Category: English

Creative nonfiction is a type of writing that,uses literary styles and techniques to construct,narratives that have their foundation in fact.,Examples include: memoir, travelogue, the,personal essay, and cultural observation. As,opposed to journalism and technical writing,,which are also based in fact, creative nonfiction,projects a dramatic, literary framework onto,everyday existence, rendering it enlightening and,potentially meaningful to the reader. We will,study examples of creative nonfiction in order to,determine some of the structures and methods of,this relatively open genre, and in turn, apply,them to students’ own work. As a workshop class,,the primary focus is student writing of,manuscripts to be critiqued and improved. The,class requires students to share their writing,,questions, and opinions. As an online workshop,class, we will interact almost entirely through,the medium of Blackboard, posting work and,responses weekly or bi-weekly. On a deeper level,,we will consider the sometimes slippery nature of,truth as it applies to this writing form, looking,for consensus on the boundaries we can push, vs.,those we must maintain in order for this genre to,preserve its claim to authority.

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: DEN 102

Science Fiction and Horror may transport readers,to a planet light years away or usher them,through fiend filled graveyards and crypts.,Whether extrapolating futuristic technology from,contemporary science or conjuring novel survival,strategies, these genres imagine what might have,been or what might be, creating a platform for,rich possibility. In this course, we will explore,the nature of both genres by reading and,discussing a diverse selection of works drawn,from text, film, television, radio and comics,before students generate writing of their own.,Concepts will be reinforced through group,workshop and discussion. In this multi-genre,course, we will focus on those elements that make,for vivid, effective, memorable writing in,science fiction and horror: original detail,,memorable image, inventive language and authentic,setting. Both critical thinking and artistic,sensibility will be emphasized.

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: DEN 102

The Scriptwriting Workshop offers art and design,students an opportunity to read scripted texts,within the contemporary professional canon,prepared for radio broadcast, theater, television,and film. Scripting mechanics will be emphasized,,including voice and character development,,three-act structure, plot points, sequencing and,stage and shot direction. Students will compose,an original short form work and critique the work,of colleagues. Concepts will be reinforced,through group workshop and discussion. Both,critical reading and artistic sensibility will be,emphasized.

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: DEN 102

This course looks at some of the sexual, social,,and cultural dilemmas facing women as writers,,artists and individuals, based upon the literature,written both by and about them. Readings include,novels and a series of short fiction, essays,,poetry, etc.

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: DEN 102

This course explores the myriad and changing,roles,of the automobile in American culture. Through,numerous examples of car culture in literature,and,film, this course interrogates, celebrates and,ponders both the past and future of one of modern,technology’s most remarkable and influential,inventions. A survey of literary and cinematic,case studies are used in the course to establish,an ongoing, theoretically geared discussion of,the,Wondrous Machine.

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: DEN 239

We orient ourselves, we define ourselves, in,emotional, temporal, physical space. This course,explores important American texts which convey a,strong sense of place, or, in other words,,emotional, political and/or cultural environments,,from the early urbanism and social realism of,Sister Carrie, to the rise of modernism, urban,anonymity, and apocalyptic fantasies in The Day of,the Locust, and ultimately, to post modern,experiments, including the graphic novel, which,test the boundaries of our accepted notions of,time and space and identity.

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: DEN 239

This course introduces students to major African,American authors of the 20th and 21st centuries,,including Morrison, Ellison, Wright, Hurston,,Mosley, and Gaines. The course surveys an,extensive collection of social and cultural,viewpoints present in American authors of African,descent.

Credits: 3

Prerequisites: DEN 239

The Special Project class is offered on an,occasional basis, with course content specific to,the area being explored.,
,FALL 2023,

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,CREATIVE CONSTRUCTIONS:TELE-STORIES PROJECT,,The course will be offered in partnership with,Timeslips, a nonprofit organization that connects,students with elder populations to foster,connection creativity through conversation /,engagement. The goal of Timeslips is to change the,way we understand and experience aging by bringing,young people into positive relationships with,seniors, who will be invited to express themselves,creatively. Students will be trained in,questioning, listening, and collecting responses,that will be translated into assignments that will,culminate in a capstone project to be gifted to,their senior partners. Benefits for seniors are,human connection and interest, memory share,opportunities, and a rekindled interest in,creativity. Benefits for students are an altered,attitude toward aging, increased confidence, and,novel prompts for art making and connection.,Benefits for the college include enhancing our,reputation as an institution engaged in social,activism and committed to both experiential,learning and DEI initiatives that generate both,local and global impact.,

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,ICELANDIC SAGAS,
,The saga is a distinct genre of prose narrative,recorded in medieval Iceland which fictionalized,events that took place during the time of the,Vikings from the settlement of Iceland about 870,AD to just after the conversion to Christianity in,the year 1000. Sometimes called “family sagas”,because they document generations of activity,within single family lineage, sagas are the,crowning achievement of medieval narrative art in,Scandinavia and the later Norse world, and have,their own set of characteristics and audience,expectations. Depicting strong individuals within,a new immigrant society that was primarily,self-governed, sagas are regarded as forerunners,of the modern historical novel.,

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Credits: 3

Prerequisites: DEN-102