TV series ideas and develop stories for a pilot episode resul5ng in written outlines, beat sheets and scenes with dialogue to be read aloud in class. The goal of the class is to establish a foundation for television writing, emulate the professional writers room experience and teach students how to both give and receive constructive feedback on work presented. Students will finish the class with a completed outline, teaser and first act of their own half-hour or hour-long pilot.

FLM 301 Story Analysis or Film and TV Writers TOPIC: This Show Sucks: A Study Of The Worst TV Shows In The World. While some series, The Simpsons or Law and Order for example, seem endlessly iterable others are canceled swilly -- their fans relegated to the swampy comment sections of b-tier, industry listicles. Take, for example, Cop Rock . The world's first -- and only? -- musical procedural. Think CSI meets Hannah Montana. WHO GREENLIT THAT?? Was he a genius or completely bananas? Both, maybe, because the show won several Emmys before landing on the butcher block after only 11 episodes. In this class, we’ll survey and read the pilot scripts of narrative shows which were canceled in one season or less, and discuss why they failed. We will take into account economics, cultural context, and story development. At the end of the semester, each student will pitch their own awful TV show, and justify why it could never succeed.

FLM 303: Podcasting Topic: Audio Storytelling Skills: In this introductory course, students will learn how to conceptualize and craft their own podcasts—visualizing stories through audio only. Students will gain experience in developing and pitching ideas, writing specifically for sound, best practices in interviewing styles and techniques, recording and editing basics, marketing, branding, distribution and more. The focus is on learning and developing storytelling and entrepreneurial skills specific to audio, and strengthening oral communication and  presentation skills by researching, writing and proposal presentations as well as participating in the  evaluation of oral peer presentations and pitches.

Spring 2023

CREATE Series - Student Showcases

Create Wednesdays is a series of talks and presentations by industry professionals, faculty and guests hosted by Stony Brook Filmmaking and TV Writing; providing insight and opportunity as you begin your creative path.

Event Archive

Student filmmakers, screenwriters and TV writers celebrate the culmination of their minor coursework by presenting a special project at the Wang Center for their peers and the SBU community.

Student filmmakers and screenwriters from the inception of the program in FLM 101, 102, 215 and 301 were nominated and presented work at the Wang Center Theatre for their peers and SBU community.

Learn more about the minor in the Undergraduate Bulletin

[email protected]

Minor Declaration

The minor can be declared online from within SOLAR. Please refer to the Academic Calendar regarding the deadline for submission of the Minor Declaration Form.

For questions about the minor, or to set up an appointment to meet with an advisor, please contact us at [email protected] .

Got a question? We'd love to hear from you. Send us a message and we'll get back with you!