Writing and Publication Major

The Arts and Humanities Department offers a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major or minor in writing and publication. The major is designed to introduce students to the craft of creative and analytical writing, while preparing them for the professional world. Throughout the program, students will enhance their skills and develop a portfolio of work that demonstrates knowledge of traditional forms and a willingness to develop their own style and creativity. Editing courses will hone students’ language, analytical, interpersonal, and collaborative skills.

Students with a Writing and Publication major are poised to enter a professional marketplace which recognizes the value of their specialized skill set. In addition to preparing for roles in the publication process, such as editing or agenting, students can pursue opportunities as communications coordinators, public relations specialists, and corporate writers. In addition, students are required to have a minor or additional major. Pairing a Writing and Publication major with another major prepares students to work within specific fields, such as subject-area writing (e.g., public policy, nature writing, social justice writing, health and lifestyle writing) or technical writing. The Writing and Publication major also prepares interested students to begin graduate work in creative writing, library science, or related fields. Students pursuing a Writing and Publication major are required to complete an internship as part of their training.

Writing and Publication Learning Outcomes

With the completion of this degree program, the following learning outcomes can be expected:

• Assess and revise one’s own and others’ writing to strengthen ideas, form, and voice, as well as edit mechanics, punctuation, grammar, and syntax for correctness and style.
• Evaluate the political or historical implications of one’s own and others’ language choices.
• Create and exhibit original work in a variety of forms that synthesizes critical awareness of traditions, aesthetics, prosody, technical skills and literary craft, paying particular attention to audience and purpose.
• 4. Synthesize/ integrate information and knowledge of forms, including information from primary and secondary sources, into one’s own writing.
• Collaborate effectively with others to publish and promote work in various mediums.
• Interpret and analyze one’s own and others’ creative work, including close reading and analysis of texts in different genres.
• Model integrity in writing through attention to language, truthfulness in professional relationships, and ethical consideration of others’ stories, taking into account the stakeholders, the situation’s context, and potential impacts on others after the fact.