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Course Descriptions
Literature Courses
Workshops and Writing & Creative Writing Courses
Publishing Courses
Design Courses
Special Topic Courses
Thesis
Literature Courses
GEP 7000/CRW 7000 Seminar in Contemporary Women Writers
The best of women writing now. In a selection of contemporary American women writers, we'll examine current themes, obsessions, and interpersonal dynamics. We'll read fiction writers such as Karen Outen, Danzy Senna, and Maureen Howard, memoirists such as Vivien Gornick, playwrights such as Wendy Wasserstein, and poets such as Adrienne Rich, Louise Gluck, Toi Derricotte, Sharon Olds, and Sandra Kohler.
GEP 7001/CRW 7001 Ethnic Women's Literature
A study of women writers and how their ethnic identities affect their work. Students will read work by fiction writers such as: Jhumpa Lahiri, Danzy Senna, Maureen Howard, and Nancy Zafris, memoirists such as Kate Millett, Vivien Gornick, and Barbara Grizzuti Harrison, playwrights such as Wendy Wasserstein, and poets such as Adrienne Rich, Louise Gluck, Toi Derricotte, and Louise Erdrich.
GEP 7005/CRW 7005 Seminar in Modern Poetry
A course that extensively addresses the major poetic voices of the twentieth century with special emphasis on the close reading of the experimental and innovative.
GEP 7008/CRW 7008 Seminar in Fiction Since 1940
An analysis of contemporary experimental fiction since 1940. The seminar will focus primarily on the study of narrative technique and analysis of the primary texts; some theoretical and contextual ideas of postmodernism will be touched on as means to further appreciate and evaluate readings. Authors include: Barth, Borges, Nabokov, Coover, Calvino, Garcia Marquez, Morrison, Baker, McCarthy, DeLillo, Martone, and Auster.
GEP 7010/CRW 7010 Seminar in Victorian Readings
An intense study of the major novels, poetry, and prose stylists of the Victorian era. The course will consider authors such as Browning, Tennyson, Carlyle, Newman, Arnold, Dickens, Eliot, and Thackeray.
GEP 7015/CRW 7015 Seminar in Eighteenth-Century Poetry and Prose
A study of the social, historical, and aesthetic concerns of the eighteenth century. Representative genres provide an understanding of the shifting focus of this period from satire to sensibility.
GEP 7017/CRW 7017 Seminar in the American Renaissance: 1820-1860
Readings in Cooper, Melville, Poe, Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman. This course will examine the varieties of Romantic writing in America.
GEP 7025/CRW 7025 Seminar in Medieval Readings
A consideration of the medieval signature as it appears in late antiquity, flourishes in the Middle Ages, and leaves its traces in modernity. Some attention will be given to manuscript form and to those textual changes occasioned by the arrival of print.
GEP 7030/CRW 7030 Seminar in the Modern Novel
An exploration in depth of the literary condition called Modernism through an investigation of the work of Henry James, Joseph Conrad, James Joyce, D. H. Lawrence, Ford Madox Ford, Virginia Woolf, Djuna Barnes, Ernest Hemingway, Samuel Beckett, and William Trevor.
GEP 7031/CRW 7031 Classical Readings
A study of ancient Greek and Latin writers in the genres of epic, lyric poetry, and prose. Selections include Homer (Iliad), Vergil (Aeneid), Ovid (Metamorphoses), Plautus (The Brothers Menaechmus), Plato, and Sophocles (Electra) in translation. Since the purpose of this course is to ground the student in the material that was the common repertory for western authors, the course will also study works, such as Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors, Eugene O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra, and Donna Tartt's The Secret History, which have drawn both source material and inspiration from classical texts.
GEP 7035/CRW 7035 Masterpieces in European Drama
From ancient Greece to contemporary Ireland, drama is rooted in the age during which it is born. Through the action and the characters of a drama, the playwright shares his or her view of the nature of life and suggests an age's assessment of what it means to be human. This course will focus on a selection of the great European playwrights, such as Wilde, Shaw, Euripedes, Marlowe, Moliere, Ibsen, Chekhov, Brecht, and Friel.
GEP 7041/CRW 7041 Introduction to Critical Theory: Exploring Meaning
This course will introduce students to the discipline of critical thought and its use in the study of literature and art, particularly the concept of how meaning is shaped and interpreted by both the individual and society at large.
GEP 7045/CRW 7045 Self-Portraits in Literature
How do writers shape their experience and try to define themselves in their art? We will explore these questions by reading memoirs such as Virginia Woolf's Moments of Being, Marjorie Keenan Rawling's Cross Creek, Anne Lamott's Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Sons' First Year, Richard Wertime's Citadel on the Mountain, and Kate Millett's AD, as well as poets such as Yeats, Robert Lowell, and Adrienne Rich. Artists and photographers such as Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Imogen Cunningham and Becky Young will supplement discussions of literature with some attention to self-portraits. Students will keep a journal for the initial weeks of class. They will draw from that journal to transform their experience into a short story, poem, or short memoir.
GEP 7050/CRW 7050 The Irish Novel
This course will explore the rich literary traditions of Ireland in relation to the novel. Through the works of Irish authors, such as James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, Flann O'Brien, Emma Donoghue, and Roddy Doyle, we will examine Ireland's continual struggle to construct a usable national identity in both her fiction and her history.
GEP 7055/CRW 7055 Shakespeare in Performance: From Page to Stage
Employing the techniques of John Barton (Royal Shakespeare Company) and Patsy Rodenburg (Royal National Theatre), students will discover and experience the performance language of 3 plays: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo & Juliet, and Macbeth. These techniques transform the dynamics of these texts -- structure, rhythm, and imagery -- into specific and clear action, so that the text can be brought to life physically and emotionally.
GEP 7060/CRW 7060 Seminar in The Bloomsbury Group
Movies like A Room With a View and Mrs. Dalloway highlight the talents of two members of one of the most brilliant circles of friends ever: the Bloomsbury Group. In addition to the novelists E. M. Forster and Virginia Woolf, this group, which flourished in England in the first half of the twentieth century, includes painters, art critics, essayists, and the great economist John Maynard Keynes. We will concentrate on novelists (E. M. Forster, Virginia Woolf, Vita Sackville-West) and non-fiction writers (Lytton Strachey, Harold Nicholson, Virginia Woolf). However, we will also consider paintings, decorative arts, and garden design (Vanessa Bell, Duncan Grant, Vita Sackville-West) to uncover the shared aesthetics and artistic cross-fertilization among these talented friends.
GEP 7065/CRW 7065 From Hansel's Oven to the Fire: Perceptions of Witchcraft in Literature
This course will study the witch as a stock character of literature and how that character is shaped by each author who writes it. This course will examine the portrayal of the witch in fairytales, novels, plays, comic books, and film, paying close attention to how the character of the witch is adapted to the specific message and symbolism of each particular work she appears in. Reading selections include Shakespeare's Macbeth, Arthur Miller's The Crucible, John Updike's The Witches of Eastwick, Emma Donoghue's Kissing the Witch, and the Harry Potter series.
GEP 7070/CRW 7070 Film: Adaptation of Literature to Film
Like the translator, the adaptor who translates a classic work of literature for the screen is engaged in an act of transformation which requires him or her to balance the narrational, thematic, and stylistic elements of one moment in a text with those in another and to choose from this nexus of interaction and meaning a solution that is cinematically equivalent to the original situation. The central aim of this course then is to examine the challenging process of translating literature to film and to determine either the richness or the impoverishment of adaptations based on the works of celebrated authors.
Workshops and Writing & Creative Writing Courses
GEP 7105 Literary Writing in Journalism: Feature Writing
This course will examine writing in the popular narrative style of today's journalism, known as the "New Journalism," developed by such writers as Truman Capote, Tom Wolfe, Joan Didion, Hunter S. Thompson, Joe McGinniss, and Ryszard Kapuscinski. In studying such authors, we will analyze their styles and the manner in which they use techniques usually associated with fiction to create compelling works that are both literary and journalistic. In addition, we will discuss the ethical issues involved when writers use the resources of fiction to describe non-fiction.
GEP 7110 Magazine Writing
A course which enters the world of professional magazine writing by learning how to identify a good, salable idea, by researching it, and by writing and marketing it. Non-fiction of all types, including magazine-length feature writing, is the foundation upon which the other skills are based.
GEP 7115 Newswriting
Learn how to find story ideas, interview people, and make sense of the world as you write quickly and clearly for daily and weekly newspapers. Traditional and offbeat news will be examined, while creativity, ethics and professional standards will be stressed. Read examples of great writing as you learn techniques to improve your own.
GEP 7120 Workshop: Poetry
A workshop course concentrating on poetry. This course concentrates on the craft of writing the poem. Students will work on their poetry and then evaluate their own and others' work in a supportive atmosphere. Each semester, the poetry workshop may concentrate on specific aspects of the poet's art, such as studying the techniques of a specific poetic genre or movement (e.g., the Romantics); focusing on specific methods or aspects of creating poetry, such as subverting sentimentality; or investigating larger issues of the poetic life, such as creating a chapbook or thematic collection of poetry.
GEP 7135 Writing for the Web
A course that teaches the student the unique and very current style of writing for the Web. Students will create copy for their own Web sites and will discuss the psychology of navigating through the information.
GEP 7140 Writing Entertainment Reviews
Students will learn how to write meaningful, in-depth reviews, and we will see at least three live performances during class. Students can expect to have directors and some performers available to answer questions from the class, and we will learn how to do the research necessary to ask thoughtful questions.
GEP 7145 Workshop: Creative Nonfiction
A workshop course concentrating on creative nonfiction. Students will study the published work of others in this genre, engage in writing exercises, and craft work of their own to be critiqued by their fellow students. Ethical issues, especially as it pertains to memoirs, will be explored. Each semester, the creative nonfiction workshop may vary from a general workshop encompassing a variety of forms within the genre to specialized workshop that focuses on a specific aspect of the genre, including memoir, the personal and literary essay, opinion pieces and narrative nonfiction.
Publishing Courses
GEP 7041 Introduction to Critical Theory: Exploring Meaning
This course will introduce students to the discipline of critical thought and its use in the study of literature and art, particularly the concept of how meaning is shaped and interpreted by both the individual and society at large.
GEP 7200 Topics in Publishing
A course designed to acquaint the student with a broad overview of the publishing industry -- the jobs, the opportunities, and the inner workings. The goal is to help the student understand the financial and business end of publishing as well as the mechanical details of getting things into published form from an association with printing to the broader meaning of Internet publishing.
GEP 7205 Manuscript Editing and Proofreading
An exploration of the mechanics of editing, including the evaluation of manuscripts, structure and literary style, editing within different genres, and author/editor relations. Words Into Type will be the style manual explored. Students will complete and present projects chosen from a given selection of topics; the facilitation of discussion over topics and presentations will be a significant part of class each week. Students will also complete proofreading exercises throughout the course of the semester to gain an understanding of proofing as an editor.
GEP 7206 Developmental Editing
Students will learn the basics of developmental editing and project management for a portfolio of books as well as electronic projects, including the duties of a developmental editor; the editorial process from proposal to production; how to evaluate book proposals, sample chapters, and market reviews in order to write editorial assessment reports; and how to develop strong working relationships with authors and internal staff.
GEP 7210 Marketing of the Book
In order to survive in the publishing business, whether from the standpoint of an author, publisher, agent, or editor, one must know how to market the material to the consumer at hand. This course will focus on the marketing approaches of those in the business today, help to identify the particular audience for the specific genres, and ascertain how to reach that audience.
GEP 7211 Books from Writer to Reader: An Overview of the Art of Writing and Publishing
Walk through the proces by which an author's words become a book in the hands of a reader. Follow a piece of writing "your own and others" through all its growth stages, from its conception to its submission by a literary agent; to contract negotiations and acquisition by an editor; through an editorial process to design and production; to marketing, publicity, promotion, advertising, sales, special sales, and distribution into a bookstore. The primary focus is the initial act of writing and trade publishing, i.e., publishing books with market appeal to readers.
GEP 7215 Publishing Internship
An on-the-job experience in a commercial publishing environment that offers the student training in a variety of editorial, production, or marketing skills. Participation is supervised by a publishing professional from the host publishing organization and by a faculty advisor.
GEP 7220 Magazine Publishing
A consideration of the strategies and game plans at work in the mass magazine marketplace today. Drawing on examples from print, electronic, cyberspace, and traditional media, the course will detail the issues, theories, techniques, and financial realities that determine the success or failure of magazines.
GEP 7225 Legal Issues in Publishing
Writers, editors, agents, and publishing professionals face legal issues such as copyrights, contracts, commercial, privacy and libel law as well as First Amendment questions involving freedom of speech/press and censorship. This course is designed not only to inform the students of the basic legal concepts involved, but also to become competent to examine well and to assess these matters as they arise and then resolve them in practical terms.
GEP 7230 Magazine: Special Topics
A course that is part of the magazine sequence. The topic chosen is related to what is current in the magazine industry at the time the course is offered.
GEP 7235 Publishing Opportunities in Modern Magazines
This course is designed to offer experience to beginning and intermediate writers in publishing in the magazine market, including letters to the Editor, departments, fiction, personal essays, features, and poetry. Discussions will cover finding and evaluating appropriate markets for a writer's work, approaching editors with well-crafted queries, negotiating contracts, and delivering quality work. Students will write and prepare a manuscript for submission to a magazine of their choice.
GEP 7240 From Gumshoe to Silicon: Reporting in the Internet Era
Computers and the Internet have revolutionized the ability of reporters and others to gather direct source information and data. The ease of access to these information sources, however, raise many issues for journalists. These range from the fundamental question of relevance in an era of info saturation, to the more critical issues of how reporters can distill this into stories that matter to readers and viewers. This class will examine both new methods of gathering source information from databases and the Internet, and explore methods of turning that basic information into relevant news stories.
GEP 7245 Contemporary Literature & Publishing for Children
In this course, we will survey past and present American literature for children and adolescents. We will study the various genres of children's books and learn about various trends in publishing books for children and teens. Students should be prepared to read a large number of children's books over the course of the semester.
GEP 7250 Genres and Formats: From Idea to Launch
Commercial writing, and all of communications, for that matter, has always presented artists with difficult problems concerning which media to work within. Through a historical study of which media have proven successful for various stories and ideas, this course will devote itself to finding the right home for your world class idea, be it film, stage, canvas or print.
GEP 7255 An Interdisciplinary Investigation of the Publishing Industry
An investigation of the publishing industry from a high level including industry trends, revolutions, and corporate initiatives over the last five years. Also included, at least one recent non-fiction book to complement the above objective approach with anecdotes and personalities. Beginning with an overview of basic financial and economic measurements, the course will move through the various branches of the publishing industry, creating an up-to-the minute picture that students will use to create a final project: the future.
GEP 7260 Maintain and Operate a Small Publishing Company
This course will orient the students in the practical information application of running their own small publishing company. It will follow the stages of setting up a company, then of following a book through all aspects of production, marketing and sales. Emphasis would be put on the importance of choosing a niche market to allow for reduced marketing and advertising expenses.
GEP 7265 Getting Published
This course will demystify the process of publication. Designed to guide the writing student through the procedures and protocols of submission, the course is split into three sections: newspapers, magazines, and books. For each section, students will do exercises, which will teach them how to know their market; cultivate contacts; submit queries, proposals, and completed pieces; and handle follow-up.
GEP 7270 Working with Agents and Editors
Publishing is an interpersonal activity about which many writers need much more knowledge. Most agents and editors note as their greatest problem, the fact that writers seem to lack the knowledge of how agencies and editors function, and thus have no real knowledge of how they all work together. This course will lay out in detail the functions of editors, agents, and the writers in the collaborative process that gets a book published, markets that book, and continues on to new levels in the future work between all three.
GEP 7306 Advanced Elements of Design (prerequisite: GEP 7305 Elements of Design)
An advanced study of layout and design principles, including composition, space, color, application of design grids and use of illustration, graphic, and photographic images. Skills learned will be applied to a required publication design project.
GEP 7317 Creative Book Arts
A project-based course that bridges writing and creative design through the medium of the book. The course is an opportunity for students to push their creative capacity by exploring the content of writing, the stylistics of design and the sensual possibilities that link the two. Students explore different avenues by completing a series of assignments over the course of the semester that culminates in a final project. The course is comprised of equal parts writing, design and exploration, thereby pushing the definition of "book" to new limits. This course is designed to offer students an environment in which they can take new risks, learn from these risks, and apply the resulting knowledge to the development of their thesis. Traditional and non-traditional binding techniques and treatment of paper will be explored, as well as various other techniques, including but not limited to hand sewing, carbon transfer, scanning, use of found objects, wearable and/or edible books, and installation art.
Design Courses
GEP 7300 Digital Foundation (Prerequisite for all other design courses)
A foundation course that provides a thorough overview of the industry standard computer software for electronic illustration, page layout, and photo composting. Students will be led through the features of QuarkXPress, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Photoshop by working on in-class exercises. Students will be expected to take copious notes on each demonstration of the software, for the information will be used as a basis for any future digital courses.
GEP 7305 Elements of Design
An introduction to basic layout and design principles, including composition, space, color, application of design grids and use of illustration, graphic, and photographic images. The fundamentals of typography will also be explored, including language structure, usage, and information hierarchy. Skills learned will be applied to a required publication design project.
GEP 7310 Essentials of Production
An overview of the mechanics of publishing from manuscript to printed product. Areas of emphasis include design and typesetting requirements, paper selection, halftones and color separation, printing bids, printing and binding methods, and scheduling. Field trips to one or more printing plants may be arranged.
GEP 7315 Visual Literacy: The Language of Image
Embedded in the arts are crucial communication and problem solving skills. The language of image can often communicate what we cannot express in words and opens us to additional knowledge and understanding. This class, specifically developed for the non-artist, will reveal those skills and translate them into creative tools for the workplace.
GEP 7320 Publication Design (Prerequisite: Elements of Design/GEP 7305)
A more in-depth study of design and layout principles with an emphasis on conceptual development, which will be applied to a range of publication design projects.
GEP 7325 Digital Design for Print
A course that teaches the student how to take the basic traditional design principles of composition, space, and color and how to apply digital imaging and layout techniques using Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and QuarkXPress. Adobe Acrobat will also be covered as the new standard for preparing files for print. The student will work on more in-depth projects that will encompass the use of proper color management and the preparation of files for specifications, output options, and preparation of files for pre-press and separations.
GEP 7330 Flash Animation
This course introduces students to scripting used to create dynamic and interactive multimedia products for delivery on the Internet or CD-Rom. Student will learn the five media types and how these elements can be combined in an authoring program to create rich dynamic products. Students will also learn basic techniques of scripting using action Scripts to add interactivity and object oriented programming techniques. This course will discuss project planning and storyboarding prior to project development.
GEP 7335 Foundation of Web Design
A foundation course that provides an introduction to designing for the Web. The primary focus of this class will be learning the HTML language. The features of Web editing software will also be covered. Students will create a Web page, paying strict attention to designing a logical interface. There will be critiques on evaluating well-designed navigation and stacking order, which allow for better navigation for the user.
GEP 7336 Advanced Web Design (Prerequisite: Foundation of Web Design/GEP 7335)
A course in advanced Web programming language. Topics will include Java Script, DHTML, cascading style sheets, frames, and flash animation. Real world Web projects will be completed in this class, including creating interactivity with forms. Discussions will include the contrasts between publishing for print versus publishing on the Web.
GEP 7337 Digital Design for the Web (Prerequisite: Digital Foundation/GEP 7300)
A course that focuses on taking basic design principles of composition, space, and color and applying them to designing for the Web. Topics will include: creating Web-safe color, reducing file sizes, preparing images for the Web, and using typography and animations. Students will critique existing Web sites for the effectiveness from a conceptual and design point of view.
GEP 7340 Digital Video for the Web
A foundation course that will cover the basics of creating your own video. Students will be given a CD with raw video footage and will learn the techniques of editing with computer software. Inputting and editing sound will also be covered. Students will also be given the opportunity to use a video camera and learn how to input the video into the computer. The final product will be learning how to take the video and turn it into a quick time movie.
GEP 7341 Advanced Digital Video (pre-requisite: GEP 7340 Digital Video)
An intermediate course that will cover more advanced techniques for creating digital video. Students will gain experience using the editing software FinalCut Pro to edit and create digital movies.
GEP 7317 Creative Book Arts
A project-based course that bridges writing and creative design through the medium of the book. The course is an opportunity for students to push their creative capacity by exploring the content of writing, the stylistics of design and the sensual possibilities that link the two. Students explore different avenues by completing a series of assignments over the course of the semester that culminates in a final project. The course is comprised of equal parts writing, design and exploration, thereby pushing the definition of "book" to new limits. This course is designed to offer students an environment in which they can take new risks, learn from these risks, and apply the resulting knowledge to the development of their thesis. Traditional and non-traditional binding techniques and treatment of paper will be explored, as well as various other techniques, including but not limited to hand sewing, carbon transfer, scanning, use of found objects, wearable and/or edible books, and installation art.
Special Topic Courses
GEP 7430 Independent Study
Eligible students may submit, for review and approval by the program advisor, a written plan for Independent Study that extends their academic and professional work in a direction that program coursework cannot provide. Independent Study plans may not substantially duplicate the content of an existing course, and students must obtain the cooperation of an appropriate faculty supervisor. Open only to matriculated students in good academic standing (GPA of 3.0 or higher) who are within 12 credit hours of graduation; eligible students may earn a maximum of 3 credit hours in an Independent Study format.
Thesis
GEP 7500 Thesis
The thesis is designed as a culminating experience that allows students to undertake original work to reflect and extend the breadth of their graduate program experience. Eligible students choose a topic, secure a faculty thesis advisor, and submit, for review and approval by the program director, a written plan for the thesis project. Thesis is open only to matriculated students in good academic standing (GPA of 3.0 or higher) who are within 12 credit hours of graduation.
Policies & Procedures Related to Thesis
- Students who are in good academic standing (GPA of at least 3.0) and who are within 12 credit hours of graduation are eligible to undertake their thesis.
- Eligible students create a thesis idea that is related to their study of Publishing. The completed project should be at least the equivalent of 50 pages in length and explore the chosen topic in depth.
- Students are responsible for identifying and obtaining the cooperation of a faculty advisor, who will supervise all phases of their thesis-related work.
- Following input from and discussion with the thesis advisor, students prepare a 1-2 page thesis proposal, and submit this for approval to the program director. Once approved, this proposal is the "blueprint" for the thesis project.
- After obtaining approval of the thesis proposal, the student may register for GEP 7500. The name of the thesis advisor must be included with the student's registration, and a copy of the approved thesis proposal must be sent to the Office of Graduate and Continuing Studies.
- Thesis registration is valid for one calendar year. After that time, if the student has not yet completed the thesis, he or she must withdraw from the thesis course. In order to continue work on the thesis, the student must register again and pay all relevant course fees a second time. Thesis registration is subject to the same course registration deadlines that apply to all other courses. Students may register for thesis a maximum of two times. If a student does not complete their thesis project by the end of the second registration period, a failing grade will be given for thesis. A total of 3 thesis credits are required for program completion; additional thesis credits may not be substituted for other program requirements.
- The completed thesis must be at least the equivalent of 50 pages in length and must explore the thesis topic to the mutual satisfaction of the student and the thesis advisor. Students may not graduate from the program until they have satisfactorily completed their thesis project.