Click on any of the course titles below (in bold text) for a full course description, including units and prerequisites.
Clear and Graceful Prose — Coherent Minds Expressing Themselves through Traditional Writing Forms (WTG 191)
Students in Composition I begin to refine their thinking, writing, and grammatical skills founded on their experiences of Being. They integrate two fundamental characteristics of writing: the ongoing process of Self-discovery, and the creation of a finished work. They develop greater facilities with the writing process while strengthening foundational skills. Students read and discuss narrative models to locate the intimate connections between reading and writing. (4 units)
Exploring Academic Writing — Knowledge as the Basis of Successful Communication and Self-Expression (WTG 192)
Composition II develops the student’s ability to use language for a variety of purposes, subjects, and audiences. It focuses on both exposition and persuasion to strengthen those skills that will assist the student in succeeding academically. In this course we read and discuss a range of prose models that reflect the diversity of thinking and writing across the disciplines. (4 units) Prerequisite: WTG 191 or appropriate assessment
Exploring the Supreme Reality in the Crown Jewels of World Poetry (WTG 201)
Poetry does the impossible. It allows us to say what cannot be said, to feel what cannot be felt. It can do this because its reach is beyond boundaries. All poetry is transcendental to one degree or another, but the best draws upon Transcendental Consciousness in both form and meaning. In this course we will sample some of the greatest spiritual poetry ever written to use as models in writing our own transcendent poetry. (4 units)
Emulating Nature’s Own Creative Process — Creating, Developing, Structuring, and Refining Works of Short Narrative Fiction (WTG 202)
Fiction writing is among the most satisfying forms of artistic and personal expression. A fiction writer writes from the heart as well as the mind, but good fiction is much more than “disguised autobiography.” To excel at this craft, students need to learn the arts of creating plot and character, fashion an appropriate point-of-view, and control style and tone. For inspiration and guidance we will read some of the world’s finest writers of fiction. (4 units)
From a Single Form — The Literary Essay — Arise Infinite Possibilities of Form and Content (WTG 301)
(WTG 302)
Creative writing is often mistakenly associated solely with fiction and poetry, but some of the best creative writing is found in nonfiction. Whatever writers put their attention on is filled with their own originality. In these courses, students read beautiful and moving selections of nonfiction prose and examine them for their grace, clarity, and effectiveness. Students then write their own nonfiction projects that could include essays, interviews, reviews, and other forms. (4 units each) Prerequisite for each: WTG 192
Tracking the Path of Transcending — Expressing the Subtlest Fluctuations of Heart and Mind (WTG 310)
Students in this course read and study model poems to learn the technical building blocks of poetry: imagery, sound effects, rhyme, rhythm, and form. The class members then write their own poems in either free verse or such traditional forms as the sonnet, blank verse, ballad, and villanelle. (4 units) Prerequisite: WTG 192
Balancing Logical Reasoning and Fullness of Emotion to Move Our Audience (WTG 312)
Among the most useful forms of writing is the persuasive essay. To write so convincingly and with such authority that your reader can’t help but respond favorably to your viewpoint is eminently valuable and satisfying. The hallmark of the persuasive essay is impeccable logic and sound reasoning. In this course, students examine classical and contemporary arguments as models for their own persuasive essays. Topics include inductive and deductive logic, audience consideration, the evaluation of assumptions, counterarguments, fallacious reasoning, and the role of emotions in persuasion. (4 units) Prerequisite: WTG 192
Exploring the Dynamics between Wholeness and Point (WTG 313)
Edgar Allen Poe once stated that everything in a short story works toward a “single effect.” Economy and precision of language make the short story the perfect narrative form. In this course we will read and study intriguing stories such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s “The Very Old Man with Enormous Wings and Eudora Welty’s “Why I Live at the P.O.” as models for short fiction we will write. We will also look closely at elements of fiction: character, structure, point of view, imagery, and figurative language as building blocks for our own stories. Students will write three short stories and workshop those stories in class. (4 units)
The Divine at Every Point (WTG 314)
This course advances techniques learned in Fiction Writing I. See WTG 202 for details. (4 units) Prerequisite for each: WTG 192
Expressing the Truth that Transcends Facts with the Power, Grace, and Insight of Fiction (WTG 315)
During the second half of the twentieth century, creative nonfiction — called “the new literature” — has steadily grown in popularity. Reading such writers as Tom Wolfe, Peter Mathiessen, and John McPhee, students discover the potential of nonfiction to elicit an aesthetic response equal to that of the novel. In this course, students learn to combine techniques of journalism and fiction in writing their own creative nonfiction. (4 units) Prerequisite: WTG 192
Examining Experience from One’s Own Self-Referral Perspective — The Memoir and other Forms (WTG 320)
Students read and discuss a range of essayists from earlier traditions to such contemporary essayists as David Sedaris or Vowell. Writing in this form, each student develops his or her personal voice. Students also discover the power of short prose to transform topics of individual concern into expanded visions of wholeness. (4 units) Prerequisite: WTG 192
Conveying Universal Ideas through a Highly Personalized and Carefully Wrought Voice (WTG 332)
Students acquaint themselves with a wide range of writing styles as they investigate their own style of writing. Examining the works of various authors, students fine-tune their understanding of the mechanics of English expression and develop their ability to use sentence structure, diction, and punctuation as the sophisticated tools they have the potential to be. (4 units) Prerequisite: WTG 192
Learning from the Great Tradition of Literary Masters —The Nature and Craft of Writing (WTG 340)
The nonfiction writing projects in this course are designed to help students see themselves as legitimate writers. Students examine what celebrated writers, from journalists to novelists, from children’s authors to essayists, have said about their profession. Their insights into the writing craft provide both inspiration and direction. Their explanation of technical matters are then put into practice in students’ own work. (4 units) Prerequisite: WTG 192
Writing Stories to Awaken a Child’s Sense of Meaning and Wonder (WTG 342)
Writing for the young can be as rewarding as writing for adults, and as challenging. Children are becoming more sophisticated at younger ages, and generally enjoy reading books at their intelligence level. Students in this class will learn to avoid stereotypes, moralistic tales, and stories with talking animals. In this course, we will sample some marvelous children’s literature, investigate some time-honored writing techniques, and find a venue for our own youthful imaginations. (4 units) Prerequisite: WTG 192
Creating Harmony of Sound and Coherence of Meaning (WTG 350)
Maharishi says, “writers start with what the eyes see, the ears hear and the hands feel, then travel into space and time to explore the beyond.” Following this prescription, this course offers advanced students the opportunity to deepen their knowledge and hone their writing skills by focusing on a body of their own work in poetry or fiction. Students will acquaint themselves with authors, write personal responses to books and articles, attend readings, and watch videotaped interviews of famous writers. Course participants will also workshop their manuscripts with their classmates and make an extensive presentation of their work. The final outcome will be a submission for publication. (4 units)
Toward Fulfillment of Desires — Effective Communication in Business (WTG 355)
Each profession has its preferred way of communicating. Good writers often find their niche in adapting to the style and techniques of a specific profession. In this course, we will investigate a number of professional forms of communication. Writing projects are designed to develop the students’ abilities to communicate clearly and effectively in a student’s preferred area of interest. (4 units) Prerequisite: WTG 192
Expanding Awareness — Translating the Language of Written Communication into the Language of Film and the World of the Visual (WTG 364)
In this course, students will create an actual screenplay. More than just learning the form of screenwriting, students will write with the full intention of producing a filmable script. We will study a number of models, including films, film clips, and a published screenplay. To help ensure success, before beginning to write the screenplay students will compose a premise, a structure-step, and a scene outline. [Same as FA 287] (4 units)
(WTG 399)
(variable units) Prerequisite: consent of the department faculty
Discovering the Universal in the Particular — Conveying the Sense of Feeling at Home in Unique Places of the World (WTG 410)
From Mark Twain to John Steinbeck, many of the world’s best writers have been drawn to travel writing. By analyzing the work of great travel writers and through in-class writing workshops, students become familiar with techniques of travel writing. Highlighting the course are three day-trips to nearby tourist destinations, during which students learn to research articles and record their personal observations in a travel journal. The course culminates in the writing of a personal travel essay for publication. How to write a query letter and the top online markets for travel articles will also be covered. (4 units)
