Creative Writing - Bachelor of Arts (30 credits)

(30 credits plus 11 credits of experiential learning)

Focusing on the genres of Fiction, Non-Fiction, Poetry, Writing for Children and Young Adults and Scriptwriting, the Creative Writing Major allows students to integrate theory and practice in a course of study that blends critical writing, creative writing, professional experience and emphasis on publication. Students work closely with faculty on strategies for composition and revision, while approaching the work of master writers through craft-based analysis. Intimate classroom settings foster a collaborative approach to learning via the interaction between peers and faculty where students and faculty push each other to achieve the best and most honest work possible.

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers a course in Magazine Production that yields our Literary Arts Magazine, Commonthought. Students have the chance to participate in all aspects of the publication process from submission to editing to layout to final publication. Students also have access to a variety of professional internships in a wide range of settings, including literary arts magazines, arts organizations, and publishers, which offer opportunities to explore careers in writing in the greater Boston area.

Outcomes of the Creative Writing Major:

Students will study classic and contemporary masterworks of English and American Literature in order to be able to describe and apply the conventions of writing in multiple genres
Students will read works and write at an advanced level in a chosen genre
Students will learn to critique and improve their own writing and that of their peers through craft-based analysis, workshops with instructors and peers
Students will explore strategies for publication of their work
Students will apply their skills in an appropriate internship setting
Students will explore opportunities for graduate study as indicated by number of students applying to graduate programs

Degree Requirements

Required Core (12 Credits):

CCRWT 1400	Introduction to Creative Writing	3
CCRWT 3XXX	Junior Seminar in Creative Writing	3
CCRWT 4000	Senior Seminar in Creative Writing	3
CLITR 2400	The Study of Literature in English	3

Support Courses (6 Credits):

Choose CLITR or CHUMS courses at the 3000-Level and above, with at least 3 credits focusing on your genre of study from the following:

CLITR 3028	United States Drama Since 1900	3
CLITR 3100	Changing Views of Nature in American Literature	3
CLITR 3131	Nineteenth Century American Novel	3
CLITR 3200	Postcolonial Dialogues	3
CLITR 3240	World Drama: Beginning the Traditions	3
CLITR 3250	World Drama from the 18th Century to the Present	3
CLITR 3310	The Family in Literature	3
CLITR 3312	The Plays of Shakespeare	3
CLITR 3313	Comedy	3
CLITR 3314	Tragedy	3
CLITR 3315	Contemporary Latin American Women Writers	3
CLITR 3317	Marriage and Dangerous Liaisons in the Novel	3
CLITR 3329	Race, Ethnicity, Identity in United States Literature	3
CLITR 3337	Short Fiction and Novella	3
CLITR 3338	Women in Literature	3
CLITR 3400	Major Authors	3
CLITR 3600	20th- and 21st-century Literature in English	3
CLITR 3670	Bildungsroman: Novel of Self-Development	3
CLITR 3700	18th- and 19th-century Literature in English	3
CHUMS 3300	Travel/Study London	3
CHUMS 3317	Romanticism in the Arts: Literature, Painting, and Music	3
CHUMS 3331	The Shock of the New: European and American Culture at the Turn of the 20th Century	3
CHUMS 3500	Postcolonial History and Literature	3
CHUMS 3600	Medieval History and Literature	3

Creative Writing Craft and Reflection (12 Credits):

Choose TWELVE credits from the following, of which THREE must be 3000 level or higher and SIX must be in the study of your chosen genre.

CCRWT 2000	Art and Craft of Creative Non-Fiction	3
CCRWT 2070	The Art and Craft of Screenwriting	3
CCRWT 2080	Art and Craft of Playwriting	3
CCRWT 2300	The Art and Craft of the Short Story	3
CCRWT 2310	The Art and Craft of Poetry	3
CCRWT 2400	Art and Craft of Writing Children's and Young Adult Literature	3
CCRWT 2430	Magazine Production	3
CCRWT 3000	Advanced Poetry	3
CCRWT 3001	Advanced Scriptwriting	3
CCRWT 3100	Advanced Creative Non-Fiction	3
CCRWT 3201	Advanced Short Fiction	3
CCRWT 3300	Autobiographical Writing	3
CCRWT 3400	Genre Fiction Seminar	3
CCRWT 3450	Advanced Writing Children's and Young Adult Literature	3
CCRWT 4349	Senior Thesis in Creative Writing	4

Creative Writing majors must declare one primary genre by the end of second semester sophomore year. In consultation with faculty advisor and/or a Creative Writing faculty mentor, genre choice may be determined according to number of courses taken in a genre and/or academic or career goals. Creative Writing majors write a capstone work in their chosen genre in the Creative Writing Senior Seminar. Students must complete the advanced, 3000-level course in their chosen genre prior to enrolling in the Senior Seminar.

Professional / Experiential Component (11 Credits):

If the student declares an Education Major or Minor, the internship requirement is satisfied with student teaching in the Major or Minor. All Education majors must select CCRWT 2430 in their Craft and Reflection choices.

If the student declares any other double major, the internship requirement must be satisfied in the major with the greater number of credits in its experiential component. If they’re the same, the student may choose one. Every effort will be made to have one of the internships encompass the objectives of the other major.

Students may choose to do an additional internship in their other major.

CCRWT 2430	Magazine Production	3
CHUMS 2200	Internship Planning and Preparation	1
CHUMS 3100	Field Work and Seminar in the Humanities I	3
CHUMS 4100	Humanities Field Work and Seminar II	4-6

CHUMS 2200 or any other 1000-level field-based course (e.g. CEDUC 1352, CHMSR 1551, CMGMT 1451, CMGMT 1701).
CHUMS 4100 only needs to be taken at 4 credits.

Other Requirements: Foreign Language Competency

Competencies in foreign language for the Creative Writing Major are fulfilled by:

taking two semesters of American Sign Language, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Portuguese or Spanish at the university level.
If students enter Lesley with the proficiency to take American Sign Language II, Chinese II, French II, German II, Italian II, Portuguese II or Spanish II, and they pass that course, this will also satisfy the foreign language competency.
Students who have already achieved a proficiency equal to two full semesters of college language instruction before entering Lesley have the following options for satisfying this requirement:
- Before entering Lesley, students may take an AP language exam or CLEP exam and satisfy the language requirement if they score a grade of four or higher (AP) or 50 or above (CLEP).
- After entering Lesley, students who wish to demonstrate language competency will be referred to the Foreign Language Coordinator.
- Students may take a competency exam in any of the languages offered at Lesley under the supervision of the Foreign Language Coordinator. This exam will be equivalent to a final exam given to students in American Sign Language II, Chinese II, French II, German II, Italian II, Portuguese II, or Spanish II. A grade of B or higher in this test will waive the language requirement; a grade ranging from C to B- will place student at the second semester level.
- Students who wish to demonstrate language competency in any other foreign language must take the CLEP or an equivalent exam as approved by the Foreign Language Coordinator.