ENGL 4579 Writing Workshop: Fiction
Enrollment limited to 15.. This course provides encouragement, practice, and criticism for students seriously interested in writing short fiction. The workshop format demands self-motivation and universal participation. Since students' stories are texts for class discussion, a generous willingness to respond to others' writing and to expose one's own work to such reactions is an essential prerequisite. Individual conferences with the instructor supplement the workshop discussions. Students are expected to produce a steady stream of new and revised fiction throughout the semester. Narrative preferences from the traditional to the experimental are welcome.
Course overview
- Department
- English
- School
- MCAS
- Credits
- 3
- Level
- Undergraduate
- Offered
- Every Fall, Every Spring
Requirements fulfilled
- English: Earlier literatures in English: eighteenth- or nineteenth-century literature, 1700-1900 (one course, 3 credits) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
- English: Earlier literatures in English: medieval or early-modern literature, before 1700 (one course, 3 credits) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
- English: Major electives (five courses, 15 credits) from department offerings (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
- English: Race, Blackness, and Language requirement (one course) (Current University Catalog; students should confirm their catalog year)
Course evaluations
- Course rating
- 4.62 / 5 · Excellent
- Instructor rating
- 4.73 / 5 · Excellent
- Terms evaluated
- 10
| Term | Instructor | Course overall | Instructor overall | Well organized | Clear learning objectives | Intellectually challenging | Helpful assignments | Applicable beyond course | Attendance necessary | Weekly effort | Responses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring 2026 | Elizabeth Graver | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4–6 hrs/week | 11 of 14 |
| Fall 2025 | Christopher Boucher | 4.9 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4–6 hrs/week | 8 of 13 |
| Spring 2025 | Christopher Boucher | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 4.9 | — | 12 of 14 |
| Fall 2024 | Elizabeth Graver | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 4–6 hrs/week | 11 of 11 |
| Spring 2024 | Christopher Boucher | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 4–6 hrs/week | 10 of 15 |
| Fall 2023 | Suzanne Matson | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 of 10 |
| Spring 2023 | Christopher Boucher | 4.4 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 4–6 hrs/week | 11 of 13 |
| Fall 2022 | Suzanne Matson | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.6 | 4–6 hrs/week | 5 of 7 |
| Spring 2022 | Christopher Boucher | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 3.8 | 4.3 | — | 6 of 13 |
| Fall 2021 | Elizabeth Graver | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 7–9 hrs/week | 5 of 8 |
Data freshness
Instructors
Sections
- Section 01
- Section 01