WRIT 300 Creative Writers, Identity and Race in the Twin Cities

This writing class, a combination of in-class meetings and significant individual work outside of class, explores the many ways that creative writing, from books to literary readings to public art projects, informs daily life. Much of the content of WRIT 300 focuses on how social constructs of race and racism have influenced creative writers in the Twin Cities, from the legacies and impacts of racism on writers' creative process and output to the creative writing communities' collective and institutional responses to racism. This writing class is designed for non-creative writing majors; students from all disciplines with an interest in creative writing are welcome.

Special information

Prerequisites: Completion of Part 1 of Goal 1.

4 Undergraduate credits

Effective December 15, 2016 to present

Meets graduation requirements for

Learning outcomes

General

Describe the defining aspects of craft in terms of writing poems, brief memoir and short fiction; demonstrate how to create short creative texts.
Identify how race and racism are socially constructed in creative writing, both in the community of creative writers and the publishing world.
Analyze how social constructs of race and racism influence individual writers' creative processes; give specific examples of racism among the Twin Cities writing community.
Describe the ways in which local literary institutions promote, display and advocate for creative writers, especially writers of color, and assess the effectiveness of these institutions in doing so.
Identify the ways in which the legacies and impacts of racism affect the personal and professional lives of creative writers, along with their experience of, expectations toward, and strategies for public distribution of their work.
Formulate a plan to better address racism in one's personal life, and interpret this plan in the form of a poem, short memoir, or short story.
Design and create a literary art project that synthesizes knowledge of creative writing craft, personal inspiration and public distribution.

Minnesota Transfer Curriculum

Goal 6: The Humanities and Fine Arts

Demonstrate awareness of the scope and variety of works in the arts and humanities.
Understand those works as expressions of individual and human values within a historical and social context.
Respond critically to works in the arts and humanities.
Engage in the creative process or interpretive performance.
Articulate an informed personal reaction to works in the arts and humanities.

Goal 7: Human Diversity

Understand the development of and the changing meanings of group identities in the United States' history and culture.
Demonstrate an awareness of the individual and institutional dynamics of unequal power relations between groups in contemporary society.
Analyze their own attitudes, behaviors, concepts and beliefs regarding diversity, racism, and bigotry.
Describe and discuss the experience and contributions (political, social, economic, etc.) of the many groups that shape American society and culture, in particular those groups that have suffered discrimination and exclusion.
Demonstrate communication skills necessary for living and working effectively in a society with great population diversity.