Writing Courses
Writing classes in our department offer students workshops in beginning, intermediate, and advanced poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction writing. Students also engage in the advanced study of the form and theory of writing and have the opportunity to be involved in Fredonia's undergraduate literary journal or internships. Below is the list of writing courses offered in Fall 2022. Please see the University Catalog for a complete list of courses in every department.
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WRTG 260 Introduction to Creative Writing |
Prof. Rebecca Cuthbert Section 01 Section 02
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First in the sequence of creative writing courses, the prerequisite for all higher-level creative writing. Conducted in an informal workshop format, the course provides practical experience in the writing and evaluation of poetry and short fiction. Basic forms, prosodies, techniques, genres, and the problems they pose are considered through study of historical and contemporary examples, and through writing assignments. |
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WRTG 260 Introduction to Creative Writing |
Prof. Neil Fitzpatrick Section 03 Section 04 |
This class is about becoming readers and writers of fiction and poetry. The focus will be on learning craft through practice: we will write fiction and poetry exercises that lead to longer works. We will share these works and learn to give and receive feedback. We will read contemporary literary fiction and poetry, both to see what published writers can teach us and to mine the pleasures found there. We will learn to take risks in our writing, to revise, and to follow the work where it wants to go. This is writing as discovery, both in terms of what the poem or story is about and what we’re about. |
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WRTG 260 Introduction to Creative Writing |
Prof. Shannon Jonas Section 05 |
By the end of the semester, you will be required to write and submit 2 short stories and 4 poems. Ideally, we’ll have time to workshop at least 1 of the stories you each write. We’ll workshop as a class at least 1 of your 4 poems, but ideally all 4. The creative work you submit during the arc of the semester will be the basis of your final portfolio that you will turn in at the end of the semester. |
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WRTG 260 Introduction to Creative Writing |
Rebecca Cuthbert Section 06 |
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WRTG 260
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TBA Section 07 |
Students develop their rhetorical awareness and learn valuable lessons about the writing process and about how to connect writing skills to professional qualifications in a supportive environment. Where possible, guest speakers and real-world applications will be integrated into the course. |
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WRTG 271 |
Dr. Susan Spangler ONLINE |
This course introduces students to the field of composition-rhetoric, its origins and present day applications. Students will investigate historical and contemporary definitions, theories of, and figures in composition-rhetoric as well as critically analyze and produce texts with a deep awareness of rhetorical strategies underlying them. |
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WRTG 362 Intermediate Poetry |
Shannon Jonas Section 01 Section 02 |
For the semester, you will be required to write and submit 6 poems for workshop, along with numerous in-class and out of class writings. The creative work you submit during the arc of the semester will be the basis of your final portfolio that you will turn in at the end of the semester. |
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WRTG 363 Intermediate Creative NonFiction |
Prof. Michael Sheehan TR 9:30-10:50 |
Study of forms, techniques, genres, and theories of creative nonfiction writing and the differences with other rhetorical styles of nonfiction. Emphasis on further development of students"™ skills in writing and self-criticism through intensive workshop experience. Readings in contemporary creative nonfiction. Permission of instructor. |
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WRTG 365 |
Prof. Michael Sheehan TR 11:00-12:20 |
In this course, we will look at examples of contemporary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, as well as recent (and less recent) examples of hypertext, interactive essays, video games, installations, podcasts, and other forms. Although we will discuss literary theory and talk to writers, our project will be to respond creatively to what we read, see, and hear. This includes responses to the works of other students as we create a group project to be experienced by others on campus. |
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WRTG 366
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Dr. Jeanette McVicker TR 2:00-3:20 |
The course will explore the wide range of opinion in journalism today, especially considering how traditional forms (e.g., columns, editorials, news analysis) compare with opinion found on social media and in various broadcast formats. Starting with media literacy basics, students will read opinion pieces across media formats with a focus on what constitutes good writing––with an emphasis on research and considerations of form––and how to evaluate it. This is an upper-level writing course and all work will be done in a workshop-style format with required drafts, peer editing and revision. Attendance at several campus events, and at least one contribution to The Leader will also be mandatory. |
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WRTG 367 |
Dr. Scott Johnston MW 3:00-4:20 |
Building on the work in ENGL 100, this is a non-fiction writing workshop course in which students compose papers in argumentation, exposition, and narration. As part of the workshop, they will analyze, respond to, and edit the work of others. There will also be an emphasis on developing informational literacy, which includes gathering, evaluating, and synthesizing multiple sources in order |
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WRTG 374 |
Prof. Birger Vanwesenbeek ONLINE |
This writing-intensive online course will explore, through both theory and practice, the rhetorical modalities that have shaped the modern tradition of activist discourse, from the open letter and the “we-essay” to the first-person essay and the contemporary podcast. Our thematic focus will be on issues pertaining to racial, social, and environmental justice as well as on the perception and reception of difference more generally. |
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WRTG 399 |
Neil Fitzpatrick Section 01 |
This is a course in screenwriting with a particular emphasis on narrative craft. Some questions we will address: What can we say about good storytelling, and how does this translate to a visual and aural medium? What is happening when we feel ourselves affected by a film, and how can we create such effects in our own writing? Students will read screenplays, write scenes, critique each other’s work, and ultimately write the script for either act I of a feature film or the entirety of a short film. We will cover coming up with ideas, outlining, plot, action, dialogue, and finishing scripts (among other things). The later part of the semester will be workshop-based; we will discuss two of our class-members' scripts each time we meet. The class may also include visits from working screenwriters, plus discussions of pitching and production.
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WRTG 399 |
Rebecca Cuthbert Section 02 |
In WRTG 399: Special Topics, Speculative Fiction, students will learn about various speculative aesthetics, such as The Grotesque, The Arabesque, The Gothic, and more; read examples from many speculative genres that feature those sets of elements, and write their own speculative stories with attention to the craft of fiction. Students will receive constructive feedback from both the instructor and from their peers during and for small group workshops, and everyone will have the opportunity to revise two of those pieces for the final project. If time allows, special guests from the professional publishing and podcasting world will visit to discuss their craft and the industry. In short, WRTG 399 is a rigorous course for those who want to further their writing skills while exploring speculative genres. WRTG 260 is a prerequisite. |
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WRTG 399 |
Dr. Susan Spangler Section 03 |
This course offers an overview of the grant writing process. In it, we will explore how to write a persuasive grant proposal and how to identify grant-making organizations best aligned with your project or need. We will also discuss the grant cycle so you can better appreciate not only how grants are reviewed, ranked, and awarded but also what is expected of you after a grant is secured. |
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WRTG 461 |
Prof. Michael Sheehan TR 12:30-1:50 |
Intensive critical discussion of student fiction. Readings in contemporary fiction. The orientation of the course is professional, and students are expected to complete and share a major manuscript. |
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WRTG 465 |
Prof. Michael Sheehan TBA |
Writing internships. Interns work 40 hours for 1 credit hour. Enrollment requires a completed Learning Contract and permission of the department. |