I agree with Eric M. that we should be thinking about what students need to be successful (whatever we think that means). Most of the time our department is talking about itself and all its various interests and not about what's good for students.

At the same time, I also agree that we should talk wish-lists and crazy ideas. Maybe there's overlap between what we want and what's good for students.

Recently, I spoke with one of our colleagues in PW who expressed surprise that more Creative Writing majors aren't defecting to PW, presumably because they can take all the creative writing courses they want, but they'll get a "useful" degree. We've never had to worry about recruiting before, and I don't know that we need to get paranoid about it now, but we might want to think about making the creative writing major more like a creative writing major--not pandering to students desires, but expanding and strengthening what we've already got. I'm not exactly sure what that would mean, but I do like some of these ideas for new courses and avenues of exploration--it's just a matter of staffing and redesigning the major. 

--M


Margaret Luongo
Associate Professor, Creative Writing
Department of English
356 Bachelor Hall
Oxford, OH 45056
513-529-5221
________________________________________
From: Miami University Creative Writing Faculty [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Melbye, Eric Dr. [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, February 01, 2012 12:50 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: a few thoughts into our runaway pot

cris and Everyone,

As always, I feel my lack of context re: ongoing CW discussions at Oxford makes any comments of mine uninformed, but that’s mainly due to incompatible schedules. I’m not in Oxford regularly, and CW Dept meetings typically fall on my heavy-teaching days. No fault no foul, it is what it is. With that caveat, and the fact that I’ll have to miss the Runaway Bender, here are my own rambling responses to cris’ message:

I too would encourage long-range thinking. What does the CW envision for itself in five, ten, fifteen years? Not only should that include thinking about what the program-as-is might be able to do/be in the near future considering impending faculty retirements, but also, what grand and improbable ideas do we have that we can throw against the wall and see what sticks for further discussion? If the retreat’s purpose is to revision, why not throw absolutely everything out there for discussion? Of course, short-term planning is essential too, and that’s where my relative lack of context limits me. But in addition to thinking about new course offerings (short-form related courses, for example), I’d propose discussing what our CW Dept ought to be/do for students in the 21st century. Is MU’s CW Dept going to be geared toward developing talented writers? Talented teacher-writers? Talented editors, publishers, etc., for the CW business industry? All the above? What’s the overarching mission? What needs have to be filled to achieve that mission, and what opportunities for new courses/degrees does a 21st century mission create?

Like cris, I don’t know what the Provost’s proposal for a new regional academic division on the regionals might mean for the CW program, or the English Dept. I suspect no one truly knows, yet. It does appear as though folks like me will be grandfathered in and remain members of the Eng. Dept. But what about some of the VAPs who are really excellent CW instructors (there are 1-2 on the regionals, though I’ve been hogging all the CW courses at MUM)? Will adjuncts be impacted somehow? How might any of this impact any big plans for university-wide CW initiatives? Again, I don’t know, but it may be worth keeping in mind.

cris made a call to “continue to diversify what we can make a part of the creative writing program.” I’m not sure if this is what he had in mind, but: The new Professional Writing degree includes some CW courses and courses that involve digital/hypertext narrative. I’m chairing the search committee for a MUM faculty who will teach primarily in the PW program. We interviewed with a couple of MFA degree candidates, but the candidates we’ve scheduled for campus visits are all Comp/Rhet people. Maybe a pending Comp/Rhet hire will create opportunities for CW faculty to plug themselves into PW degree courses, and maybe that in turn becomes an economy-size vehicle for CW program diversification/expansion in the future.

I don’t know exactly what cris means by “Bookworks,” but I wonder if current or yet-undreamed-of courses might be created that might meet needs of CW majors in general, and also regional campus students. If memory serves—and to paraphrase liberally—the provost and Board of Directors are pushing the regionals toward bac. degrees/course offerings that serve career-oriented students from the regional campus demographic. Is this an opening for CW courses/degrees geared toward the publishing industry, but that also include other current and potential CW courses? Could MU Press and/or Segue<http://www.mid.muohio.edu/segue/> be integrated into such an initiative somehow? I could see an innovative program that utilizes existing resources and involves study of the publishing market, digital and print editing, publishing, and writing, and possibly digital/hybrid writing genres all rolled into one big beautiful thing.

Outside of ENG 226, Creative Nonfic has consistently been one of my favorite classes to teach—and one of the most successful, judging by student performance and course evals. This may be an intermediate level course that consistently appeals strongly to regional campus students. (I could expound on why, but this email is already far too long.) Is this one course to keep in mind, if thinking about expanding CW’s reach across the university?

Along the same lines, I’ve dreamed for many years of creating a course that focuses on addressing/developing skills in creative thinking/innovation. That could be cross-listed with any number of non-English courses, such as Business courses. Is that a general area to consider developing, if the CW Dept wants to expand its presences/reach across the curriculum? (I’m aware that a similar MU course already exists.)

Should the CW Dept. explore the possibility of creating a degree or a degree “subspecialty” in CW Pedagogy, giving our students a leg up on the university teaching market? I don’t believe any such degrees are currently offered in OH, and there aren’t many offered anywhere else, though I think there really should be. Along the same lines, might our current program in training CW grad students for teaching be enhanced in order to make them better instructors, and give them greater advantage in the job market—which in turn becomes good PR for the CW Dept.?

I don’t know exactly what cris means by developing a “profile in Electronic Writing,” but that sounds awfully cool. Count me in.

I’m well aware that many of the questions/ideas that I bring come from my perspective as a two-year campus instructor, and as a CW-Comp hybrid guy and a Wendy Bishop wannabe—a perspective that may be markedly different from everyone else’s, here. I submit these comments for what they’re worth. You never know what might stick to the wall.

Eric












From: Miami University Creative Writing Faculty [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of cris cheek
Sent: Tuesday, January 31, 2012 9:52 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: a few thoughts into our runaway pot

Hi everyone,

here's my tuppence - two cents worth to start some kind of ball rolling for next Tuesday.

We clearly need to address what the program might look like in ten years time or so . given some possible and some definite shifts in full-time faculty in the cohort.

I am not sure what to make of the Provost's proposals for Regional campuses as of yet. I would be happy to be further appraised on that score. It does seem to be a rapidly developing story and with implications for our overall program and CW provision networks in the next few years. I'm keen for Eric M. to be as closely involved in our descusions over the next year or two, as we can all manage. Eric, I could drive out to Middleton if there is no other possibility.

I see no reason why we ought not continue to diversify what we can make a part of the creative writing program.

We are not fully able to offer Creative Non-Fiction and Screenplays, but i hope we can keep an eye on making them more fully part of the CW fabric.

Likewise, on the heels of our expected short form symposium, i would be keen to see us offer a class in something along those lines at undergraduate and graduate levels. We could make it one of our signature offerings.

I ought not really be teaching poetry. I would be much better deployed teaching writing and performance, or even writing performance and collaboration . . (but  . . i know that is a ways off . . even though i genuinely think it could help us to continue to develop) . . much as i took strong note of Cathy's 700 class on the Rhetoric of Song.

I still imagine us offering some kind of class on Bookworks, that could be fabulous for many programs in the Humanities. We really could make that kind of class incredibly popular.

I plan to formally propose a class in Cybertexts and Electronic Literature, cross-listed with AIMS and Comparative Media Studies that could also work for Professional Writing, Literature and Creative Writing undergraduates, more tuned towards critical, theoretical and historical perspectives on CW but including a modicum of practicum. I would go back at least in the 1850s for this class btw .  . .).

I would happily move my proposed 100 level class further down the line towards curricular approval . but i do think that it's important that it is not so tailored to my predilections that nobody else could teach it. I like what i have but feel it could be subtly hammered into more of a collectively owned template.

I do think we ought to moving towards a profile in Electronic Writing btw. I can foresee Braxton Soderman being part of such a development too.

looking forwards,


cris