Please note:
To view the Fall 2024 Academic Calendar, go to www.sfu.ca/students/calendar/2024/fall.html.
Creative Writing Minor
Admission Requirements
Prior to formal program admission, students must complete one of
- ENGL 111W - Literary Classics in English (3)
- ENGL 112W - Literature Now (3)
- ENGL 113W - Literature and Performance (3)
- ENGL 114W - Language and Purpose (3)
- ENGL 115W - Literature and Culture (3)
- PUB 101 - Publication of Self in Everyday Life (3)
- WL 105W - World Literature Lab (3)
Program Requirements
Students successfully complete a minimum total of 24 units, including a minimum of 15 upper division units. These courses must include
An introduction to the art of reading for creative writers, focusing on the linguistic, literary, and conceptual tools writers use to manipulate language to create different experiences for those encountering it, and exposing new writers to innovative literature. Prerequisite: ENGL 111W, 112W, 113W, 114W, or 115W; or WL 105W; or PUB 101. Breadth-Humanities.
A seminar-workshop in the theory and practice of creative writing with specific emphasis on poetry. Prerequisite: 30 units; or two 200-division English courses; or formal declaration in the creative writing minor and ENGL 272.
A seminar-workshop in the theory and practice of creative writing with specific emphasis on prose fiction. Prerequisite: 30 units; or two 200-division English courses; or formal declaration in the creative writing minor and ENGL 272.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
E100 |
Clint Burnham |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, 4:30–8:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
An advanced seminar-workshop in the theory and practice of poetry or fiction. Genre varies from term to term. Prerequisite: ENGL 372 or 374. Students with credit for ENGL 472 prior to fall 2015 may not complete this course for further credit. Otherwise, course may be repeated for credit when the genre varies. Writing.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
E100 |
Cornel Bogle |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Thu, 4:30–8:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
and at least three of
This course introduces the methodologies of writing for the screen in various styles, including dramatic, documentary and experimental forms, with an emphasis on structure and the creative expression of visual ideas. Students will perform a variety of writing assignments and each will be expected to complete one or more short original scripts. Prerequisite: One of CA (or FPA) 136, 137 or 253 and prior approval. Students with credit for CA (or FPA) 332 or 238 for credit may not take this course for further credit. Students with credit for FPA 238W may not take this course for further credit. Writing.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Noe Rodriguez Hernandez |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
|
GOLDCORP |
Examines aspects of critical writing associated with the historical and contemporary arts and encourages students to participate as writers in the artistic and cultural debates of their day. Forms examined will include but not be limited to reviews, articles, descriptive synopses for exhibition and festival programs, curatorial essays, project proposals and artists' statements. Prerequisite: 60 units including at least six units in CA (or FPA) history/theory courses. Students with credit for CA (or FPA) 319 may not take this course for further credit. Students with credit for FPA 319W may not take this course for further credit. Writing.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
E100 |
Sessional |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Wed, 5:30–8:20 p.m.
|
Vancouver |
This course will present advanced theory and techniques for writing dramatic, experimental and documentary film and video scripts. Additional topics covered include script analysis, production breakdown, and the writing of treatments and proposals. Prerequisite: One of CA (or FPA) 238 or 353 or 457 and prior approval. Strongly recommended for all students developing projects for production in CA (or FPA) 430. Students with credit for FPA 338W may not take this course for further credit. Writing.
A study of different historical methods of measuring poetry in English, with practice in scanning and analyzing poems using different methods of quantitative analysis (e.g. Syllabic, rhythmic, alliterative). Prerequisite: 12 units or one 100-division English course. Students with credit for ENGL 212 may not take this course for further credit. Quantitative.
Study of the foundational literatures of the pre-modern era, with particular attention to their rich multilingualism and their cultural and geographic diversity. May be organized around specific literary figures, themes, or topics. Texts may be studied in the original language (including Middle English) or in translation. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 30 units or two 200-division English courses.
Study of poetry, prose, and multimedia from the Early Modern period (c. 1500 – 1700). Topics may include Renaissance humanism, responses to the Reformation, the rise of print culture, period-specific shapes of gender, individual author studies, and other key topics. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 30 units or two 200-division English courses.
Study of the dramatic works of William Shakespeare and other early modern English authors. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 30 units or two 200-division English courses.
The study of literature and culture between c. 1660 and 1830, Texts may be drawn from a variety of media, forms, and genres, and may address issues of gender, race, class, national identity, and more. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 30 units or two 200-division English courses.
Study of literature and culture during the long nineteenth century (c. 1780 – 1920). Selected content may include a variety of forms and genres and may consider different cultural and geographical contexts within local, national, colonial, imperial, global, transnational, and /or planetary frameworks. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 30 units or two 200-division English courses.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
OL01 |
Carolyn Lesjak |
Online |
Study of 20th- and 21st-century British literature, with particular attention to cultural and historical forces and to the interrelation between literary technique and social reality. May be organized around specific literary figures, literary or social movements, genre, or theme, as well as cultural and geographical context. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 30 units or two 200-division English courses.
Study of selected works of American literature. May survey a particular era or topic, may draw on transnational or hemispheric perspectives, and may be organized by any number of critical approaches including race, Indigeneity, sexuality, gender, historicism, class, or ecocriticism. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 30 units or two 200-division English courses.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, Thu, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
|
|
Study of selected works of Canadian literature, including Indigenous, diasporic, and settler texts. May draw from a variety of methods, critical debates, regions, and historical periods. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 30 units or two 200-division English courses.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
OL01 |
Clint Burnham |
Online |
Examines works of popular fiction by Indigenous authors, and their use of specific genres (e.g. the mystery novel, vampire thriller, sci fi, comic book). This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 30 units or two 200-division English courses. Students who have taken FNST 322 under this topic, or FNST 360 may not take this course for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Alexa Manuel |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, Thu, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Study of primarily 20th- and 21st-century literatures and cultures by diasporic or racialized authors, oftentimes highlighting longstanding legacies of migration, racialization, social justice, and aesthetic innovation. Focus may include Asian, Black, Caribbean, or South Asian literatures and expressive arts. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 30 units or two 200-division English courses. Students in the Global Asia Program Minor may enroll with permission of the instructor.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
E100 |
Cornel Bogle |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, 4:30–8:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Study of primarily 20th- and 21st-century literatures and cultures in a comparative transnational framework. Focus may be hemispheric American literatures, the literatures of ‘the global south’, historical colonial and/or contemporary postcolonial/decolonial literatures, global environmental literature, and contemporary avant garde poetry and poetics. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 30 units or two 200-division English courses.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Yiwen Liu |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, Thu, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Study of the relation of literature and media (manuscript, print, visual, aural, digital, and/or oral) within their cultural and/or performative contexts. May be further organized by methodology (e.g. book history, textual scholarship, media studies, adaptation studies, digital humanities), historical period, or genre. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 30 units or two 200-division English courses.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Michael Everton |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, Thu, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
A study of popular literature and its cultural contexts. May be defined by genre, author, period, or critical approach. Prerequisite: 30 units or two 200-division English courses. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught, though students who obtained credit for ENGL 363 prior to Summer 2015 may not take this course for further credit. Breadth-Humanities.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Paul Budra |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, Thu, 10:30 a.m.–12:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Explores influential works of literature with a particular emphasis on how they exist across temporal and/or spatial divides, how they alternately bridge and reinforce differences of time, culture, and place. May be repeated for credit once if different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 30 units or two 200-division English courses.
The study of selected works of children's literature from different periods and places. The works will be considered in relation to literary theory, and may be organized by different critical issues or approaches. Prerequisite: 30 units or two 200-division English courses. Students with credit for ENGL 367 may not take this course for further credit.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Nicky Didicher |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, Thu, 8:30–10:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
Advanced seminar on selected literary works as they intersect with and are shaped by issues of race. May be organized by theme, critical approach, historical period, or individual author. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 45 units or two 300-division English courses. Writing.
Advanced seminar on selected literary works as they intersect with and are shaped by environmental and ecological issues. May be organized by theme, critical approach, historical period, or individual author. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 45 units or two 300-division English courses. Writing.
Advanced seminar on selected literary works as they intersect with and are shaped by their historical, social, and cultural environments. May be organized by theme, critical approach, historical period, or individual author. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 45 units or two 300-division English courses. Writing.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
J.D. Fleming |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Mon, Wed, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Advanced seminar in the relation of literature and media (manuscript, print, visual, aural, electronic, and/or oral) within their cultural and/or performative contexts. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 45 units or two 300-division English courses. Writing.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Michael Everton |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, Thu, 2:30–4:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Advanced seminar on selected literary works as they intersect with and are shaped by issues of gender and/or sexuality. May be organized by theme, critical approach, historical period, or individual author. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 45 units or two 300-division English courses. Writing.
Advanced seminar on selected works by Indigenous writers. May be organized by author, genre, or critical approach. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 45 units or two 300-division English courses. Strongly recommended: At least one Indigenous studies course. Writing.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
D100 |
Deanna Reder |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Tue, Thu, 8:30–10:20 a.m.
|
Burnaby |
Advanced seminar in Canadian literature. May be organized by author, genre, or critical approach. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 45 units or two 300-division English courses. Writing.
Advanced seminar in British literature. May be organized by author, genre, period, or critical approach. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 45 units or two 300-division English courses. Writing.
Section | Instructor | Day/Time | Location |
---|---|---|---|
E100 |
Torsten Kehler |
Jan 6 – Apr 9, 2025: Mon, 4:30–8:20 p.m.
|
Burnaby |
Advanced seminar in American literature. May be organized by author, genre, period, or critical approach. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 45 units or two 300-division English courses. Writing.
Advanced seminar in literary works in English, mainly from regions other than Canada, Britain and the United States. The course may focus on one or several literatures or individual authors, and will be organized according to specific critical methodologies. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 45 units or two 300-division English courses. Writing.
Advanced seminar in the literatures of diaspora and migration. May be organized by author, genre, period, or critical approach. Course focuses on writing in English. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 45 units or two 300-division English courses. Writing.
Advanced seminar on selected works of North American poets and/or poetry theorists. May be organized by author, genre, or critical approach. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Prerequisite: 45 units or two 300-division English courses. Writing.
An analysis of the various facets of the book publishing industry in Canada including ownership patterns, legal foundations, criteria for book selection and marketing. Includes examination of both commercial and educational publishing. The industry will be analysed within the framework of Canadian cultural and other government policies affecting the industry. Prerequisite: 60 units. Students with credit for CMNS 371 may not take this course for further credit.
A creative writing workshop focusing on students' production of original works, translingual writing, and/or literary translation. This course may be repeated for credit when different topics are offered. Prerequisite: 45 units. Breadth-Humanities.
Upper division courses counted toward the creative writing minor may not also count toward the English major, any of the English joint majors, the English minor, or the extended minor.
Substitutions may be approved on a case-by-case basis by the student advisor or Undergraduate Chair. A cumulative grade point average of 2.0 is required in the courses used for the minor.
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Degree Requirements
For all bachelor of arts (BA) programs, students complete 120 units, which includes
- at least 60 units that must be completed at Simon Fraser University
- at least 45 upper division units, of which at least 30 upper division units must be completed at Simon Fraser University
- at least 60 units (including 21 upper division units) in Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences courses
- satisfaction of the writing, quantitative, and breadth requirements
- an overall cumulative grade point average (CGPA) and upper division overall CGPA of at least 2.0, and program CGPA and upper division program CGPA of at least 2.0 on the course work used to satisfy the minimum program requirements. FASS departments may define additional GPA requirements for their respective programs.
For students in other faculties, please check your faculty's overall degree requirements: https://www.sfu.ca/students/calendar/faculties-research.html
Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements
Students admitted to Simon Fraser University beginning in the fall 2006 term must meet writing, quantitative and breadth requirements as part of any degree program they may undertake. See Writing, Quantitative, and Breadth Requirements for university-wide information.
WQB Graduation Requirements
A grade of C- or better is required to earn W, Q or B credit
Requirement |
Units |
Notes | |
W - Writing |
6 |
Must include at least one upper division course, taken at Simon Fraser University within the student's major subject; two courses (minimum three units each) |
|
Q - Quantitative |
6 |
Q courses may be lower or upper division; two courses (total six units or more) | |
B - Breadth |
18 |
Designated Breadth |
Must be outside the student's major subject, and may be lower or upper division: Two courses (total six units or more) Social Sciences: B-Soc |
6 |
Additional Breadth |
Two courses (total six units or more) outside the student's major subject (may or may not be B-designated courses, and will likely help fulfil individual degree program requirements). Students choosing to complete a joint major, joint honours, double major, two extended minors, an extended minor and a minor, or two minors may satisfy the breadth requirements (designated or not designated) with courses completed in either one or both program areas. |