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OFFICE
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PROVOST
MEMORANDUM
ATIENTION
FROM
RE:
8888 University Drive, Burnaby,
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Senate
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Bill Krane,
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778.782.4636
FAX: 778.782.5876
DATE
PAGES
Senate
Committee
on
Undergraduate
Studies
Faculty of Ans and Social Sciences (SOJS
10-02b~
www.sfu.calvpacademic
January 11, 2010
1/1
Action undertaken by the Senate Committee on Undergraduate Studies at its meeting of
January 7,2010, gives rise to the following recommendation:
Motion:
That
SCUP approve and recommend to Senate the full program proposal for a
Certificate in Creative Writing.
The relevant documentation for review
by
SCUP is attached.
I.
SIMON FRASI!U UNIVEUSITY
THINKING OF THE WORLD
MEMO
sells 10-02 b. "
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SF.:~
FACULTY OF
ARTS AND SOCIAL
SCIE~CES
TO:
Jo Hinchliffe, Secretary'
Senate Committee on Undergraduate Studies
FROM: Paul Budra, Chair
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Curriculum Committee
RE:
Certificate in Creative Writing (Full Program Proposal)
DATE: December 8, 2009
On November 19, 2009, the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Curriculum
Committee approved the attached full program proposal for a Certificate
in Creative Writing. subm itted by the Department of English. The Notice
of intent was forwarded to SCUP on July 29, 2009.
Would you please place this item on the agenda of the next meeting of SCUS.
:pl
An.
J.
FULL PROGRAM PROPOSAL
CERTIFICATE IN CREATIVE WRITING
EXECUTIVE
SUMMARY
The Certificate in Creative Writing provides students with extended instruction and
opportunity for practice in the writing of poetry, fiction, and screenplays. It also offers
instruction in theoretical approaches
to writing as well as a more "applied" set of courses in
editing and magazine and book publishing in Canada, providing prospective writers with skills
widely applicable in the information economy.
The proposed certificate, offered
by the Department of English in consultation with the
Departments
of Communication and Contemporary Arts, consists of a minimum of 20 units: at
least
two writing workshop courses (the core of the program) and four other courses from a list
of 16 optional courses from the Departments of English, Communication, and Contemporary
Arts.
Simon Fraser University has a long standing tradition
of supporting and nurturing
contemporary writing, participating in local, national, and transnational literary communities.
Noted and much-lauded Canadian poets, such as the late Robin Blaser, Canada's first
Parliamentary Poet laureate, George Bowering, and Governor General's award winner
Roy
Miki, taught for many years in the Department of English; this tradition continues with current
English faculty David
Chariandy (whose novel
Soucouyant
was nominated for many national and
international awards) and poets Jeff Derksen and Stephen Collis. Furthermore, the university
has published
as influential literary journal since its inception
(West Coast Line,
originally
West
Coast
Review);
and the university supports a vibrant Writer in Residence program with a rapidly
growing endowment. Due to the profile of its writer faculty and these other programs, the
university has often attracted student writers (notable in this regard
is the continuous presence
of a variety of student-edited and published journals, the most recent of which is
Ampersand).
However, until recently the university has had little in the way of credit creative writing courses
to offer interested students, whose activities have thus largely taken place out of the
classroom. The Certificate in
Creative Writing is designed to meet the needs of these students.
The
University of British-Columbia and the University of Victoria both offer degree
programs in creative writing. Simon Fraser University's new
Certificate in Creative Writing will
appeal
to students interested in writing workshops that are thoroughly integrated into the
study of contemporary literature (the programs at UBC and UVIC are not, emphasizing instead
3
the separateness of creative writing as a disciplineL thus providing an emphasis on theoretical
approaches
to writing and writing practice for student writers with otherwise academic
interests. The Certificate's courses in editing and
publishing will also be of interest to writers
concerned about acquiring marketable skills and a wider understanding
of the creative
economy they may
be contemplating careers in. These interdisciplinary aspects of the program
highlight its uniqueness in the field
of creative writing as currently constituted in the Province.
The President's "Report to the Community 07/08" notes, in its "Focus on Arts and
Culture," that the "creative economy is among the fastest growing economic sectors in the
developed world, and the "President's Agenda" identifies
the goal of ensuring "that SFU
becomes a destination for members ofthe [arts] community."
T~e
vibrancy ofthe Writer in
Residence Program, which offers one-an-one con"sultations to an average of over 50 students a
year, speaks
to the fact that SFU is already such a "destination." The Certificate in Creative
Writing is designed to offer existing and prospective students an innovative interdisciplinary
credit program, which
will further bolster SFU as an arts "destination."
CURRICULUM
1.
Student Outcomes
The
Certificate in Creative Writing will provide SFU students with a concentration of writing
workshops in a variety
of genres, thus allowing students to develop their writing in a variety of
specific fields. Students will be taught by practicing and widely-published writers who will be
able to offer expert advice on both theoretical/aesthetic and practical/career issues.
Mentorship
is an important aspect of a writer's development, and the Certificate in Creative
Writing will offer a structure for such mentorship.
The interdisciplinarity
of the Certificate Program, which includes writing workshops,
theoretical
instruction1n writing practices, and courses in editing and the Canadian publishing
industry,
further broadens the range of marketable skills students enrolled in the Program will
acquire. The
Certificate will appeal to all student writers looking to improve and extend their
writing practice. It will also attract Faculty of Arts and Social Science students looking to acquire
more "applied" skills in the creative economy, as well as Communication students wanting to
add training in writing practice to their knowledge of editing and publishing practices.
2. Curriculum Requirements
The courses
for the certificate include two new courses approved by the Department of English:
ENGL 374 (Creative Writing II: Fiction) and ENGL 472 (Advanced Creative Writing). The other
4
I
courses included in the certificate already exist in the SFU Calendar. The new courses, along
with
the already existing ENGL 372 (Creative Writing I: Poetry) and FPA 238 and 338
(Screenwriting
I and II) form the core workshops of the program. The Certificate consists of a
minimum
of
20
units: at least two writing workshop courses (the core of the program) and four
other courses frorr: a list of 16 optional courses from the Departments of English,
Communication, and Contemporary Arts. The
latter four courses provide the program's unique
interdisciplinarity, allowing students
to simultaneously practice writing in the core workshops
while gaining training in editing and
the publishing industry, as well as engaging in theoretical
issues crucial
to an understanding of contemporary writing practices. A unique aspect of the
writing workshops is that they too combine writing practice with reading and theoretical
discussion
af current practices in the field.
3. Course Structure
The courses required for the certificate are diverse in format, ranging from 17 student
workshops to 30 student lecture/seminars.
4. Research Implications
The certificate is based upon the idea that writing (creative or otherwise) is related to directly
research, and students will be expected
to engage in research in writing workshop classes. The
particular research interests of the existing tenure-track faculty teaching in the program will
inform the particular course curricula; however, creative writinr, is rapidly becoming recognized
as its own research area, and some faulty teaching in the program are involved with a new
initiative
to create a Canadian Creative Writers and Writing Program (CCWWP), the founding
conference
of which will be held in October of 2010. For faculty members teaching the
workshops, "creative
writing" is an integral part of their research portfolios.
LEARNING
METHODOLOGIES
Diverse learning methodologies will be in place in the different courses and departments
involved in the
Certificate Program. The model in the creative writing workshops emphasizes
experiential learning through active
writing practice, peer feedback, and profeSSional
development aspects (such as publishing and reviewing as course outcomes). As outlined
above,
the certificate includes training in employable skills including editing, publishing, and
self-employed authorship.
FACULTY
The Certificate in Creative Writing relies upon existing tenure-track faculty currently teaching
the designated courses from the various disciplines identified. No additional faculty members
are required.
PROGRAM
CONSULTATIONS
AND
EVALUATIONS
The certificate was discussed with Betsy Warland, director of the SFU Continuing Studies
program liThe Writer's
Studio," as well as with the Provincial Creative Writing Articulation
Committee at its May 2009 meeting. The Notice of Intent was sent to all FASS Undergraduate
Chairs, and the particulars of the program were discussed with the Undergraduate Chairs of the
pa~icipating
departments. Without exception, the proposal met with their approval.
The Undergraduate Chair of the Department of English will consult regularly with the
Undergraduate
Chairs of the participating departments, and will meet
~ith
them annually to
review the program. The Undergraduate Chair of English (as nominal director of the program)
will maintain membership
on the Provincial Creative Writing Articulation Committee, and
possibly the new Canadian Creative Writers and Writing Programs Association, to ensure that
the program will remain current in future years.
ADMISSION
The admission requirements are the standard SFU requirements. Students would apply to the
Department of English Student Advisor for admission.
APPENDIX A: Calendar DescTiptions
CERTIFICATE IN CREATIVE WRITING
This certificate allows students to investigate the theory and practice of creative writing from a variety
of approaches, including creative practice in poetry, fiction, and screen writing, and aspects of material
production/publishing.
Admission Requirements
Normal requirements for admission to Simon Fraser University apply. Prior to formal admission into the
certificate program, students
must complete two of the following courses:
ENGL 207-3
Twentieth Century Literature
FPA 136-3 or 137-3
The History and Aesthetics of Cinema I or
1\
CMNS 110-3
Introduction to Communication Studies
Course Requirements
Successful completion
of
a
minimum of 20 units, including:
one
of:
ENGL 372-4
Creative
Writing I: Poetry
or ENGL 374-4
Creative
Writing II: Fiction
•
plus at least two
course~
from the following:
ENGL 212-3
Metrics and Prosody
ENGL 371-4
Writing: Theory and Practice
ENGL 372-4
Creative Writing I: Poetry
ENGL 374-4
Creative Writing II: Fiction
FPA 238-3
Screenwriting I
CMNS
371-4
The Structure of the Book Publishing Industry in Canada
CMNS 372-4
The Publishing Process
CMNS
375-4
Magazine Publishing
1.
•
plus ENGL 472-4
Advanced Creative Writing
plus at least two courses from the following:
ENGL 454W-4 North American Poetry and Poetics
ENGL 470W-4 Studies in the English Language
FPA 319W-3
Critical Writing in the Arts
FPA 338-3
Screenwriting II
CMNS 472-4
Books, Markets and Readers
CMNS 473-4
Pub.lication Design and Print Production
CMNS 474-4
The Business of Publishing
Of the six required courses, no more than four may be in anyone department, while a minimum of two
must be in English. Substitutions may be approved on a case-by-case basis
by
the Student Advisor. A
cumulative grade point average of 2.0 is required in the courses used for the certificate.
APPENDIX C: Faculty Teaching ln the Program
English:
Clint Burnham
David Chariandy
Stephen Collis
Jeff Derksen
Communication:
Anne Ahmad
Ian Chun
Maureen Gillis
Bob Mercer
Contemporary Arts:
Michelle Adams
Colin Browne
Patricia Gruben
q
