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Creative Writing

Bring Your Story to Life

Do you aspire to write fiction, poetry or screenplays? A minor in creative writing will give you a solid foundation in English so you can pursue being a professional creative writer.

 What kinds of careers can you enter with a creative writing minor?

With your skills in creative writing, you could find success in these careers: 

Published author
English teacher
Journalist or public relations
Marketing or business writing
Editor

What's the Difference at DWU? 

  • Students in the creative writing minor can submit their works to the Prairie Winds, DWU's own literary journal.  
  • In your senior capstone course, you'll prepare and publish a manuscript which will be housed in the McGovern Library. 

Creative Writing Courses

Check out English courses you'll complete during your time at DWU.

ENG 315 Women Writers

3 Hours
English 315 examines the development of 20th- and 21st- century poetry, essays, novels, and stories written by women. We will ask how women writers respond to, interpret and extend dominant modes of modern and contemporary literature in English in order to explore themes of gender, ethnicity and culture. This course includes a variety of works in English (British and American) by women writers and introduces critical approaches to interpreting their works.

ENG 316 Contemporary World Literature

3 Hours
This course examines 20th-and 21st-century fiction, nonfiction and poetry by authors from, living in, or writing about places other than the United States. Students will consider cultural, historical, aesthetic and linguistic perspectives as they read, analyze and discuss texts from around the world.

ENG 323 Shakespeare

3 Hours
Introducing the life and works of Shakespeare, this course concentrates on the plays, emphasizing the development of central themes, the use of different genres, the decisions involved in production and the cultural background of the Renaissance.

ENG 223 American Literature

Hours

ENG 226 Literature of European Civilization

Hours

ENG 313 Great Plains Literature

Hours

ENG 302 Creative Writing II: Genre and Technique

Hours

ENG 460 Creative Writing Capstone

6 Hours
The student will develop a topic and create a research plan and schedule in consultation with the department. The student will present and defend the topic to peers and selected DWU faculty. Creative writing students will prepare and publish a manuscript, which will be housed in the McGovern Library.

ENG 205 British Literature I

Hours

ENG 206 British Literature II

Hours

ENG 201 Intro to Literary Analysis

3 Hours
This course introduces students to the fundamentals of literary study, including critical terms, and focuses on contemporary world literature with equal proportions of Western and non-Western work. Students will discuss fiction, poetry and drama by internationally known authors.

ENG 202 Creative Writing I

3 Hours
This course provides a workshop environment that combines creative writing and criticism. Students work in the three major genres: poetry, fiction and drama. Selections of students' work are offered to our literary journal, "Prairie Winds", and to the Agnes Hyde Writing Contest.

Get to Know Your Professors

Learn how to be the professional writer from our teachers. Our low student-to-teacher ratio offers valuable one-on-one interaction.

Barbara Duffey, Ph.D.

Professor of English

Derric Ludens, M.A.

Assistant Professor of English

Vince Redder, Ph.D.

Professor in the Department of English and Languages | Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities

The Experience

Internships and Opportunities

Previous students have taken on many opportunities. Explore and find interactive learning that fits your interests.

  • Intern with the Mitchell Daily Republic, Innovative Systems and other companies.
  • Serve as an English peer tutor.
  • Attend national and regional conferences where you will meet other writers and develop strong networking connections.
  • Work with elementary students at L.B. Williams Elementary School.

Related Majors & Minors

Business Administration

A DWU Business degree will take you anywhere!

    Communication

    Excellent communication skills are sought by every employer, and it’s a true professional who elevates the skill of communicating to an art.

      Digital Media and Design

      The ever-growing technology industry needs talented people like you to create and design digital elements for countless applications.

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