LCAD-Catalog-2016-2018

CREATIVE WRITING
BFA
INTRODUCTION TO POETRY—LITERARY SURVEY,
ANALYSIS, AND APPLICATION
(CW101)
3 Units
William Carlos Williams suggests, “It is difficult to get
the news from poems yet men die miserably every
day for lack of what is found there.” In this class,
nobody dies. Through lecture, discussion, and writing
exercises, students address the following topics: rhythm,
image, form, diction, metaphor, condensed language,
denotation, and connotation — all keys to not only not
dying but rather living a meaningful life.
INTRODUCTION TO FICTION—LITERARY SURVEY,
ANALYSIS, AND APPLICATION
(CW102)
3 Units
Mark Twain, whose tongue perpetually pushed into
his cheek, asked the following: “Why shouldn’t truth
be stranger than fiction? Fiction, after all, has to make
sense.” This class is about making sense of the process of
making sense. By analyzing and implementing the tools
of fiction — plot, character, tone, symbol, point of view,
setting, theme — this class provides students insight on
how storytellers order the chaos to engender meaning.
INTRODUCTION TO NONFICTION—LITERARY SURVEY,
ANALYSIS, AND APPLICATION
(CW103)
3 Units
In The Empathy Exams, Leslie Jamison writes, “Empathy
isn’t just listening, it’s asking the questions whose
answers need to be listened to. Empathy requires inquiry
as much as imagination. Empathy requires knowing
you know nothing. Empathy means acknowledging a
horizon of context that extends perpetually beyond
what you can see.” The best kind of nonfiction is an
act of empathy — for both the writer and the reader.
By examining all the tools of nonfiction storytelling —
character, voice, scene, structure — this course aims to
unravel these empathic concerns.
FUNDAMENTALS OF CREATIVITY, PROCESS, AND
PLAY
(CW104)
2 Units
Psychiatrist and researcher Stuart Brown argues that
the act of playing is the most effective natural process
in the creation and development of our complex brains.
Writing, telling stories, engaging in any artistic endeavor,
really, will be necessarily enhanced through the act
of play. Via games, discussion, and exercises — both
structured and unstructured — this class assists writers
to develop a creative flow and a better understanding
of their own creative processes.
IDEATION LAB
(CW105)
1 Unit
Brainstorming is a muscle. Muscles can be developed,
strengthened, and defined. An individual can certainly
achieve these ends in solitude; though, it’s easier with
a partner and even easier with a trainer. Think of this
course as brainstorm training. Students identify an
available instructor and meet one-on-one (in person
or remotely) to hurl the students’ writing and story ideas
at the wall and see what sticks, what doesn’t, and what
needs a little putty. Throughout the semester, students
learn several strategies and approaches for developing
their ideas, which may include free writing, looping,
listing, clustering, cubing, researching, and snow flaking.
FUNDAMENTALS OF PLOT AND STRUCTURE
(CW106)
2 Units
A book that does not compel its reader to turn pages
is not a book. It might be a coaster. Or if it has enough
pages, it might be a door stop. Or, in a pinch, it might be
a low-rent extermination tool. To be a book, though, its
readers must turn pages, must want to turn pages, indeed
feel they need to turn pages. A writer creates these
page-turning compulsions via plot and structure. This
course unpacks the principles, patterns, and situations
specific to these storytelling components. *Note: the
above argument applies to all forms of storytelling, not
just books. Radio dramas without plot and structure are
not radio dramas but noise; documentaries without plot
and structure are home movies; etc.
INTRODUCTION TO WRITING POETRY: POETIC FORMS
WORKSHOP
(CW201)
3 Units
The speaker in Pablo Neruda’s poem admits he “wants
to do with you what spring does to the cherry trees.”
This course wants to do the same thing for student
poetry. Implementing a modified version of the Critical
Response approach, students draft, submit, and engage
in poetic forms ideation under the supervision of
the instructor, addressing the foundational concerns
absorbed in Introduction to Poetry—Literary Survey
and Analysis.
Course prerequisites: Introduction to Poetry—Literary
Survey and Analysis. (CW201)
Co-requisite: Ideation Lab (CW105)
INTRODUCTION TO WRITING FICTION: SHORT FORMS
WORKSHOP
(CW202)
3 Units
Neil Gaiman describes the short story as “the ultimate
close-up magic trick — a couple of thousand words to
take you around the universe or break your heart.”
The goal, then, of this course is to make long-distance
travel agents and/or heart-breakers of its students.
Implementing a modified version of the Critical
Response approach, students draft, submit, and engage
in short forms ideation (short stories, short scripts, etc.)
under the supervision of the instructor, addressing the
foundational concerns absorbed in Introduction to
Fiction—Literary Survey and Analysis.
Course prerequisite: Introduction to Fiction—Literary
Survey and Analysis. (CW202)
Co-requisite: Ideation Lab (CW105)
INTRODUCTION TO WRITING NONFICTION:
NONFICTION FORMS WORKSHOP
(CW203)
3 Units
Writing nonfiction is narrative sculpture. The raw
material already exists. The nonfiction writer is
called to shape, to mold, to carve and to polish until
the material becomes a story that an audience can
recognize in themselves. Implementing a modified
version of the Critical Response approach, students
draft, submit, and engage in non-fiction forms ideation
(essays, autobiographies, etc.) under the supervision
of the instructor, addressing the foundational concerns
absorbed in Introduction to Nonfiction—Literary Survey
and Analysis.
Course prerequisite: Introduction to Nonfiction—Literary
Survey and Analysis. (CW103)
Co-requisite: Ideation Lab (CW105)
GENRE SURVEY 1
(CW204)
3 Units
Genre is the language of storytelling. Just as languages
have distinct grammar and diction, genres have their
own subtleties, which make each suited to communicate
ideas for a particular context. Horror speaks to fear and
dread. Romantic comedies speak to the crazy-making
of courtship. The bildungsroman speaks to the wonders
and discoveries of growth. And so on. Via readings,
lectures, discussions, and writing exercises, this course,
the first of two, explores common narrative genres.
STORY IDEATION AND MAPPING
(CW205)
3 Units
Stories are about evolution and failure of evolution.
Certainly the evolving factor can involve different
components — character, setting, an ideology, and
so on — but the trajectory of evolution (or failure
thereof) remains constant. This class assists students
in developing and tracking these emotional, intellectual,
and spiritual factors.
Course prerequisites: Ideation Lab (CW105)
FUNDAMENTALS OF STYLE AND VOICE
(CW206)
3 Units
An appeal to the authority of Raymond Chandler, a
master stylist: “The most durable thing in writing is
style, and style is the single most valuable investment
a writer can make with his time.” In this class, students
make aggressive investments to hone their styles, which
in turn refine their writing voices. Through readings,
discussions, and exercises, students explore the
elements of voice and style: diction, sentence structure
and variety, punctuation, figurative language, concision,
precision, and clarity.
CATALOG
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