Bachelor of Arts in English: Creative Writing

Creative Writing
Contact Us

About

Are you seeking the way to write your great novel, poetry or non-fiction?

Creative Writing is a studio program designed to help you publish your artistic work. Our creative writing students, while publishing artistic work, have found diversified careers in editing, publishing, grant writing, teaching, professional schools and more. Courses in Technical Communication are complementary to these career interests.

At the heart of our programs is a passion for critical, creative, and professional understanding and use of the English language. The creative writing option emphasizes artistic expression. It builds the skills needed to produce imaginative and inspired, publishable poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.

Curriculum Map

What You'll Learn

The following information comes from the official EWU catalog, which outlines all degree requirements and serves as the guide to earning a degree. Courses are designed to provide a well-rounded and versatile degree, covering a wide range of subject areas.

The following plan of study is for a student with zero credits. Individual students may have different factors such as: credit through transfer work, Advanced Placement, Running Start, or any other type of college-level coursework that requires an individual plan.

Courses could be offered in different terms, checking the academic schedule is paramount in keeping an individual plan current. Students should connect with an advisor to ensure they are on track to graduate.

All Undergraduate students are required to meet the Undergraduate Degree Requirements.

This major requires the completion of the World Language requirement.  Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree must complete two years of a single language in high school or one year of a single language in college.

First Year
Fall QuarterCreditsWinter QuarterCreditsSpring QuarterCredits
CRWR 1111ENGL 2015CRWR 2105
ENGL 1015Natural Science BACR 115MATH 1075
Humanities & Arts BACR 115Social Science BACR 215Humanities & Arts BACR 215
Social Science BACR 115  
 16 15 15
Second Year
Fall QuarterCreditsWinter QuarterCreditsSpring QuarterCredits
CRWR 217, 218, or 2195CRWR 217, 218, or 2195English Literature Elective25
CRWR 3015CRWR 3025Global Studies - graduation requirement15
Natural Science BACR 215Diversity - graduation requirement15Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5
 15 15 15
Third Year
Fall QuarterCreditsWinter QuarterCreditsSpring QuarterCredits
CRWR 311, 312, or 3135CRWR 311, 312, or 3135CRWR 4175
English Literature Elective25English Literature Elective25Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5
Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5
 15 15 15
Fourth Year
Fall QuarterCreditsWinter QuarterCreditsSpring QuarterCredits
CRWR 4175Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5CRWR 491 (Senior Capstone - graduation requirement)5
Creative Writing Elective35Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5
Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective4
 15 15 14
Total Credits 180
1

University Graduation Requirements (UGR) and Breadth Area Course Requirements (BACR) courses may be less than 5 credits and additional credits may be required to reach the required 180 total credits needed to graduate.  Students should connect with an advisor to ensure they are on track to graduate.

2

Required English Literature Surveys–CRWR majors are required to choose three from the approved list.

3

Additional Creative Writing credits–choose from the approved list.

Mission Statement: The Creative Writing Program develops students’ abilities in creative writing in the genres of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction on a foundation of study of significant literary texts in British, American, and world literature.

Creative Writing is a studio program designed to help students publish their artistic work. It is not intended to prepare a student for a specific career; however, our creative writing graduates, while publishing artistic work, have found diversified careers in editing, publishing, grant writing, teaching, professional schools and many fields less directly related to their writing abilities. Courses in technical communications are complementary to these career interests.

Note: two years of a single high school world language or one year of a single college-level world language is required.

Students in the Creative Writing option are encouraged to register for 5+ credits from the following list of Breadth Area Core Requirements: HUMN 210 or HUMN 211 or history courses appropriate to the student’s area of literary interest.

Some substitutions may be allowed.

Pre-Major Requirements
CRWR 111CREATIVE WRITING ORIENTATION1
CRWR 210INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING (students must complete this course with a grade ≥B )5
Required Workshops–choose two from the following10
Note: courses from the workshop sequence require a ≥B average for the two courses together.
BEGINNING FICTION WORKSHOP
BEGINNING POETRY WORKSHOP
BEGINNING NONFICTION WORKSHOP
Required CRWR Foundational Literature Surveys
CRWR 301FOUNDATIONAL TEXTS: PROSE5
CRWR 302FOUNDATIONAL TEXTS: POETRY5
Required English Literature Surveys–CRWR majors are required to choose three (some substitutions may be allowed)15
SURVEY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE I
SURVEY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE II
BRITISH LITERATURE I: BEGINNINGS THROUGH 18TH CENTURY
BRITISH LITERATURE II: ROMANTICISM TO THE PRESENT
WORLD LITERATURES
SHAKESPEARE
SURVEY OF NATIVE AMERICAN LITERATURE
CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE
FOLKLORE
MYTHOLOGY
LITERATURE OF THE BIBLE
WOMEN, LITERATURE AND SOCIAL CHANGE
Required Form and Theory Writing Courses–choose two from the following10
FORM AND THEORY OF FICTION
FORM AND THEORY OF POETRY
FORM AND THEORY OF LITERARY NONFICTION
Required Workshop–must be repeated twice with choice of Fiction, Nonfiction or Poetry10
CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP
Additional Creative Writing credits–choose from the following 5
FORM AND THEORY OF FICTION
FORM AND THEORY OF POETRY
FORM AND THEORY OF LITERARY NONFICTION
PRACTICUM: WILLOW SPRINGS MAGAZINE, LIT. EDITING AND DESIGN (variable credit course)
PRACTICUM: WILLOW SPRINGS BOOKS, LIT. ED. AND DESIGN (variable credit course)
CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP
ZINE AND PUBLICATION DESIGN
Senior Thesis
CRWR 491CREATIVE WRITING SENIOR THESIS (must have senior status or have completed all 200–400 level requirements)5
Total Credits71

Program Learning Outcomes

Graduates of EWU’s Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing Program will be able to:

  • demonstrate an understanding of the contemporary literary scene, at a level of proficiency sufficient for advancement to graduate work;
  • offer constructive criticism of written works-in-progress within the genre at a level of proficiency sufficient for advancement to graduate work;
  • produce texts that conform to the conventions specific to the genre being studied (literary fiction, literary nonfiction or poetry) at a level of proficiency sufficient for advancement to graduate work;
  • synthesize an understanding of the publishing process, at a level of proficiency sufficient for advancement to graduate work;
  • utilize the technical language of the craft pertinent to their chosen genre of study (literary fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry) to analyze works of literature within-genre at a level of proficiency sufficient for advancement to graduate work.

Sample Courses

ENGL 385. MYTHOLOGY. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: ENGL 201.
A survey of classical Greek myths, with special attention to the stories used in literature, and an introduction to comparative mythology.

Catalog Listing

ENGL 389. WOMEN, LITERATURE AND SOCIAL CHANGE. 5 Credits.

Cross-listed: GWSS 389.
Pre-requisites: ENGL 201.
Satisfies: a university graduation requirement–diversity.
Examines fictional images of women as these images reflect the changing roles and status of women from Greece to the present, focusing on the 19th and 20th centuries.

Catalog Listing

ENGL 347. WORLD LITERATURES. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: ENGL 201.
The literature in this course represents a broad range of cultures and ethnicities. Students will read works in a variety of genre from across history and around the globe. Most syllabi in this course will not include British or American texts as those are considered in other surveys.

Catalog Listing

DESN 360. ZINE AND PUBLICATION DESIGN. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: ENGL 201.
This course facilitates development of personal style and voice, as students design, edit, and create their own “zines” (reproducible hand-made booklets). Students practice graphic layout, typography, and professional book assembly. Analog production methods and desktop publishing software will be used. Student-made zines will be sold at “Spokane Zine Fest” and other in-person and digital outlets.

Catalog Listing

Contact Us

Photo of Lisa Denker

Lisa Denker

Senior Secretary
EWU Creative Writing, Public Administration, and Urban and Regional Planning
Photo of Lisa Denker
Catalyst Room #438
509.828.1317
Explore Programs
Meet Our Faculty
Get Lit!
Course Catalog
Support English