Our university provides an extensive range of courses for undergraduates and graduate students, including BA and PhD programs, as well as the opportunity to pursue a minor in creative writing. Our curriculum offers a wide variety of educational options to suit diverse academic interests and career goals.
●Writing the musical book
Study and create the dramatic text of musical theater. The course starts with a grounding in the basics of text writing by studying outstanding examples of book writing, from Arthur Laurent's Gypsy to Brian Yorkey's Pulitzer-winning Next To Normal. Students write a series of short scenes （5-10 pages） to be read aloud and critiqued （评判） in class, with the ultimate goal of completing an original or adapted book for a one-act musical （30-60 pages）.
●Introduction to creative writing
Learning to write creatively is like learning to sing, in that the writer is being her own instrument. The writer's specific sensibility and especial competencies determine the range of excellence that the writer can comfortably operate in.
This course will focus on three genres: poetry, creative non-fiction, and fiction. More particularly, the course will focus on the sonnet, the profile, and the short story. Each section will feed into the next: the stanza （诗节） preparing us for the paragraph, and the interview leading into third person point-of-view.
Because learning to write creatively involves developing a form of muscle memory, there will be almost daily writing exercises. There will also be, and equally importantly, a daily writer's diary of the experience of performing the exercise.
●Duke in London: Arts
This course surveys London as a site of dynamic cultural production, whose participation in the global marketplace of artistic commodities （商品） reveals the city's restlessly transnational, worldwide character. Studying local institutions, students are introduced to the complex relationship among art, state, and the global cultural marketplace. Students also participate in trips including dance, opera, and theater productions and visits to museums and other sites of cultural importance.
●Understanding Film and Media
This course takes students through a critical exploration of the global film industry and various media platforms. Students will study film production, global media history, and socio-political impacts of films and media. The course will also touch upon the evolving aspects of media, including digital media, online platforms, and their economical and cultural impact.
