unc chapel hill creative writing major

Minor in Creative Writing

While it’s now possible to major in English and Comparative Literature (ECL) with a concentration in Creative Writing, the minor- which has been offered for almost fifty years- remains intact and unchanged. Students wishing to minor in Creative Writing do not have to major in ECL. We welcome all disciplines!

The minor requires 15 hours (a total of five courses) and may be earned by following one of the tracks below. Please visit the minor’s requirements page  in the catalog for more detailed information about how to progress successfully through the program. It is important to note that writing classes offered by the UNC Friday Center for Continuing Education (correspondence, independent study, online) do not count toward the minor.

Please visit the   UNC Catalog  for descriptions of every  ECL Course  potentially offered by the department and check  ConnectCarolina  for the most up-to-date offerings.

Choose a Track

Creative nonfiction, musical writing, combination of genres.

Focus Capacities

Design your course of study! Choose from hundreds of courses to fulfill your nine focus capacities and find the courses that challenge and inspire you! By studying different topics from a variety of perspectives and learning to identify problems, weigh evidence, make reasoned judgments, and take action, you will be equipped to make a meaningful contribution in the classroom, your career, and your community. You will leave Carolina with an expanded toolkit of critical skills that you can put to good use, wherever life takes you!

Recurring Capacities

In every course you will have an opportunity to write, to collaborate with peers, and to present material in a variety of settings and methods. Why? Learning requires repeated practice over time in different contexts. Encountering these recurring capacities in different courses strengthens your development of these essential capacities for future study, life, and career success.

“The common learning goals across each Focus Capacity allows students the flexibility to choose the context in which they encounter new and challenging ideas. This is part of both the structure and flexibility of this curriculum.”

Kelly Hogan Professor of Biology

Course Requirements

Focus Capacity courses ensure that you encounter a broad array of academic ideas, approaches, and information across the liberal arts, as well as develop crucial capacities for future study and life. Students take one course for each of the nine Focus Capacity requirements (3 credits each). One Focus Capacity course must include or be associated with a one-credit Empirical Investigation Lab.

A course may be listed under two Focus Capacity categories. However, a single course may be used to fulfill only one Focus Capacity requirement (not including lab).

Some courses in this category may double count with:

Disciplinary Distribution

All students must take at least one general education course in each of the three major divisions of the College of Arts and Sciences :

• Humanities and fine arts
• Mathematics and natural sciences
• Social and behavioral sciences

The courses may come from any of these requirements:

• First-Year Seminar/First-Year Launch
• Focus Capacity
• Research and Discovery
• High Impact Experience

Psychology and Neuroscience Faculty & Staff Information

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Undergrad Creative Writing

<p>I’m looking into UNC - Chapel Hill and I was wondering if anyone could tell me about their undergrad English/creative writing program. Eventually, my plan is to attend the Iowa Writers Workshop, but in the meantime I want to know what the best undergrad writing courses are. So far, aside from Chap Hill, I’m looking at Iowa, Wisconsin, Oberlin, Kenyon, Cornell, Columbia, and Emory.</p>

<p>Any thoughts on any of those programs? Any other schools you have heard of with great english/creative writing programs?</p>

<p>I took a couple of creative writing classes my first year at UNC, both poetry. The most you can do with creative writing is a minor. The way it works (at least with the poetry track… I think it’s the same for fiction writing) is you take the first level writing class, then if you do well, your professor recommends you for the next one. Only a certain number can move up. After completing the second course, you have to submit a portfolio for review before taking the third level. After the third level (assuming you take one class per year) you take two senior seminars, which I think are honors. I don’t remember the specifics of these, but I think the first semester one is just a writing project and the second semester one is workshopping and editing. At the end of the year they have a reading of the senior CR students. I think the program is very fine tuned and can be what you make of it. The professors are amazing. Both the professors I had weren’t permanent professors… I guess they were only on a as-needed basis, but they were great. I’ve heard wonderful things about the full time CR professors too. </p>

<p>If you’re looking for a prestigious program, I’m not sure if UNC’s is widely recognized as an amazing one, but I think you can really refine your writing and get a lot of individual attention from some fantastic professors. </p>

<p>As for the English department (English is one of my majors at UNC), my experiences have been pretty good. It is definitely not a hugely demanding major. After the basic classes I think you only need 10. The requirements are 2 survey classes, one pre-romantic, one post. Then you can choose from a number of classes that fall under certain categories: one class pre-1600, two classes 1600-18something, and one class post 1900, then three electives from any area above level 200. All of my professors have been great and really passionate. Oh I just remembered one additional requirement- Shakespeare. My only complaint would be that the two required surveys and Shakespeare are kind of annoying because they can be large and sectioned with TA’s because every single English major has to take them. But once you get past those, the more specific classes that you get to chose to your tastes are great. </p>

<p>Hope this helps! If you have any other specific questions I’d be glad to answer</p>

<p>That actually helped a whole lot! I’d heard some good things about the program but nothing really specific. So would you say the undergrad creative writing minor is pretty hard to get in to? I know about some universities I’ve looked at, for instance, er, let’s say Iowa, it is very, very hard to get in to and very stressful, because the teachers are the prestigious grad school professors. So, rather than an english major with a concentration in c.w., it’s a english major with a possible minor in c.w.? Did I understand that right?</p>

<p>Erm, other questions…What would you say the social life at UNC is like? From what I’ve heard, Chapel Hill is a very diverse and alternative part of the “south”. I’m very liberal and into music/art and all that so what’s that scene like in Chapel Hill?</p>

<p>I am visiting campus in mid-July so I should at least get a good feel for the town, even though classes won’t be in session. Thanks again!</p>

<p>Yes, it would be an english major with a CW minor. Hmm… I wouldn’t say it is hard to get into. At least in my experience it was really easy to take the introductory poetry writing class, but I took the honors version and I was in the honors program. Honors students have the option of taking intro poetry or intro fiction to count as a basic english (101 or 102) requirement. But even if you’re not in the honors program, I don’t think it would be hard to get your foot in the door. I just looked at the class listings and there are still some seats open for intro creative writing classes, and everyone has registered for classes already except incoming freshmen. Once you’ve taken that introductory class and establish a good relationship with your professor, moving to level 2 is not difficult. I stopped after that by choice, but I could have submitted a portfolio for review to move on. This is probably where it gets a little more intense, but at this point you’ll probably be really close with a CW professor who can really help you with perfecting this step. A great thing about the program is the small classes. My level 2 poetry class only had 8 people, so it is really intimate and everyone is close. And even though everyone (well, mostly) is fighting to move on to the next level, it doesn’t feel competitive, just really comfortable. So, I wouldn’t be worried about not being able to get into the program. </p>

<p>Chapel Hill is a really refreshing place for an artsy liberal in the south. The majority of the student body is politically liberal and there are a ton of groups on campus that really cover everything you could think of. Carborro is the town right down the road from Chapel Hill that is really the little trendy gem. You can walk there (30 min walk) or take one of several buses and there’s a farmer’s market, a local/organic grocery store/co-op, art galleries, places for arts classes (check out The Arts Center Carborro online- I’ve taken a pottery class here- they have drama, music, everything), a great little concert place called Cat’s Cradle, and great little restaurants. Franklin Street that runs right along the northern edge of campus has some great little places too-an art gallery, shops, restaurants, etc. Around town there’s a Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and a bunch of little local shops that sell eco-friendly things. I’m a liberal, artsy, environmentalist and I love it here. I may be biased, but I think Chapel Hill is one of the best college towns. It is really quaint, but it is just packed full of amazing places and things to do.</p>

<p>Chapel Hill does sound pretty awesome! I’m stoked to visit this summer. For college towns/atmospheres I had been looking at places with that west coast/colorado vibe - you know, the small town with the hippie vibe a bit? (Northeast can feel a bit stiff sometimes I think.) Anyways, Chapel Hill sounds just like that but with better weather from what I hear. I love NC so that’s definitely a benefit. I’ll be sure to check out all those places you mentioned when I visit.</p>

<p>Eight people in a c.w. class?? That’s great! I like that it’s so small and I can form such a close bond with a teacher. I’ve taken writing classes at Vanderbilt as part of a summer program for talented youth before so I know (this sounds arrogant, ack, don’t mean it to at all!) that I have for the most part what it takes. My biggest worry with doing a minor/major like c.w. was with the portfolio based admission. However, it’s good to know that there is the possibility of getting close to that teacher and having their extra help throughout the program.</p>

<p>What about Greek Life? Super prevalent on campus, would you say? I won’t be going out for Greek Life as I’m definitely not into that scene whatsoever, but I’m curious about how it plays a role on campus. I’m not opposed to attending a school with a fairly large GL but if that is all that there is socially, that could be a problem. Thus far, UNC doesn’t sound that way though.</p>

<p>Yeah, Chapel Hill definitely has that vibe. It’s a small town but a big campus so it has a kind of eclectic feel with all kinds of different people from all over the place. </p>

<p>UNC is really good about small classes in higher levels. My intro poetry class was strictly capped at 20 I think and the next one probably is limited to 12 or 15 but it just happened to be smaller because it was at 5pm, which is a horrible time for a class, trust me. It sounds like you have some great experience so I wouldn’t be worried at all, even with the portfolio step. And it’s good to kind of be forced to get that portfolio together and refine your best pieces because you have to do that kind of thing eventually. </p>

<p>Ha Greek life at UNC… there are Greeks, and there are very non-Greeks. I think the statistic is something like 20% of students are involved in Greek life, but that includes the people in like pre-dental fraternities that are basically clubs. But yeah, there are the stereotypical frat boys in their polos and the sorority girls in their jogging shorts and cowboy boots (that’s what they wear here, it’s quite bizarre). I find it easy to ignore them though. But it’s also pretty amusing because the anti-Greek life people are plentiful and everyone pokes a little fun at them. There’s a column in the paper (The Daily Tar Heel) that comes out every Friday called the Kvetching Board and people submit little 1-liner funny complaints, and somehow half of them end up being pointed at GL. So don’t worry, you’ll feel more at home being a non-Greek than you would a Greek.</p>

About the Writing Center Making an Appointment The Online Writing Coach English Language Support

About the Writing Center

“where is the writing center located and what are your hours”.

The Writing Center’s main office is located on the lower level of the Student and Academic Services Building North (SASB). For more information and for a map, visit the UNC Writing Center Location & Hours page. Hours may vary, so use “Make an Appointment” to see when openings for coaching are available at both of our locations in SASBN and Greenlaw.

“What services are available?”

All Writing Center services are available and accessible in a variety of formats! You can schedule an in-person or Zoom appointment to talk to a writing coach or submit a draft for asynchronous online feedback. If you make a Zoom appointment, the Writing Center will email you an invitation link shortly before your appointment. Workshops and events are available as well. To keep up with the latest offerings, we recommend that students sign up for our weekly newsletter .

“I’d like to schedule a Zoom session, but only in-person appointments are available at times that work for me. What can I do?”

You can schedule an in-person appointment and then change its location to Zoom. On the appointment calendar, find an in-person appointment date and time when you can meet with a writing coach. Schedule the appointment. Once the appointment is scheduled, look for the “My Scheduled Appointments” heading. There you will see the option to change the appointment’s location to Zoom by clicking on “Change location to Zoom.”

“Is the Writing Center handicap accessible?”

Yes. Both of our spaces are accessible by elevator.

“Who are the writing coaches at the Writing Center?”

Both graduate students and undergraduates serve as writing coaches at the Writing Center. Coaches come from departments across campus and receive extensive training from the Writing Center directors.

“How much does it cost to use the Writing Center?”

Nothing. Writing Center services are included at no additional cost to UNC-CH students.

“Is it okay for me to use the Writing Center?”

The Writing Center offers different services to different groups of writers on campus. To learn more about what is available to you, see “Who can make an appointment?” below. Generally, instructors are pleased when students come to the Writing Center. We abide by the Honor Code of the University; since the sessions focus on giving you feedback on your writing, rather than editing or writing for you, coming to the Writing Center does not raise any Honor Code issues. Ask your instructor for permission before coming to the Writing Center to work on a take-home essay.

“Can I get help with writing in a language other than English (for example, an essay written in Spanish for my Spanish literature course)?”

Sort of. If your paper is in a language other than English, we cannot help you with questions about words or sentences, and we cannot read through your paper. What we can do is talk with you about how you have chosen to organize your paper. The Learning Center’s peer tutors can help you with writing papers in many languages—check here to see if there’s a tutor available for your class: Peer Tutoring Appointments .

“Can I get help for a friend or family member?”

While everyone is welcome to use the Writing Center’s online handouts and demos , our coaching services are available only to current students, faculty, and staff of UNC-Chapel Hill. Do not make an appointment to discuss someone else’s writing or submit someone else’s draft to the Online Writing Coach. If your friend or family member might be interested in working with a Chapel Hill-area writing tutor or editor, please refer them to our “ Help for Hire ” listing.

“Can I get a job at the Writing Center?”

We are glad to hear about your interest in joining our team! Check UNC careers listings for any available full-time or part-time staff positions. If you are an experienced teacher or editor with a graduate degree living in the Chapel Hill area, you may submit a request to be listed on our Help for Hire advertising page. Our graduate student writing coaches are teaching assistants; they are hired through a competitive process each spring to work for the following academic year. During periods when we are accepting applications, you’ll see a position announcement on our homepage. Undergraduate students can also serve as writing coaches; they must first enroll in English 402 and then apply to be hired.

“Can I link to your page or use your materials (online presentations, groups procedures, workshops descriptions) on my website?”

The contents of this website are protected under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 License . You may reproduce materials for non-commercial use only and without making any changes. You must give the correct attribution: (c) The Writing Center, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. If you want to adapt materials or use them commercially, please contact us first. We would appreciate an email telling us if you are linking to any pages or videos or our site!

Making an Appointment

“who can make an appointment”.

All degree-seeking undergraduates at UNC-Chapel Hill can make appointments for individual coaching. Graduate students can too, as availability permits.

• Undergraduates: you can make up to two appointments per week, in advance.
• Grad students in the College of Arts and Sciences: you can make one appointment per week, in advance. You can hold only one spot at a time–if you want to make an appointment for this week and next, you’ll need to wait until you’ve completed the first one before you can schedule the second.
• Grad students outside the College of Arts and Sciences: you can make one appointment on a same-day basis; if you are in this category, when you sign in, you will see only whatever appointments are available today.
• Faculty and staff members: you are welcome to use the Writing Center on a walk-in basis once weekly. To help us preserve availability for students, you cannot reserve a time in advance. Appointments begin at the top of the hour.
• Non-degree-seeking students and postdoctoral scholars: you can use the Writing Center on a walk-in basis only, as availability permits. You cannot reserve a time. Appointments begin at the top of the hour.
• Visiting scholars: you are not eligible for one-on-one coaching, but if English is not your first language, you may be eligible for other services. See the English Language Support page for more information.
• Alumni, students at other schools, community members, and families: coaching is not available to you, but please use our Tips and Tools .

In our calendar system, the day begins at midnight. If you are having trouble using the system and are not certain why, please contact us.

“Do I need to make an appointment to talk with a coach at the Writing Center?”

Yes, while it’s sometimes possible to be seen on a walk-in basis, the best way to ensure a coach is available to meet is to reserve an appointment time. You can view the appointment calendar after logging in with your onyen credentials here: Writing Center Appointment Calendar .

“Can I choose a particular writing coach?”

Yes. When you make an appointment you have the option of choosing a particular writing coach; you will see the names of coaches who are available. All coaches are trained to help you with any of your writing needs or concerns, regardless of the kind of paper you’re writing or the discipline you’re studying.

“What should I do if my onyen does not work or I do not have an onyen?”

You need a valid UNC onyen to make an appointment. We cannot make an appointment for you. If you do not have an onyen or the system will not accept it, contact onyen Services at onyen.unc.edu .

“What should I do if no appointments are available?”

At some points in the semester, the Writing Center’s calendar can fill up as much as two weeks in advance. If you cannot find an appointment time that works for you, here are your options:

• Continue to check online several times a day, as you would if you were trying to register for a closed class. If someone else cancels, that time will open up.
• Submit your draft to the Online Writing Coach—but be aware that if we are full face-to-face, we probably also have a long queue of online submissions waiting for responses. The weather symbol on the sign-in page for the Online Writing Coach will give you an idea of how busy we are.
• Try to be seen as a walk-in. Come to the Writing Center at the top of the hour and let the person at the front desk know that you are hoping to see a writing coach. If someone else fails to show up for his/her appointment, you can claim that slot. If everyone who is scheduled shows up, though, you will not be seen.
• Please click the “CAN’T FIND APPOINTMENT” link on the appointment scheduling page so we can keep track of appointment demand. Do not leave a message there and expect a response; if you need to contact us, call or email.

“What should I do if I need to reschedule?”

On the on-site appointment calendar login page, choose “Cancel an Appointment.” After canceling the appointment you no longer want, you can click “Make an Appointment” to look for a new appointment time. You may want to check to be sure another appointment is available before you cancel the one you currently have reserved, as our calendar is sometimes very full.

“How far in advance do I need to cancel my appointment?”

Although you (and only you) can cancel until right before your scheduled appointment, we prefer that you cancel at least 24 hours in advance so other students have the opportunity to make an appointment. If you absolutely cannot get to a computer to cancel, please call (919)962-7710 to let our staff know that you will not be at your appointment.

“What happens if I don’t cancel and then don’t show up for my appointment?”

You will be entered into the database as a “no-show” for that appointment. If you fail to show up for several appointments, your future appointments may be cancelled, and you will be required to meet with a Writing Center staff member before resuming use of Writing Center services.

“What if I am late to my appointment?”

At 10 minutes after the hour when your appointment was supposed to start, you will be entered as a no-show and your coach may be reassigned.

“What happens during an in-person or Zoom appointment at the Writing Center?”

Appointments in the Writing Center are 45-minute conversations with a writing coach about your writing. The coach will read through your paper with you, answer your questions, and work with you to strengthen your paper and your skills as a writer. You and the coach may discuss any aspect of your writing project or process.

“What kind of writing can I bring to the Writing Center?”

You can bring any sort of writing to either the online or on-site Writing Center. We give priority to academic work, but we are also glad to provide assistance with application essays, grant proposals, or other writing. If you are working on an honors thesis, master’s thesis, or dissertation, you should plan to schedule multiple on-site visits to focus on parts of the longer project.

“What kind of help will I receive from a writing coach?”

Writing Center coaches will discuss your writing assignments with you and share strategies for approaching a topic, organizing a paper, developing your style, or correcting recurring errors. Writing coaches may also direct you to other resources for further assistance. Writing coaches will not edit or proofread a paper or write any part of your paper for you.

“Will my instructor know that I have used the Writing Center?”

That’s generally up to you. If you are an undergraduate who is working on an assignment for a course, as part of our services, the writing coach will ask your permission to send a conference summary email to your instructor. This report describes what you and your coach worked on during your session (e.g. “Maria and I talked about the focus of her paper on the breast cancer scare and how she might reorganize the first and sixth paragraphs to strengthen her argument. We also discussed the difference between passive and active voice.”). Conference summaries let your teachers know that you have taken the initiative to improve as a writer; they do not evaluate you, your assignment, or your instructor in any way. Most instructors are pleased to learn that you have visited the Writing Center. Your teachers see your work here as a sign that you are a productive, conscientious student who knows the value of good writing skills and who has the wisdom to make use of this resource. Note that we always send conference summaries when students bring in portions of their take-home exams (see the next question for more information).

“Is it okay for me to bring take-home exams to the Writing Center?”

For take-home exams, some instructors specify whether you may or may not bring your work to the Writing Center. If this issue is not explicitly addressed in the prompt, we depend on your sense of whether the instructor has recommended the Writing Center or would condone a visit for take-home exams. Since your instructor will know from the conference summary that you have been here (we always send them for exams), it is your responsibility to make this determination. If you have any questions about whether it is appropriate to get feedback from the Writing Center on take-home exams, ask your instructor before you bring in your draft or submit it online.

The Online Writing Coach

“who can submit drafts to the online writing coach”.

Current students, faculty, and staff can submit drafts to the Online Writing Coach. Submissions by undergraduates in the College of Arts and Sciences that are related to academic courses will receive priority, followed by those from Arts and Sciences graduate students; others may sometimes receive slower responses. During busy times, we may not be able to respond to all submissions before their due dates. You must be affiliated with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to use the Online Writing Coach. Note that all drafts submitted must be the submitter’s own work; you cannot submit a paper on behalf of a friend, family member, or student at another school. Doing so would constitute an Honor Code violation. If you are a non-UNC educator or technology professional and would like to see the forms students fill out when they submit drafts, please contact us.

“Can I make face-to-face appointments as well as use the Online Writing Coach?”

Yes. Just be aware that both Online Writing Coach and scheduled appointments count toward your total number of sessions per day or week.

“Can I request that a particular writing coach respond to my submission?”

No. Writing coaches respond to submissions on a fixed schedule. If you want to work with a particular coach, please schedule an in-person or Zoom appointment.

“How often can I submit something to the Online Writing Coach?”

So that our writing coaches may serve as many people as possible, we limit individual services (appointments or Online Writing Coach sessions) for undergraduates to a maximum of one per day or two per week (whichever comes first). Graduate students, faculty, and staff are limited to one individual visit or Online Writing Coach session per week.

“How long a document can I submit to the Online Writing Coach?”

You may submit a document of any length, but to provide time for the writing coach to read your draft and write a thoughtful response, we limit the number of pages we read to about 7. If you have a lengthy paper, particularly a thesis or dissertation, it could be helpful to make an in-person or Zoom appointment. You are also welcome to submit small portions or excerpts of your writing to the Online Writing Coach.

“What if I need to change something about my submission? What if I attached the wrong file by mistake?”

Log into the Online Writing Coach and click on “Submitted Drafts.” You can change your answers in any of the text boxes. You may also replace your original file attachment with an updated file. Changing your submission is not possible once a coach has claimed it and begun to work on it; if you need to speak with us about a submission at that point, call us at (919) 962-7710.

“When will a writing coach respond to the draft I submit through the Online Writing Coach?”

That depends on how busy we are when you submit your draft. When you submit your paper to the Online Writing Coach, the weather symbol will tell you how busy we are and give you a sense of when you should expect a response; in most cases, it is likely to take one to three business days. Please note that we are open for only a few hours on the weekend; weekend submissions are not likely to receive a response before Monday. When demand is particularly high, we may not be able to serve you in time for our comments to be useful; this is particularly true if your submission is not course-related.

“How do I know that a writing coach has responded to the paper I submitted online?”

You will receive notification by email that your paper is ready.

“How do I retrieve the writing coach’s response to my paper?”

Follow the link from the notification e-mail, log in with your onyen and password, and then choose “Submitted Drafts” or “My Submissions” from the menu that appears.

“Can I review the writing coach’s comments on a paper that I submitted earlier to the Online Writing Coach?”

Yes. To review a writing coach’s comments in the new Online Writing Coach, navigate to the Writing Center homepage, click the “Online Coaching” link and enter your name and password, then choose “Submitted Drafts” to view your personal archive.

“Who will have access to the material I submit in the Online Writing Coach?”

Only you and the Writing Center staff. When you first enter the system and complete a profile, you create a corridor of restricted access to our system. That corridor allows you and the staff at the Writing Center to interact and maintains space for us to hold your work for you in the Writing Center. All work with the Writing Center takes place within the guidelines of the University Honor Code.

“How do online conference summaries work?”

Like on-site summaries, online summaries are sent to your instructor following a conference. Like on-site summaries, they do not evaluate you, your instructor, or the assignment in any way. They describe your concerns and the writing coach’s suggestions to you regarding the paper. Most instructors are delighted to learn that you have worked with the Writing Center. Your teachers are likely to see your work here as a sign that you are a productive, conscientious student who knows the value of good writing skills and who has the wisdom to make use of this resource. Online summaries are sent to the instructor when the writing coach finishes responding to your paper; they are archived on this site. You can see the conference summary for each submission on the page where you retrieve the coach’s comments.

“How can I get the most out of my online coaching session?”

Give your writing coach as much information as possible. Your coach will be relying on your submission form for context. It is particularly important that you let the coach know what your top concerns are; this will help focus your coach’s attention and comments. Remember, the coach is not your TA and cannot judge what aspect of your paper needs the most work; it is up to you to ask for the kind of feedback you think will be most valuable at this stage in your writing process.

English Language Support

Please see our ESL FAQs page .

Writing for the Screen and Stage Minor

Dramatic storytelling is a complex craft that profoundly influences individuals and societies. the minor in writing for the screen and stage is a two-year interdisciplinary program housed in the department of communication. for students considering writing and related careers in theatre, film, and television, wss offers a unique opportunity to focus on developing their craft.  , students who are accepted into the minor are also eligible to participate in staged readings of their work and to apply for the summer-long   department of communication hollywood internship program .  .

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MINOR:  

The MINOR is open to first-year students and sophomores.  To apply, you must:  

1) have a 2.4 GPA or better, and  

2) have taken  one of the following :  English 130  (Introduction to Fiction Writing),  English 132H  (Freshman Honors in Fiction Writing),  Communication 330  (Introduction to Writing for Film and Television),  Communication 337 (Visual Storytelling), Drama 231  (Playwriting I),  or  English 306  (Playwriting).  

English 130 is open to any student at the University.  English 132H is restricted to honor students.  COMM 330 and 337 give preference to COMM majors, so instructor permission may be required to enroll.  Drama 231 requires permission from the department.  

In certain instances, the pre-requisite may be waived upon approval of the program’s director.  

THE APPLICATION PERIOD RUNS FROM FEBRUARY 1st TO MARCH 1st, 2024.  

APPLICANTS WILL BE NOTIFIED BY MARCH 22, 2024.   

QUALIFIED APPLICANTS (FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS AND SOPHOMORES) MUST BE ABLE TO COMMIT TO TWO CONSECUTIVE   YEARS IN THE PROGRAM, BEGINNING IN THE FALL OF  2024 .

SUBMISSION PROCESS:  

The submission package must include:  

1) A one-page, single-spaced cover letter, expressing the reasons for the student’s interest in the minor.  Please also include,  as listed :  

• Student’s name  
• Email address  
• Telephone number  
• Major/Minor  
• Intended year of graduation  
• Prerequisite status  

2) A letter of recommendation from the student’s writing instructor.  

3) One ten-page writing sample or excerpt from an original work of fiction, screenwriting, or playwriting.

Please email your cover letter & writing sample to:  Writing for the Screen & Stage Director, Professor Joy Goodwin  ([email protected]) .  

Ask your writing instructor to email their recommendation  DIRECTLY   to Professor Goodwin.

CURRICULUM  

Fall Semester of FIRST Year  

COMM 131/DRAM 131: Introduction to Writing for the Screen and Stage  

DRAM 120: Play Analysis  

Spring Semester of FIRST Year  

COMM 430: History of American Screenwriting  

COMM 433: Intermediate Screenwriting  

Fall Semester of SECOND Year  

COMM 537: Master Screenwriting  

COMM/DRAM 131, COMM 433 AND COMM 537 MUST BE TAKEN IN CONSECUTIVE SEMESTERS   BEGINNING WITH YOUR FIRST SEMESTER IN THE MINOR .  

The following courses are  recommended  but are not required to complete the minor  

COMM 535: Introduction to Screen Adaptation  

DRAM 135: Acting for Non-Majors  

COMM 337: Visual Storytelling  

COMM 390: Writing the Full-Length Play  

COMM 390: Screenwriting: The Rewrite  

For additional information, contact:

Professor Joy Goodwin ([email protected]) Director, Writing for the Screen and Stage minor 300C Bynum Hall Department of Communication   

More information about the minor’s activities can be found on the Writing for the Screen and Stage Facebook page. 

• Michael Acosta  
• Bobby Bowman  
• Howard Craft  
• Joy Goodwin  

• Senior Honors Thesis
• Golding Fund for Study of Slavery and the African American Experience

Many Honors Carolina students cap their undergraduate experience with a Senior Honors Thesis, partnering with a faculty mentor to develop original research or creative work. Students who successfully defend their thesis before a faculty review panel graduate with Honors or Highest Honors.

Each year, approximately 350 students complete a Senior Honors Thesis. For many of those students, the thesis becomes a first publication or an important part of their application to graduate or professional school.

Students may undertake a Senior Honors Thesis project only in their major field of study (with an exception for students who minor in Creative Writing). Students with double majors may graduate with Honors or Highest Honors in both fields of study. To do so, they must complete a distinct project in each field. All Senior Honors Thesis projects must be completed under the direct supervision of a faculty advisor. Tenured and tenure-track faculty, postdoctoral fellows with teaching appointments, and fixed-term faculty who have been employed by an academic unit for at least one year may serve as thesis advisors. Retired faculty and graduate students may not serve as advisors for Senior Honors Thesis projects.

Eligibility

Students who wish to undertake a Senior Honors Thesis project must have a cumulative GPA of 3.300 or higher. Academic departments may set higher thresholds for course work within students’ major field of study.

Students enrolled in the final semester of their thesis course work must complete their project (including the oral defense) by the following deadlines:

Fall 2024: Monday, November 11, 2024 4:00 p.m.

Spring 2025: monday, april 14, 2025 4:00 p.m..

These dates are subject to change if adjustments are made to the University Registrar’s calendars.

Your department should report your name to the Honors Carolina office by the relevant deadline above to confirm that you have met the requirements to graduate with Honors or Highest Honors.

Students are required to upload the final version of their thesis to the  Carolina Digital Repository  by the final day of class in the semester in which they complete the thesis course work . Detailed instructions are included in the guidelines at the bottom of this page.

Research Awards Available

Honors Carolina offers financial awards to support Senior Honors Thesis research. These awards, up to $500, may be used to cover any legitimate cost directly connected to a thesis project: laboratory equipment and supplies, computer software and hardware, travel, artistic supplies, books and periodicals not available through normal library sources, illustrations and duplication, etc.

Students must apply through their major department’s Honors director or their faculty thesis advisor (for units without Honors directors). A Call for Applications is sent to departments early each semester. Students may not submit applications directly to Honors Carolina.

The Fall 2024 Call for Proposals will be distributed to academic units on September 3, 2024. Applications for this round of awards will be due by Monday, September 30 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time .

Additional funding is available through the  Office for Undergraduate Research  and individual academic units.

The following research awards are made possible through gifts to Honors Carolina and are awarded annually:

• The Michael P. and Jean W. Carter Research Award
• The Gillian T. Cell Senior Thesis Research Award in the College of Arts & Sciences
• The Sarah Steele Danhoff Undergraduate Research Award
• The Dunlevie Honors Undergraduate Research Award
• The Gordon P. Golding Senior Honors Thesis Award
• The Gump Family Undergraduate Research Award
• The Honors Undergraduate Research Award
• The Rodney F. Hood Undergraduate Research Award
• The Kimball King Undergraduate Research Award
• The William F. Little Prize for Creative Research in Honors

Helpful Resources

• Senior Honors Thesis Guidelines for Academic Units, Faculty Advisors, and Students
• Senior Honors Thesis Learning Contract (forms for Computer Science majors are here )
• Sample Senior Honors Thesis title page

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How to Write the UNC Chapel Hill Essays 2024-2025

The flagship institution for the University of North Carolina is consistently ranked as one of the best public universities in the country. Because of its exceptional academics, wide array of extracurricular activities, internship and research opportunities in the Research Triangle of North Carolina, and renowned Tar Heel athletics program, it’s no wonder tens of thousands of highly qualified applicants apply each year.

In order to stand out from the crowd, you will need to write exceptional essays that blow the admissions committee away. This year, UNC Chapel Hill requires all applicants to submit two short responses under 250 words. We’ll cover how to write each of these essays in detail, with lots of expert tips on how to stand out.

Read these UNC Chapel Hill essay examples written by real students to inspire your own writing!

UNC Chapel Hill Supplemental Essay Prompts

Prompt 1: Discuss one of your personal qualities and share a story, anecdote, or memory of how it helped you make a positive impact on a community. This could be your current community or another community you have engaged. (200-250 words)

Prompt 2: Discuss an academic topic that you’re excited to explore and learn more about in college. Why does this topic interest you? Topics could be a specific course of study, research interests, or any other area related to your academic experience in college. (200-250 words)

Discuss one of your personal qualities and share a story, anecdote, or memory of how it helped you make a positive impact on a community. This could be your current community or another community you have engaged. (200-250 words)

This prompt puts a spin on the traditional community service essay that asks about your involvement and impact on a community you are a part of. While you still need to address your impact on a community, you have to do it through the lens of a personal characteristic.

In order to fully answer this question, you will need to pick a character trait and a community you are part of and then find a story that blends the two together. There are two main ways you could go about brainstorming.

The first method is to start with a personal trait and work outwards to find an example that demonstrates that characteristic. This is a good approach if you have a character trait that contributes to your application theme. For example, if the theme of leadership is running throughout your application, you might want to write about your leadership and then find an example of a time when you exhibited it in one of your extracurricular or volunteer communities.

The other approach is to pick a community that is important to you and work backwards to find a characteristic. This method will require more introspection as you will need to consider the role you play in the community, how you typically act, how you interact with other community members, etc. If you have a community that is a foundational part of your personality, this might be the approach for you.

As you go about brainstorming, remember that there is no right or wrong character trait or type of community. In fact, you could even spin a “negative” trait like being impulsive or anxious into a positive story—if you go down this road, be careful to show how you had a positive impact on the community and maybe how you fixed the negative trait through being part of the community.

Once you’ve thought of a characteristic and a community you want to focus on, the next step is to come up with a story that highlights how your chosen personality trait led to a positive outcome in your chosen community. Ask yourself some guiding questions to remind yourself of important details that will make your story more engaging:

• Where were you?
• Who was involved?
• What types of conversations took place?
• Did you feel confident in your contribution or did you go outside of your comfort zone?
• What actions did you take? What were you hoping to accomplish?

Now it’s time to start writing! Since you only have 250 words, you’ll want to get right to the heart of the story. A good tactic to accomplish this is to start in media res , or in the middle of the action. For example:

“‘A little more to the right. Up a little. No, dow—there! Perfect!’ The large white tarp hung over the gym entrance, prepared to greet every student attending the rally, perfectly straight thanks to my razor-sharp eyesight and impeccable judgment.”

As you write, make sure you emphasize the story—after all, the prompt explicitly asks for a story or anecdote—by showing the reader through vivid imagery. Place the reader in the moment with active language (“running” instead of “I ran”), use sensory descriptors (“the sweet smell of cinnamon and clove warmed the biting chill in the air”), and avoid generic adjectives like “happy” or “excited.”

Another crucial thing to show (not tell) in this essay is your character trait. Readers like to feel like they are playing an active role in a story, meaning they want to pick up on clues and come to conclusions by themselves. If a student starts her essay by saying, “My positive attitude inspired my lacrosse teammates to play our best even in terrible weather,” we immediately know exactly what her trait is, which leaves us less engaged.

Instead, she can hint at her positivity without explicitly stating it by saying something like this:

“As fat raindrops started splattering on the windshield of the bus, a chorus of grumbles rose from my lacrosse teammates. ‘Another rain game, really?’ someone moaned. She had a point: our last three games had left us all wondering if we had accidentally tried out for the swim team. The drizzle quickly turned into a downpour, while Taylor Swift sang into my airpods ‘It’s a cru-u-u-u-el su-u-mmer….’ Wait, Taylor Swift? The artist famous for performing some of her best shows in the rain? Suddenly, I had an idea.”

This is a much more immersive opening, which places us right alongside this student as she first commiserates with her teammates, and then thinks of a way to lift the mood. We get a lot more detail, which keeps us invested as we wait to see where the story is going, compared to the example above where we check out before the story even starts.

It’s important that your reader be able identify what your character trait is and how it enabled you to positively impact your community. Looking at your essay, it should be easy to point to a change in the community for the better as a result of your involvement. Once you think you’re done writing, go back and ask yourself if that change is obvious. If not, keep revising until it’s clear.

Discuss an academic topic that you’re excited to explore and learn more about in college. Why does this topic interest you? Topics could be a specific course of study, research interests, or any other area related to your academic experience in college. (200-250 words)

While you might be tempted to approach this prompt in the way you would approach a traditional “Why This Major?” essay , hold on for a second and reread the prompt. Rather than being asked why you are pursuing a particular major or area of study, you’re being asked about “an academic topic that you’re excited to explore and learn more about in college.”

Yes, you will probably be most excited to study the topic of your major, but this prompt gives you the chance to look beyond your major and demonstrate the nuances of your interests.

A Good Response Versus a Great One

A good response will focus on a student’s major—”biology,” for example—but a great response will either home in on a specific facet of the major or delve into interdisciplinary interests.

For instance, a student who wants to home in on a specific topic within biology might discuss her fascination with CRISPR genome editing and its ability to potentially cure leukemia. Although her major is technically just “biology,” she is able to focus her essay on this niche topic within biology because this prompt doesn’t box you into discussing your major as merely a school curriculum.

A different student might go down the interdisciplinary route by writing about his interest in gene expression and how environmental factors caused by housing and urban policy can influence what genes are turned on and off. While this essay would still be discussing concepts related to the student’s biology major, it would also demonstrate to the admissions committee the student’s multifaceted interests and his ability to connect seemingly unrelated topics.

Whether you choose to drill down into a specific topic or to make connections between different topics, your essay should still be related to your major. If you’re deciding to major in biology but submit an essay to UNC about your love for American history without a single mention of science, it might raise some questions from the admissions committee.

Find an Anecdote

One of the best ways to show admissions officers your passion for a subject is through a story—in fact, when it comes to college essays, the best way to show anything is through a story!

Anecdotes provide a natural and captivating introduction to your essay, can be used as supporting details for a point you are trying to prove, and can give the essay a common unifying theme. Whether you use your anecdote as a hook in the beginning or write the whole essay around it, it’s important to have a strong personal story when using an anecdote to demonstrate your interest in a topic.

Some good sources of inspiration to get you started might include:

• Your first experience with the topic
• An independent project you conducted on the subject
• A time you struggled with the subject material
• Key questions you have about the topic
• A piece of media you consumed (podcast, book, TV show, etc.) that discussed or challenged your ideas on the topic
• Your personal connection to the topic

Demonstrate Your Interest

The next important part of this essay is demonstrating your interest to show the admissions committee why you want to study this topic in further detail. Your anecdote will help accomplish this goal, but let’s break it down a little more.

In order to successfully demonstrate your interest, you will need to show what, in particular, excites you about this topic. Is it a personal connection? Perhaps your goal is to cure a disease your family member suffers from. Alternatively, is it a chance for you to let your imagination and creativity run wild? If so, how does that feel? Will understanding this topic open doors for you to tackle even more complex issues? Whatever your point of interest in the topic is, you need to make it clear to the reader.

A generic way of demonstrating your interest might look like this:

“I first learned about CRISPR technology in my freshman year biology class. The thought of modifying genes to fight diseases was so exciting to me. Ever since then, I’ve been interested in curing diseases like leukemia.”

Those sentences tell us very little about the interest, and they don’t really show us anything. Saying it was “exciting” and that she was “interested” isn’t descriptive enough to show the reader why the student is pursuing it. Compare that with this example:

“A blue and red helix swirled around the screen as nucleobases were cut and spliced. Within minutes the sequence was inserted and the DNA began replicating without a second thought to its new appendage. My eyes shot open and my jaw grew slack. Images of pristine, white hospital walls clouded my vision. The strong smell of disinfectant permeated the air. All those hours sitting with my mom, holding her cold hands through the chemo, and it could have been solved in minutes with CRISPR?”

This version shows the reader infinitely more about the wonder and disbelief surrounding the topic with imagery like “my eyes shot open and my jaw grew slack.” Then, by detailing the images, smells, and feelings of sitting with their mom through chemotherapy, the student fully conveys her personal stake in this technology and why she is drawn to the topic.

Why Should UNC Care?

Okay, so you know what topic you are interested in studying in college and you have a good story to go with it. So what? Why should the UNC admissions officers care? The final step is to connect your interest to the academic and extracurricular offerings at UNC Chapel Hill.

Although this isn’t a “Why This School” essay that specifically asks for you to mention school resources, the best way to make your essay stand out is to go beyond what you are explicitly asked for and demonstrate the level of research you have done.

The word count is limited for this essay, so the majority of your focus should be on telling the story and demonstrating your interest in your chosen topic. However, try and reserve a sentence or two to weave in school-specific offerings.

When you are including these opportunities, it’s important to ensure that they are both unique and supported by your personal connection. In other words, don’t just say you’re excited to take Biology 101 at UNC, since every university offers that class—instead, find a more distinctive offering that would be harder to find elsewhere, like Molecular Genetics .

Similarly, tie each resource you mention back to yourself. Don’t just say that you want to work with a specific professor; add what you hope to learn from their work with gene replication in mice and how you think you might apply that work to humans, for example.

The UNC admissions officers will read thousands of essays where students simply tell their stories and forget to connect their previous experiences to their future ones. When they come across an essay that is able to tell the student’s story and incorporate the school’s offerings, they will be impressed. Everyone loves a little flattery—even colleges.

That said, make sure that the one or two school resources you mention naturally flow in the essay. The easiest solution is to add a sentence at the end about how you’ll explore your interests on campus, but this tends to disrupt the flow of the essay and make it feel forced. Below is an example of how to make this idea less jarring:

“If only I could tell my mom about the hours I’ll have spent researching with faculty at the CRISPR Screening Facility at Chapel Hill to develop a new drug that would make chemotherapy a bad dream, and not a reality, for those suffering from leukemia.”

If you can successfully unite the topic you’re interested in with the classes, professors, programs, or extracurriculars at UNC, your essay will likely resonate more with the admissions committee.

Where to Get Your UNC Chapel Hill Essays Edited For Free

Do you want feedback on your UNC Chapel Hill essays? After rereading your essays countless times, it can be difficult to evaluate your writing objectively. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays.

Need feedback faster? Get a  free, nearly-instantaneous essay review  from Sage, our AI tutor and advisor. Sage will rate your essay, give you suggestions for improvement, and summarize what admissions officers would take away from your writing. Use these tools to improve your chances of acceptance to your dream school!

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