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from http://www.dailyiowan.com/media/storage/paper599/news/2006/12/08/Metro/Undergrad.Writing.Decision.Expected-2529230.shtml?norewrite200612081352&sourcedomain=www.dailyiowan.com
Undergrad writing decision expected
Shannon Boshart
The fate of a proposed curriculum for UI undergraduate writers - which would expand course offerings, offer degree recognition, and give young scribes practical experience - will be decided today, officials said.
After a university task force released recommendations earlier this fall to expand the creative-writing options for UI undergraduates, a group of English students drafted a proposed curriculum and presented it to UI Provost Michael Hogan.
That submission is now up for debate among the English department's faculty members, who will discuss whether to advance the proposal.
"I came to the university for writing because it's a pioneer in the graduate program," said UI sophomore and English major Jessica Lee, who helped launch a petition requesting more creative-writing options for undergraduates.
Under the proposal, students could pursue a creative-writing concentration by taking a combination of writing and literature courses. Upper-level classes would require students to declare a concentration in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry.
Classes on publishing, editing, and workshopping were also suggested. The hope is that students understand creative writing as both an art form and a business - a combination that creates an environment for future professional success, said UI sophomore Sam Larsen-Ferree, who helped write the proposal.
English department Chairman Jonathan Wilcox will present the proposal to colleagues during a meeting today. The program needs a majority vote to pass.
"What an affirmative vote would do is allow the beginnings of discussions on bringing in an undergraduate creative-writing track," he said.
Larsen-Ferree said he had some concerns about the English department's upcoming decision.
"Frankly, I would feel a little betrayed if my own department decided my interests weren't worth its attention," he said.
The changes are in response to the recommendation from the UI Writing University Task Force to create an undergraduate creative-writing major. The group, formed by Hogan, found there was a sufficient demand for the undergraduate program through discussions with interested students and their involvement with the project.
Students presented the specific curriculum suggestions to Hogan to demonstrate the demand for the program and how it would benefit UI students.
"What stood out to me was the level of conviction students had for this," the provost said.
Eight Big Ten schools offer students the option of pursuing either a creative-writing concentration or focus, tracks that require advanced upper-level course work, unlike the UI's current offerings.
Northwestern University is the only Big Ten school to offer anything close to a creative-writing major with its program English Major in Writing.
One concern from the faculty is to maintain the major requirements within the creative-writing concentration. Crucial to the proposed expansion will be the preservation of the analytic aspects of the major, Wilcox said.
Currently, English majors can declare a concentration in creative and nonfiction writing, which requires nine hours of lower-level course work. But those efforts are not recognized on the student's undergraduate degree, though the courses are reflected on the transcript and degree evaluation, said Sharlene Lenhart, the undergraduate coordinator for the English department.
If the undergraduate program were approved, department officials would also investigate ways to develop ties with the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Workshop Director Lan Samantha Chang said she foresees a positive relationship between the two curricula.
"I think it would be possible for a strong undergraduate program or track to flourish precisely because of the existence of the [Writers'] Workshop, with its great resource of the country's best young writers," she wrote in an e-mail.
She also stressed that the lack of an undergraduate program in creative writing would not hinder a student's chances to be accepted into the world-renowned graduate workshop.
An undergraduate major in creative writing can strengthen the quality of work samples included in applications by allowing extra education and training in specific genres, program advocates said.
If the department faculty approve the proposal, the next step would be to establish specific curricula and appoint staff members. Ideally, the program would be viable in a year, Hogan said.