INTRODUCTION TO GRADUATE WRITING - CWL 500
A seminar that introduces students to one another, the faculty, the program in Writing and Literature, and to issues in contemporary writing. Offered in conjunction with the “Writers Speak” lecture series. Students will attend the regular series of readings sponsored by the Writing program and meet at weekly intervals under the direction of a faculty advisor to discuss and write about topics raised in the lecture series, as well as issues generated from seminar discussions and assigned readings.
FORMS OF FICTION - CWL 510
Regular submission, discussion, and analysis of students’ work in one or more areas of fiction. Students will examine relevant works that illustrate point of view, character development, dialogue, plot, setting, theme, motif, and other aspects of fiction. Topics have included Short Story, Novel, Novella, Beginning the Novel, Advancing the Novel, Writing Everything, Fiction Writing, Children’s Literature, The Popular Novel, and The Comic Novel.
FORMS OF POETRY - CWL 520
Regular submission, discussion, and analysis of students’ work in one or more areas of Poetry. Topics have included Prosody: Form and Function, Poetry and Poetics, Advanced Poetry Workshop, Poetry for Non-Poets, and Contemporary Forms of Poetry.
FORMS OF SCRIPTWRITING - CWL 530
Regular submission, discussion, and analysis of students’ work in one or more contemporary areas of scriptwriting, with special emphasis on writing for film and theater. Topics have included Advanced Playwriting Workshop, Independent Film Screenwriting, Feature Film Screenwriting, Fiction into Film, and Advanced Scriptwriting Workshop.
FORMS OF CREATIVE NONFICTION - CWL 540
Regular submission, discussion, and analysis of students’ work in one or more contemporary fields of nonfiction writing. Topics have included Advanced Creative Nonfiction, Autobiography, Biography, Blogs and Alternate Forms, Expository Writing, The Journal, Historical Inquiry, Memoir, The Personal Essay, and Social Commentary.
FORMS OF PROFESSIONAL AND SCIENTIFIC WRITING - CWL 550
Regular submission, discussion, and analysis of students’ work in one or more contemporary modes of professional writing. Topics have included Advanced Professional Writing, Speechwriting in the Digital World, and Writing in the Public Sector.
TOPICS IN LITERATURE FOR WRITERS - CWL 560
A seminar for writers concentrating on one area of literary study, to be announced in the course schedule. The course may examine a contemporary or historical trend in literature, the rise of a specific genre, a social issue expressed in literature, an issue in literary theory, or any other topic of relevance and concern to students of writing. The emphasis will be on scholarly analysis. Topics have included Contemporary Fiction for Writers, Contemporary Poetry for Writers, the Russian Novel and Contemporary Fiction, Literature by Women, Southern Renaissance, French Literature, Children’s Literature, Theory and Criticism for Writers, Classic Plots, and Topics in American Humor.
SPECIAL TOPICS IN WRITING - CWL 565
A seminar concentrating on a specific topic or concern in writing. The particular theme of the course will be announced in the course schedule. Topics may include, among others, studies of character development, the uses of humor, writing about place, finding one’s voice, and narrative style. Written work will be supported by the reading of related texts. Topics have included Publishing and Editing for Writers, Humor and Truth, Character Development, Writing for Children and Young Adults, Plot Development, Reading and Writing Comedy, Building Real Characters, The Evolution of Prose Poetry, Finding One’s Voice, and Writing about Place.
ADVANCED WRITING WORKSHOP - CWL 570
The focus is on work in progress and the development of an existing manuscript. The workshop is open to students who are pursuing a book-length project and who want to be exposed to the work of others in varying genres. Strongly recommended for students preparing for the thesis.
WRITERS CONFERENCE - CWL 575
The Southampton Writers Conference, the Southampton Children’s Literature Conference, and the Southampton Screenwriting Conference are intensive programs of workshops in contemporary writing that include lectures, readings, seminars, and panels featuring nationally distinguished authors who join the Department’s summer faculty. These conferences encourage participation by visiting students, new writers, established writers, teachers of writing, and editors who will be admitted by application and may receive academic credit upon request. Graduate students may take any Writers Conference sponsored by the MFA program for academic credit.
PRACTICUM IN ARTS ADMINISTRATION - CWL 580
Under the guidance of a faculty advisor, students will learn the essentials of arts administration. This may include assisting in the coordination of reading and lecture series, planning and administering conferences, or other writing and arts administration activities.
PRACTICUM IN TEACHING WRITING - CWL 581
Students take the seminar in conjunction with teaching a section of first-year composition. This course provides hands-on experience and instruction in the basics of writing pedagogy, including designing writing assignments, sequencing assignments, motivating writing, writing skill development and evaluating writing. Students will also be given a preliminary overview of the major theories driving composition pedagogy.
PRACTICUM IN PUBLISHING AND EDITING - CWL 582
Under the guidance of the faculty advisor, students will be exposed to the hands-on process of editing and publishing The Southampton Review.
INDEPENDENT STUDY - CWL 588
Independent studies in topics chosen by the student are arranged through an individual instructor. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor and program director.
THESIS - CWL 599
Every student in the MFA program in Writing and Literature must complete a thesis that is a publishable, book-length work. It may be fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or a script for the visual media. Some students choose to collect a series of related short pieces. Students may also elect subject matter that is business-oriented or academic. The thesis is judged solely on the quality of its intelligence and its writing. Every student will, with the assistance of the program director, choose a thesis supervisor to provide guidance and criticism in the completion of the project. At the same time that the thesis supervisor is chosen, the program director will also guide the student in the selection of a thesis committee, which will consist of the thesis supervisor, one other member of the faculty in Writing and Literature, and one outside reader knowledgeable in the student’s field of interest. Progress toward the completion of the thesis will be reviewed not only by the thesis supervisor, but also by members of the thesis committee.