Students must complete Playwriting I and Playwriting II, plus any two additional summer dramatic writing courses to earn this certificate.
Playwriting I
A playwriting workshop required of all Dramatic Writing majors and also designed for the new playwright. Students are required to complete 50-70 pages of a full-length stage play with an outline of the complete play. The first third of the course focuses on exercises to help students develop a story idea with the complexity and depth to sustain a full-length play. The reading and analysis of four to six dramatic texts is required in conjunction with the student’s original work. Students must come to the first class with two ideas for a full-length play. Each idea should be described in a one page summary.
Course dates and times to be announced.
Playwriting II
The course covers the writing of a full-length play. An intensive workshop in playwriting that continues the techniques begun in Playwriting I. Required work in the class includes extensive scene work. Students will complete the play begun in Developing the Dramatic Idea and then do a rewrite. Or they may begin, complete, and rewrite a new full-length play. If you plan to do a new work you must come to the first class with three ideas for full-length plays. Each idea can be described in one or two paragraphs.
Course dates and times to be announced.
Additional Courses To Complete Your Certificate
Please select two of the following courses to complete your certificate.
Screenwriting I
A screenwriting workshop required of all Dramatic Writing majors and also designed for new screenwriters. Students are required to complete 50-70 pages of a full-length screenplay with an outline of the rest. The first third of the course focuses on exercises to help students develop five story ideas with the complexity and depth to sustain a full-length screenplay. One of these ideas will serve as the basis for the required work. The reading and analysis of four to six screenplays is required in conjunction with the student’s original work. Students must come to the first class with three ideas for full-length screenplays. Each idea can be described in one or two paragraphs.
Course dates and times to be announced.
Dialogue and Narrative Creation in Electronic Games
Computer games have emerged in recent years as a significant new popular art form -- an art form that depends on the coherent and compelling construction of narrative, dialogue, character, and drama. The computer game writer or scenario designer is responsible for taking the animated units and programming created by software specialists, and fashioning these into a meaningful experience for the gamer. This new discipline requires the fluid use of narrative elements, the ability to write persuasive dialogue under conditions quite different from those of stage or film, and a working knowledge of the technical limitations and demands of computer game construction. In “Dialogue and Narrative Creation for Electronic Games” students will be introduced to these fundamental principles. Initial focus will be on the real time strategy format (RTS), utilizing the game editing tools provided with Age of Empires and Empires: Dawn of the Modern World. Students will research essential background materials, compose over-arching narratives, and then write fully fleshed out scenario scripts. Finally, they will be taught the rudimentary grammar of computer game narrative through actual hands-on construction of single player scenarios.
Course dates and times to be announced.
Writing the One-Hour Television Drama
A course for starting a one-hour dramatic script, OR for revising/completing a One-Hour script begun last year. (Students will arrive at this class at different levels of expertise.) For those students new to writing a One-Hour, this television workshop course takes the student step by step through writing their own script for an ongoing one-hour television dramatic series. The course will go from premise lines, through the outline, to writing a solid draft of the script. This is a high-level course that prepares students for the professional world.
Course dates and times to be announced.
Session II
Writing the Half-Hour Comedy
This intensive scriptwriting class answers the question, “What do I need to break into TV writing?” The student will be guided through the step-by-step development of an episode for an ongoing TV sitcom, from premise line to one-page outline, to pages and revisions. The course requires the completion of a polished draft while introducing students to the rigors of professional standards through weekly story goals. The course is taught by a professional television writer.
Course dates and times to be announced.
