Classes

All freshmen Literary Arts majors take Creative Writing, a course that surveys Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction, and Drama. In this class, students learn the basics of each genre and build a community of writers by workshopping their writing.

Students produce the award-winning literary magazine, ASGARD, in addition to working on smaller publication projects. Students will have an opportunity to intern for Life in 10 Minutes Press. This class is available to all students, including freshmen.

Print and Online Publications: Yearbook teaches students the fundamentals of publication. Students design the yearbook themselves, take photographs, interview students, and write objective articles to help preserve the memories of the year. The class is open to all students, including freshmen.

In Thematic Studies, students read a variety of books with a focus on learning to improve their own craft and creativity through experiencing the work of professional writers.

After taking Creative Writing for Majors, Literary Arts students have the opportunity to specialize in different genres. In Poetry classes, students read a wide variety of poems and study the craft of poetry in-depth, working together to refine their work and build toward poetry collections.

Students in Fiction classes expand upon the fundamentals learned in Creative Writing for Majors, focusing on different elements of fiction. Upper level students often participate in selecting the VCU Cabell First Novelist Award winner and work with the Visual Arts department to present their novels with specially designed covers.

In conjunction with the Theatre Arts department, students write and direct One Act plays. This course is usually available to upperclass students only.

To culminate their writing careers at ARGS, seniors work on a self-designed writing project, compiling a portfolio of work and presenting their writing at a reading at the end of the year.