I. General Information

1. Course Title:
Creative Nonfiction

2. Course Prefix & Number:
ENGL 2470

3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:

Credits: 3

Lecture Hours: 3

Lab Hours: 0

Internship Hours: 0

4. Course Description:

This course is an introduction to creative nonfiction, a fast-growing literary genre dedicated to the art of telling true stories vividly and memorably. In addition to examining various models of creative nonfiction, students will be immersed in the process of imaginative writing as they learn about voice, scene, dialogue, point of view, theme, research, accuracy, imagery, and other elements commonly used in the genre. Memoir, humor writing, personal narrative, literary journalism, nature writing, and travel writing are different forms of writing that students will explore in this course. Assignments and writing prompts will lead to the creation and revision of drafts, giving students an opportunity to end the course with a portfolio of polished material.

5. Placement Tests Required:

Accuplacer (specify test):

Reading College Level CLC or Reading College Level

Score:

6. Prerequisite Courses:

There are no prerequisites for this course.

9. Co-requisite Courses:

There are no corequisites for this course.

II. Transfer and Articulation

1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:

St. Cloud State University, ENGL 341 Creative Writing Nonfiction, 4 credits
Metropolitan State University, WRIT 352 Writing Memoir and Creative Nonfiction, 4 credits
Bemidji State University, ENGL 3145 Writing Creative Nonfiction I, 3 credits

III. Course Purpose

2. MN Transfer Curriculum (General Education) Courses - This course fulfills the following goal area(s) of the MN Transfer Curriculum:
Goal 6 – Humanities and Fine Arts

IV. Learning Outcomes

1. College-Wide Outcomes

College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies	Students will be able to:
Demonstrate written communication skills	Write, revise, and polish creative nonfiction works that demonstrate a strong purpose and distinct voice.
Demonstrate reading and listening skills	Analyze the effects of particular elements of craft in students’ own and others’ creative nonfiction prose.
Demonstrate interpersonal communication skills	Participate in substantive and respectful workshops whose main goals are analysis of creative nonfiction and the creation of a community of writers.
Apply abstract ideas to concrete situations	Apply feedback from workshops toward revision of students’ own work.

2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of the course:

• Define creative nonfiction as a genre (MnTC Goal 6);
• Identify elements of craft that are commonly used in creative nonfiction (MnTC Goal 6);
• Identify choices writers make in their creative nonfiction prose and explain the effects of those choices (MnTC Goal 6);
• Experiment and practice with form, style, and technique in creative nonfiction (MnTC Goal 6);
• Write essays in two subgenres of creative nonfiction utilizing appropriate voice, style, form, language, technique, and other elements of creative nonfiction (MnTC Goal 6);
• Conduct a peer review and employ appropriate revision strategies (MnTC Goal 6);
• Use suitable documentation style when incorporating sources into writing (MnTC Goal 6);
• Locate and assess literary publications with the intention of submitting original creative work (MnTC Goal 6); and
• Create a writer's bio (MnTC Goal 6).
  

V. Topical Outline

Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.

1. Lecture Sessions

1. What is Creative Nonfiction?
• Evolution of the genre
• Poetry and prose
• Traditional and experimental narrative structures
2. A Matter of Ethics
• Whose story to tell
• Writers’ responsibility to subjects
• Truth
• Fact-checking
• Defamation and libel
3. Voice and Style
• Language
• Imagery
• Allusion
• Dialogue
• Tone
• Rhythm
• The subjective  “I”
4. Character
• Using senses
• Psychoanalyzing character
• Composite characters
• Getting inside the characters’ heads
• Family members as characters
5. The Art of Storytelling
• Framing
• Montage
• Timing
• Structure
• Narrative arc
• The five W’s
• Point of view
6. Research Techniques
• Immersion
• Interview
• Empirical data collection

Suggested assignments: weekly journals and discussion, memoir, personal narrative, and peer workshops