UCI will offer literary journalism major

Deirdre Newman

In the same hallowed halls where Pulitzer-winning authors have

honed their creative writing, students seeking an education in

literary journalism will soon learn how to apply fiction-writing

techniques to factual stories.

In January, UCI will start offering an undergraduate major in

literary journalism, becoming the first University of California

campus to do so.

The major, which will build on the Department of English and

Comparative Literature’s strengths in literature, creative writing

and literary theory, is just one of many new choices the university

is creating to entice students to the campus.

“The university is in a period of growth, and departments have

been asked to look at their offerings and see if they could imagine

new majors, new programs and new ways to attract more and better

students,” said Linda Georgianna, an English professor.

While the term “literary journalism” entered the popular lexicon

around the late 19th century, the field of literary journalism is an

emerging one, Georgianna said.

The major will require several courses in modern American history,

different kinds and periods of English literature, literary criticism

and theory and the history and theory of literary journalism.

Students will also get to choose from writing seminars on various

subgenres of literary journalism, such as writing about crime,

writing about politics and the memoir.

Some literary journalism students will read authors such as Tom

Wolfe, Norman Mailer and Joan Didion.

The major will allow students to spend a good deal of time working

on their stories.

“Literary journalism gives us a way of combining the timeliness

and legwork involved in journalism, that is, responding to events

happening now,” Georgianna said. “But what we wanted to teach is a

more considered writing -- writing that students have to consider,

say over a month, than over a day.”

While the major offers an education rather than on-the-job

training, literary journalism majors may be required to perform at

least one internship as the program evolves, Georgianna said. No

reporting courses are currently planned.

“The biggest difference between ours and a traditional journalism

program is that we insist on a historical and theoretical approach to

the field, as well as practice in writing,” Georgianna said.

The department is also developing a new graduate program in

creative nonfiction.