ENGL 5577 Topics in Creative Nonfiction: The Culture Beat

Music, movies, art, literature, theater, dance, video games, fashion, food... there's an infinite supply of interesting culture out there to write about, and a rich variety of ways to do it. In this graduate/undergraduate workshop course we practice and study the craft of writing about culture, drawing on the overlapping skill sets of the reporter, critic, and scholar. Among the forms we consider are profiles, reviews, explainer pieces, op-eds, personal essays, connoisseurs' guides, analytical essays, news reporting, and more. Examining the published work of distinguished writers to steal their moves and workshopping fellow students' work will both be regular features of the class, as will visits from professionals in the field of culture writing. And you will write every week. Note to Journalism minors: this course satisfies the requirement for an elective with a craft" orientation."