ENGLISH 380/580*. TOPICS IN WRITING.

Cr. 3

Schuette-Hoffman: Creative Nonfiction The term, creative nonfiction, has been coined to cover a variety of different styles and subjects from memoir and personal essay to science, nature, and sports writing, even literary journalism. In this reading and writing intensive course, students will gain broad exposure, begin to consider the earmarks of creative nonfiction, and will produce at least two major piecesÑone in the tradition of memoir/personal essay, the other in the burgeoning form of the lyric essay. Shorter writings, both formal and informal, will complement these longer pieces.

Schuette-Hoffman: Writing about Place--New Orleans

This is a writing class that aims to explore the different ways writers write about place. It also poses several questions: What exactly is place--is it the geography, the culture, the people? Does it change or adapt? Is it sacred? Who has a right to claim it? In a culture as mobile as ours, infused with computer technology, do we even have places anymore? To explore these questions, weíll have two kinds of texts: literary and theoretical. The literary texts will focus on New Orleans. By keeping our eyes set on one place, I hope you will see even more clearly the different approaches writers can take to place. The theoretical texts will inform this conversation and problematize it. Written assignments will tend toward creative nonfiction, but I leave some room for other genres as well.

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