Creative Writing - Liberal Arts Diploma
Program Overview
Whether you are interested in taking individual courses or pursuing a creative writing diploma/degree, Selkirk College welcomes you. Join the program’s core faculty, as well as guest speakers and visiting writers who will take you on an exciting journey designed to immerse you in creative processes and help you find your voice.
What defines our creative writing program is a community of writers composed of small class sizes and intimate workshops. Gain confidence in communicating your ideas in a truly magical setting. Imagine sitting by the confluence of the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers to draft a poem, or walking along the Castlegar campus trails - a significant gathering place for Indigenous peoples - to conjure the final scene in your short story. In Nelson, classes are held at the Tenth Street campus, also home to Selkirk’s renowned Digital Arts and Music programs.
Situated in one of the most beautiful regions on earth, Selkirk College offers a safe, peaceful and vibrant sense of place for writers to explore their imaginations in fiction, non-fiction, poetry and drama. Our creative writing classes are fully transferable to universities across Canada.
Upon successful completion of an Associate of Arts or Liberal Arts Diploma program, learners will be able to:
- explain terms, concepts, and theories of the discipline(s).
- read, write, and communicate effectively and creatively across academic disciplines.
- ask informed questions to deepen the level of enquiry.
- use quantitative and qualitative evidence to support claims.
- research and analyze evidence from scholarly and professional publications.
- synthesize and summarize literature and data.
- demonstrate developing critical, creative thinking, and problem solving skills.
- use current and emerging technology.
- demonstrate collaborative skills in a multi-cultural environment.
- conduct themselves in a professional and ethical manner in an academic environment.
Admission Requirements
In addition to meeting the general admission requirements to Selkirk College, applicants to the University Arts and Sciences program must meet the following requirements to be considered fully qualified:
- Minimum grade of 60% in English 12 or English 12 First Peoples or equivalent. Students who do not meet this requirement must write the Language Proficiency Index (LPI) test and achieve a minimum of level 4 to attain equivalency.
- Students whose first language is not English must fulfill the College’s English language proficiency requirement. See Policy 8611: Admissions.
- Mature students must meet the English 12 requirement.
- If you are a student who lacks the admission requirements, you may still gain entry to the program by taking a combination of Academic upgrading and university courses in your first year. This may extend the length of your program.
To achieve a credential in this program you must complete all course requirements and achieve a cumulative GPA of 2.00.
Courses
CWRT100 - Introduction to Creative Writing I
CWRT 100 Introduction to Creative Writing I. This course offers an introduction to composition and experimentation in the genres of poetry and creative non-fiction. Students will develop a working knowledge of modern aesthetics in poetry and creative nonfiction, as well as an objective appreciation of their own "voice" in the context of those aesthetics.
ENGL110 - College Composition
ENGL 110: College Composition is about thinking and writing. You will learn how to develop and express informed opinions on issues that matter. You will also learn about research, editing, and expository and persuasive academic writing forms.
The following is a suggested selection of courses. Students are advised to meet with a Selkirk College counsellor to discuss course options.
Take three (3) general elective 100-level courses.
See the UAS table of available courses.
CWRT101 - Introduction to Creative Writing II
CWRT 101 Introduction to Creative Writing II. This course offers an introduction to composition and experimentation in the genres of fiction and drama. Students will develop a working knowledge of modern aesthetics in fiction and drama, as well as an objective appreciation of their own "voice" in the context of those aesthetics.
ENGL111 - Introduction To Literature
ENGL 111: Introduction to Literature is about living more intensely. Rather than providing answers, literature prompts us to ask better questions of ourselves and each other. Drama, poetry, short stories, and novels will guide us in discussion, reflection, and writing about literature.
The following is a suggested selection of courses. Students are advised to meet with a Selkirk College counsellor to discuss course options.
Take three (3) general elective 100-level courses.
See the UAS table of available courses.
CWRT200 - Manuscript Development I
CWRT 200 Manuscript Development I. The emphasis of this second year creative writing course will be on portfolio development and preparation of manuscripts for publication. Students will submit their own imaginative writing for workshop in any of the four genres – poetry, drama, fiction, or non-fiction. Students will also begin to develop professional practices through self-directed projects. Lectures will mirror the assigned readings and serve to initiate theoretical discussions on form, theory, and craft.
Note: Pre-requisites may be waived with the permission of the instructor.
ENGL200 - A Survey of English Literature I
ENGL 200: Survey of English Literature I: "In spring folk long to go on pilgrimage" so begins Geoffrey Chaucer�s 14th century masterpiece of the English tradition, The Canterbury Tales. In English 200, we will set out on a pilgrimage which honours the living beauty of the English language and its greatest writers such as Spenser, Shakespeare and Donne, ending in the 17th century with Milton.
Note: This pre-requisite(s) may be waived with the permission of the Instructor.
Plus one (1) additional 200 level English course.
The following is a suggested selection of courses. Students are advised to meet with a Selkirk College counsellor to discuss course options.
Take two (2) general elective 100- or 200-level courses.
See the UAS table of available courses.
CWRT201 - Manuscript Development II
CWRT 201 Manuscript Development II. The emphasis of this second year creative writing course will be on portfolio development and preparation of manuscripts for publication. Students will submit for workshop their own imaginative writing in any of the four genres being taught – poetry, drama, fiction, and non-fiction. Allowances for other genres will be made with the permission of the instructor. Lectures, both face to face and online, will mirror the assigned readings and serve to initiate theoretical discussions on form and theory, and principles and elements of craft.
ENGL201 - A Survey of English Literature II
ENGL 201 Survey of English Literature II. From the calm reason of the Enlightenment to the passion of the Romantics, we still live out the questions first asked by the brilliant writers of 18th and 19th Centuries. In the company of such authors as Pope, Swift, Wollstonecraft, Keats, Wordsworth, and Austen, we continue our pilgrimage into culture, belief, and literary achievement begun in the previous semester with English 200.
Plus one (1) additional 200 level English course.
The following is a suggested selection of courses. Students are advised to meet with a Selkirk College counsellor to discuss course options.
Take two (2) general elective 100- or 200-level courses.
See the UAS table of available courses.
Tuition & Fees
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