Modifying Slippery Rock University’s English: Creative Writing Major
(Each year RockScissorsPaper publishes the winners of the James Strickland Award for Writing. Named after an honored colleague and SRU Professor Emeritus, these award-winning essays have been submitted by SRU English faculty and winners have been determined by SRU English Department Faculty, the College of Liberal Arts, and Professor Strickland himself. The following essay earned third place and a scholarship for the 2020-2021 academic year. Professor Strickland noted the following in selecting this essay as our third-place winner: “Byrne began with an opening that challenges the reader: if writers learn to write by writing and by writing a significant number of words every day, why would the university ask Creative Writing majors to wait until their junior year to take any Creative Writing courses or practice creative writing? Byrne proposed the obvious solution—spreading the Creative Writing courses over the eight semesters of matriculation—and did some research into how other institutions approach the course of study and interviewed fellow students to get their take on the matter. Although the piece became a bit confusing for any reader unfamiliar with the university’s course requirements and liberal studies plan, Byrne finished with a proposed change of sequencing and a chart to illustrate the changes.”)
By Belinda Byrne
A notable piece of advice continuously told to those choosing to dedicate their lives to writing states that one must be willing to write. The expectation not only involves writing but writing…a lot. After researching both published and unpublished writers, middle grade and adult fiction writer Jennifer Ellis found writers write an average of 1,000 words per day (Ellis 1). Following the advice to write as much and as often as possible, a university offering a creative writing program insists that students must take writing courses immediately. Or so one would assume. On the contrary, at Slippery Rock University located in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, most writing courses start in a student’s junior year, with only a handful placed amongst their freshman and sophomore years. Therefore, to incorporate one of the leading recommendations for aspiring writers, I propose the idea of spreading out creative writing courses to ensure students receive the most beneficial writing education possible. To best formulate a modified four-year plan for the English: Creative Writing major, I compared Slippery Rock University’s plan with the plans of four other universities, interviewed two fellow Creative Writing students on their journey in the major thus far and their views on the course layout, and researched the importance of simultaneously reading and writing.
When examining other universities with a creative writing program, I took note of four other universities’ schedules: Bucknell University, Northwestern University, Bloomsburg University, and Coe College. Two colleges label themselves as liberal arts schools: Bucknell University and Coe College. Northwestern University identifies as a private school, and Bloomsburg University as public. The two Liberal Arts colleges both require students to take creative writing courses earlier than in their junior year. Coe College instantly commences a student’s writing journey in their freshman year.
As a school with a focus on the liberal arts, Coe College located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa wastes no time in beginning the creative writing process. Some required courses in a Creative Writing major’s first year include Exploring Creative Writing and Introduction to Literary Studies: The Art of Reading and Writing (Coe College 1). I find Coe College’s first-year course requirements introducing both creative writing and literary courses worthy of noting. Next, during their sophomore year, students take Literatures in English then start playwriting and fiction workshops which continue into their junior year. Like Slippery Rock University students work on a Senior Writing Project during their final year, Coe College students participate in a manuscript workshop in their senior year (Coe College 2). Like my vision for a modified fouryear plan, Coe College encourages Creative Writing majors to simultaneously participate in both writing and literary courses starting freshman year.
For Bucknell University, their goals for each year follow a slightly different format with creative writing courses beginning in a student’s sophomore year instead of immediately in their first year. Bucknell University located in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania presents the objectives for a student’s four years in the Creative Writing program. The goal for incoming freshman aims for students “to read a variety of texts from diverse literary traditions and respond to their aesthetic, social, and/or cultural implications” (Bucknell University 1). Literary analysis courses appear in the first year, while at Slippery Rock University, Rock Studies dominate the entirety of one’s freshman year, with literary analysis courses unavailable until sophomore year. During a student’s second year in Bucknell University’s Creative Writing program, the goal requires them “to write in multiple literary genres, developing craft and technique, voice, style, and a creative identity while deepening a sense of subject matter” (Bucknell University 1). Bucknell University prefers to build a foundation on literary analysis first, before making creative writing courses open to students. In junior and senior year, students critique each other’s works and form connections with the outside literary world (Bucknell 1). Again, similar to Coe College and Slippery Rock University, Bucknell Creative Writing majors develop their craft with the ultimate goal of stepping into the outside writing world in their final year at the university by either writing a major work or interacting with the literary community.
Though not a liberal arts college, Northwestern University, a private school located in Evanston, Illinois, follows a similar path to Bucknell University by allowing students to begin the majority of creative writing courses during their sophomore year in their Creative Writing program. Even though Northwestern University’s Creative Writing program officially commences during a student’s sophomore year, the requirement involves prerequisites in a few writing courses. For example, students take Introduction to Creative Writing in the Fall semester of their freshman year and Reading and Writing Poetry in the winter or spring. Once they enter the Creative Writing program, courses include Reading and Writing Fiction and Reading and Writing Creative Nonfiction (Northwestern University 2). In response to the possibility of completing the prerequisite courses before sophomore year, the university states, “Some students fulfill their requirements well before the time of application to the program. If that happens, we recommend that you stay in writing practice and continue building your portfolio…” (Northwestern University 2). The continuation of writing courses ensures a student consistently writes while participating in literary analysis courses. Different from Northwestern University, Coe College, and Bucknell University, Bloomsburg University follows a format much like Slippery Rock University.
The creative writing practice of a Creative Writing major attending Bloomsburg University located in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania starts rather late, in their junior year. The freshman year objective asks students to first “demonstrate a familiarity with a range of literary and critical traditions and cultural viewpoints” by taking courses such as European, British, American, or Women’s Literature (Bloomsburg University 1). The university in a Creative Writing student’s sophomore year than wants them to “explain how form, genre, and the history and structure of language relate to the craft of creative writing through critical analysis of varied genres” with courses such as English Grammars and the Usage and History of English (Bloomsburg University 1). In likeness to Slippery Rock University, Bloomsburg University develops an understanding of published literary works and the English language before allowing their students to focus on writing their pieces. Despite differences in when Creative Writing students participate in creative writing courses, all universities mentioned share a similar idea; students must participate in literary analysis courses to best aid in their creative writing education.
Another significant piece of advice often given to aspiring writers revolves around reading as one writes. Two writers, Roz Morris and David K. William, briefly explain the importance of reading. In an article on the benefits of reading consistently by Paul Heavenridge of Literacy Works, a quotation by Roz Morris states, “Reading exposes us to other styles, other voices, other forms, and other genres of writing. Importantly, it exposes us to writing that’s better than our own and helps us to improve. Reading- the good and the bad- inspires you,” (2). In simple terms, by studying previous works, writers expose themselves to forms of writing Byrne 5 different than their own, which they learn from. David K. William in his article offering multiple arguments for the imperativeness of reading, states, “Through reading you learn about different people, different places, different cultures, and different beliefs. You understand the intricacies of human behavior, actions…” (3). To summarize, possessing knowledge of diversity in multiple areas greatly benefits one’s writing progression because an understanding of human behavior serves as a crucial component in creating a believable and impactful story. Overall, literary analysis, without a doubt, plays a pivotal role in developing a writer’s craft, and two Creative Writing majors from Slippery Rock University agree with the importance of both reading and writing.
When interviewing Megan Salizzoni, a first-year student, I questioned her on multiple topics: Rock Studies, when students should start creative writing courses, and so forth. For the question of whether or she thinks students should take both literary analysis courses and creative writing courses simultaneously, Salizzoni replies, “I believe it would be beneficial if we practiced writing at the same time as literature analysis courses. Maybe after one unit ends we get to write based off of what we learned; it doesn’t necessarily have to be an influx of information,” (“Personal Interview”). Then, on the question of whether she prefers the idea of participating in creative writing courses during freshman year, she states, “Yes! I understand why the Rock Studies courses are important, but getting our creative juices flowing right off the bat might keep more majors interested and excite those who plan to stay even more,” (“Personal Interview”). To summarize, Salizzoni believes in allowing students to take creative writing classes earlier alongside literature analysis courses, but she also understands the values of taking Rock Studies courses during freshman year.
When asked which Rock Studies she finds beneficial, she says that Critical Writing “has helped in the most basic sense” and refreshes her Byrne 6 memory of topics such as active/passive voice (Salizzoni, “Personal Interview”). She also appreciates Art of the Theatre because the course pushes her “to consider more creative routes” (Salizzoni, “Personal Interview”). Emily Friend, another Creative Writing major, on the other hand, finds the Rock Studies “counterproductive” but agrees with Salizzoni on the idea of Slippery Rock University offering creative writing classes earlier (Friend, “Personal Interview”). When asked about her view on the impact of Rock Studies courses, Friend shows great opposition towards them in her answer. However, she responds positively on the topic of taking creative writing courses in earlier years, stating, “I was actually able to take Introduction to Creative Writing during the second semester of my first year. I would have liked to have taken more classes related to my major though,” (Friend, “Personal Interview”). For the question involving the taking of literature analysis and creative writing courses simultaneously, Friend replies, “I think that each Creative Writing major should be allowed to make that voice themselves. What works for one person doesn’t work for everyone and sometimes scheduling can be easier or harder depending on what’s required,” (Friend, “Personal Interview”). Overall, Friend stands against Rock Studies but prefers the option of taking more creative writing courses earlier than in the four-year plan. Using the information obtained by both Megan Salizzoni and Emily Friend, I made changes to Slippery Rock University’s four-year plan to the English: Creative Writing major fitting to their opinions while also using the examples from other universities. Some major trends in the four other universities’ four-year plans for their Creative Writing program include a blend of literary analysis and writing courses and offering creative writing courses as early as freshman year. Coe College, a liberal arts school, requires students to take creative writing classes during their first year, and Bucknell University, another liberal arts school, calls for students to start creative writing classes in the sophomore year after building a foundation on literary studies. Students attending Northwestern University, a private college, participate in creative writing classes during their first year. Bloomsburg University, a public college, shares the same idea with Slippery Rock University of students taking most Creative Writing classes in their third year as well as their senior year. My altered four-year plan incorporates the option of starting creative writing courses in a student’s freshman year, like Coe College and Northwestern University. However, to accommodate the different approaches seen in Bucknell University and Bloomsburg University for their Creative Writing programs, most writing classes still appear in junior year.
In the interviews with Creative Writing majors Megan Salizzoni and Emily Friend, shared opinions involve the opportunity to take creative writing classes sooner as well as taking literature analysis courses with the writing courses. While Friend argues against Rock Studies, Salizzoni sees their benefit as a way to refresh past information related to writing while exploring other creative outlets. Because both students hold contrasting views, to keep the changes to the plan simple, Rock Studies courses remain but extend through the first three years. With all the plans of other universities and opinions of fellow Creative Writing majors in mind, my updated four-year plan for Slippery Rock University’s English: Creative Writing major operates as follows:
No changes occur in the fall of freshman year; students still take the required Rock Studies such as Critical Writing, FYRST Seminar, a Civil Discourse course, and so forth. Changes appear in the Spring semester with Introduction to Creative Writing moved forward a semester as well as the option to either take a literature analysis course or another Rock Studies. Critical Reading and two other Rock Studies fill the available space.
During the Fall semester of sophomore year, two courses, the choice to take Linguistics of Grammar or an Elective, and Introduction to Professional Writing move to this semester instead of occurring later. Two Rock Studies options move from the spring of freshman year to this semester. The idea involves spreading out the Rock Studies courses instead of taking nothing but those courses in the spring of freshman year. The option to participate in either a literature analysis course or a course in another department/minor remains in the same location. For the Spring semester, the only change involves Creative Writing: Creative Nonfiction appearing earlier. The other courses, Composition and Rhetoric or a Rock Studies (Thread), a literature analysis course, and another Rock Studies (Thread) stay in the same space in the four-year plan. Again, another Rock Studies course appears to help spread out the Rock Studies requirement.
The only update to junior year involves the insertion of a Rock Studies (Thread) in the Fall semester. The rest of the classes such as Writing About Electronic Media and Film or a course in another department, Historical Development of the English Language or an Elective, and so forth remain unchanged for the fall. In the Spring semester, nothing changes. The courses stay as follows: Advanced Professional Writing, Creative Writing: Screenplay, Writing the Graphic Novel or Grant and Proposal Writing, a literature analysis course, and Creative Writing: Fiction.
In a Creative Writing student’s final year, the list of courses remains untouched. During the Fall semester, the required courses include Professional English, Literary and Cultural Theory or a course in another department, and so forth with the option of working on the Senior Writing Project. In the Spring semester, the courses still include Writing the Graphic Novel or Grant and Proposal Writing, a course in another department, Literary Publications and Design, and so forth again with the option of working on the Senior Writing Project.
A student still possesses the ability to choose between two different courses to ensure they obtain the required amount of credits. Also, in each semester, not including the fall of freshman year, the option to take another 3-credit course appears if the student so chooses.
To propose a potential update to Slippery Rock University’s four-year plan for the English: Creative Writing major, I researched the plans of four other universities, each differing in their approach, the importance of reading and writing simultaneously, and the opinions of two other Creative Writing majors. Three out of the four colleges agree with the idea of starting creative writing courses early alongside literature analysis courses. Megan Salizzoni and Emily Friend, two Creative Writing students at Slippery Rock University, share a similar view of allowing students the option to take literature analysis courses with creative writing courses, as well as the university offering creative writing courses earlier in the path. I incorporated these ideas in the updates to the four-year plan by moving forward some writing courses, spreading out the Rock Studies requirement across the first three years, and still offering students the option to choose between certain courses so they fulfill their requirements. Overall, the main focus of the four-year plan revolves around Slippery Rock University allowing Creative Writing majors to participate in more creative writing courses earlier on in their education while including a blend of literature analysis courses and writing courses to create a program that most benefits their future writers.
Works Cited
“Academic Catalog 2020-2021.” English Writing, Bachelor of Science (BS)- Concentration in Creative Writing- Rock Studies< Slippery Rock University, www. catalog.sru.edu/undergraduate/liberal-arts/english/english-writing-bs-concentrationcreative/#text.
Byrne, Belinda. “Personal Interview.” 8 November 2020.
Byrne, Belinda. “Personal Interview.” 10 November 2020.
“Creative Writing (ENCW).” Creative Writing (ENCW)< Bucknell University, www. coursecatalog.bucknell.edu/collegeofartsandsciencescurricula/areasofstudy/englishengl/cr eativewriting/#goalstext.
“Creative Writing Concentration.” Creative Writing Concentration< Bloomsburg University, www.bloomu.edu/creative-writing-concentration.
“Creative Writing Course Requirements Coe College.” Coe College, www.coe.edu/academics/majors-areas-study/english-creative-writing/courserequirements-creative-writing.
“Department of English.” The Creative Writing Major: Department of English- Northwestern University, www.english.northwestern.edu/undergraduate/writing/index.html.
Ellis, Jennifer. “Minimum Daily Word Counts.” Jennifer Ellis- Writing, www.jenniferellis.ca/writing-techniques.
Heavenridge, Paul. “Why Read? Reason #7. The More One Reads, the Better Writer They Become.” Literacyworks, Literacyworks, 2015, Byrne 11 www.literacyworks.org/news/2015/6/2/why-read-reason-7-the-more-one-reads-thebetter-writer-they become#:~:text=%E2%80%9CReading%20exposes%20us%20to%20other,the%20bad% E2%80%94inspires%20you.%E2%80%9D.
William, David. “12 Reasons Reading Widely Is So Important for Writers.” The Web Writer Spotlight, 2020, www.webwriterspotlight.com/reasons-reading-widely-isimportant#content.
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