ENG-633: Advanced Independent Writing and Reading: Emphasizing the Research Project
After successfully participating in the ENG 632, ENG 635 or ENG-662 residency, students begin ENG 633 Advanced Independent Writing and Reading: Emphasizing the Research Project. The student and assigned mentor create an Independent Study Plan, which includes five extensive assignments of original creative writing, an individualized reading list, and a plan for an extended research project that has been previously approved by the program director or associate program director. The research project may be an extended critical essay on literature, or a research project on the history, practices, or trends in publishing and/or editing, a research project that includes a grant proposal to fund a project for an existing literary arts organization, or a pedagogical study in the teaching of creative writing. Other research projects that concern the profession of writing may also be suggested for approval. The minimum paper length for any topic is 20 pages. Students continuing to ENG-642 also present and discuss possible topics for the Small Group Discussion, which takes place in the subsequent residency. During the independent study, students in every genre submit five packets to their mentors, at scheduled intervals, containing a cover letter and a specified amount of material that includes new and revised work. The mentor replies to each student's packet on an individual basis. Students submit midsession and end-of-session evaluations and an updated student curriculum vitae, which includes a bibliography of books and scripts read. Students continuing on to ENG-642 may serve as thesis readers but may participate in no more than two thesis discussions for ENG 643 students. Students taking this course to fulfill the requirements of the Graduate Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing must complete the long research project option to study the pedagogy of creative writing.