ucr creative writing minor

CHASS Student Academic Affairs

Guiding Your Academic Success

Department of Creative Writing

Academic advising.

3033A Interdisciplinary Building-North https://creativewriting.ucr.edu

Make an Appointment with an advisor

Areas of Study

• Screenwriting and Playwriting
• Literary Analysis

Minimum Criteria to Declare

• Good Academic Standing
• Ability to complete the degree within 216 units
• If upper-division courses have been taken, a minimum upper-division GPA of 2.0
• Completion of all lower-division in the minor and the minor must be declared at least two quarters prior to graduation
• A minimum upper-division minor GPA of 2.0

Requirement Worksheet

Please select the major or minor you are interested in

Department of Creative Writing

Steve Erickson Department Chair CHASS Interdisciplinary Building, North [email protected]

Michael Jayme Director of Graduate Studies CHASS Interdisciplinary Building, North [email protected]

Charmaine Craig Director of Undergraduate Studies CHASS Interdisciplinary Building, North [email protected]

Allison Adelle Hedge Coke Director of Writers Week CHASS Interdisciplinary Building, North [email protected]

Marcelina Rose Ryneal Financial & Administrative Officer Performing Arts Administration ARTS 126 [email protected]

Benicia Mangram Administrative Coordinator ARTS 129 [email protected]

Lovepreet Plaha MFA Program Coordinator Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts ARTS 124 [email protected]

Elaine LaQue Chacon Undergraduate Academic Adviser  CHASS Interdisciplinary Building, North - INTN 3033A [email protected] or [email protected]

Anthony Gonzalez Undergraduate Academic Adviser [email protected]  or [email protected]

Jennifer Paramo Undergraduate Academic Adviser [email protected]  or [email protected]

MFA in Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts

World-Renowned Faculty & Excellent Funding Opportunities

Courses & Requirements

Earn your degree.

• To earn your degree, you will take a minimum of 56 units (14 courses) plus eight units of manuscript/thesis units for a total of 64 units. 
• You will focus on one genre of emphasis: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, screenwriting, or playwriting.
• You will be admitted in a genre within either the Creative Writing Track (fiction, nonfiction, poetry) or the Writing for the Performing Arts Track (playwriting and screenwriting).
• The normative time to degree is six quarters, which is typically completed in two academic years.

If You Are in the Creative Writing Track

You will complete: 

• Six workshops in your primary genre (24 units)
• Three graduate seminars from Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts (12 units)
• One graduate seminar from any department outside of Theatre, Film, and Digital Production and Creative Writing. Subject matter must be relevant to your manuscript/thesis. The requirement can be met with upper-division courses if you receive instructor approval to enroll in concurrent 292 units (four units).
• Four electives (16 units) of workshop, graduate seminar, or manuscript/thesis units. You may take a maximum of six workshops (24 units) within your chosen genre and a maximum of 12 manuscript/thesis units within six quarters. All cross-genre workshops require prior instructor approval.
• Your manuscript or thesis project (eight units): In the Creative Writing Track, your manuscript/thesis can be a poetry collection, novel, short story collection, novella, memoir, essay collection, or a book-length nonfiction project. You will invite one or two faculty members to serve as your manuscript/thesis advisor(s). In addition to these advisors, two faculty readers will evaluate your manuscript/thesis. The length of your manuscript/thesis depends on your genre:  Poetry: 40 to 65 pages Fiction: 100 to 150 pages Creative Nonfiction: 100 to 150 pages

If You Are in the Writing for the Performing Arts Track

• Five workshops in your your primary genre (20 units)
• Three graduate seminars from Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts (12 units)
• One graduate seminar from any department outside of Theatre, Film and Digital Production and Creative Writing. Subject matter must be relevant to your manuscript/thesis. The requirement can be met with upper-division courses if the student receives instructor approval to enroll in concurrent 292 units (four units).
• Five electives (20 units) of workshop, graduate seminar, or manuscript/thesis units. You may take a maximum of six workshops (24 units) within your chosen genre and a maximum of 12 manuscript/thesis units within six quarters. All cross-genre workshops require prior instructor approval.
• Your manuscript or thesis project (eight units): In the Writing for the Performing Arts Track, your manuscript/thesis project can be a full-length play of two or three acts, a screenplay, or a teleplay. It will be 90-130 pages long. You will invite one or two faculty members to serve as your manuscript/thesis advisor(s). In addition to these advisors, two faculty readers will also evaluate your manuscript/thesis.

Sample Schedule

Full -time students are required to take a minimum of 12 units per quarter. This typically equates to three classes. 

A typical schedule each quarter would consist of a primary genre workshop and a seminar, and either an out-of-genre workshop, an additional seminar, thesis units, or an out-of-program course.

Past Seminar Topics

Seminar topics change each quarter. Here are some recent seminars we have offered and the instructors who taught them:

CWPA 200 – Advanced Play Analysis ( Erith Jaffe-Berg ) CWPA 246 – Forms of Narration ( Charmaine Craig ) CWPA 252E – Revision and the Writing Process ( Goldberry Long ) CWPA 279 – The Fire This Time: Twentieth-Century Poetry of Witness ( Katie Ford ) CWPA 252E – Novel Boot Camp ( Susan Straight ) CWPA 214 – Acting for Writers ( Kimberly Guerrero ) CWPA 246 – The Epic Poem ( Allison Hedge Coke ) CWPA 246 – Ways of Seeing: Modulation in Points of View ( Laila Lalami ) CWPA 252 – Narrative Medicine/Narrative Pathways ( Allison Hedge Coke ) CWPA 252E – Books into Movies ( Jane Smiley ) CWPA 252E – Transformative Books of Fiction ( Michael Jayme ) CWPA 252F – Performance of Poetry and Prose ( Allison Hedge Coke ) CWPA 252F – Landscapes, Waterways, and Breath: Docupoetics, Geospatial Poetics, Ecopoetics, Environmental Writing, Climate Work, and Deep Time Resolve ( Allison Hedge Coke ) CWPA 252G – The Book Proposal ( Reza Aslan ) CWPA 252G – The Art of the Essay ( Laila Lalami ) CWPA 252F – Art of the First Book of Poetry ( Allison Benis White ) CWPA 252G – Reimagining Justice ( Emily Rapp Black ) CWPA 252G – Reviews, Interviews, and Review Essays ( Tom Lutz ) CWPA 282 – Film Noir: Stories and Cinema from the Shadows ( Steve Erickson ) CWPA 252F – Creating a Body of Work ( Allison Hedge Coke ) CWPA 252G – Narratives of Difference ( Emily Rapp Black ) CWPA 246 – Folktale-Derived Sci-Fi and Fantasy ( Nalo Hopkinson ) CWPA 252E – International Voices Today ( Charmaine Craig )

University Writing Program

Entry-Level Writing Requirement

The Entry-Level Writing Requirement (ELWR) is a University of California reading and writing proficiency requirement that all first-year students must satisfy. This requirement is not an admissions requirement. The ELWR must be satisfied either before beginning courses on a UC campus or during the first year of enrollment. For information about individual high schools’ success rates in preparing their students to satisfy the ELWR, please go to the UC Office of the President website . 

There are a variety of ways incoming students can satisfy the ELWR both before or after they officially matriculate (enroll full-time).

Ways to Satisfy ELWR

• Before Enrolling Full-Time at UCR
• After Enrolling Full-Time at UCR
• Summer Options

Students may satisfy the ELWR by any one of the following ways:

• 30 or better on the ACT, English Language Arts; or
• 63 or better on the ACT, English + Reading
• 30 or better on the ACT, Combined English/Writing (exam last administered June 2015); or
• Please note: The digital SAT Reading and Writing section score has not been approved to meet the ELWR. 
• 680 or better on the SAT Reasoning Test, Writing (exam last administered January 2016); or
• 3 or above on the College Board Advanced Placement Examination in English (Language or Literature) or Seminar; or
• 3 or above on the College Board Advanced Placement assessment in Research
• 5 or above on an International Baccalaureate Higher Level English A: Literature exam (formerly known as Higher Level English A1 exam); or
• 6 or above on an International Baccalaureate Standard Level English A: Literature exam (formerly known as Standard Level English A1 exam); or
• 5 or above on an International Baccalaureate Higher Level English A: Language and Literature exam; or
• 6 or above on an International Baccalaureate Standard Level English A: Language and Literature exam; or
• Satisfactory score on the UCR Analytical Writing Placement Exam
• The requirement can also be met by earning a grade of C or higher in a transferable English composition course offered by a college or university.

Students who have not satisfied the ELWR before beginning as full-time students must enroll in one of UCR’s Entry-Level Writing courses during their first quarter on campus. The Director of the University Writing Program determines the appropriate course based on the students' AWPE exams, and placements are made available to students electronically.

• A seven-week, five-unit ENGL004 course at UCR from July through September.
• A seven-week, ten-unit Highlander Early Start Academy program at UCR from July through September; Students will take English 4, an Oral Communication course, and an Early Start Seminar.
• Complete with a grade of C or better an Entry-Level Writing Requirement course during the summer at another UC campus .  Check UC campus' home pages for summer school information.
• Complete with a grade of C or better a 4 quarter-unit or 3 semester-unit college-level course in English composition (equivalent to UCR ENGL 001A), taken at another institution before the student enters UCR, and judged acceptable by the Office of Admissions. To find out whether a course at your local campus is acceptable, go to www.assist.org . Passing this course satisfies both the ELWR and the ENGL 001A requirements. Students who choose this option should have reason to believe they can pass an advanced writing course. This option is not available to students after they begin at UCR as full-time students.
• Complete with a grade of C or better a preparatory writing course at a CSU or community college campus , and then retake and pass the AWPE at UCR in September. The course should be completed in time to submit evidence of a passing grade to the University Writing Program Office by the start of the Fall Quarter. Students should submit evidence of passing a passing grade along with a note including their name, student ID number, and a request to be added to the September exam roster. Once the grade report is approved, students receive permission to retake the AWPE. (A photocopy of a grade report is sufficient and can be emailed, along with a note, to Sheena Thrush (UWP Counselor), at [email protected] . This option is not available to students after they begin at UCR as full-time students.

Analytical Writing Placement Exam

About the test.

The Analytical Writing Placement Exam (AWPE) determines if entering students can read and write at the level expected to satisfy the UC Entry-Level Writing Requirement (ELWR).  The AWPE will be administered to new incoming UCR freshmen who have not yet satisfied the ELWR.  The exam is only available to students who have completed their Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) . Students who write satisfactory exams satisfy the ELWR and are eligible to enroll in the first course of the UCR Freshman Composition sequence (English 1A - Beginning Composition).  Students whose exams are determined to be unsatisfactory are given instructions to enroll in a particular ELWR course. UCR urges all new students to satisfy their ELWR before becoming a full-time student in the fall.

Students who have not officially satisfied the ELWR in one of the UC approved methods must complete the AWPE.  Completing the online AWPE on one of the test dates in May or June will ensure that students have placement information before registering for fall quarter classes when attending their Highlander Orientation Session in July or August.  

More information regarding the UC elwr

Sample Prompt

You will be given a prose passage to read carefully. The passage is followed by a question or topic related to the prose passage but intended to give you the opportunity to express your own opinions and ideas. Respond to the topic by writing an essay that is controlled by a central idea and is specifically developed. You will have two hours to read the passage and complete your essay.  The question requires no specialized knowledge. We are interested in your thoughts on the issue you write about and in your presentation and expression of them. Your essay will be evaluated on the basis of your ability to develop your central idea, to express yourself clearly, and to use the conventions of written English.

Each essay is scored independently by two readers, who measure it against the 6 point scoring guide, written by the experts who developed the examination. Papers with composite scores (sum of the two readers’ scores) of 8 and higher satisfy the UC Entry-Level Writing Requirement. Results from exams will be sent to each student via their UCR email address.  Students who complete the online exam in May or June will have the results before the first Highlander Orientation Session. Results are final; your essay will not be re-evaluated after the University-wide scoring session.  

The fee for this exam is $100 and will be automatically added to your student account after completing the essay exam.  Students who receive a fee waiver for the UC Application Fee will also receive a fee wavier for the Analytical Writing Placement Exam.    

Students who have not satisfied the Entry-Level Writing Requirement must take the Analytical Writing Placement Exam.

2024-2025 Academic Year

Test Dates: 

*Exam times are based on the Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) **Registration closes at 11:59 PM

It is necessary to register for the Analytical Writing Placement Exam: 

• Select a test date listed in the chart above.
• The registration link will take you to a Qualtrics survey form.
• Students can borrow a laptop from a kiosk  on campus
• ie. Driver's license, passport, R'Card, High School photo ID, etc.
• Know your UCR Student ID Number (862-xxx-xxx)
• Check-in begins 30 minutes before the exam is scheduled to begin.
• Visitor Parking information
• Lot 1 ( ParkMobile )
• Lot 24 ( Permit Dispenser )
• Please submit accommodation requests to the SDRC at least 3 weeks before your preferred test date.

Questions about the Analytical Writing Placement Exam should be addressed to the University Writing Program: [email protected] .

If students have not satisfied the requirement upon entrance as full-time students, they must satisfy the ELWR within three quarters of full-time enrollment.

Students who have not satisfied the ELWR after three quarters of university residence (three quarters of enrollment during the regular academic year) are not normally eligible to enroll for a fourth quarter at the University of California.

For students placed in BSWT001 or BSWT003, this three-quarter residence rule begins after satisfactory completion of BSWT003 or the start of their fourth quarter of regular enrollment at UCR, whichever comes first.

A: By doing so, students can begin their first quarter enrolled in the required English Composition sequence (ENGL 001ABC), thus taking a step toward finishing their undergraduate degrees within four years. There are a variety of ways to satisfy the ELWR before beginning in the fall, several of which are summer opportunities.

A: Testing early gives students placement information in ample time for them to exercise the option of enrolling in summer school if their results are unsatisfactory. It also helps ensure that all students will be able to register for their fall quarter courses when they come to UCR during the summer Highlander Orientation.

A: Yes. We strongly encourage any student who has not officially satisfied the Entry-Level Writing Requirement to take the exam in May or June.  While the University Writing Program will offer a couple additional exam administrations in August and September, these exams are primarily designed as make-up test dates.  Students will enroll in fall quarter classes during their Highlander Orientation session, and will be unable to enroll in the appropriate writing course without official placement information in the system.

A: If you did not pass the May or June AWPE, you can enroll in an ELWR course during Summer Session E. Session E is deliberately scheduled after most of the Highlander Orientation sessions to accommodate students who decide, as a result of their Orientation experience, to satisfy the writing requirement during the summer.  Incoming students are encouraged to consider participating in the Highlander Early Start Academy .

A: The Analytical Writing Placement Exam (AWPE) is designed to match you to the course that will best address your needs in writing. The AWPE is scored by two or more readers who have significant placement experience and have undergone extensive training. If you would like to appeal the placement decision, you may do so by clicking this link . Appealing the placement decision involves filling out a survey, and, possibly, submitting a formal letter of appeal and participating in an interview. All appeals need to be received no later than two weeks after a student has learned about the placement decision.

A: Register online at orientation.ucr.edu .

A: If you are considering taking a course that will satisfy the ELWR and earn transfer units for ENGL 001A, use www.assist.org to identify these courses at community colleges and CSU campuses. For approved courses from other colleges or universities, check with the UCR Office of Undergraduate Admissions. 

A: If the University has not received evidence that you have passed the AP exam, you will receive information about taking the AWPE in May or June. We recommend that you take the exam on one of these test dates to increase your chances of passing the Entry-Level Writing Requirement. A passing score on either exam (the AP or the AWPE) is enough to satisfy the writing requirement; a score of 3 or better on the AP examination will also enable you to be exempted from one or two of the required Freshman Composition courses (ENGL 001A, ENGL 001B).  If you do not earn a passing score on the AP English exam and have not satisfied the ELWR in one of the other methods, you will need to complete the AWPE.  Taking the AWPE if you have not already earned a passing score on the AP English exam will ensure that you will be able to register for the appropriate classes during Highlander Orientation.   

A: Yes, there is a $100 fee for the Analytical Writing Placement Examination. The fee will be automatically added to your student account after you complete the essay exam. This fee will be waived if you have already received a waiver of your UC application fees.

A: You will not have satisfied the Entry-Level Writing Requirement and will need to repeat the course in the following quarter. Register for the same English course again via R'Web during open enrollment. R'Web can be accessed on the web at https://rweb.ucr.edu .

A: Check your grades on R'Web. You will be able to see if you passed your English course with a grade of “C” or above. If you receive a “C” or above in ENGL 004, you will have fulfilled the Entry-Level Writing Requirement and can register for the first course in the Freshman series of English Courses, ENGL 001A (Beginning Composition). If you received a “C-“ or lower as a grade in the ENGL 004 course, you will need to repeat the course to try to attain a “C” or above.

A: You must repeat the course. You have three quarters of academic residence to satisfy the Entry-Level Writing Requirement. After this time, students who have not satisfied the Entry-Level Writing Requirement are not typically allowed to register for a fourth quarter.

A: Yes, full-time students eligible for financial aid will have their fees paid in accordance with their financial aid package allocations for the repetition of ENGL 004.

A: Students should contact their academic advisor. 

Information about College Advising offices:

• College of Engineering – Academic Advising
• College of Humanities, Arts, & Social Sciences – Academic Advising  
• College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences – Academic Advising
• School of Education – Academic Advising
• School of Public Policy – Academic Advising

A: First year UCR students have their first three (3) quarters to earn a satisfactory grade in ENGL 004. Students who have not fulfilled the Entry-Level Writing Requirement by the end of this time period will not be allowed to register in courses for the following (fourth) quarter. No extra fees will be charged for repeating the course during a student’s first three quarters of enrollment.

A: Talk with your instructor. Make use of office hours. You can also go to the UCR Academic Resource Center. The ARC provides assistance through an English “drop-in” tutoring program. UCR students are available to help you with your work. To check the drop-in tutoring hours, please consult the ARC website . The ARC website also explains the many programs offered to assist students. They are there to help you.

A: Go to the home page of each of your local community college and/or CSU campuses and follow the prompts to the summer schedule. Look for courses in basic writing or preparatory writing. Remember that on this pathway you take a preparatory English course, pass with a C or better, and then retake the AWPE at UCR in September. For complete information about this option, view the ‘Summer Options’ listed above.

A: You can stop by the Highlander One-Stop Shop (HOSS), First Floor, Student Services Building, between the hours of 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, or call the office during these hours at 951-827-3878. For the UCR policy on remedial and repeated courses, see the Financial Aid website at www.finaid.ucr.edu and select “Maintaining Eligibility.”

The Financial Aid office assists students with meeting educational expenses that cannot be met from personal resources. For more information on grants, loans, employment, scholarships and corresponding application deadlines, go to finaid.ucr.edu or e-mail [email protected] .

English – Creative Writing Minor

Program at a glance.

• In State Tuition
• Out of State Tuition

Learn more about the cost to attend UCF.

Minor Admission Requirements

Minor requirements, prerequisite courses, university of central florida colleges.

Degree Requirements

Required courses.

• CRW3013 - Creative Writing for English Majors (3)
• CRW3053 - Theory & Practice of Creative Writing (3)

Restricted Electives

• A list of approved restricted elective courses is found in the myKnight audit.
• Please note that students will be allowed to take only one course in each of the below categories. Students wishing to take more workshop courses should consider a double major.
• CRW3120 - Fiction Writing Workshop I (3)
• CRW3211 - Creative Nonfiction Workshop I (3)
• CRW3310 - Poetry Writing Workshop I (3)
• CRW3610 - Scriptwriting Workshop I (3)
• CRW4122 - Fiction Writing Workshop II (3)
• CRW4224 - Creative Nonfiction Workshop II (3)
• CRW4320 - Poetry Writing Workshop II (3)
• CRW4616 - Scriptwriting Workshop II (3)

Restricted Upper Division Electives

• CRW3311 - Readings in Poetry for Creative Writing (3)
• CRW3540 - Literary Magazines (3)
• CRW4114 - History of Prose Style (3)
• CRW4722 - Editing for Creative Writers (3)
• CRW4724 - The Florida Review (3)
• ENC3310 - Magazine Writing I (3)
• ENC4360 - Nature Writing (3)
• LIT3607 - Mad, Bad, and Dangerous: Roles and Images of Writers in Society (3)
• CRW6806C - Teaching Creative Writing (3)
• Any other CRW elective or Special Topics course Credit Hours: 3

Foreign Language Requirements

Grand total credits: 18.

Other Requirements

• A grade of "C" (2.0) or better is required in each course used to satisfy the minor.
• At least 12 hours used in the minor must be earned at UCF within the department.
• No credit by exam (TSD, Military credit) may be used.
• Internship, Co-op, or Independent Study credit cannot be used toward the minor.
• No more than 6 hours of overlap allowed between programs when multiple English programs are declared.

• Chancellor’s Message

Print Options

2024-25 edition, creative writing, minor.

The Department of English offers a minor in Creative Writing open to undergraduates across the UCI campus, giving them the opportunity to receive instruction and practice in the craft of prose fiction and poetry, and to learn the literary tradition of these art forms in English. The minor consists of workshop courses, writing courses, and literature courses, which serve to provide a foundation for students who wish to pursue creative writing professionally, as well as for those who have an amateur interest in the art.

Majors and non-majors should contact the English Department to receive further information about its requirements and schedules.

Students can substitute one from ENGLISH 16 or ENGLISH 17 for the lower-division requirement.

Residence Requirement for the Minor : Four upper-division courses must be completed successfully at UCI. By petition, two of the four may be taken through the UC Education Abroad Program, providing course content is approved in advance by the department undergraduate chair.

• English, B.A.
• English, M.F.A.
• English, Minor
• English, Ph.D.
• Literary Journalism, B.A.
• Literary Journalism, Minor
• Master of English

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2024-2025 Catalogue

A PDF of the entire 2024-2025 catalogue.

College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences

Professors Who Look Like You

Xóchitl C. Chávez

Professor of Music

Xóchitl C. Chávez' s documentary short "Booming Bandas of Los Ángeles: Oaxacan Women and Youth as New Cultural Bearers of Philharmonic Brass Bands" focuses on second-generation Zapotec brass bands in Los Angeles County.

Rickerby Hinds

Full Professor of Playwriting

Rickerby Hinds introduced the genre of hip-hop theater to the world. In 1989, his play “Daze to Come” changed the dramatic arts forever as the first full-length play to use the founding elements of hip-hop as the primary language of the stage. Hinds’ subsequent works have empowered an entire school of playwrights to speak to the world in innovative ways. 

Assistant Professor of History 

Jorge Leal is the curator of The Rock Archivo LÁ, an online collective repository that collects, shares, and examines Los Angeles Latina/o/x youth cultures ephemera. Leal is also co-curator and museum educator for the Boyle Heights Museum, an organization that preserves and celebrates the multiethnic history of LA’s Boyle Heights neighborhood. As a cultural and urban historian, Leal’s research examines how transnational youth cultures have reshaped Southern California Latina/o/x communities in the late 20th century. 

Ricky Rodriguez

Professor of Media and Cultural Studies and English 

Ricky Rodriguez wrote “Next of Kin: The Family in Chicano/a Cultural Politics,” which won the 2011 National Association for Chicana and Chicano Studies Book Award. He specializes in Latina/o/x literary and cultural studies, film and visual culture, and gender and sexuality studies, and holds additional interests in transnational cultural studies, popular music studies, and comparative ethnic studies. His show, "Dr. Ricky on the Radio," can be heard weekly on KUCR. 

John Jennings

Professor of Media and Cultural Studies

John Jennings won an Eisner Award for his co-creation of “Kindred,” a graphic novel adaptation of Octavia E. Butler’s work. As part of the duo Black Kirby, he has created art exploring the evolution of Luke Cage and is poised to run the comic imprint “Megascope,” by and about people of color. 

Sang-Hee Lee

Professor of Anthropology

Sang-Hee Lee won the Center for Ideas and Society’s Emory Elliott Book Award and the W.W. Howells Book Award from the American Anthropological Association for her book “Close Encounters with Humankind.” The best-seller offers fresh insights into humanity’s evolution and was named one of the Smithsonian’s 10 Best Science Books of 2018. 

Walter Clark

Professor of Music History

Walter Clark is the first UCR professor to be granted a knighthood by Spain. Devoted to the study of Spanish and Latin American music, he received the honor from King Felipe VI of Spain. He also established UCR’s internationally recognized Center for Iberian and Latin American Music, the only center of its kind in the world.

Grant Winners Who Earned 270K in National Endowment for the Humanities Grants

Claudia Holguín Mendoza and Jorge Leal : For a project to create new bilingual Latinx history courses and incorporate a bilingual pedagogical approach into additional Latinx studies humanities courses.

Liz Przybylski : For completion of a book and articles about indigenous hip-hop musicians, media professionals, and the concept of sonic sovereignty.

Sarita Echavez See : For research and writing leading to a book about contemporary Filipino American art and visual culture, and small businesses that create and exhibit visual culture through modes of inventive survival.     

Two Guggenheim Fellows

Anthea Kraut is researching the uncredited labor of stand-in dancers known as “dance-ins” and the ways they contributed to the film industry’s upholding of white supremacy during the Golden Age of musicals in Hollywood.

Yunhee Min ’s recently created an exuberant painting on the stairs of the Hammer Museum’s lobby. It is the first Hammer project to be displayed on the floor, rather than the walls. 

Alumni Who Rise

Simon Tam  won a landmark case at the Supreme Court of the United States in 2017. The court ruled unanimously in Tam’s favor.

“Dance rock band frontman Simon Tam sought to trademark The Slants. His aim was to reappropriate a term long used to disparage a minority group and to render the term a badge of pride. All of us agreed.”

— Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Dexter Thomas  won the Pulitzer Prize in 2016 as part of the Los Angeles Times team that covered the 2015 San Bernardino mass shootings.

Jesse Melgar  was press secretary for Governor Gavin Newsom when the pandemic struck.

Sabrina Cervantes  represents California’s 60th Assembly District.

Gabriel Maldonado ’s nonprofit TruEvolution is bringing care to vulnerable communities in the Inland Empire.

Fatima Farheen Mirza  started writing her New York Times best-seller “A Place For Us” as a first-year student at UCR. It is the first book to be published by Sarah Jessica Parker’s imprint, SJP for Hogarth.

Rachelle Cruz  uses poetry to better understand the world and shape the next generation of writers.

Mark Takano  is the United States Representative for California's 41st congressional district. In 2012, he became the first openly gay person of color to be elected to Congress.

Frank Bidart  won the Pulitzer Prize in 2018 for his book "Half-light: Collected Poems 1965-2016."

Nwaka Onwusa  is the former director of curatorial affairs for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Anthea Hartig  was named director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Hartig is the first female director since the museum opened in 1964.

Denise Verret  was named CEO and director of the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, becoming the first African American woman to lead a major U.S. zoo.

Steve Breen  has won the Pulitzer Prize twice, in 1998 and 2009, for his editorial cartoons. 

Joe Kelly  played earned World Series titles with the Boston Red Sox in 2018 and Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020. He is now a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox.

Jamie Chung  has acted in multiple projects including  “This is Us,” “Lovecraft Country,” and “Dexter: New Blood.”

Larry Chung  serves as vice president of local public affairs at Southern California Edison.

Besidone Amoruwa  is the manager of strategic, content, and creator partnerships at Instagram (Meta).

Nicole Brown  co-founded the real estate development firm Kaest Development. Her project, Vinotech, received an Award of Excellence from the American Planning Association in 2020.

Jalysa Conway  is a writer and producer, known for “9-1-1: Lone Star,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” and “The Last Kids on Earth.”

Nana Kaneko  uses her love and knowledge of music to help preserve cultural heritage worldwide.

Brenda Martinez  won a silver medal in the 800 meters at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow in 2013, becoming the first U.S. woman to medal in the race. In 2016, Martinez qualified for the U.S. Olympic team.

Francisco “Panchito” Javier Ramírez Rueda  founded The Dreamers Soccer Clinic to serve underprivileged kids in north Los Angeles.

Angel Rodriguez  was appointed by Governor Newsom in 2021 to the California Student Aid Commission.

Minor in Creative Writing

Creative Writing

Develop your writing skills with a Minor in Creative Writing – you can concentrate in nonfiction, fiction, or poetry writing.

About the Minor

With a minor in Creative Writing, you will develop your creative writing skills to supplement a wide range of major fields. Whether you want to write about your major field or you want a change-of-pace to exercise your creativity, the Creative Writing minor is an excellent choice as a secondary field of study.

How to Declare the Minor

Review minor requirements below and complete the  Declare Minor form .

Minor Requirements

The Creative Writing minor requires 21 units. You must maintain a 2.0 minor GPA to graduate and at least three English units must be taken at the University of Arizona.

Concentration

You will select one area of concentration:

Entering Minor

The 200-level courses in Fiction, Poetry, and Nonfiction are the gateway courses to the minor. You must complete a 200-level course in your intended concentration, in addition to a second 200-level course in another concentration.

Core Writing Courses (12 units)

Choose 6 units from:

• 201: Introduction to the Writing of Creative Nonfiction
• 209: Introduction to the Writing of Poetry

Six units of concentration from the following (300-level and 400-level workshops must be in the same genre):

• Nonfiction Writing: 301 and 401
• Fiction Writing: 304 and 404
• Poetry Writing: 309 and 409

Core Literature Course (6 units)

• 280: Introduction to Literature
• 380: Literary Analysis

Minor Elective Courses (3 units)  

This elective must be an upper-division (300-level and above) literature course. The course must be modern or contemporary literature. See your Academic Advisement Report for a list of approved courses.

Undergraduate Minor in Creative Writing

The creative writing minor emphasizes the craft of writing and revision and the creation of imaginative literary work via a sequence of multi-­genre courses. It requires close reading and discussion of published works, including completion of a pre-­20th-­century literature class, which provides a foundation in non-­contemporary fiction, nonfiction, and/or poetry.

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Department of English

English department.

Physical Address: 200 Brink Hall

Mailing Address: English Department University of Idaho 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1102 Moscow, Idaho 83844-1102

Phone: 208-885-6156

Email: [email protected]

Web: English

Certificates and Minors

Certificate, technical writing certificate.

The technical writing certificate is suitable for students and for those already employed who want to add to their existing skills. Classes focus on writing and visual and verbal communication in professional environments, with an emphasis on translating discipline-specific discourses for a range of audiences. Students will complete a professional portfolio to use on the job market. The certificate is available either fully online or in-person in Moscow.

View certificate requirements >>

The English department offers four different minors.

Creative Writing Minor

The Creative Writing Minor allows students to work deeply in one genre (fiction, nonfiction or poetry) while also gaining familiarity and practice with the other two genres.

View minor requirements >>

English Literature Minor

The English Literature Minor is designed for students in other disciplines who enjoy literature and want to gain an understanding of literary history as well as practice in analytical thinking and writing.

Professional Writing Minor

The Professional Writing Minor introduces students to writing for a broad range of audiences and purposes. Students will work in many different genres, from traditional written genres like memos and usability reports to multimodal genres like podcasts and video editorials.

Teaching English as a Second Language

The Teaching English as a Second Language minor will give students an introduction to and overview of the skills and methods necessary to teach English to native speakers of other languages. It’s useful both for students who would like to teach overseas, as well as teachers who may work with domestic students whose native language is not English.

• UC Berkeley
• Letters & Science

Creative Writing Minor

Graduate programs, university of california, berkeley graduate admissions office.

http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/prospective/

The University of California, Berkeley does not offer a graduate program in Creative Writing. Below is a list of selected Creative Writing graduate programs offered by other colleges and universities:

Creative Writing graduate programs

ANTIOCH UNIVERSITY – Los Angeles, California – Creative Writing M.F.A. at AULA ARIZONA STATE – Tempe, Arizona – Creative Writing M.F.A. at ASU BOSTON UNIVERSITY – Boston, Massachusetts – Creative Writing M.F.A. at BU BROOKLYN COLLEGE – Brooklyn, New York – Creative Writing M.F.A. at BC COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY – New York, New York – Creative Writing M.F.A. at Columbia CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY – Montreal, Quebec, Canada – M.A. in English (Creative Writing Option) at Concordia GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY – Fairfax, Virginia – Creative Writing M.F.A. at GMU GODDARD COLLEGE – Plainfield, Vermont – Creative Writing M.F.A. at Goddard INDIANA UNIVERSITY – Bloomington, Indiana – Creative Writing M.F.A. at IU NEW YORK UNIVERSITY – New York, New York –  Creative Writing M.F.A. at NYU or M.A. in English with Concentration in Creative Writing at NYU SAINT MARY’S COLLEGE OF CALIFORNIA – Moraga, California – Creative Writing M.F.A. at SMC SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY – San Francisco, California – Creative Writing M.A. and M.F.A. at SFSU TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY – San Marcos, Texas – Creative Writing M.F.A. at Texas State STANFORD UNIVERSITY Stegner Fellowship – Palo Alto, California UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA – Birmingham, Alabama – Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Alabama UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA – Tucson, Arizona –  Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Arizona UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS – Fayetteville, Arkansas – Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Arkansas UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada – Creative Writing M.F.A. Options at UBC UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS – Davis, California – English M.A. with an Emphasis in Creative Writing at UCD UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE – Irvine, California – English M.F.A. in Writing at UCI UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE – Riverside, California – M.F.A. in Creative Writing & Writing for the Performing Arts at UCR UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA – Norwich, United Kingdom – Creative Writing M.A. at UEA UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA – Gainesville, Florida – Creative Writing M.F.A. at UF UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON – Houston, Texas – M.A. and Ph.D. in Literature and Creative Writing and M.F.A. in English: Creative Writing at UH UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO – Moscow, Idaho – Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Idaho UNIVERSITY OF IOWA – Iowa City, Iowa – Creative Writing M.F.A. in English at U of Iowa and M.F.A. in Nonfiction Writing at U of Iowa UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND – College Park, Maryland – Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Maryland UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN – Ann Arbor, Michigan – Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Michigan UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA – Missoula, Montana – Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Montana UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA – Las Vegas, Nevada – Creative Writing M.F.A. at UNLV UNIVERSITY OF OREGON – Eugene, Oregon – Creative Writing M.F.A. at UO WARREN WILSON COLLEGE – Asheville, North Carolina – MFA Program for Writers at WWC

Announcements

• Fall 2024 Course List
• Summer 2024 Course List
• Spring 2024 Course List
• Berkeley Holloway Poetry Series – Fall 2024
• UC Berkeley Lunch Poems 2024-25
• Minor Declaration Form – Must declare no later than term before EGT.