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Department of English

Columbian College of Arts & Sciences

BA in Creative Writing and English

A group of GW English students
GW at PEN/Faulkner

The BA in Creative Writing and English combines classic literature with writing exploration and technique. Students in the major are challenged to explore creative writing in many forms, from poetry and short fiction to playwriting, memoir and avant garde techniques.

Creative writing majors work with nationally and internationally recognized faculty and meet inspiring writers, poets, memoirists and editors who visit campus to lecture and teach.

Application Process

A group of people sitting around a table together
GW at AWP
 
 

Interested students should contact the director of creative writing at their earliest opportunity. The director serves as the official advisor for all majors and minors in Creative Writing & English, although individual students work closely with and may seek advice from all members of the faculty.

"The size of the Creative Writing program allows students to find comfort and identity in their work. No one is simply an assignment or an object being lectured at. Each assignment and professor engaged my skills as a writer in ways I didn’t even know possible, introducing me to writers, styles, and opportunities that I never thought I’d have. The thesis program is rigorous yet personalized, and I feel so lucky to have fostered as many close relationships, with professors and students alike, in my time with the department."

Maryam Gilanshah
BA '21

Course Requirements

The following requirements must be fulfilled:

The general requirements stated under Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, Undergraduate Programs.

Program-specific curriculum:

Required
Five creative writing workshops (15 credits), two of which must be at the 3000 level or above, selected from the following:
ENGL 2250Dramatic Writing
or CTAD 2250 Dramatic Writing
ENGL 2460Fiction Writing
ENGL 2470Poetry Writing
ENGL 2560Intermediate Fiction Writing
ENGL 2570Intermediate Poetry Writing
ENGL 3250Intermediate Dramatic Writing
ENGL 3360Advanced Fiction Writing
ENGL 3370Advanced Poetry Writing
ENGL 3380Creative Writing Workshop
ENGL 3385American Memoir
ENGL 3390Topics in Creative Writing
ENGL 3395Creative Nonfiction
ENGL 4000Advanced Fiction: Screening the Novel
Three literature courses (9 credits) taken at the 3000 level and above, selected from the following:
ENGL 3410Chaucer
or ENGL 3410W Chaucer
ENGL 3420Medieval Literature
or ENGL 3420W Medieval Literature
ENGL 3430The English Renaissance
ENGL 3440Shakespeare I
or ENGL 3440W Shakespeare I
ENGL 3441Shakespeare II
or ENGL 3441W Shakespeare II
ENGL 3450Topics in Shakespeare Studies
ENGL 3460Milton
ENGL 3470English Drama I
ENGL 3490Early American Literature and Culture
or ENGL 3490W Early American Literature and Culture
ENGL 4135Folger Seminar
ENGL 3510Children's Literature
ENGL 3520American Romanticism
ENGL 3540Victorian Literature I
ENGL 3640The American Novel I
ENGL 3820Major Authors
ENGL 3510Children's Literature
ENGL 3610Modernism
ENGL 3621American Poetry II
or ENGL 3621W American Poetry II
ENGL 3630American Drama I
ENGL 3631American Drama II
ENGL 3641The American Novel II
or ENGL 3641W The American Novel II
ENGL 3650The Short Story
ENGL 3660Twentieth-Century Irish Literature I
ENGL 3661Twentieth-Century Irish Literature II
or ENGL 3661W Twentieth-Century Irish Literature I
ENGL 3710Contemporary Drama
or ENGL 3710W Contemporary Drama
ENGL 3720Contemporary American Literature
or ENGL 3720W Contemporary American Literature
ENGL 3730Topics in Global Postcolonial Literature and Film
or ENGL 3730W Topics in Global Postcolonial Literature and Film
ENGL 3850Ethnicity and Place in American Literature
ENGL 3930Topics in U.S. Latina/o Literature and Culture
or ENGL 3930W Topics in U.S. Latina/o Literature and Culture
ENGL 3960Asian American Literature
or ENGL 3960W Asian American Literature
ENGL 3970Jewish American Literature
or ENGL 3970W Jewish American Literature
One course (3 credits) in minority/diversity literature taken at the 3000 level, selected from the following:
ENGL 3570Nineteenth-Century Black Literature
ENGL 3660Twentieth-Century Irish Literature I
ENGL 3661Twentieth-Century Irish Literature II
or ENGL 3661W Twentieth-Century Irish Literature I
ENGL 3730Topics in Global Postcolonial Literature and Film
or ENGL 3730W Topics in Global Postcolonial Literature and Film
ENGL 3850Ethnicity and Place in American Literature
ENGL 3910Disability Studies
ENGL 3930Topics in U.S. Latina/o Literature and Culture
or ENGL 3930W Topics in U.S. Latina/o Literature and Culture
ENGL 3940Topics in African American Literary Studies
ENGL 3950Cultural Theory and Black Studies
or ENGL 3950W Cultural Theory and Black Studies
ENGL 3960Asian American Literature
or ENGL 3960W Asian American Literature
ENGL 3980Queer Studies
or ENGL 3980W Queer Studies
Other required courses (6 credits):
ENGL 2210Techniques in Creative Writing
ENGL 3210Readings in Creative Writing