Writing Minor
Description. The Writing minor allows students to practice the craft of writing in various forms and genres. In the minor, students will participate in a broad range of workshop–based courses, including poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, journalism, legal writing and business writing. Some courses will focus on creating original, artistic work, and others will be geared toward preparing students for careers involving professional writing or for graduate study.
In the creative writing courses, students will master narrative forms and learn how to structure their own experiences into resonant fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry. In the journalism courses, students will learn how to gather appropriate information, ask pertinent questions and write hard news articles and features. In the academic and professional writing courses, students will practice original research, argumentation and advanced rhetorical strategies.
All courses will be conducted as workshops, so students will regularly present their writing for close review and critique by their professors and peers. This emphasis on close reading, as well as on writing, will strengthen their critical abilities. The Writing minor will allow students to hone their writing skills and to find their own unique voices as they learn to negotiate the demands of specific audiences and genres.
Minor coordinator. Professor Jay Walitalo, Department of English (212.484.1192, jwalitalo@jjay.cuny.edu).
Admission to the minor. Completion of ENG 201 with a minimum grade of C+, or permission of the Writing Minor Coordinator.
Requirements. Students must complete 18 credits (6 courses) in writing. Students may apply one 3–credit literature elective in satisfying the 18 credits. A maximum of 2 courses can overlap with a student’s major, other minor or program.
Part One. Required Courses
Choose one 300-level seminar course
| ENG 313 | Advanced Fiction Writing | 3 |
| ENG 316 | Advanced Argument Writing and Response: Theory and Practice | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 6
Part Two. Writing Electives
The following list is illustrative and not exhaustive. Students should consult the current course schedule for offerings in English [ENG]
| ENG 215 | Poetry Writing and Reading | 3 |
| ENG 216 | Fiction Writing | 3 |
| ENG 221 | Screenwriting for Film, Television, and Internet | 3 |
| ENG 228/ANT 228 | Introduction to Language | 3 |
| ENG 230 | Journalism in the 21st Century | 3 |
| ENG 233 | News Reporting and Writing | 4 |
| ENG 235 | Writing for Management, Business and Public Administration | 3 |
| ENG 242 | Contemporary Media in Everyday Life | 3 |
| ENG 245 | Creative Nonfiction | 3 |
| ENG 250 | Writing for Legal Studies | 3 |
| ENG 255 | Argument Writing | 3 |
| ENG 260 | Grammar, Syntax, and Style: Writing for All Disciplines | 3 |
| ENG 313 | Advanced Fiction Writing | 3 |
| ENG 316 | Advanced Argument Writing and Response: Theory and Practice | 3 |
| ENG 328/ANT 328 | Forensic Linguistics: Language as Evidence in the Courts | 3 |
| ENG 334 | Intermediate News Reporting and Writing | 4 |
| ENG 336 | Digital Journalism | 4 |
| ENG 350 | Advanced Legal Writing: Advocacy and Oral Argument | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 12
Total Credit Hours: 18