English department possibly to open creative writing concentration
Michelle Bauman
Issue date: 11/25/08 Section: News
University of Dallas students interested in creative writing may soon have new opportunities to pursue their interest in an academic context. UD's English Department is currently discussing the introduction of a Creative Writing concentration, which may be available as early as next year.
Dr. Andrew Osborn, who teaches the University's Creative Writing class, declined to comment on the progress of the concentration discussions, saying that many decisions are still in the process of being made. However, he was able to describe the origin of the idea.
Osborn joined the University of Dallas faculty last year with an MFA in Creative Writing; however his Ph.D. was in literature, and it was there that he expected to focus his attention. "Creative writing was never originally part of my plan," he said. "But it has become a part of it." Once at the University, Osborn noticed a strong level of student interest in creative writing in extracurricular activities such as the Irving Renaissance, a student-led group that publishes stories, essays, and poetry. "The desire was already there," said Osborn. "It was clear to me that the students were interested."
Although students seemed to be interested in creative writing, there were no classes offered in the subject. So the University tried an experimental Creative Writing class over Mayterm last year. "We were trying to work with creative writing in a more structured setting, rather than just the casual extracurricular context that it had been," said Osborn.
After teaching the Mayterm class, he said he was impressed with what the students accomplished in just a few weeks. "In a normal semester, the students would have a week to work on each piece, but over Mayterm, they were writing every single day, and it went very well. The success of that first class made the whole endeavor seem very promising."
Thus, another class was offered this fall. The class, originally scheduled to be taught by Dr. E.C. Curtsinger, quickly became overenrolled with graduate and undergraduate students. Osborn took over teaching the class when Curtsinger became ill. Although the semester is not over, Osborn said the class has gone well.
Dr. Andrew Osborn, who teaches the University's Creative Writing class, declined to comment on the progress of the concentration discussions, saying that many decisions are still in the process of being made. However, he was able to describe the origin of the idea.
Osborn joined the University of Dallas faculty last year with an MFA in Creative Writing; however his Ph.D. was in literature, and it was there that he expected to focus his attention. "Creative writing was never originally part of my plan," he said. "But it has become a part of it." Once at the University, Osborn noticed a strong level of student interest in creative writing in extracurricular activities such as the Irving Renaissance, a student-led group that publishes stories, essays, and poetry. "The desire was already there," said Osborn. "It was clear to me that the students were interested."
Although students seemed to be interested in creative writing, there were no classes offered in the subject. So the University tried an experimental Creative Writing class over Mayterm last year. "We were trying to work with creative writing in a more structured setting, rather than just the casual extracurricular context that it had been," said Osborn.
After teaching the Mayterm class, he said he was impressed with what the students accomplished in just a few weeks. "In a normal semester, the students would have a week to work on each piece, but over Mayterm, they were writing every single day, and it went very well. The success of that first class made the whole endeavor seem very promising."
Thus, another class was offered this fall. The class, originally scheduled to be taught by Dr. E.C. Curtsinger, quickly became overenrolled with graduate and undergraduate students. Osborn took over teaching the class when Curtsinger became ill. Although the semester is not over, Osborn said the class has gone well.
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