Undergraduate Frequently Asked Questions
The Eleanor M. Pratt Scholarship is given to a junior- or senior-level English major nominated by an English Department faculty member. Nominees submit 1-2 page statements for a competition, and the Undergraduate Committee for the Department of English selects one winner yearly based on these statements. We encourage juniors and seniors to ask one of their English professors to submit their name when the call goes out for nominations in January.
The Scholarship Endowment in Creative Writing is awarded to an outstanding applicant to the graduate program in creative writing, upon his or her acceptance to the creative writing program. A student’s application to the graduate program in creative writing serves automatically as an application for this scholarship.
The Virginia Spencer Carr Scholarship is awarded to an outstanding prose writer on her acceptance to graduate study in our creative writing program. A student’s application to the graduate program in creative writing serves automatically as an application for this scholarship.
2) Select Schedule of Classes from the right-hand column;
3) Select the appropriate term and year;
4) Select English for Subject, and leave the other windows as they are; submit;
5) Scroll down to the 1000-4000 level classes. These are the undergraduate classes.
To request an ENGL 4999 course, first find a professor who agrees to work with you on an independent project. Together, the two of you will fill out the form found at this link: http://www.cas.gsu.edu/docs/oaa/4999_form.pdf. Be sure that the final section includes a breakdown by percentage to designate how much each assignment will figure into the final grade (for example, a final paper might comprise 50% of the final grade). Once you have completed the form and signed it, bring it to the English Department main office (923 Langdale Hall), and ask someone at the front desk to leave it in Heather Russel’s mailbox. If you and the professor have a syllabus for the proposed course, you can leave that for Heather as well. She will submit your proposal to the Chair and to the Dean, and she’ll be in touch with their responses.
PLEASE NOTE: the notice on a student’s academic evaluation in GoSOLAR won't change once the portfolio has been scored. The evaluation form simply states that a portfolio is required for graduation; it isn't sensitive enough to know whether someone has actually fulfilled that requirement. If you want to double-check on the status of your portfolio, you can ask Heather Russel at heather@gsu.edu.
Here are some of the most useful pieces of information for undergraduates:
Please note that the creative writing faculty does not allow overflows into filled classes.
If you are interested in Creative Writing/Poetry as your concentration for the English major, please note the following required courses. It is recommended you take them in sequence. You must earn a grade of C or better in each. Note the prerequisites for each class.
- Engl 3150A Introduction to Poetry Writing (prerequisite: Engl 2120 or Engl 2130)
- Engl 3170 Poetic Techniques (prerequisite: Engl 3150A)
- Engl 3180A Contemporary Poetry (prerequisite: Engl 2120 or Engl 2130)
- Engl 4310A Senior Seminar: Workshop in Poetry (prerequisite: Engl 3150A and Engl 3170)
If you are interested in Creative Writing/Fiction as your concentration for the English major, please note the following required courses, which you must take in sequence, earning a grade of C or better in each. Note also the prerequisites for each class.
- Engl 3150B: Introduction to Creative Writing (prerequisite: Engl 2120 or Engl 2130)
- Engl 3160: Narrative Techniques (prerequisite: Engl 3150B)
- Engl 3180B: Contemporary Fiction Craft (prerequisite: Engl 3150B)
- Engl 4310B: Senior Seminar: Workshop in Fiction (prerequisite: Engl 3150B and Engl 3160 and Engl 3180B)
In special cases, the Department of English may allow you to take simultaneously Engl 3180B: Contemporary Fiction Craft and Engl 4310B: Senior Seminar (if there are seats open in both classes), but you will have to get permission to do so.
Contact Heather Russel, Assistant to the Director of Creative Writing, at heather@gsu.edu for more information.
If you are a senior or a second-semester junior, it will be difficult (and perhaps impossible) to complete the fiction or poetry writing course sequence by your anticipated graduation date. Please note that the Literary Studies concentration allows more scheduling flexibility than the Creative Writing concentration. Remember that students can write creatively even when they are not in a creative writing class, and a student pursuing the Literary Studies concentration is welcome to enroll in as many creative writing classes as he or she wishes (as long as the student meets the prerequisites, and the classes have available seats). A student considering graduate study in writing might like to know that very, very few Georgia State graduate students have undergraduate degrees with concentrations in creative writing; in fact, some do not have undergraduate degrees in English.
If you have further questions about the English major and any of the concentrations offered by the Department, you can make an appointment with a Department of English adviser at 404-413-5800.
