Concentration in Writing

The writing community at North Central College fosters lively exchange among students and between students and faculty in which writers explore the art and craft of writing critical essays, poems, stories, arguments, and other creative works. Writing faculty, working writers themselves, will guide students' efforts closely and share their love of language and various genres. They believe in the profound possibilities of language and its capacity to bring about social justice, bridge misunderstandings, clarify sharply different ways of seeing the world, and encourage new ways of seeing and becoming. The study of writing presents students with the chance not only to discover how to write what they know, but also to progress beyond limits into challenging and often unexpected work.

Exploring literature, films, political documents, essays, and other cultural productions as writers helps students understand the world through the perspectives of others and see their own experiences and efforts within existing cultural conversations. For those hoping to break with traditions, the writing program provides a balance among the historical, theoretical, and practical forms of writing to encourage innovation.

Whether working on Jon Stewart-like satire, dramatic lyrics such as Ani DiFranco's, or crafting stories along with accompanying media formats, editing our undergraduate review of creative writing 30 North, or performing their work at The Underground, our students have the chance to delve into many ways of expressing themselves. Writing students may pursue in-depth writing projects locally, nationally, and internationally through the Chicago Term, the Richter Program, and the Study Abroad Program.  We encourage students to write for publication as undergraduates. Writing students should complete their studies at North Central with a pragmatic awareness of the writing life.

Writing students at North Central gain practical skills, learning desktop publishing and completing a practicum sequence with a campus student publication or an internship with an organization. Those seeking certification of their skills and a narrower focus than other English Studies students, may earn a Writing Concentration by taking most of their upper level courses in writing.  Many writing students now choose to also major or minor in Interactive Media Studies, recognizing that much creative writing now takes place in a wide variety of media. After graduation they may continue their professionalization as writers at North Central College by earning a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies in Writing, Editing, and Publishing.

Writing students refine strategies, techniques, and styles that prepare them well for careers in teaching, publishing, law, corporate communications, nonprofit administration, and numerous other fields. The writing faculty and each student's academic advisor work hard to ensure students have a plan following the B.A., whether for immediate employment or to attend graduate programs in creative writing, rhetoric and composition, law, public policy, cultural studies, or performance studies.