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Creative Writing Minor Requirements

TCNJ’s Creative Writing Minor is an innovative program that emphasizes the connections between reading, writing, and real-world experience in the literary community. Our creative writing students engage the works of published authors, write and revise their own work, critique and support one another’s work, and interact with the contemporary literary world inside and outside of class. Students interested in pursuing the minor should take CWR 206 Introduction to Creative Writing as early as possible; it is the prerequisite for the upper-level workshop courses in the minor. Interested students should also meet with the Coordinator of Creative Writing for advisement and to plan their course of study. Five courses are required for the minor, and five courses are offered in regular rotation. For more information, contact Catie Rosemurgy.

Requirements

Core (4 course units)

  • CWR 206: Creative Writing* (offered Fall and Spring)
  • CWR 304: Poetry Workshop** (offered every Spring)
  • CWR 306: Fiction Workshop** (offered every Fall)
  • CWR 370: Special Topics in Creative Writing** (offered every Spring)

*This course is the prerequisite for CWR 304 Poetry Writing, CWR 306 Fiction Writing, and CWR 370 Special Topics in Creative Writing.

**CWR 304, 306, and 370 are repeatable for credit, meaning a student can take these classes more than once and receive a grade each time. This may be especially relevant for CWR 370 Special Topics in Creative Writing since the kind of writing students do in this class changes every year.

Options (1 course unit)

  • CWR 301: Writing Communities (offered every Fall)
  • CWR 370: Special Topics in Creative Writing** (with a different topic) (offered every Spring)
  • CWR 406: Writers’ Workshop** (when offered)

**CWR 370 and 406 are repeatable for credit, meaning a student can take these classes more than once and receive a grade each time. This may be especially relevant for CWR 370 Special Topics in Creative Writing since the kind of writing students do in this class changes every year.

Opportunities

CWR 406 Writer’s Workshop

CWR 406 Writer’s Workshop is an optional capstone class in creative writing. It’s only offered in years when there are enough advanced students to take it. In CWR 406, students produce a significant body of work, such as a chapbook of poems or a series of stories. If you are interested in doing advanced work in Creative Writing, please approach the Coordinator of Creative Writing during or before the first semester of your Junior year.

The Self-Designed Major in Creative Writing or a related field.

The Self-Designed Major is an honors-level program and is intended for “highly motivated and independent” students. You don’t need to be an English major—or any other major—to do a self-designed major; it can stand alone. An especially driven student writer can build upon the five courses of the Creative Writing Minor with courses drawn from virtually any academic field represented at the College: literature, journalism, art, film studies, gender studies, language study, communications, history, political science, anthropology, psychology, biology, etc…. A student interested in historical fiction, for example, might combine courses in writing and history. Another student might explore multimedia art by combining a study of creative writing and photography. This program allows a focused writer to create a meaningful, self-tailored course of study.

Similarly, students interested in working in the publishing industry or in a related field can design a major tailored to their needs and interests. For example, a Publishing and Editing Self-Designed major could combine Creative Writing, Literature, Journalism, Marketing, IMM, and/or other courses into a program focused specifically on the skills and experiences desirable in that field.

See more information on the Self-Designed major and, contact the Coordinator of the Creative Writing Program, Catie Rosemurgy,

INK: TCNJ’s Creative Writing Club for students

For more information, visit INK

Course Details

  • In CWR 206: Introduction to Creative Writing, students are introduced to poetry and fiction writing.
  • In LIT 301/CWR 301 Writing Communities, students study publishing and editing, apply their writing skills in real world scenarios, and engage with the contemporary literary world as curators, researchers, publicists, and critics.
  • In CWR 304: Poetry Workshop and CWR 306: Fiction Workshop, students continue their study in workshops that focus on a single genre:.
  • In CWR 370: Special Topics in Creative Writing, we focus on areas of creative writing not covered in our other courses. This might mean a course specializing in hybrid forms, science fiction and fantasy, children’s literature, creative nonfiction, or the graphic novel.

Suggested 4-year sequence

Sophomore year: 1-2 courses

  • CWR 206 Introduction to Creative Writing (Fall or Spring)
  • CWR 304 Poetry (Spring) or CWR 370 Special Topics in Creative Writing (Spring)

Junior year: 2 courses

  • CWR 306 Fiction (Fall) and/or LIT 301 Writing Communities (Fall)
  • CWR 304 Poetry (Spring) and/or CWR 370 Special Topics in Creative Writing (Spring)

Senior Year: 1-2 courses

  • CWR 306 Fiction (Fall) and/or LIT 301 Writing Communities (Fall)
  • CWR 304 Poetry (Spring) and/or CWR 370 Special Topics in Creative Writing/ CWR 406 Writers Workshop (Spring)

Suggested transfer sequence

Junior year: 2 courses

  • CWR 206 Introduction to Creative Writing (Fall)
  • CWR 304 Poetry (Spring) or CWR 370 Special Topics in Creative Writing (Spring)

Senior Year: 3 courses

  • CWR 306 Fiction (Fall) and LIT 301 Writing Communities (Fall)
  • CWR 304 Poetry (Spring) or CWR 370 Special Topics in Creative Writing/ CWR 406 Writers Workshop (Spring)

Note: A minor may overlap with a major or another minor by only one course.

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