I have a friend who wants to take a creative writing English course, but the "Creative Writing" course isn't being offered this year. So does anyone have any suggestions as to which course she could take?

To my knowledge, the only creative writing course is the not-being-offered Inquiry one.

sorry :(

Oh that sucks =(
Are there any other English courses you could recommend?

Originally Posted by Bernard

Oh that sucks =(
Are there any other English courses you could recommend?

What exactly is your friend looking for?

OMG, WHAT. Why?

Sure I didn't know there *was* a creative writing course but I just got excited needlessly when I saw the title. :/

Is there any other writing-based course? By writing-based I mean similar to a creative writing course...

She's looking for a course where there's a lot of open-ended writing, freedom to kind of do your own thing.
But if there's nothing like that, are there any interesting courses with a good teacher that isn't impossible to get a 12?

*lurks thread waiting for answer*

Originally Posted by Bernard

She's looking for a course where there's a lot of open-ended writing, freedom to kind of do your own thing.
But if there's nothing like that, are there any interesting courses with a good teacher that isn't impossible to get a 12?

Unfortunately, i don't think there are any other courses that focus solely on creative writing. Some courses have culminating assignments that are creative (like Death and Dying: Comparitive Views, where the culminating is writing your own funeral), but that's it.

As for interesting English courses:

1A03 Shorter Genres (I have nothing but praise for this course because my TA was God-sent and Zuroski-Jenkins is an amazing prof)

1AA3 Longer Genres with Dr. Brophy

Actually, tell your friend to go look at the Cultural Studies and Critical Theory section (http://registrar.mcmaster.ca /CALEN...12/pg1777.html) of the Undergrad Calender. A lot of CSCT courses are cross listed as English courses.

This is what I'm taking this year:

American Lit
Concepts of Culture
Modern Counter-Cultures


I know people say this a lot, but interest is key, especially with Humanities courses, because they require a lot of time outside class, and you have to be engaged in order to do well. Tell your friend to look through the English section of the Undergrad Calender and the cultural Studies one, and then get back to this thread

I took the creative writing inquiry with Donaldson last summer. There were like 12 kids in the class, it was pretty balling. But yeah it's like never offered.

Originally Posted by Twelve Chars

I took the creative writing inquiry with Donaldson last summer. There were like 12 kids in the class, it was pretty balling. But yeah it's like never offered.

Is it only offered in the summer? :( Btw, would you mind sharing what you did in the course? Even if it isn't being offered this time round...sigh...

I guess I'll have to take A03 and AA3 after all. I mean, I was going to anyhow, but still. Does anyone know if the reading list for AA3 is out already? Or is it, like, the same as before?

PLus, anybody taken the course on Fairytales etc.? I've heard so many humanities courses are not being offered, and I'm really scared this might be one of it.

Originally Posted by Twelve Chars

I took the creative writing inquiry with Donaldson last summer. There were like 12 kids in the class, it was pretty balling. But yeah it's like never offered.

I was considering taking it, but I had such an awful experience with Inquiry 1HU3. Still, you said it was good. Tell us more

Fairy Tales is not offered this year, I think it was last year maybe.

For Creative Writing, my prof Donaldson said that they're more likely to offer it during the summer than during the school year, if they offer it at all. The round table nature of the class means that the maximum number of kids is like 16 or something; it just wouldn't work with more than that. Donaldson teaches required courses like American Lit or one of the first years, which takes like 200 students. So from the university's standpoint, would you rather have this prof teaching a class that can handle 200 students or a class that takes 16.

The format of the class went generally like this:
Everyone writes something and submits it online before class starts. The class starts with a student reading their piece out loud from a projector screen to the class. After they've finished reading, the rest of the class critiques and criticises the piece. Then the next student reads his piece/gets it critiqued. This whole process took two classes (1 week). As the reader you take all the criticism and for next class you submit a revised version for grading.

So each week you're reading a newly written piece to the class, and submitting a revised version of what you wrote last week (that doesn't get read by the class). The types of writing we did were:

A short play. ~5 pages.

Three poems. For the first and second, you choose between 3 types of poems. e.g. first poetry week you can write a rondeau, villanelle, or sonnet, second week you write a pantoum, sestina, or glossa. Third poem you pick any form you want of the six.

A short story, ~10 pages.

Three one page assignments spread out in the term. These you submitted directly to the prof without the class reading it. The guidelines were loose, like "write one page of dialogue", "write one page of descriptive prose".

And that's pretty much it. Since it's an inquiry course there's not really any lecturing. At the beginning of class he may teach something about the forms we're looking at, nothing lengthy. You're expected to do any research you feel you need like, like the proper formatting of the poems, or just generally how to write shit. This resulted in varying levels of quality.

Originally Posted by Twelve Chars

Fairy Tales is not offered this year, I think it was last year maybe.

For Creative Writing, my prof Donaldson said that they're more likely to offer it during the summer than during the school year, if they offer it at all. The round table nature of the class means that the maximum number of kids is like 16 or something; it just wouldn't work with more than that. Donaldson teaches required courses like American Lit or one of the first years, which takes like 200 students. So from the university's standpoint, would you rather have this prof teaching a class that can handle 200 students or a class that takes 16.

The format of the class went generally like this:
Everyone writes something and submits it online before class starts. The class starts with a student reading their piece out loud from a projector screen to the class. After they've finished reading, the rest of the class critiques and criticises the piece. Then the next student reads his piece/gets it critiqued. This whole process took two classes (1 week). As the reader you take all the criticism and for next class you submit a revised version for grading.

So each week you're reading a newly written piece to the class, and submitting a revised version of what you wrote last week (that doesn't get read by the class). The types of writing we did were:

A short play. ~5 pages.

Three poems. For the first and second, you choose between 3 types of poems. e.g. first poetry week you can write a rondeau, villanelle, or sonnet, second week you write a pantoum, sestina, or glossa. Third poem you pick any form you want of the six.

A short story, ~10 pages.

Three one page assignments spread out in the term. These you submitted directly to the prof without the class reading it. The guidelines were loose, like "write one page of dialogue", "write one page of descriptive prose".

And that's pretty much it. Since it's an inquiry course there's not really any lecturing. At the beginning of class he may teach something about the forms we're looking at, nothing lengthy. You're expected to do any research you feel you need like, like the proper formatting of the poems, or just generally how to write shit. This resulted in varying levels of quality.

...this sounds perfect. Oh my God. i hope this is offered this coming summer.

Also, write up a review for it!

That sounds so AMAZING. I mean, true, it's kinda nerve-wracking to read it out, but wow. I love it. Only 16 spots though, that's horrible. D:

...

I hope they offer it next summer! Or something! Thanks, Twelve Chars!

EDIT: Pity about Fairytales, though. Didn't they know I wanted to take that course? Cancelling all the ones I want. *pout*

EDIT2: Say, do you know if English 1AA3 is offered in the first term as well? Or is it only in the second term?

Originally Posted by Faer

That sounds so AMAZING. I mean, true, it's kinda nerve-wracking to read it out, but wow. I love it. Only 16 spots though, that's horrible. D:

...

I hope they offer it next summer! Or something! Thanks, Twelve Chars!

EDIT: Pity about Fairytales, though. Didn't they know I wanted to take that course? Cancelling all the ones I want. *pout*

EDIT2: Say, do you know if English 1AA3 is offered in the first term as well? Or is it only in the second term?

1AA3 is offered in Term 1, but it's not with Dr. Brophy.


This course sounds so freaking good. It better be offered next summer @[email protected]