Naropa.edu › Course Catalog › Transpersonal Psychology › MFA in Writing & Poetics › MFA in Writing & Poetics Requirements

MFA in Writing & Poetics Requirements

The Master of Fine Arts in Writing & Poetics requires a total of 49 credit hours distributed among the following courses:

Summer Writing Program: 16 credits

WRI651–654 Summer Writing Program I (8)

WRI751–754 Summer Writing Program II (8)

SUBTOTAL 16

Writing Workshops: 9 credits

Semester-long courses in creative writing workshops require regular submission of original work for critique, oral presentation, and editing. Creative reading and writing courses have distinct literature and creative writing components.

WRI614 Creative Reading and Writing: Memoir/Anti-Memoir (3)
WRI618 Practice of Poetry: Migrant Metaphors (3)
WRI620 Practice of Poetry: Composition and Critique (3)
WRI623 Creative Reading and Writing: Writing with Shakespeare (3)
WRI625/625e Creative Reading and Writing: Dramatic Measures (3)
WRI629 Practice of Translation (3)
WRI660A Practice of Poetry: Nature Poetry for the 21st Century (3)
WRI660B Practice of Poetry: The Prose Poem (3)
WRI664 Practice of Poetry: The Poetic Journal (3)
WRI670 Practice of Poetry: Word for Word, Line by Line (3)
WRI671 Practice of Fiction: Building Blocks (3)
WRI673 Creative Reading and Writing: Food as Metaphor (3)
WRI675 Creative Reading and Writing: Memory and Matter (3)
WRI710 Practice of Poetry: Your Works (3)
WRI715 Practice of Poetry: Poetry Workshop (3)
WRI720 Practice of Prose: Experimental Prose (3)
WRI723 Practice of Prose: Creative Nonfiction (3)
WRI725 The Art of the Essay (3)
WRI731 Creative Reading and Writing: Sequences (3)
WRI739 Contemplative Poetics (3)
WRI756 Mind Moving (3)
WRI758       Practice of Poetry: Investigative Poetics (3)
WRI762 Creative Reading and Writing: Literatures of Exile and Diaspora (3)
WRI763 Creative Reading and Writing: Notes on Architecture (3)
WRI770 Practice of Poetry: Hybrid Forms (3)
WRI771 Practice of Fiction: Postmodern Prose (3)
WRI773 Creative Reading and Writing: Cross-Cultural Writing Practices (3)
WRI793       Special Topics in Writing and Poetics

SUBTOTAL 9

Literature Courses: 9 credits

These examine a single writer’s work, specific topics in literary history, or encompass a survey of historical or theoretical orientations, and require critical papers in standard academic format.

WRI614 Creative Reading and Writing: Memoir/Anti-Memoir (3)
WRI623 Creative Reading and Writing: Writing with Shakespeare (3)
WRI625/625e Creative Reading and Writing: Dramatic Measures (3)
WRI629 Practice of Translation (3)
WRI633 Literature Seminar: Tracks Along the Left Coast (3)
WRI640 Literature Seminar: Women Writers, Open Texts (3)
WRI647 Literature Seminar: Kerouac’s Road (3)
WRI649 Literature Seminar: Classic Modernism (3)
WRI650 Literature Seminar: Midnight Angels (3)
WRI656 Literature Seminar: Points of Departure (3)
WRI662 Creative Reading and Writing: Happy Days (3)
WRI675 Creative Reading and Writing: Memory and Matter (3)
WRI677/677e Trends in Contemporary Literature: Introduction to Critical Theory (3)
WRI718 Literature Seminar: The Cantos of Ezra pound (3)
WRI722 Eco-Lit (3)
WRI725 The Art of the Essay (3)
WRI731 Creative Reading and Writing: Sequences (3)
WRI736/736e Trends in Contemporary Literature: Introduction to Feminist Theory (3)
WRI739 Contemplative Poetics (3)
WRI750 Literature Seminar: Radical Prosody (3)
WRI756 Mind Moving (3)
WRI762 Creative Reading and Writing: Literatures of Exile and Diaspora (3)
WRI763 Creative Reading and Writing: Notes on Architecture (3)
WRI764 Creative Reading and Writing: Bad Business: Noir n Nasty (3)
WRI768 Literature Seminar: William Blake (3)
WRI773 Creative Reading and Writing: Cross-Cultural Writing Practices (3)
WRI793       Special Topics in Writing and Poetics

SUBTOTAL 9

Electives: 6 credits

Students have ample choice to fulfill the 6-credit elective requirement and may choose courses from a wide range of offerings. The Writing & Poetics Department offers the following electives:

WRI602 Letterpress Printing: The Well Dressed Word (3)
WRI608W Writer’s Practicum: Designing a Writing Workshop (2)
WRI612W Poetry Practicum (1)
WRI643W Poetry Practicum (1)
WRI700 Writing Pedagogy Seminar: Composition and Writing Center Theory (3)
WRI702W Poetry Practicum: Small Press (1)
WRI745W Poetry Practicum: Haiku, Linked Verse and the Bioregion (1)
WRI746W Prose Practicum (1)
WRI747W Writer’s Practicum (1)
WRI781 Project Outreach (2-3)

SUBTOTAL 6

Contemplative Requirement: 3 credits

There are a variety of courses available that satisfy this requirement, including, but not limited to, t’ai-chi ch’uan, sitting meditation, aikido, ikebana, sumi brushstroke, thangka painting, and yoga. Each of these disciplines provides training in an art form that cultivates mindful awareness.

The Writing & Poetics Department offers the following 3-credit contemplative courses:

WRI739 Contemplative Poetics (3)
WRI756 Mind Moving (3)

SUBTOTAL 3

Final Manuscript: 6 credits

In their last semester, MFA students submit a final manuscript, consisting of a creative manuscript fulfilling the minimum page requirements for the concentration in which the student is registered, and a critical thesis. Additional information about the final manuscript and extended manuscript is available in the Writing & Poetics office.

WRI880 Final Manuscript (6)

WRI881 Extended Manuscript (0.5)

SUBTOTAL 6

TOTAL CREDITS 49

MFA in Writing & Poetics

Browse Courses by