Spring Break
English department looks to add creative major option
Kimberly Tsao
Issue date: 3/12/08 Section: News
The English department plans to offer students another degree option in Fall 2008. The department, college curriculum and undergraduate studies committees approved the Bachelor of Arts, Concentration in Creative Writing last semester, but the university curriculum committee hasn't openly supported the concentration yet.
"Until it's approved by that committee, we can't officially begin to offer it," said John Engell, the chair of the English department. "I feel confident it will be approved, but I can't say with certainty that it will be approved in time to officially be a part of our curriculum in the fall."
The English department did offer creative writing but only as a minor. They're expanding it into a major because many students have expressed an interest in it. The chair said that there are more students who opt for creative writing minors rather than literature minors.
Alan Sodolfsky, the Master of Fine Arts program director, said he expects this to happen in the next two months so they can announce it on Newly Accepted Student Day, April 5.
"Creative writers are finally given the recognition for the work that they produce," said Rachelle Escamilla, student president of The Poets and Writers Coalition. "There is a long standing struggle between analytical or classical writers, and creative or modernists, and it is even apparent in the English department at SJSU. But the thing is, there is a natural connection between these two genres.
"If there were no creative writers, there would be nothing to analyze, and if there were no essayists, nobody would criticize the creative works."
About six years ago, the department had only two or three sections of ENGL71 Introduction to Creative Writing. It is offering eight sections this semester, and they're all full.
Engell, however, said that ENGL71 fulfills a General Education requirement, specifically area C2. Still, the department is hoping to offer nine sections this fall.
Even then, it can't offer a lot of creative writing classes to satisfy upper General Education requirements because those areas are largely designed for social sciences, and there are too many classes which already fit that category, Engell said.
The new concentration would involve fewer courses and less time until graduation.
"It's the same basic set of requirements," Engell said. "The difference is that a majority of the electives that people would be taking would be creative writing electives rather than literature electives.
"You can focus primarily, say, on fiction writing workshops or poetry workshops or nonfiction writing workshops, but they're repeatable for credit," he said.
The concentration would replace only one course with ENGL193C. As a result, the department retains the total number of courses in its catalog, Engell said.
"Until it's approved by that committee, we can't officially begin to offer it," said John Engell, the chair of the English department. "I feel confident it will be approved, but I can't say with certainty that it will be approved in time to officially be a part of our curriculum in the fall."
The English department did offer creative writing but only as a minor. They're expanding it into a major because many students have expressed an interest in it. The chair said that there are more students who opt for creative writing minors rather than literature minors.
Alan Sodolfsky, the Master of Fine Arts program director, said he expects this to happen in the next two months so they can announce it on Newly Accepted Student Day, April 5.
"Creative writers are finally given the recognition for the work that they produce," said Rachelle Escamilla, student president of The Poets and Writers Coalition. "There is a long standing struggle between analytical or classical writers, and creative or modernists, and it is even apparent in the English department at SJSU. But the thing is, there is a natural connection between these two genres.
"If there were no creative writers, there would be nothing to analyze, and if there were no essayists, nobody would criticize the creative works."
About six years ago, the department had only two or three sections of ENGL71 Introduction to Creative Writing. It is offering eight sections this semester, and they're all full.
Engell, however, said that ENGL71 fulfills a General Education requirement, specifically area C2. Still, the department is hoping to offer nine sections this fall.
Even then, it can't offer a lot of creative writing classes to satisfy upper General Education requirements because those areas are largely designed for social sciences, and there are too many classes which already fit that category, Engell said.
The new concentration would involve fewer courses and less time until graduation.
"It's the same basic set of requirements," Engell said. "The difference is that a majority of the electives that people would be taking would be creative writing electives rather than literature electives.
"You can focus primarily, say, on fiction writing workshops or poetry workshops or nonfiction writing workshops, but they're repeatable for credit," he said.
The concentration would replace only one course with ENGL193C. As a result, the department retains the total number of courses in its catalog, Engell said.
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