Certificate Courses

Certificate Requirements:  To earn the certificate, students must take at least five full-credit courses. Courses must include:
  • At least one Level I course, but no more than 2 such courses.  Level I courses, listed here, are introductory-level classes that teach basic writing techniques.
  • Three electives.  These electives should be chosen from the lists of Level I and Level II courses listed here.  Electives must meet these additional requirements:
    • One must be a course taught in a workshop format
    • One must be a permission-of-instructor (POI) course
    • No more than one elective can be a Level I course
    • A tutorial for a creative writing honors thesis or senior essay may count as one, but no more than one elective.
  • The Writing Certificate senior seminar, WRCT350, a one-credit pass/fail course open to seniors and juniors who have completed all other certificate requirements. 
  • To petition the Writing Programs for inclusion of a course to be considered as part of the Writing Certificate, please click here. 

Courses offered

The following courses may be counted toward the certificate. Courses followed by (2012-2013) will be offered in the 2012-2013 school year. Workshop courses are designated by an asterisk*. Permission of Instructor courses are marked POI.


I. Entry-level Craft or Technique Courses:
 

BIOL 137: Writing about Evolution (2013-2014)
COL 201: Writing Short Fiction* POI
COL 201: Writing Nonfiction POI (2013-2014)
COL 213: Writing Short Fiction* POI (2013-2014)
ENGL 216: Techniques of Poetry
ENGL 270: Writing Creative Non-Fiction* (2013-2014)
ENGL 271: Distinguished Writers/New Voices* (2013-2014)
ENGL 290: Place, Character and Design*
ENGL 292: Techniques of Non-Fiction (2013-2014)
ENGL 296: Techniques of Fiction (2013-2014)
MUSC 121: Writing about Music (2013-2014)
THEA 199: Introduction to Playwriting* (2013-2014)
WRCT 101: Writing about the Natural Sciences
WRCT 103: Writing about the Social Sciences
WRCT 105: Writing about the Humanities and Arts
WRCT 220: Translating Science POI
WRCT 266: Topics in Journalism: Techniques of Narrative Journalism POI


Please note: Students may take Level II courses before completing a Level I course.

II. Electives:

AFAM 375/ENGL 244: Workshop in African American Poetry* POI
AMST 245/ENGL 246: Personalizing History
ANTH 208: Crafting Ethnography
MB&B 180/BIO 180/CHEM 180/ENGL 180: Writing about Science
CHUM 355/WRCT255: Translation: Theory and Practice
COL 201: Writing Short Fiction* POI 
COL 213: Advanced Fiction* POI 
COL 216: Writing Long Fiction* POI
COL 222: The Craft of Writing Nonfiction: Technique and Genre* POI
ENGL 121/ENGL 241: Special Topics in Creative Writing: Merging Forms* (2013-2014)
ENGL 130: The English Essay POI (2013-2014)
ENGL 132: Writing Medicine and the Doctor-Writer POI
ENGL 159: The Grotesque
ENGL 271: Distinguished Writers/New Voices* (2013-2014)
ENGL 274: Oral Histories and the Portland Brownstone Quarry
ENGL 276: Space and Place in Fiction* POI
ENGL 290: Place, Character and Design*
ENGL 306: Special Topics: The Beats and Their Discontents* POI
ENGL 312: Special Topics: Identity Fictions POI
ENGL 316: The Poem as Document*
ENGL 318: James Baldwin in Black and White* POI
ENGL 322: Poetics of the Short-Short POI
ENGL 325: Intermediate Non-Fiction Workshop* POI (2013-2014)
ENGL326: Advanced Non-Fiction Workshop* POI (2013-2014)
ENGL 336: Intermediate Poetry Workshop* POI (2013-2014)
ENGL 337: Advanced Poetry Workshop* POI (2013-2014)
ENGL 339: Intermediate Fiction Workshop*  POI (2013-2014)
ENGL 342: Advanced Fiction Workshop* POI (2013-2014)
ENGL 360: Special Topics: Writing Lives* POI
ENGL 361: Novel Forms
ENGL 412: Creative Criticism & Inquiry POI
ENGL 491/492: Ford Teaching Seminar (2013-2014)
FILM 452/WRCT 259: Writing about Film for Modern Media POI
FILM 452/WRCT 259: Writing about Film POI (2013-2014)
FILM 454: Screenwriting POI (2013-2014)
FILM 460: Scripting Series for the Small Screen POI (2013-2014)
FREN 302: Workshop in Literary Translation* (2013-2014)
HEST230: Israel on the Road: Making Road Trip Films with Filmmaker Dani Menken
HIST 171: Exploring Middletown's History: A Research and Writing Workshop*
HIST 132/344: Writing Historical Biography/Biographical Fiction* POI 
HIST 369: Writing About War* POI
NS&B 360: Capstone Experience in Neuroscience & Behavior* POI
PSYC 331: The Narratives of Illness and Recovery POI
THEA 299/ENGL 174: A Playwright′s Workshop* POI
THEA 299/ ENGL 299: A Playwright's Workshop* POI (2013-2014)
THEA 321: Translation/Adaptation (2013-2014)
THEA 399/ ENGL 399: A Playwright's Workshop: Advanced* POI (2013-2014)
WRCT 256: Writing For Television* POI
WRCT 257: Reading and Writing Fiction* POI 
WRCT 258 (GOV 190): Journalist as Citizen* POI 
WRCT 260: Reading and Writing Fiction II* POI
WRCT 261: Topics in Journalism: Disruption, Truth, and the Future of News POI
WRCT 262: Topics in Journalism: Foreign Affairs POI
WRCT 263: Writing For Television II* POI (2013-2014)
WRCT 264: Creating Children's Books* (POI)
WRCT 265/HEST 220: Identity and Alterity in Israeli Literature
WRCT 267/ENGL 268: Creative Criticism and Inquiry* POI

A creative writing honors theses or senior essay may count as one elective credit toward the certificate.
 

III. Senior Seminar:

WRCT350: Senior Seminar/capstone course (spring, 2014)
A course description of the senior seminar is available here.
 
Information on Listed Courses
To find course descriptions for Level I and Level II courses listed above, consult the Wesmaps Directory. WRCT courses are listed under Writing. Other courses maybe be found through the directory by clicking on the names of specific departments (e.g., Chemistry, History, French, etc.). If you have questions about courses not included in the above list, please consult our FAQ.

Notice to Faculty
Faculty members of all departments are encouraged to propose new courses to add to the list of writing classes honored by the Certificate. Please contact Anne Greene, if you have any questions, at agreene@wesleyan.edu.