News - Footnotes - UWG English Department

New Creative Writing Minor in the Works

Unless you've had your nose buried a little too deeply in a novel by Toni Morrison, a mind-bending essay by Jacques Derrida, or a play by The Bard himself, you've probably noticed a few changes on the second floor of the TLC this term. Indeed, the English Department seems to have heeded the Modernist dictate of Ezra Pound to "Make it new." We have a new department chair, Dr. Jane Hill, a new administrative assistant, Susan Rooks, and an impressive new crop of visiting assistant professors (see related story on recent faculty appointments). The graduate program has expanded significantly, now boasting more than two dozen students pursuing the master's degree in English, and the first-year writing program has a new administrative structure and has worked to make the composition courses be more integrated with the major. In addition, several faculty members have published books, including Dr. David Newton's The Forayers, or The Raid of the Dog Days, an edited volume of the fiction of William Gilmore Simms.

Add to this long list the growing presence of creative writing at West Georgia. This fall, two new professors in creative writing have been hired to expand course offerings and help students enrich their literary pursuits. On the one hand, Drs. Chad Davidson and Gregory Fraser couldn't be more different from one another. With his towering 6'4" frame, Dr. Davidson dwarves the somewhat vertically challenged Dr. Fraser, who has darker hair and eyes (and clothes!). On the other hand, the two have a great deal in common. Both hold PhDs in English and creative writing from highly ranked writing programs (Davidson attended Binghamton University, Fraser the University of Houston); both moved to The Peach State from The Empire State; and both have published poetry in major literary journals such as The Paris Review, DoubleTake, and The Southern Review. What's more, the two writers have recently published their first books of poetry--Dr. Davidson's Consolation Miracle appeared in October from Southern Illinois UP while Dr. Fraser's Strange Pietà came out in April from Texas Tech UP. The similarities don't stop there, though. Davidson and Fraser also share extensive experience teaching creative writing at the university level, as well as scholarly interests in a range of academic fields including literary theory and contemporary poetics. Together they plan to offer courses not only in creative writing, but also on individual authors such as Langston Hughes, Elizabeth Bishop, Derek Walcott, and W. B. Yeats.

Yet the creative writing boom at West Georgia doesn't stop with our two new professor-poets. On the fiction front, Dr. Randy Hendricks recently published The Twelfth Year and Other Times, a collection of short stories from Mercer UP. Of the volume, critic James A. Perkins notes that Dr. Hendricks's work belongs in "the Southern story telling tradition of Flannery O'Connor, Eudora Welty, and William Faulkner." Dr. Hendricks will teach the advanced fiction workshop in the spring, a class that will allow him to introduce students (many of whom are already familiar with his scholarly expertise in the American novel) to his knowledge of the crafting of fiction. To strengthen its commitment to creative writing, the English Department will also be hiring another fiction writer in the spring. This writer will hold a PhD, have a strong publishing record, and will inevitably bring yet another creative perspective to the students. Finalists for the job will be brought to campus in the spring, and students are encouraged to come meet the candidates, hear their creative work, and consider the potential they could bring to campus.

So, What About This Creative Writing Minor?

With all of this positive energy, and the publication of three creative collections by faculty members, the English Department is developing a new minor track in creative writing. Given that creative writing courses have traditionally been popular offerings, the creation of a creative writing minor would give students a coherent sequence of study. The departmental requirements for this minor aim first and foremost to provide students with a solid grasp of the creative writing process-from close reading, note-taking, brainstorming and drafting, to revising, receiving and giving feedback, and ultimately to submitting work for publication. Currently, the department envisions the creative writing track as an 18-credit minor. Students would fulfill nine credits by taking English 3200 (Intro to Creative Writing), English 4210 (Advanced Creative Writing in Fiction or Poetry), plus a newly developed XIDS class devoted to the creative process. These three foundational courses also set out to foster in students a sense of both the pleasures and rigors of creative production.

The remaining nine credits would be taken as electives in the following courses: English 3200 (Screenwriting), English 3400 (Advanced Composition/ Creative Nonfiction). In addition, students may opt to take English 4106 (Studies in Genre) and a second English 4210 (Advanced Creative Writing) outside of their chosen discipline. The minor will thus challenge students to examine the overlaps of the creative and critical imaginations. What's more, select students with demonstrated commitment to and achievement in their writing will be able, with instructor approval, to work beyond the established course offerings and pursue further creative endeavors through an independent study project. This capstone project-English 4381 (Independent Study)-will be an important option for those students most dedicated to their practice and most inclined to consider graduate studies in creative writing.

Earlier this month, the English department conducted a survey to gauge student interest in the prospect of a creative writing minor, and the responses were resoundingly positive. (Of the 102 students polled, a nearly unanimous 101 favored the instatement of the creative writing minor.) One laconic student simply noted "Sweet!" while others offered lengthier comments. "Any variety and diversification of options for liberal arts majors and minors is needed and welcome at West Georgia," stated one respondent, while another argued that "of all the literary courses of study, creative writing is most beneficial to students of all majors and interests. The skills obtained in learning to effectively and creatively express one's thoughts and ideas are useful in any subject." Yet another student suggested, "Writing for any reason is an essential tool for communication, and creativity is always a good skill to have and to hone. Also, West Georgia has a great English department that I would like to see grow." With endorsements like these, the English department is confident that the instatement of a creative writing minor will not only enrich course offerings and the students who benefit from them, but will also illustrate to the campus at large the role of creative pursuits within a thriving intellectual community.

	Spring 2004 Edition Volume 5, Number 1 Visit the UWG English Department Website Visit UWG BanWeb to Check Course Availability

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New Creative Writing Minor in the Works Unless you've had your nose buried a little too deeply in a novel by Toni Morrison, a mind-bending essay by Jacques Derrida, or a play by The Bard himself, you've probably noticed a few changes on the second floor of the TLC this term. Indeed, the English Department seems to have heeded the Modernist dictate of Ezra Pound to "Make it new." We have a new department chair, Dr. Jane Hill, a new administrative assistant, Susan Rooks, and an impressive new crop of visiting assistant professors (see related story on recent faculty appointments). The graduate program has expanded significantly, now boasting more than two dozen students pursuing the master's degree in English, and the first-year writing program has a new administrative structure and has worked to make the composition courses be more integrated with the major. In addition, several faculty members have published books, including Dr. David Newton's The Forayers, or The Raid of the Dog Days, an edited volume of the fiction of William Gilmore Simms. Add to this long list the growing presence of creative writing at West Georgia. This fall, two new professors in creative writing have been hired to expand course offerings and help students enrich their literary pursuits. On the one hand, Drs. Chad Davidson and Gregory Fraser couldn't be more different from one another. With his towering 6'4" frame, Dr. Davidson dwarves the somewhat vertically challenged Dr. Fraser, who has darker hair and eyes (and clothes!). On the other hand, the two have a great deal in common. Both hold PhDs in English and creative writing from highly ranked writing programs (Davidson attended Binghamton University, Fraser the University of Houston); both moved to The Peach State from The Empire State; and both have published poetry in major literary journals such as The Paris Review, DoubleTake, and The Southern Review. What's more, the two writers have recently published their first books of poetry--Dr. Davidson's Consolation Miracle appeared in October from Southern Illinois UP while Dr. Fraser's Strange Pietà came out in April from Texas Tech UP. The similarities don't stop there, though. Davidson and Fraser also share extensive experience teaching creative writing at the university level, as well as scholarly interests in a range of academic fields including literary theory and contemporary poetics. Together they plan to offer courses not only in creative writing, but also on individual authors such as Langston Hughes, Elizabeth Bishop, Derek Walcott, and W. B. Yeats. Yet the creative writing boom at West Georgia doesn't stop with our two new professor-poets. On the fiction front, Dr. Randy Hendricks recently published The Twelfth Year and Other Times, a collection of short stories from Mercer UP. Of the volume, critic James A. Perkins notes that Dr. Hendricks's work belongs in "the Southern story telling tradition of Flannery O'Connor, Eudora Welty, and William Faulkner." Dr. Hendricks will teach the advanced fiction workshop in the spring, a class that will allow him to introduce students (many of whom are already familiar with his scholarly expertise in the American novel) to his knowledge of the crafting of fiction. To strengthen its commitment to creative writing, the English Department will also be hiring another fiction writer in the spring. This writer will hold a PhD, have a strong publishing record, and will inevitably bring yet another creative perspective to the students. Finalists for the job will be brought to campus in the spring, and students are encouraged to come meet the candidates, hear their creative work, and consider the potential they could bring to campus. So, What About This Creative Writing Minor? With all of this positive energy, and the publication of three creative collections by faculty members, the English Department is developing a new minor track in creative writing. Given that creative writing courses have traditionally been popular offerings, the creation of a creative writing minor would give students a coherent sequence of study. The departmental requirements for this minor aim first and foremost to provide students with a solid grasp of the creative writing process-from close reading, note-taking, brainstorming and drafting, to revising, receiving and giving feedback, and ultimately to submitting work for publication. Currently, the department envisions the creative writing track as an 18-credit minor. Students would fulfill nine credits by taking English 3200 (Intro to Creative Writing), English 4210 (Advanced Creative Writing in Fiction or Poetry), plus a newly developed XIDS class devoted to the creative process. These three foundational courses also set out to foster in students a sense of both the pleasures and rigors of creative production. The remaining nine credits would be taken as electives in the following courses: English 3200 (Screenwriting), English 3400 (Advanced Composition/ Creative Nonfiction). In addition, students may opt to take English 4106 (Studies in Genre) and a second English 4210 (Advanced Creative Writing) outside of their chosen discipline. The minor will thus challenge students to examine the overlaps of the creative and critical imaginations. What's more, select students with demonstrated commitment to and achievement in their writing will be able, with instructor approval, to work beyond the established course offerings and pursue further creative endeavors through an independent study project. This capstone project-English 4381 (Independent Study)-will be an important option for those students most dedicated to their practice and most inclined to consider graduate studies in creative writing. Earlier this month, the English department conducted a survey to gauge student interest in the prospect of a creative writing minor, and the responses were resoundingly positive. (Of the 102 students polled, a nearly unanimous 101 favored the instatement of the creative writing minor.) One laconic student simply noted "Sweet!" while others offered lengthier comments. "Any variety and diversification of options for liberal arts majors and minors is needed and welcome at West Georgia," stated one respondent, while another argued that "of all the literary courses of study, creative writing is most beneficial to students of all majors and interests. The skills obtained in learning to effectively and creatively express one's thoughts and ideas are useful in any subject." Yet another student suggested, "Writing for any reason is an essential tool for communication, and creativity is always a good skill to have and to hone. Also, West Georgia has a great English department that I would like to see grow." With endorsements like these, the English department is confident that the instatement of a creative writing minor will not only enrich course offerings and the students who benefit from them, but will also illustrate to the campus at large the role of creative pursuits within a thriving intellectual community.
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