ENG4605 Writing Fiction
4 Advanced Liberal Arts CreditsShort-story writer Flannery O'Connor believes that there is _a certain grain of stupidity that the writer of fiction can hardly do without, and this is the quality of having to stare, of not getting the point at once._ This class develops and nurtures close attention to the art and craft of making short stories. We will read excellent practitioners of the short story form in order to understand the elements of fiction: character, dialogue, place/setting, plot, and so on, and we will look for pleasure in our reading. Throughout the semester you will write short stories of varying length, aiming for authority over language, characterization, plot, and more. Your fiction will be received and read by your peers and professor. You will be a willing, open and active participant, prepared to discuss the work of others, and to reflect on responses to your own work. Short-story writer Tobias Wolff suggests that "in the short-story form you sense… that perfection is attainable. That's an amazing invitation to have: here, at last, is something I can control."

Prerequisites: Any combination of 2 ILA (HSS, LTA, CSP, LVA, CVA)

ENG4604 Writing Poetry
4 Advanced Liberal Arts CreditsA poet is a maker, an architect of words, spaces, and ideas and seeks expression through the use of various poetic techniques. This course challenges students to make original poetry through the study of contemporary American poetry and poetics. In addition to exploring the creative process through the crafting of poems, students read the poetry and essays of a wide variety of modern poets, work collaboratively to respond to peers' poems, attend poetry readings, and pursue independent study in an area of their own choice.

Prerequisites: Any combination of 2 ILA (HSS, LTA, CSP, LVA, CVA)

WRT 4601: Writing with Robots: Authenticity, Ethics, and AI

4 advanced liberal arts credits

This genre-based writing course takes students through the experience of writing different kinds of text with and without the use of AI tools while simultaneously looking at the ethical concerns related to each genre (e.g., one might feel differently about using AI to help write a LinkedIn post vs. a poem) as well as the larger ethical concerns of AI (e.g., data, bias, academic integrity, and so on).

Prerequisites: Any Combination of 2 intermediate liberal arts (HSS, LTA, CSP)

AMS4672 Working in America: Labor in the US Since 1892
4 Advanced Liberal Arts Credits

How has blue, white, and pink collar work changed in the U.S. across the past centuries, and how sustainable are our models of work? This course focuses on the historical experiences of American workers, beginning with the mills of early industrialization and ending with the global corporations and big box chain stores of the contemporary U.S. We will study workers' unions, and also look at how workplaces have changed with the liberation movements of women, people of color, and LBGTQ+ workers. We will use written texts, films, and other rich sources to study how workers have shaped and adapted to the new, global economies of labor.

Prerequisites: Any combination of 2 ILA (HSS, LTA, CSP, LVA, CVA)