BA in Liberal Studies, Creative Writing

Develop your craft in an engaged community of writers.

Our creative writing program focuses not just on the mastery of creative writing, but on critical reading and thinking skills that foster a more exemplary understanding of language. Pairing this skill-based education with social justice and community engagement training produces a well-rounded degree that prepares adult learners for a meaningful, rewarding, and creative career. Expand your skills in written and verbal communications, broaden your understanding of social and ethical issues, and solve the problems that leaders in your profession encounter every day. Our Creative Writing concentration encourages students to explore literary expression in order to achieve greater proficiency in their own craft. AULA’s Creative Writing concentration is distinguished by its emphasis on the ethical import of language and story, attention to the socio-political context within which work is produced, and the role of the writer in society. Creative Writing is offered as a major or minor area of concentration of the BA in Liberal Studies degree at AU Los Angeles.

Program Overview

Students in our Creative Writing Concentration develop their craft in multiple genres, including fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and screenwriting. Through interdisciplinary study of literature, students make connections between their own writing and diverse literary traditions and social contexts. Students can earn credit for prior writing experience, as editors of the BA Program’s online Literary Journal Two Hawks Quarterly, and as writing mentors with AULA community partners such as WriteGirl, POPS the Club, and 826LA. Our faculty of accomplished writers give students close attention, preparing them for future publication, graduate study in Creative Writing, and/or assimilation of their writing into other disciplines and careers. In the final quarter of their undergraduate degree, qualified students may apply to Fast Track into Antioch’s renowned low-residency Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, potentially saving significant time and tuition expenses. https://youtu.be/EoqKkYAPnac

Concentration Requirements

In addition to the general degree requirements outlined on the BA in Liberal Studies page, students must successfully complete a minimum of 20 units (Minor) or 40 units (Major) for the Creative Writing Concentration. These units can be transferred or earned at Antioch. A minimum of 30 semester or 45 quarter credits must be completed with Antioch University. If the student has not fulfilled these unit requirements, the Area of Concentration will be designated as Liberal Studies.

Courses

The core curriculum serves as a guide to students in the concentration for establishing a strong foundation in the history, theory, and practice of creative writing. The faculty strongly recommends that Creative Writing students take as many of the core courses as possible during their enrollment.

Core Courses

• The Art of Fiction
• The Art of Poetry
• Journeys in Creative Nonfiction
• Advanced Multi-Genre Workshop in Creative Writing
• Issues in Contemporary Literature
• The Art of Screenwriting
• Literary Communities of Los Angeles
• Two Hawks Quarterly Internship

Electives

• Psychology of Women through Literature and Film
• From Book to Screen: Strategies for Moving from Written to Visual Texts
• Writing Memoirs: Turning Towards Home
• Works in Progress: Poetry Discussion Group
• Writing as Seeing: Understanding the Poetic Self
• Addiction in Literature and Film
• Poetry and Memory
• Blackness and Identity in Nonfiction

For detailed curriculum and degree requirements, please visit the AULA catalog.

Undergraduate New Student Orientation

New Student Orientation is scheduled every term. It’s a chance for students to visit the campus, meet faculty, register for classes, and get started on their educational journey. Upon acceptance into the program, students receive specific information for the New Student Orientation designed for them.  To RSVP for an orientation, admitted students should email: [email protected] or call 310-578-1080 ext. 3210.