Course Offerings by term

A series of topic-centered courses refining the skills of academic essay writing, studying a wide range of ideas as expressed in diverse literary genres and periods. Introduces the analysis of literary texts and gives training in the writing of critical essays and research papers. Recent topics include: Utopia and Anti-Utopia, City as Metaphor, Portraits of Women, Culture Conflict, and Labyrinths.

Through writing poetry and analyzing examples, students become familiar with poetic forms and techniques. This workshop, led by a publishing writer, includes weekly peer critique of poems written for the course. Students explore what makes a poem moving, evocative, and imbued with a sense of music, no matter what the approach: lyric, narrative, surreal, or experimental.

This workshop gives students the opportunity to explore through reading, research, and writing assignments an array of creative nonfiction forms, including memoir, travel writing, food and nature writing, and social essays. Students share their writing for peer critique in a supportive and constructive workshop environment. Creative nonfiction includes guest speakers and field exercises in Paris. Conferences and a final portfolio are required.