Creative Writing

Heidi J. Snow, Professor

Sara J. Wienecke, Assistant Professor

The English/Creative Writing department offers diverse courses and activities to encourage students to cultivate scholarly, creative, and analytical voices while developing a sense of professionalism in all their work. Students pursuing a major or minor in the department become active participants in a community involved in intellectual and artistic practice. The department builds this community through a wide range of challenging and engaging classes and regular on- and off-campus special events such as student readings, visits from authors, trips to St. Louis for book talks and readings, and abroad programs. Principia’s online literary magazine, Mistake House, publishes work from undergraduate and graduate students world-wide and is edited as part of the Creative Writing curriculum.

Creative Writing major and Creative Writing minor

The Creative Writing program requirements are benchmarked against best practices in the discipline and are designed to give students writing practice in more than one literary genre, literary study within various cultural contexts, and a range of research methods, theories, and writing processes to apply to their creative and analytical work. They are also introduced to vocational opportunities and a multidisciplinary study of narrative practice. In planning their major or minor, students may choose from a range of creative writing and literature courses. At least four of the required courses taken for the Creative Writing major must be at the 300 or 400 level. For the minor, at least two courses must be at the 300 level. To complete a major or minor offered by the program, a student must earn a GPA of 2.000 or higher for all the courses (required and elective) taken for that program.

For a major, transfer students who have not yet attended Principia College must take at least five classroom courses (15 semester hours) from the program's faculty. Three of these courses must be numbered at the 300 or 400 level.

If you have questions about the Creative Writing major or minor, you can email the department chair.

Literary Studies minor

The study of literature is the study of thought—how humans have thought about the environment, gender, society, freedom, enslavement, power, humility, grief, joy, and on and on. It is also the study of how humans have given their ideas a shape, a form whether in poetry or prose, and how that form contributes to meaning. The study of literature in our department is primarily as it is found in literature from English speaking countries, but it can include writings in translation. Students who minor in literary studies strengthen their analytical and compositional powers, skills which will aid them in a wide range of professional careers. For this minor, students will need at least four literature courses and two electives from any of our department’s course offerings or CNAR courses. Two of these courses must be at the 300 level. If you have questions about the Literary Studies minor, you can email the department chair.

Program Learning Outcomes

Students will:

  1. Apply careful reading to their analysis of literary texts.
  2. Practice precision, clarity, and effective risk-taking in writing as they apply the formal elements of poetry and/or prose.
  3. Demonstrate awareness of cultural contexts and critical theory in relation to literature and/or their creative writing.
  4. Integrate appropriate research into their analytical and/or creative work.

College Wide Student Learning Outcomes of Principia College: Defining a Liberal Arts Education

The curricular and co-curricular programs at Principia College are designed for students to be lifelong learners, thinkers, and problem-solvers. To accomplish this, the College has established the following outcomes for its graduates.

Guided by Principle, Principia College students will demonstrate:

  1. Depth and breadth of knowledge
  2. Critical and creative thinking
  3. Effective communication
  4. Intellectual inquiry and engagement
  5. Active commitment to community and global citizenship

Major

Minors

ENGL 020 Internship - No Credit 0.0 SH [  ]

Students participate in off-campus professional organizations in work related to the study of English such as publishing, editing, research, or writing.

ENGL 178 Renaissance Themes 3.0 SH [GEH]

This course explores the major themes of Renaissance thought. It includes readings from both Italian and English Renaissance writers.
Class Level Restriction: Freshman and Sophomore only.

ENGL 200 Internship 1.0 SH [  ]

Students participate in off-campus professional organizations in work related to the study of English such as publishing, editing, research, or writing. In addition to this work experience, students will undertake background preparation for the work assignment and reflective writing regarding the work experience.

ENGL 202 Understanding Poetry 3.0 SH [GEH]

Gives students an overview of poetic form and introduces students to a variety of reading strategies when approaching poetry. May focus this study on the work of three to five major poets.

ENGL 204 Understanding Short Fiction 3.0 SH [GEH]

Selections from several major short fiction writers from a range of historical periods and cultural backgrounds, designed to equip students with a variety of critical reading strategies.

ENGL 220 Environmental Themes 3.0 SH [GEH]

This course focuses on the ways in which the environment has been portrayed in English language literature and the relationship between that portrayal and treatment of the environment. The course may focus either chronologically or regionally. Students are also introduced to theories of environmental aesthetics and their ethics.

ENGL 230 Literary Themes & Forms 3.0 SH [  ]

Centers upon a literary theme or form at the intermediate level. The contents vary and the title will be extended to briefly describe the topic of form. May be taken four times provided the topics differ.

ENGL 232 The Gothic Novel 3.0 SH [GEH]

The study of a specific kind of literature which began to flourish in the middle decade of the eighteenth century and which remains with us today in horror films and novels. The course traces the development of this literature, mainly in the form of the novel, from its beginnings in sentimentality and basic conventions, through romanticism and the addition of psychological elements, to modern existential and sociological themes.

ENGL 234 The Language of Film 3.0 SH [GEH]

The course serves to acquaint students with basic film theory and terminology as tools for the analysis of film as a type of text.

ENGL 239 Creative Nonfiction 3.0 SH [GEA]

An introduction to the art and craft of creative nonfiction. Students study the elements of creative nonfiction and apply that study to their own creative writing. Students read published essayists and write multiple creative nonfiction essays themselves, including essays of place, portraits, and memoir.

ENGL 240 Poetry Writing 3.0 SH [GEA]

An exploration into the art and craft of poetry writing. Students study the elements of poetry and apply that study to their own creative writing. Students read various poems from traditional and contemporary poets and write multiple poems themselves. A substantial portion of the course is devoted to writers' workshop in which students read and critique each other's poetry.

ENGL 241 Fiction Writing 3.0 SH [GEA]

An exploration into the art and craft of fiction writing. Students study the elements of fiction and apply that study to their own creative writing. Students read published modern and contemporary short fiction and write multiple short stories themselves. A substantial portion of the course is devoted to writers' workshop in which students read and critique each other's short fiction.

ENGL 242 Generative Processes 3.0 SH [GEH]

This class explores the links between critical theory and creative practice in contemporary literature and visual culture. Regarding critical theory as a creative practice, students investigate the ways in which writers and artists pose creative problems, solve them by developing working methods based on ideas, and cultivate distinct voices through inventive and informed reformulation of extant practices and theoretical models.

ENGL 243 Generative Processes Abroad 3.0 SH [GEH]

This class explores the links between critical theory, creative practice, and cultural context. The location in which the course is taught determines its focus and usually includes interaction with working artists and writers. The title will be extended to describe the current location. May be taken more than once provided the locations differ. Offered only on Principia abroads.

ENGL 245 Creative Writing on Location 3.0 SH [GEA]

This course is focused on site-specific creative writing. Coursework includes reading site-specific literary texts, individual research on location, and creative work based upon the cultural and programmatic content of the abroad, field program, or course site. The title will be extended to describe the location. May be taken more than once provided the locations differ.

ENGL 253 Gender Studies in Literature 3.0 SH [GEH]

Analyzes texts (which may include fiction, films, poetry, and essays) by authors from a range of cultural backgrounds that focus on and question the dominant gender roles of their time and place. These texts may span historical eras or focus on one particular period. Students examine the literature primarily through the lens of feminist and gender theories and historical context.

ENGL 256 U.S. Literature to 1860 3.0 SH [GEH]

A survey of European-American writers, including Puritans, Transcendentalists, and reactionary writers, as well as early slave narratives and traditional Native American texts in translation.

ENGL 257 U.S. Literature 1860-1940 3.0 SH [GEH]

An exploration of the rise of naturalism, realism, and modernism in U.S. literature from the end of the Civil War to the beginning of World War II.

ENGL 258 U.S. Literature Since 1940 3.0 SH [GEH]

Explores texts by a diverse range of authors vis-a-vis geography, ethnicity, religion, gender, and sexuality, focusing on the experimental nature of their writing, the questions they raise about U.S. identity and history, and the social and political concerns they address, including the Civil Rights and feminist movements, the Vietnam War, and the emergence of gay culture and identity.

ENGL 260 Scottish Literature 3.0 SH [GEH]

Introduces students to Scottish literature. The course emphasizes literature written in the 18th and 19th centuries, though literature before and after that period may also be addressed. Emphasis is placed on issues of Scotland's complex relationship with England and the English language.

ENGL 262 Postcolonial Literature 3.0 SH [GEH]

Explores literature and theory by writers from previously colonized countries. These texts may span a variety of geographic areas, such as the West Indies, South Asia, Africa, and Ireland, or may focus in depth on writers from one particular continent. Texts by white Europeans writing from the perspective of the colonizing power may be included as a basis for comparison.

ENGL 263 Literature of Conflict 3.0 SH [GEH]

A study of the literature of conflict, with emphasis on war literature and its related literature of dislocation, social disruption, and dissent.

ENGL 265 Native American Literature 3.0 SH [GEH]

This course centers on texts from the Native American Renaissance in the 1960s to the present, by writers such as N. Scott Momaday, Leslie Marmon Silko, Sherman Alexie, and Louise Erdrich. The class may also include some traditional Native American texts in translation, as well as examples of representations of Native Americans by European-American writers and filmmakers.

ENGL 266 African American Literature 3.0 SH [GEH]

This course examines African American texts (which may include fiction, poetry, essays, slave narratives, memoirs, speeches, or sermons). Various literary periods from colonial to contemporary times may be covered.

ENGL 277 Shakespeare in England 6.0 SH [GEH]

Taught as part of an abroad program, this course introduces students to the life and writings of William Shakespeare. Besides studying plays in a classroom setting, students attend productions at the Globe Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Students also undertake intensive research at the British Library and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust regarding a single character from a Shakespearean play.

ENGL 283 Romantic Literature 3.0 SH [GEH]

Examines the important themes of the British Romantic period and their cultural contexts through the study of the works of poets and prose writers of the period.

ENGL 284 Victorian Literature 3.0 SH [GEH]

Explores texts of the period, focusing on questions of nationalism, colonialism, religion, gender roles, and sexual orientation, and emerging psychological and evolutionary theories, by considering how authors such as Brontë, Eliot, Dickens, and Wilde reflected the dominant ideologies of their day and called them into question.

ENGL 285 Modern British Literature 3.0 SH [GEH]

Fiction, poetry, and drama of the early 20th century, with emphasis on writers such as Yeats, Eliot, Conrad, Woolf, and Beckett.

ENGL 286 History of British Drama 3.0 SH [GEH]

This course examines British drama from the medieval period to the 21st century both as literature and as performance. This course is usually taught on an abroad program to England.

ENGL 315 Shakespeare II 3.0 SH [  ]

Examines Shakespeare's plays through either specific themes or critical approaches. Some familiarity with Shakespeare's works will be helpful as the course is not a survey course but instead delves deeply into a select number of plays.
Class Level Restriction: Junior and Senior only.

ENGL 320 History of the British Novel 3.0 SH [  ]

Novels selected from early and late periods trace development of this form.
Class Level Restriction: Junior and Senior only.

ENGL 325 Film as Literature 3.0 SH [  ]

The study of film as a text. Students read and apply film theory and literary criticism to the in-depth analysis of films as alternative narratives.
Prerequisite: ENGL 234 and one additional English literature or world literature course.
Class Level Restriction: Junior and Senior only.

ENGL 330 Single Author 3.0 SH [  ]

Examines the work of a single author. Analyzes the style of the author and introduces major biographical or critical approaches to the author. The title will be extended to describe the current topic. May be taken three times provided the authors studied differ.
Class Level Restriction: Junior and Senior only.

ENGL 335 Contemporary Issues 3.0 SH [  ]

An advanced seminar examining contemporary literature in the context of current critical debate. The title will be extended to describe the current topic. May be taken more than once provided the topics differ.
Class Level Restriction: Junior and Senior only.

ENGL 351 Adv Creative Writing Seminar 3.0 SH [  ]

An advanced creative writing seminar for poets, fiction writers, scriptwriters, and creative nonfiction writers. The course is organized as a community of serious writers who are beginning to develop portfolios of coherent work, exploring and articulating their influences, and expanding their practical understanding of what it means to maintain a creative literary practice.
Prerequisite: Completion of two 200-level creative writing courses from the following: ENGL 220, ENGL 239, ENGL 240, ENGL 241, ENGL 245, THEA 235.
Class Level Restriction: Junior and Senior only.

ENGL 353 Editing & Publishing 3.0 SH [  ]

A workshop in which students learn the fundamental skills and methods of arts/literary editing and are introduced to the issues involved in editing a literary publication (either print or electronic).

ENGL 354 Editing & Publishing Practicum 3.0 SH [  ]

Production staff for the annual online literary journal Mistake House Magazine. Provides experiential training in various production positions, including copy editing, project management, editorial assistance, web site coordination, circulation and promotion, etc. May be repeated up to three times but may not be counted as an elective in the English major or minor more than once.
Prerequisite: ENGL 353.
Class Level Restriction: Sophomore and Junior and Senior only.

ENGL 358 Seminar 3.0 SH [  ]

Centering upon a literary theme or form at the advanced level, this topics course is designed primarily for majors to engage in intense study or original research under the guidance of the professor. It is conducted with an emphasis on student-defined learning and incorporates sophisticated expectations for scholarship and scholarly writing. The title will be extended to describe the current topic. May be taken more than once provided the topics differ.
Class Level Restriction: Junior and Senior only.

ENGL 399 Capstone Proposal 2.0-3.0 SH [  ]

Prepares students for their capstones. Students research possible topics and write a formal proposal for their capstones. Usually taken the semester preceding the capstone but can be taken concurrently. May be offered for variable credit from two to three semester hours.
Prerequisite: ENGL 388 (may also be taken concurrently).
Class Level Restriction: Junior and Senior only.
Field of Study Restrictions: English Majors only.

ENGL 400 Capstone in Literature 3.0 SH [  ]

Individual reading, research, and writing on a single literary issue or author culminating in an in-depth thesis essay. Required for the major.
Class Level Restriction: Junior and Senior only.

ENGL 401 Capstone 3.0-4.0 SH [  ]

This course is the culmination of the English and Creative Writing program. Students create a substantial and coherent body of original creative writing, read deeply and conduct serious research about the influences for their project, and write an artist statement to accompany their creative work. At the completion of the course, students give a public presentation of their capstone work.
Prerequisite: ENGL 351.
Class Level Restriction: Senior only.
Field of Study Restrictions: Creative Writing Majors only.