Creative Writing 30 credits

(30 credits plus 13-15 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.

Lesley College 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.

REQUIRED CORE (12 Credits):

And choose ONE:

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:

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. Note that any LCRWT course will also count towards this category.

Professional / Experiential Component* (13-15 Credits):

*If the student declares an Education and a Liberal Arts major, the internship requirement must be satisfied with student teaching.

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.

** Or any other 1000-level field-based course (e.g., CEDUC 1352, CHMSR 1551, CMGMT 1451; CMGMT 1701).

Other Requirements: Foreign Language Competency

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

1. taking two semesters of Chinese, French, German, Italian or Spanish at the university level.
2. If students enter Lesley with the proficiency to take Chinese II, French II, German II, Italian II or Spanish II, and they pass that course, this will also satisfy the foreign language competency.
3. 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 Chinese II, French II, German II, Italian 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.

Bachelor of Arts/Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Dual Degree Program

The Dual Degree Program in Creative Writing is designed for the exceptional student interested in accelerating his or her educational experience in a program combining the curriculum of the undergraduate Creative Writing Major or Self-designed Major in Creative Writing and the Low-Residency MFA Program in Creative Writing.

Students eligible for the dual degree program demonstrate a high level of maturity and commitment to the craft of writing, as well as a superior academic achievement. The integrated program requires that students can engage in the academic rigor of a graduate education by the time they reach the last semester of their undergraduate program. In that semester and afterward, students in the dual degree program must be able to work intensively and independently through the MFA in Creative Writing Program's residencies and distance learning format. Qualified students apply in the spring of their junior year (or by the time they have earned the equivalent in credits) and must be accepted by meeting the admission standards of the MFA program in Creative Writing, Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences.

Admissions Criteria for Dual Degree Creative Writing Candidates:

• A 3.3 GPA
• An official Lesley University transcript showing that the student has accrued at least 75 credits
• Completed graduate admissions application
• Two (2) Academic Professor's Recommendations. One (1) must be from a professor in a CCRWT or LCRWT course with whom the student has worked closely (Use the graduate admissions recommendation form)
• A genre-specific writing sample following the below standards according to the appropriate intended genre of study:

Fiction: approximately 20 pages

Nonfiction: approximately 20 pages

Poetry: approximately 10 pages of poetry

Writing for Young People: submit 10-15 pages of middle grade prose, 10-15 pages of young adult prose, or 2-3 picture book stories. Student may apply in one or more of these three genres of children's literature

Writing for Stage & Screen: 15-20 script pages

• A written personal statement of 3-5 double-spaced pages, focusing on the student's experience in and commitment to the genre in which he/she is applying, and any ideas he/she may have for engaging in the interdisciplinary component of the program.
• Successful completion of an admissions interview and review process through the M.F.A Creative Writing Division

For further information contact Professor Christopher Bock (cbock@lesley.edu)

CCRWT 1400

Introduction to Creative Writing

3 credits

This introduction to the methodologies of the art and craft of creative writing is designed to familiarize students with conventions of literary writing in both prose and poetry. Students will produce weekly creative writing assignments in the genres of non-fiction, fiction, poetry and drama. Students will engage both theoretical and practical readings to supplement their writing. At the end of the course, the students will be familiar with the conventions, intricacies and terminology as employed in the four genres. Prerequisite: CWRIT 1101

CLITR 2116

English Literature II (1800 - Present)

3 credits

This course surveys major British writers of the eighteenth century to the present. It explores certain themes central to English literature and experience: the rapid and disorienting changes in living patterns and in relations between human beings; the new voices coming from a developing working class and working class culture; and questions about how a person defines him- or herself, through social and class ties, or by individual merit. Prerequisite: CLITR 1100.

CLITR 2120

American Literature

3 credits

This course surveys American literature from Colonial times to the present. It explores certain themes central to American literature and the American experience: Americans' ambivalent attitudes toward breaking with authority; the important place of "the wilderness" in the American imagination; the role of the different ethnic and regional voices that are expressing the American experience; and the figure of the self-made, self-invented human being. Prerequisite: CLITR 1100.

CLITR 3320

History of the English Language

3 credits

This course surveys the history of the English language from its earliest times to the present, with attention to linguistic structure and form as well as to the social and political forces that have created and are creating the language. With attention to grammatical structure and etymology, the course examines language change though a wide variety of English language texts, including Caedmon's Hymn and the King James Bible. The course also addresses some of the crucial questions that the digital era has brought to the English language. Prerequisite: CLITR 1100.

CLITR 4340

Senior Seminar with Critical Methods

3 credits

This course combines a common reading and discussion agenda with ongoing work on an individual senior project. Students will read critical pieces representing the range of different theoretical approaches to the study of literature and see how these explicate and illuminate the reading done in common. Prerequisite: 6 credits of 3000-level CLITR or CHUMS courses OR permission of the instructor.