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Degree Requirements

The Master of Fine Arts in Writing and Poetics requires a total of 49 credit hours
distributed among the following courses:

WRI 651–654 Summer Writing Program I (8)
WRI 751–754 Summer Writing Program II (8)
SUBTOTAL 16

 

 

Writing Workshops: 9 credits (All classes are 3 credits.)
Semester-long courses in creative writing, workshops require regular submission of original
work for critique, oral presentation and editing. Creative reading and writing courses have
distinct literature and creative writing components.

WRI 610B Practice of Poetry: Lyf So Short, Craft So Long
WRI 614 Creative Reading and Writing: Memois/Anti-Memoir
WRI 618 Practice of Poetry: Migrant Metaphors
WRI 619 Practice of Fiction: Narration/Transition
WRI 620 Practice of Fiction: Composition and Critique
WRI 621 Practice of Fiction: Monologue/Characterization
WRI 623 Creative Reading and Writing: Writing with Shakespeare
WRI 625 Creative Reading and Writing: Dramatic Measures
WRI 629 Practice of Translation
WRI 660A Practice of Poetry: Nature Poetry for the 21st Century
WRI 660B Practice of Poetry: The Prose Poem
WRI 664 Practice of Poetry: The Poetic Journal
WRI 670 Practice of Poetry: Word for Word, Line by Line
WRI 671 Practice of Fiction: Building Blocks
WRI 673 Creative Reading and Writing: Food as Metaphor
WRI 675 Creative Reading and Writing: Memory and Matter
WRI 710 Practice of Poetry: Your Works
WRI 715 Practice of Poetry: Poetry Workshop
WRI 720 Practice of Prose: Experimental Prose
WRI 723 Practice of Prose: Creative Non-Fiction
WRI 725 The Art of the Essay
WRI 731 Creative Reading and Writing: Sequences
WRI 739 Contemplative Poetics
WRI 756 Mind Moving
WRI 762 Creative Reading and Writing: Literatures of Exile and Diaspora
WRI 763 Creative Reading and Writing: Notes on Architecture
WRI 770 Practice of Poetry: Hybrid Forms
WRI 771 Practice of Fiction: Postmodern Prose
WRI 773 Creative Reading and Writing: Cross-cultural Writing Practices
SUBTOTAL 9

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





Literature Courses: 9 credits (All classes are 3 credits.)
These examine a single writer’s work, specific topics in literary history, or encompass
a survey of historical or theoretical orientations and require critical papers in standard
academic format.

WRI 614 Creative Reading and Writing: Memoir/ Anti-Memoir
WRI 623 Creative Reading and Writing: Writing with Shakespeare
WRI 625 Creative Reading and Writing: Dramatic Measures
WRI 629 Practice of Translation
WRI 632 Literature Seminar: The Feeling Tone
WRI 633 Literature Seminar: Tracks Along the Left Coast
WRI 640 Literature Seminar: Women Writers, Open Texts
WRI 647 Literature Seminar: Kerouac's Road
WRI 649 Literature Seminar: Classic Modernism
WRI 650 Literature Seminar: Midnight Angels
WRI 656 Literature Seminar: Points of Departure
WRI 673 Creative Reading and Writing: Food as Metaphor
WRI 675 Creative Reading and Writing: Memory and Matter
WRI 677 Trends in Contemporary Literature: Introduction to Critical Theory
WRI 718 Literature Seminar: The Cantos of Ezra Pound
WRI 722 Eco-Lit
WRI 725 The Art of the Essay
WRI 731 Creative Reading and Writing: Sequences
WRI 736 Trends in Contemporary Literature: Introduction to Feminist Theory
WRI 739 Contemplative Poetics
WRI 750 Literature Seminar: Radical Prosody
WRI 756 Mind Moving
WRI 760 Creative Reading and Writing: Bad Business: Noir n Nasty
WRI 762 Creative Reading and Writing:Literatures of Exile and Diaspora
WRI 763 Creative Reading and Writing: Notes on Architecture
WRI 768 Literature Seminar: William Blake
WRI 773 Creative Reading and Writing: Cross-cultural Writing Practices
SUBTOTAL 9

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 




Electives: 6 credits
Students have ample choice to fulfill the 6-credit elective requirement and may
choose courses from a wide range of offerings. The Writing and Poetics Department
offers the following electives:

WRI 602 Letterpress Printing: The Well Dressed Word (3)
WRI 608W Writer’s Practicum: Designing a Writing Workshop (2)
WRI 612W Poetry Practicum (1)
WRI 643W Poetry Practicum (1)
WRI 700 Writing Pedagogy Seminar: Composition and Writing Center Theory (3)
WRI 702W Poetry Practicum: Small Press (1)
WRI 745W Poetry Practicum: Haiku, Linked Verse and the Bioregion (1)
WRI 746W Prose Practicum (1)
WRI 747W Writer’s Practicum (1)
WRI 781 Project Outreach (2–3)
SUBTOTAL 6

 

 

 

 




Contemplative Requirement: 3 credits
There are a variety of courses available that satisfy this requirement, including, but not limited
to, t’ai-chi ch’uan, sitting meditation, aikido, ikebana, sumi brushstroke, thangka painting and
yoga. Each of these disciplines provides training in an art form that cultivates mindful awareness.

The Writing and Poetics Department offers the following 3-credit contemplative courses:

WRI 739 Contemplative Poetics
WRI 756 Mind Moving
SUBTOTAL 3

 

 

Independent study (WRI 699) can fulfill degree requirements in literature or elective
courses. If literature, it must be taught by Writing and Poetics core or adjunct faculty.
Independent Study proposals must be submitted for approval the semester before.
No more than 3 credit hours of independent study per semester within the department
is allowed.

Final Manuscript: 6 credits
In their last semester, MFA students submit a final manuscript, consisting of a creative manuscript
fulfilling the minimum page requirements for the concentration in which the student is registered,
and a critical thesis. Additional information about the final manuscript and extended manuscript is
available in the Writing and Poetics office.

WRI 880 Final Manuscript (6)
WRI 881 Extended Manuscript (0.5)
SUBTOTAL 6
TOTAL CREDITS 49
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