Skip to main content
The following fields are required:
Error has occurred. Please reload this page and try the operation again.
  • Agents
  • Partners
  • Student Login
  • Instructor Login
UC Berkeley Extension Home Page
      • Areas of Study
        • Art and Design
        • Behavioral Health Sciences
        • Business
        • Construction and Sustainability
        • Education
        • Humanities and Languages
        • Sciences, Mathematics
          and Biotechnology
        • Technology and
          Information Management
        • Writing, Editing and
          Technical Communication
      • Online Learning
        • Online Courses and Certificates
      • Events
        • Information Sessions
        • Free and Low Cost Events
      • Academic Services
        • Enrollment
        • Transcripts
        • General Information
        • Community Guides
      • Course and Program Information
        • Latest COVID-19 Information
        • Online Course Policies
        • Certificates, Programs and CEUs
        • Concurrent Enrollment
        • Career Services
      • Student Aid
        • Disabled Students
        • Financial Assistance
        • Community Impact Scholarship
      • Voices
        • Voices Home
        • Educator Insights
        • Student Stories
        • Professional Pathways
        • Industry Trends
      • Events
        • Information Sessions
        • Free and Low Cost Events

  • Berkeley Global

Creative Nonfiction Workshop

ENGLISH X482

41110
Delivery Options Online

Portrait, story and reflection: these are three forms of creative nonfiction. Learn to apply the techniques of storytelling to nonfiction prose pieces, including personal essays, features, commentaries, reviews, reports, journal entries and memoirs. In this course, you read outstanding writers in several of these genres, looking for the qualities that make their work vivid and meaningful, and with steady encouragement work on writing your own creative nonfiction. Together, the instructor and other participants form your audience, offering support and critical feedback about your pieces. Weekly class discussions and writing assignments focus on story principles—such as plot, tension, scene and dialogue—that increase the readability of your work and form your material into publishable pieces.

Course Outline

Expand or collapse section

Course Objectives

  • Sample some of the best contemporary nonfiction writing
  • Analyze selected writings and recognize the techniques used
  • Sharpen your writing with directed exercises
  • Begin or continue with your own nonfiction projects
  • Revise and rewrite in the light of constructive criticism

What You Learn

  • What creative nonfiction is
  • Personal voice
  • Memoir
  • Profile
  • Literary essay
  • Style and revision
  • Where to publish creative nonfiction

How You Learn

  • Reading assignments
  • Instructor’s notes
  • Discussion participation and assignments
  • Writing assignments
  • Final project
Loading...

Sections

Section 027

Feb 02, 2021 to Apr 27, 2021 Online

Course Fee(s)

Course Fee credit (2 units)

$675.00


Type Online, Fixed Date

Enroll in this course by its start date and complete it by its specified end date. There are no live sessions, but plenty of opportunities to collaborate with your classmates and instructor.

Dates

Feb 02, 2021 to Apr 27, 2021

Delivery Options

Online

Available for Credit

2 semester units

Instructors

  • David Rompf

Section Materials

  • Textbook (Mandatory) The Art of the Personal Essay: An Anthology from the Classical Era to the Present by Phillip Lopate (editor) © 1995 Anchor Books ISBN 038542339X Textbook ISBN: 9780385423397

This course applies to the following programs:

Interdisciplinary Writing Program

Expand or collapse section

Individualized Study Plan

  • Effective Writing in the Workplace
  • Writing for Social Media: Prose That Works for Web 2.0
  • Grammar, Mechanics and Usage for Editors
  • Journalism Workshop
  • Science Writing
  • Writing the Feature Story
  • Introduction to Public Relations Writing
  • Writing and Editing Internship Program
  • Editorial Workshop I: Introduction to Copyediting
  • Writing Skills Workshop
  • Writing Creative Nonfiction
  • Creative Nonfiction Workshop
  • Developing the Memoir
  • Developing the Memoir II
  • The Craft of Reading
  • The Craft of Writing
  • Exploring Creative Writing
  • Introduction to Writing Fiction
  • Intermediate Fiction Writing
  • Advanced Fiction Writing
  • Developing the Novel
  • Screenwriting: The Art of Visual Storytelling
  • Poetry Workshop
  • Poets Studied and in Conversation
  • American Fiction
  • The English Novel
  • Great Novels You Always Meant to Read
  • Mystery Fiction
  • Shakespeare

Learn More About this Program

Professional Writing Program

Expand or collapse section

Required Courses

  • Effective Writing in the Workplace
  • Introduction to Public Relations Writing
  • Writing for Social Media: Prose That Works for Web 2.0

Electives

  • Writing Skills Workshop
  • Journalism Workshop
  • Writing the Feature Story
  • Editorial Workshop I: Introduction to Copyediting
  • Technical Communication I
  • Writing Creative Nonfiction
  • Creative Nonfiction Workshop
  • Screenwriting: The Art of Visual Storytelling
  • Science Writing

Capstone Project

  • Professional Writing Program - Final Project

Learn More About this Program

Certificate Program in Writing

Expand or collapse section

Required Courses

  • The Craft of Reading
  • The Craft of Writing
  • Writing Skills Workshop

Electives (Literature)

  • American Fiction
  • Contemporary Voices: Speaking From the Margins
  • The English Novel
  • Fact or Fiction: Reading and Writing the Personal Essay
  • Great Novels You Always Meant to Read
  • Great Writers Steal: How the Work of Other Writers Can Inform and Inspire You
  • Mystery Fiction
  • Shakespeare
  • Short-Story Masterpieces
  • Meet the Writer: Guided Study and Discussion With Fiction Writers
  • Ursa Minor Production Class

Electives (Writing Workshop)

  • Exploring Creative Writing
  • Introduction to Writing Fiction
  • Intermediate Fiction Writing
  • Advanced Fiction Writing
  • Writing Genre Fiction: Science Fiction, Mystery, Romance and More
  • Mystery Writing
  • Developing the Novel
  • Screenwriting: The Art of Visual Storytelling
  • Screenwriting Workshop
  • How to Write a Story
  • Writing and Appreciating Poetry
  • Poetry Workshop
  • Poets Studied and in Conversation
  • Writing Creative Nonfiction
  • Creative Nonfiction Workshop
  • Developing the Memoir
  • Developing the Memoir II
  • Journalism Workshop
  • Science Writing
  • Writing the Feature Story
  • Writing and Editing Internship Program

Courses of Related Interest

  • Children's Picture Book Writing Workshop
  • Story Lab
  • Writing the First-Person Essay

Learn More About this Program

Notes

Departmental contact: extension-letters@berkeley.edu | (510) 643-1110

Prerequisites

In order to succeed in this course, it is recommended that non-native English speakers have achieved a minimum TOEFL score of 90. All other non-native English learners should instead consider COLWRIT X400.1 Academic Writing for ESL or COLWRIT X411 Business English for ESL Students. Please contact the department if you require any additional information.

UC Berkeley Extension UC Berkeley Extension Footer Logo

1995 University Ave., Suite 200

Berkeley, CA 94704-7000

extension@berkeley.edu

  • About Us
  • Administration
  • Contact Us
  • Gifts
  • Jobs

Copyright © UC Regents

Powered by Destiny One
Facebook Facebook Icon Twitter Twitter Icon LinkedIn LinkedIn Icon YouTube YouTube Icon Instagram Instagram Icon

We use cookies to give you the best experience on our website. By clicking Accept, you consent to our cookie policy and privacy policy.

Session Time-Out

For security reasons and the protection of your personal information, your session will time out due to a period of inactivity in minute(s) and second(s). Click Extend My Session to continue. For security reasons and the protection of your personal information, your session timed out after a period of inactivity. You will be redirected to the home page.

Confirm

Alert

Course Fee

Online

David Rompf

David Rompf, J.D., has published essays and articles in Harvard Review, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, the Missouri Review, Creative Nonfiction, and many other magazines and newspapers. His essays have been cited in the Best American Essays and the Best American Travel Writing. He is on the editorial and executive boards of the literary journal Memoir (and).
Processing...

Privacy Policy

Cookie Policy

This statement explains how we use cookies on our website. For information about what types of personal information will be gathered when you visit the website, and how this information will be used, please see our privacy policy.

How we use cookies

All of our web pages use "cookies". A cookie is a small file of letters and numbers that we place on your computer or mobile device if you agree. These cookies allow us to distinguish you from other users of our website, which helps us to provide you with a good experience when you browse our website and enables us to improve our website.

Types of cookies we use

We use the following types of cookies:

  • Strictly necessary cookies- these are essential in to enable you to move around the websites and use their features. Without these cookies the services you have asked for, such as signing in to your account, cannot be provided.
  • Performance cookies- these cookies collect information about how visitors use a website, for instance which pages visitors go to most often. We use this information to improve our websites and to aid us in investigating problems raised by visitors. These cookies do not collect information that identifies a visitor.
  • Functionality cookies- these cookies allow the website to remember choices you make and provide more personal features. For instance, a functional cookie can be used to remember the items that you have placed in your shopping cart. The information these cookies collect may be anonymized and they cannot track your browsing activity on other websites.

Most web browsers allow some control of most cookies through the browser settings. To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set and how to manage and delete them please visit http://www.allaboutcookies.org/.

Specific cookies we use

The list below identify the cookies we use and explain the purposes for which they are used. We may update the information contained in this section from time to time.

  • JSESSIONID: This cookie is used by the application server to identify a unique user's session.
  • registrarToken: This cookie is used to remember items that you have added to your shopping cart
  • locale: This cookie is used to remember your locale and language settings.
  • cookieconsent_status: This cookie is used to remember if you've already dismissed the cookie consent notice.
  • _ga_UA-########: These cookies are used to collect information about how visitors use our site. We use the information to compile reports and to help us improve the website. The cookies collect information in an anonymous form, including the number of visitors to the website, where visitors have come to the site from and the pages they visited. This anonymized visitor and browsing information is stored in Google Analytics.

Changes to our Cookie Statement

Any changes we may make to our Cookie Policy in the future will be posted on this page.