Literary Nonfiction

Catalog description

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. COURSE OVERVIEW. Examines long-form journalism and nonfiction storytelling grounded in factual reporting. Introduces literary techniques used in podcasting, personal essays, profiles, memoir-style narratives, investigative features and historical reconstructions. Emphasizes sourcing, documentation and ethical scene-building to distinguish literary nonfiction from fiction or opinion. May explore narrative formats across print, digital, audio and/or multimedia platforms. Content may reference real-world experiences involving hardship or sensitive subject matter, addressed through ethical journalistic standards. RELEVANCE AND APPLICATION. Develops professional skills relevant to magazine writing, feature reporting, podcasting, documentary development and nonprofit or institutional storytelling. Reinforces competencies in interviewing, archival research, narrative framing, revision and editorial collaboration. Supports preparation for media careers, freelance writing and advanced study in communication or creative nonfiction. Strengthens ability to translate complex issues into compelling public narratives across civic, cultural and/or professional settings. DEEPENING UNDERSTANDINGS. Highlights how narrative journalism balances storytelling craft with verification, transparency and fairness. Clarifies ethical boundaries around reconstruction, privacy and representation, including trauma-informed reporting practices. Encourages reflection on how perspective, access and documentation shape narrative authority. TOPICS AND THEMES. May include development of personal or reported essays; profiles and character studies; historical or archival-based narratives; place-based writing; investigative narrative structures; hybrid or experimental formats; collaboration with editors or fact-checkers; and discussion of contemporary debates around authenticity, voice and responsibility in nonfiction. May involve engagement with controversial issues, sensitive subject matter and/or emotionally charged topics, addressed for purposes of journalistic analysis. Prerequisite: Junior or senior classification or approval of instructor.