Creative Writing Courses
CRWT 1170. Creative Writing Foundations. (4 Hours)
Introduces the foundations of creative writing through engagement with various forms of fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Designed to train students to read as writers, identify and experiment with craft elements, and produce their own writing in multiple genres. Historicizes the contemporary field in relationship to literary tradition and theory. Introduces the workshop model with a focus on written feedback, discussion, and self-reflection.
Attribute(s): NUpath Creative Express/Innov, NUpath Interpreting Culture
CRWT 1801. Writing Creatively in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. (4 Hours)
Engages students in the practice of creative writing with state-of-the-art writing tools, collaborative platforms, and frontier technologies such as artificial intelligence. Examines a wide range of works of literature, both those written with machines and those written about machines. Focuses on student writing in diverse genres. Examines how machine-produced writing is reshaping understandings of creativity, authorship, and copyright.
Attribute(s): NUpath Creative Express/Innov
CRWT 1850. Creative Writing, Identity, and Representation. (4 Hours)
Introduces students to the craft of writing personal narratives in diverse genres. Analyzes narratives that address themes of personal history, identity, and memory to identify storytelling techniques and representational strategies. Deploys these texts as models as students produce original pieces of creative writing that express their own complex identities. Investigates how personal narratives are published, marketed, and received.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGL 1111 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1102 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or WRIT 201M (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C
Attribute(s): NUpath Creative Express/Innov
CRWT 1990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)
Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions.
CRWT 2200. Creative Writing for Social Impact. (4 Hours)
Examines and practices the craft of creative writing as a tool to reflect social realities, destabilize assumptions, and effect social change. Introduces and builds upon texts that challenge convention; amplify marginalized voices; and address themes of equity, advocacy, and justice. Offers students an opportunity to craft original pieces using traditional, hybrid, and experimental forms.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGL 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 with a minimum grade of C or WRIT 201M with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 with a minimum grade of C
Attribute(s): NUpath Creative Express/Innov
CRWT 2350. Creative Writing and the Environmental Imagination. (4 Hours)
Offers the developing writer instruction in creative writing focused on climate and the environment. Analyzes literary models in multiple genres, situating examples within theoretical discussions of utopian and dystopian narratives, ethical dilemmas, and the relationship between imaginary and real-world futures. Offers students the opportunity to produce and workshop their own creative writing drafts along with a sustained project in one creative writing genre about an environmental issue of their choice.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGL 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 with a minimum grade of C or WRIT 201M with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 with a minimum grade of C
Attribute(s): NUpath Creative Express/Innov, NUpath Ethical Reasoning
CRWT 2375. Bay Area Stories. (4 Hours)
Explores the rich cultural histories of the Bay Area through the lens of creative writing. Analyzes literary forms and techniques in classic and contemporary works that illuminate themes of place, community, and personal and cultural histories. Explores and practices techniques and craft devices such as narrative, place as character, the epistolary form, ekphrastic poetry, the instructive language of recipes, and revision as a generative process. Engages with the diverse and dynamic arts, cultural offerings, and communities of the Bay Area as students apply these experiences to the creation of their own place-based literary works. Utilizes the workshop model to encourage experimentation and build skills in critique and revision.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C- or ENGL 1111 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C- or ENGW 1102 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C- or ENGW 1111 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C- or WRIT 201M (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C- or ENGW 1113 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C- or ENGW 1114 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C-
Attribute(s): NUpath Creative Express/Innov
CRWT 2450. Sports Stories: Creative Writing and the Athletic Experience. (4 Hours)
Explores the intersection of sports and storytelling through the lens of creative writing. Analyzes literary technique in classic and contemporary examples of sports literature emphasizing themes of competition, teamwork, challenge, defeat, and triumph. Practices techniques and craft devices such as narrative, character, and voice as students produce their own narratives set in athletic worlds. Also explores the complex representational politics of sport and engages students in the crafting of literary work that thoughtfully addresses these issues. Utilizes the workshop model to encourage experimentation and build skills in critique and revision.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGL 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 with a minimum grade of C or WRIT 201M with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 with a minimum grade of C
Attribute(s): NUpath Creative Express/Innov
CRWT 2475. Ghosts in the Machine: Writing the Supernatural. (4 Hours)
Explores the intersection of supernatural narratives and technology through creative writing practice. Analyzes classic and contemporary ghost stories, horror fiction, and paranormal narratives to investigate craft elements including atmosphere, unreliable narration, and temporal disruption. Uses contemporary theoretical frameworks to examine how supernatural stories reflect cultural anxieties about technology, identity, and community. Emphasizes the production of original creative writing that thoughtfully integrates traditional supernatural elements with contemporary digital landscapes. Utilizes workshop methodology to develop skills in peer feedback and revision.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGL 1111 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1102 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or WRIT 201M (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C
Attribute(s): NUpath Creative Express/Innov, NUpath Interpreting Culture
CRWT 2700. Creative Writing. (4 Hours)
Gives the developing writer an opportunity to practice writing various forms of both poetry and prose. Features in-class discussion of student work.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGL 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 with a minimum grade of C or WRIT 201M with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 with a minimum grade of C
Attribute(s): NUpath Creative Express/Innov
CRWT 2973. Topics in Creative Writing. (4 Hours)
Offers instruction on a selected topic related to creative writing. May be repeated twice for a maximum of 12 semester hours.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGL 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 with a minimum grade of C or WRIT 201M with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 with a minimum grade of C
CRWT 2990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)
Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions.
CRWT 3120. Creative Writing for Interactive Spaces. (4 Hours)
Engages students in writing creatively for interactive media, virtual reality, and augmented reality. Analyzes how digital technologies transform traditional narrative structures and author-reader relationships. Emphasizes theoretical foundations, practical skills, and critical evaluation of interactive storytelling's cultural impact.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGL 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 with a minimum grade of C or WRIT 201M with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 with a minimum grade of C
CRWT 3325. Flash Fiction. (4 Hours)
Offers focused instruction in the writing of flash fiction, a genre of the short story that delivers a complete and well-developed narrative in approximately one thousand words or less. Analyzes literary techniques in classic and contemporary examples of flash fiction, preparing students to produce their own creative pieces. Practices techniques and craft devices such as narrative structure, characterization, point of view, and voice, with emphasis on concision. Utilizes the workshop model to encourage experimentation and to build skills in critique and revision. Discusses opportunities for publication and strategies for submitting flash fiction to traditional and alternative literary venues.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGL 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 with a minimum grade of C or WRIT 201M with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 with a minimum grade of C
Attribute(s): NUpath Creative Express/Innov
CRWT 3376. Creative Nonfiction. (4 Hours)
Explores how writers apply narrative strategies and techniques to factual material. Offers students an opportunity to read and write a variety of nonfiction forms (e.g., narrative essays and narrative journalism, travel and science writing, memoir, editorials, protest and political essays), as well as cross-genre and hybrid forms (e.g., nonfiction prose mixed with poetry, audio and graphic nonfiction). The topics for narrative nonfiction writing apply to a wide array of disciplines, including the humanities, the sciences, and journalism.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGL 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 with a minimum grade of C or WRIT 201M with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 with a minimum grade of C
Attribute(s): NUpath Creative Express/Innov, NUpath Writing Intensive
CRWT 3377. Poetry Workshop. (4 Hours)
Offers an advanced workshop in writing and reading original poetry. Offers students an opportunity to experiment in established poetic forms. Features in-class discussion of student work.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGL 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 with a minimum grade of C or WRIT 201M with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 with a minimum grade of C
Attribute(s): NUpath Creative Express/Innov
CRWT 3378. Fiction Workshop. (4 Hours)
Offers an advanced workshop in writing and reading original fiction. Features in-class discussion of student work.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGL 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 with a minimum grade of C or WRIT 201M with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 with a minimum grade of C
Attribute(s): NUpath Creative Express/Innov
CRWT 3400. Writing Popular Fiction. (4 Hours)
Offers instruction in the craft and technique of writing genres of fiction that have broad popular and commercial appeal including mystery, suspense, thriller, science fiction, horror, paranormal, historical, romance, and writing for middle grade and young adult audiences. Discusses genre histories, trends, conventions, and techniques, and practices outlining and writing fiction in multiple genres and subgenres. Examines issues in the publishing industry and opportunities for writers interested in publishing their own genre fiction in today’s market.
Prerequisite(s): ENGL 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGL 1111 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1102 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1111 with a minimum grade of C or WRIT 201M with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1113 with a minimum grade of C or ENGW 1114 with a minimum grade of C
Attribute(s): NUpath Creative Express/Innov
CRWT 3990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)
Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions.
CRWT 4100. Advanced Workshop in Creative Writing. (4 Hours)
Offers an advanced workshop in creative writing focused on the development of a sustained body of work in poetry, fiction,creative nonfiction, or hybrid or experimental forms. Emphasizes genre-specific craft, revision, and project design. Situates student writing within broader literary traditions and contemporary conversations, while encouraging engagement with forms and strategies drawn from outside a primary genre. Builds on prior workshop experience with a focus on extended critique, self-directed writing, and the production of a final portfolio. May be repeated once.
Prerequisite(s): (CRWT 1170 with a minimum grade of C or CRWT 2700 with a minimum grade of C ); (CRWT 3376 with a minimum grade of C or CRWT 3377 with a minimum grade of C or CRWT 3378 with a minimum grade of C )
CRWT 4990. Elective. (1-4 Hours)
Offers elective credit for courses taken at other academic institutions.
Interdisciplinary Studies - Mills College at Northeastern
INMI 1051. Introduction to Ethnic Studies. (4 Hours)
Introduces students to the field of Ethnic Studies for students interested in learning about race, racial inequality, and social justice. Provides students with the theoretical and analytical tools to understand, deconstruct, and apply theories of race and ethnicity. Deeply reviews the historical context in which Ethnic Studies emerged as an academic discipline. In examining the major theories and concerns of Ethnic Studies and in particular the origins of racism and the relationship between academic learning and community activism, students are offered the opportunity to investigate the intersections of race, class, gender, and other axes of difference in shaping identities and political/structural conflict.
Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Societies/Institutions
INMI 1200. Introduction to Global Urban Studies. (4 Hours)
Introduces the social, cultural, economic, and political forces that shape urban environments. Explores how deindustrialization, privatization, urban planning, and globalization have influenced the economic, social, cultural, and political development of cities in the United States and globally. Analyzes urbanization in light of critical issues such as race, urban decline, globalization, and immigration. Addresses contemporary debates on gentrification, sustainability, environmental policy, and the role of data in shaping "smart cities.”.
Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Societies/Institutions
INMI 1802. Gentrification and Strategies of Community Preservation. (4 Hours)
Delves into effective strategies employed by communities and city planners to mitigate the adverse impacts of gentrification. Explores the root causes and repercussions of gentrification, along with community-driven solutions and policy interventions. Focuses on the city of Oakland, emphasizing the intersection of race and the contentious relationship between gentrification and displacement. Addresses various forms of stratification associated with gentrification including class inequality, escalating housing costs, homelessness, and their interconnectedness with market forces and urban planning. Scrutinizes Oakland's decline and redevelopment within a broader structural context, contextualizing its gentrification process in relation to analogous trends observed in numerous cities across the United States and globally. Accentuates entrepreneurial approaches to addressing these issues.
Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Societies/Institutions
INMI 1803. Technologies of Race and Gender. (4 Hours)
Presents an interdisciplinary U.S.-based study of technologies that develop and function, over time, to create, maintain, and enforce ideas about race and gender. Explores an understanding of these mutually informed systems of knowledge as technologies with both positive and harmful ideological and material effects. Topics include shifts in scientific and medical thinking, the rise in social scientific thought, trends in popular cultural representations, modes of state surveillance, and the contemporary rise of data science. Examines complex consequences of these technologies alongside critical responses, and resistance to, these forms of power. Builds on large-scale and national historical overview to consider case studies drawn from Bay Area political, social, and cultural histories. Culminates with group projects focused on complex, present-day intersections of race, gender, and technology.
INMI 1877. Race, Public Health, and Storytelling. (4 Hours)
Explores the interrelated topics of race, policy, and storytelling in public health contexts. Investigates how narratives inform policymaking, racial implications within social problem conditions, and draws connections to public policy outcomes. Examines the role of storytelling for analyzing and presenting these topics. Offers students an opportunity to explore and generate diverse and creative policy solutions through their deep reflection and analysis of race relations and conditions, health policymaking, and storytelling practices.
Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Societies/Institutions
INMI 2126. Theories of Race and Ethnicity. (4 Hours)
Exposes students to the cutting edge of critical thinking around issues of race and ethnicity. Examines how to unpack “commonsense” ideas about race and inequality. Uses theory as a tool to offer students an opportunity to develop critical thinking, a new vocabulary, and a framework for understanding the history and contemporary impact of race within the United States and in a global context. Analyzes how race has been theorized by a range of thinkers, and explores new knowledge about the interactions between race, ethnicity, immigration, gender, class, and sexuality. As a final project, students articulate their own intellectual and activist calling and consider how theory can inform their academic, political, and personal futures.
Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Societies/Institutions
INMI 2183. Interdisciplinary Special Topics: Pop-up Course. (1 Hour)
Addresses timely trends, issues, and events as they unfold. Offers students an opportunity to learn about and respond to issues of the day in an immersive, interdisciplinary, short-course format. Content and instructors vary by offering. May be repeated twice.
INMI 2220. Women, Gender, and Cultural Production in the Global South. (4 Hours)
Explores the intersections of race, class, gender, sexuality, power, and resistance. Critically engages students with cultural productions in the Global South. Studies the intellectual and social roots of cultural systems and the relationship between culture, gender, identity, and social change. Examines how various cultural mediums reject and resist identity, social change, and structural injustices. Analyzes transnational cultural dynamics by emphasizing the role of gender and sexuality in shaping cultural narratives and their societal impacts. Major topics include hijra activism and transgender identity, Dalit testimonials, antiwar documentary filmmaking, indigenous history, docudrama, grassroots organization, and decolonial artistic resistance.
Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Interpreting Culture
INMI 2300. Systematic Botany. (4 Hours)
Introduces the evolutionary history and diversity of plants, including phylogenetics, classification, taxonomy, nomenclature, biogeography and evolutionary processes (speciation and convergence) as they relate to angiosperms (flowering plants), gymnosperms (cone-bearing plants), seedless vascular plants (ferns), and nonvascular plants (mosses, liverworts, hornworts). Practices the use of the tools of systematics (including the use of dichotomous keys) and interpretation of phylogenetic trees.
Prerequisite(s): BIOL 1107 with a minimum grade of D- or BIOL 1111 with a minimum grade of D- or BIOL 1113 with a minimum grade of D- or EEMB 1101 with a minimum grade of D- or EEMB 1105 with a minimum grade of D- or EEMB 2302 with a minimum grade of D- or EEMB 2400 with a minimum grade of D-
Corequisite(s): INMI 2301
Attribute(s): NUpath Natural/Designed World
INMI 2301. Lab for INMI 2300. (1 Hour)
Accompanies INMI 2300. Focuses on application and practice of ideas presented in lecture as students practice and develop the skills of systematics, master the vocabulary of botany, and analyze data and draw appropriate, evidence-based conclusions from the published literature.
Corequisite(s): INMI 2300
INMI 2321. Research Methods in Sociology. (4 Hours)
Introduces students to the range of research methods used by sociologists. Covers experimental research, field research, survey research, and historical-comparative research. Discusses sampling, the rules of evidence in empirical research, research ethics, and the place of values.
Prerequisite(s): SOCL 1101 with a minimum grade of D- or PHR 101M with a minimum grade of D-
Attribute(s): NUpath Analyzing/Using Data
INMI 2500. California in Global Economy: Business, Policy, and Beyond. (4 Hours)
Examines the key sectors of California’s economy and discusses their positionality within the global landscape. Presents conceptual foundations and frameworks drawing on strategic management, disruptive innovation, and political economy literatures. Provides students with in-depth sectoral knowledge and exposure to innovation diffusion trends relevant to California’s economy and the world. Offers students an opportunity to learn about business and industry clusters specific to California and to develop an understanding of how California fits into and affects the world economy. Emphasizes the interactions of workforce diversity, radical innovation, and human resource management. Also discusses concepts relating to global talent flows, platform economies, network economies, and go-to-market strategies.
Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Societies/Institutions
INMI 2700. Transformative Justice Through Computing Technology. (4 Hours)
Explores social impact through the intersection of transformative justice and computer science. Examines how technology can be leveraged to confront issues related to justice, community empowerment, and social transformation. Actively engages students in applying transformative justice approaches to addressing institutionalized disparities suffered by previously incarcerated women and nonbinary individuals of color. Provides hands-on support through development and deployment of technology-based solutions such as extended reality to aid these individuals in successfully acclimating to life outside of prison and gaining equitable access to technology learning.
Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity
INMI 2710. Social Impact Consulting and Artificial Intelligence. (4 Hours)
Engages student teams in actively crafting innovative solutions to critical social challenges. Students work directly with mission-driven entities to provide analyses, recommendations, strategies, and assessments critical to growth, viability, and impact. Emphasizes the equitable, responsible, and effective application of artificial intelligence tools and other frontier technologies to enhance problem-solving approaches and drive data-informed decision making. Offers students an opportunity to gain a richer perspective on catalyzing social impact; develop skills in communication across social, cultural, and disciplinary boundaries; and apply sound leadership and decision-making principles within diverse environments. Provides hands-on support to entrepreneurs, initiatives, and organizations in local communities and beyond.
Attribute(s): NUpath Difference/Diversity, NUpath Integration Experience
INMI 3189. Research Methods in Communities of Color. (4 Hours)
Aims to equip students with the skills for social research in intersectional issues of race and ethnicity. Examines how to carry out research with communities, engage with ethical considerations, and interrogate the historical and contemporary impact of research on communities of color. Familiarizes students with methodologies developed by oppressed communities that challenge the racialized and gendered inequalities underlying the production and dissemination of knowledge. Enables students to draw on insights from Ethnic Studies, Critical Health Studies, Disability Studies, and Women’s Studies to examine the intersections between race, nation, gender, sexuality and (dis)ability. Teaches students how to utilize interviews, focus groups, participant observation, and arts-based methods in the context of community-based, anti-oppressive research. Offers students the opportunity to design a senior thesis research project.
Attribute(s): NUpath Analyzing/Using Data
INMI 3650. Plant Ecology. (4 Hours)
Explores plant form and function, diversity and distribution, abundance and population dynamics, and interactions with individuals of the same or different species, as well their role in ecosystem processes. Views material through an evolutionary lens and at multiple levels of biological organization.
Prerequisite(s): EEMB 1101 with a minimum grade of C- or EEMB 2302 with a minimum grade of C- or EEMB 2400 (may be taken concurrently) with a minimum grade of C- or ENVR 1101 with a minimum grade of C- or ENVM 115M with a minimum grade of C-
Corequisite(s): INMI 3651
Attribute(s): NUpath Natural/Designed World