UMass Boston

The Teaching of Creative Writing

Course #: CW 614, Class #: 4142, Section #: 01

Description

The teaching of creative writing involves both the teaching of craft and the nurturing of students' imaginations. This course addresses ways of doing both, as well as theoretical frameworks for creating new models. What are the principal elements of poetry and fiction? How does a writing exercise elicit a response that adds to students' understanding of what they're doing? What's a good sequence of exercises, and what should students read to enhance their understanding of technique? How should students share their work - in a workshop, in small groups, on an on-line bulletin board, and other formats? How should creative writing be evaluated? Each week, we will examine a different pedagogical question. The course also addresses workshop and classroom management. Students will leave the course with the practical and theoretical tools necessary to construct a curriculum for their own classroom use, and an understanding of issues involved in exploring creativity.