English

Master of Fine Arts in English Courses

 

Below are the official course descriptions as given in the UMSL Bulletin.

Workshops

English 5100 Graduate Workshop in Poetry (3)

Prerequisite: Open to students in the MFA program and to others with permission of instructor.
Consists of a writing workshop in which the poetry written by the students enrolled in the course is discussed and analyzed by the instructor and members of the class. Students taking this course will be expected to write original poetry throughout the course. May be repeated for maximum graduate credit of fifteen (15) hours.

English 5110 Graduate Workshop in Fiction (3)

Prerequisite: Open to students in the MFA program and to others with permission of instructor.
Consists of a writing workshop in which the fiction (short stories or chapters of a novel) written by the students enrolled in the course is discussed and analyzed by the instructor and members of the class. Students taking this course will be expected to write original fiction throughout the course. May be repeated for maximum graduate credit of fifteen (15) hours.

English 5130 Graduate Workshop in the Novel (3)

Prerequisite: Consent of the instructor, based on submission of sample of novel manuscript, or sometimes based on the student's plan for a novel.
A writing workshop in which a novel written by the student is discussed and analyzed by the instructor and members of the class, or a writing workshop in which students who have a plan for a novel are encouraged and guided. May be repeated for maximum graduate credit of fifteen (15) hours.

English 5140 Graduate Workshop in Nonfiction (3)

Prerequisites: Open to students in the MFA program and to others with consent of the instructor. A variable‑topics writing workshop focusing on one or more of the following forms: personal essay, memoir, travel writing, literary journalism, biography, or other types of literary nonfiction. May be repeated for maximum graduate credit of fifteen (15) hours.

English 5120 Graduate Workshop in Poetry and Fiction (3)

Prerequisite: Open to students in the MFA program and to others with consent of the instructor.
Consists of a writing workshop in which the poetry and fiction written by the students enrolled in the course are discussed and analyzed by the instructor and members of the class. Students taking this course will be expected to write original poetry and/or fiction throughout the course. May be repeated for maximum graduate credit of fifteen (15) hours.

English 5150 Studies in Magical realism: myth and tale (3)


Prerequisite: Open to students in the MFA program and to others with consent of the instructor.
Consists of a half writing workshop, half literary exploration in which fiction writers and poets will be encouraged to write magical realism. May be taken once.

Non-Workshop Courses

English 5190 Literary Journal Editing (3)

Prerequisite: Open to students in the MFA program who have had at least two graduate writing workshops and to others with consent of the instructor.
In this course students serve as the first readers of all submissions to the university's literary magazine, Natural Bridge. Students will read and evaluate poems, short stories, and essays and recommend a body of work to the editorial board of the magazine. The editorial board will then consider the class consensus in its final selection of material for publication. In addition to this primary task of editorial selection, students will also be involved in the production of an issue of the magazine. May be repeated for maximum graduate credit of nine hours. (Taught by all MFA faculty, and some of the distinguished visitors.)

English 5170 Techniques, Methods, and Effects in Fiction Writing (3)

Prerequisites: Open to students in the MFA program and to others with consent of the instructor.
This course analyzes the technical choices made by important contemporary fiction writers in the areas of point of view, tone, setting, form, and plot structure, and it examines the effects of those choices. Close consideration is given to fictional techniques that contribute to a story's characterization, tension, interest, reliability, drama, irony, and humor. The course is primarily for creative writers.

English 5950 Form and Theory in Poetry Writing (3)

Prerequisites: open to student in the MFA program and to others with consent of instructor.
This course analyzes the forms and their arrangements in poetry written by important poets. This course is primarily for poets

English 5200 MFA Readings (3)

Prerequisites: Open to students in the MFA program and to others with consent of the instructor.
This is an independent readings course. In consultation with an MFA faculty member, students choose works from the MFA Reading List and read them with the goal of broadening and sharpening their technical skills as writers. Students ordinarily choose works in one genre: poetry, the short story, or the novel. Each week the student reads and reports on at least one work. The course may be taken only once.

English 6000 Thesis (3-6 hours)

An independent writing tutorial taken by students after they have completed all other creative writing course work. Completion of the project requires a substantial body of original poetry or fiction.

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