Course Descriptions

WRIT 177 Nonfiction Writing I
Through workshops, draft revisions and analysis of major nonfiction prose writers, this course covers basic techniques in nonfiction. Prerequisite: ENGL 123.

WRIT 205 Writing for the Arts I
By exploring various styles and genres of writing that are commonly used in the art world, students learn about writing for the arts including how to write grants, find appropriate funding sources, work with commercial exhibitions, catalog works, and compose short bibliographies of artists. Students also write articles in the style of contemporary art journals and engage in peer collaborations. Prerequisite: ENGL 123.

WRIT 210 Promotional Writing
With a broad immersion into the study and practice of promotion management, students develop and write a complete promotion plan, including a press release, press kit and brochure. Through a variety of written and oral communication exercises, students develop their communications skills to better promote themselves and their work. Topics include the study of promotional positioning strategies, promotion tool development and creation, and measuring promotional effectiveness. Prerequisite: ENGL 123.

WRIT 220 Writing for the Web
In today's Internet-dominated society, people ascertain much of their information from the Web. In order to improve the readability of Web materials, writers need to understand and gain confidence in using this rapidly emerging form of communication. In this course, students enhance their knowledge of writing in a scannable format, as well as other writing and editing techniques that enable them to compete in this increasingly sophisticated world of online publications and services. Prerequisite: CMPA 100 or CMPA 110 or ELDS 205 or ELDS 225.

WRIT 225 Writing for Television
Using the sitcom as a model, students examine the three-act structured genre by writing an adaptation to a show now on television to create their own original sitcom. Students learn to analyze and address issues discussed in class regarding originality and successes in writing for television, as well as applying those skills as they develop their own original show. Students develop skills in character development, dialogue, plot, timing and visual writing techniques. Prerequisite: WRIT 177.

WRIT 247 Nonfiction Styles and Genre
From Shakespeare's plays to Norman Mailer's The Executioner's Song, students explore creative nonfiction from a fresh perspective, while developing a criteria from which to understand this genre's development to today's current bestseller status. Prerequisite: WRIT 177.

WRIT 255 Business and Professional Writing
Workplace writing???including memos, proposals, pamphlets and instructions???is examined and practiced in this introductory course. Students gain real-life writing experiences that help prepare them for the professional world. Prerequisite: ENGL 123.

WRIT 277 Nonfiction Writing II
This course offers an intense focus for students interested in publishing their work, covering elements of nonfiction writing such as tone, unity and thematic development. Students produce manuscripts for group readings. Prerequisite: WRIT 177.

WRIT 305 Writing for the Arts II
A focused study of one artist provides the basis for students to practice and master extensive researching, writing, and presentation skills. The essential relationship of writer/reader/subject is explored. Students produce a portfolio of documents based on the artist's life and work, to include promotional pieces, scripts for docent tours, analysis of work, creative responses, requests for funds, annotated bibliographies, catalog entries and/or reviews. Prerequisite: WRIT 205.

WRIT 307 Writing for Decorative Art and Design
This course provides a critical study of major 19th- and 20th-century British and American manuals of art and design, including works by Charles Eastlake, Ogden Codman and Edith Wharton, and Elsie deWolfe. Students examine these as expressions of a given era's style and taste and, thus, a reflection of that culture's values, as well is critically assessing them as literary works of art. Students write essays in response to these manuals, do comparative analyses, participate in group presentations, and produce an original quarter-length project of their own art and design writing. Prerequisites: ARTH 110, WRIT 277.

WRIT 309 Travel Writing and Autobiography
This course is a critical study of the genres of American travel writing and autobiography. Students read seminal texts of each form spanning the 18th-20th centuries, including works by Benjamin Franklin, Mark Twain, Frederick Douglas, Zora Neale Hurston, Edith Wharton and Bill Bryson. The issues of genre, gender and representations of the self are interrogated, as are the conventions and blending of the boundaries separating these forms. Students write critical analyses of these texts and produce a quarter-length creative essay reflective of the generic considerations discussed. Prerequisite: WRIT 277.

WRIT 310 Editing and Management
As a blend of intensive study and hands-on applications, this course leads students through the fundamentals of editing and its function in technical, trade and academic publishing. This course allows students to develop the primary skills necessary in publication management with an emphasis on journal production, newsletter production, and book publication. Prerequisite: WRIT 210.

WRIT 325 Advanced Writing for Television
Starting with the pilot developed in Writing for Television, students further develop dialogue and characters to complete the work by writing two complete scripts for their original pilot. Students build a team of writers from peers in class and write and develop the show's creation story that forms the basis for future episodes. This advanced level of study is designed to push students to create in a more professional setting, including working as a writing team, creating a fully pitchable show and all the required elements. Prerequisite: WRIT 225.

WRIT 345 News Writing and Editing
Through lectures, workshops and discussions, students focus on the skills of news reporting and editing, including the ethical aspects involved in journalism. Students discuss the media coverage of contemporary news stories, participate in group brainstorming meetings to generate story ideas, and experiment with workshop-style critique sessions. Prerequisite: ENGL 123.

WRIT 350 Writing the Critical Review
Contemporary writing includes the art of criticism in magazines, newspapers, online 'zines, television and radio reviews, publishers' and liner notes, as well as Web sites and blogs. These demand of the writer a sharp critical faculty, and the ability to put critical thought into words. Prerequisite: ENGL 177.

WRIT 355 Writing and New Media
As ease of production, storage and distribution of information increases, opportunities exist for writing in new media venues, including the personal computer, computer networks, digital mobile devices, ubiquitous computing and even virtual realities. From the everyday to the unusual, this course examines all aspects of new media and the related writing processes. Students explore the history of new media and gain experience writing about new media and writing with new media tools and technologies. Prerequisite: WRIT 255.

WRIT 377 Nonfiction Writing III
Primarily for writing minors, this course helps students polish their work for publication, providing advanced training in techniques of nonfiction writing through workshops and revisions. Students produce work for a public forum. Prerequisite: WRIT 277.

WRIT 410 Literary Journalism
This course uses fiction writing techniques to tell nonfiction stories. Students review the history of this new, exciting, and popular genre by reading the work of its most accomplished writers. Students research their topics, conduct successful interviews, and structure the information they have gathered into compelling narratives. Prerequisite: WRIT 177.

WRIT 480 Professional Writing Portfolio
This course focuses on portfolios and their place in the world of writing. Each student creates a portfolio that focuses on a specific area of interests dictated by the students individual career goals. Lectures, readings, and field trips help prepare students for professional writing situations. Prerequisite: WRIT 345 or WRIT 350.

WRIT 703 Writing for New Media
Students examine the development of new media, explore its theoretical, social and practical implications, and examine new media through and relative to the writing process in order to understand and communicate using new media and technology.

WRIT 713 Nonfiction Writing I
In this course, students begin to work on their essays or chapters of a nonfiction work. Their efforts are developed toward mastery of their own individual writing styles. Students present and discuss their works in the classroom environment.

WRIT 723 Nonfiction Writing II
Students in this course continue to work on their essays or chapters and themes from Nonfiction I. Activities include furthering previous works in nonfiction as a way to develop mastery in their own idiom. This course enables students to work toward a book-length, publishable manuscript, a collection of essays, or thesis. Prerequisite: WRIT 713.

WRIT 725 Persuasive Writing
This course approaches persuasive writing as an essential complement to visual forms such as advertising design. It also explores the deconstruction of written expression associated with advertising, design and promotion embodied in copywriting for visually creative scenarios

WRIT 743 Business and Professional Writing
Students in this course learn the skills necessary to communicate effectively, professionally, and persuasively to a wide variety of workplace audiences. Students gain experience creating various workplace documents including proposals, reports and procedures as well as typical forms of business correspondence such as letters and memos. Collaboration, ethics, and communication with international audiences are stressed. Prerequisite: AADM 701 or ANIM 703 or ARLH 705 or ARTH 701 or CINE 705 or FILM 702 or HIPR 701 or MPRA 701.

WRIT 744 Writing the First Chapter in Fiction or Nonfiction
Graduate work in starting one's first novel or work of nonfiction provides intensive focus on the first chapter???the foundation of all large works???and how to get started on one's graduate thesis material.

WRIT 753 Freelance Writing for Publication
Course topics include writing query letters, proposals, conducting interviews, and writing for journalism and narrative style nonfiction. Every activity within this course is intended to expose the student to potential markets that a freelance writer can pursue while negotiating the realities of the publication industry.

WRIT 760 Forms in Creative Nonfiction
Students explore creative nonfiction from a fresh perspective, while developing a criteria from which to understand this genre's development to today's current best seller status.

WRIT 763 The Publishing Process
This course covers writing query letters, formal book proposals, submitting work to outside editors, and working in an editorial setting in the classroom. Workshop is conducted as an editorial meeting, with agendas, focus and critique.

WRIT 773 Promotional Writing
Students are immersed into the study and practice of promotional writing. Students develop and write a complete promotion plan, including a press release, press kit, and brochure writing. Topics covered include the study of promotional strategies, promotion tool development and creation, event planning, and measuring promotion effectiveness. Students ???adopt??? a local non-SCAD arts business, apply promotional principles, create promotional materials, and present results. Prerequisite: WRIT 725.

WRIT 790 Professional Writing M.F.A. Thesis
Students enrolled in the M.F.A. program in contemporary writing are required to complete a thesis demonstrating knowledge of forms and history of their discipline, as well as professional writing skills. Students work with their faculty adviser throughout the process of thesis completion.