Advanced Creative Nonfiction

Semester and Year	SP 2013
Course Number	WRTNG-UG1301
Section	001
Instructor	Cris Beam
Days	Fri
Time	11:00 AM - 1:45 PM
Units	4.0
Level	U
Foundation Requirement

Notes/Restrictions

Suggested prerequisite WRTNG-UG 1300 or CRWRI-UA 825, CRWRI-UA 850 or permission of instructor.

Description

This is a course for students with some experience in reporting, researching and writing nonfiction, who want to experiment in literary, long-form journalism. Students choose a small culture or community on which to focus throughout the semester. We’ll start by writing one profile of a member of this community, developing interviewing skills, and learning about voice and point of view. We’ll also write a reflective piece on interrogating the ways we explore this community without exploiting, exoticizing or oversimplifying our sources. Then students move on to one major work of literary feature-writing—the bulk of the semester’s work—which is written in sections and go through several revisions. Borrowing the best tools from fiction writing—like character development, a strong arc, and engaging scenes—these features will be rich in narrative and as complex as the communities they portray. Students learn advanced re-porting techniques, story organization and editing skills, and debate the ethical issues inherent to truth-gathering. Readings likely include Joseph Mitchell, Katherine Boo, Alex Kotlowitz, Leon Dash, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc and Peter Hessler.

Course Type

Advanced Writing Courses (WRTNG-UG)