[CW-Grad] Important info regarding MFA course registration and getting settled

[Robin Russin]

Hi Everyone:

FOR NEW (FIRST YEAR COHORT) STUDENTS: as with all incoming graduate students, you will be able to access your info and sign up for classes on August 16 or shortly thereafter, I'm still waiting to learn the exact date. The fact that you can't yet do so is not a reason to worry, it's just how the system works. You will be receiving further information from myself and/or the graduate division as soon as it's available.

HOWEVER-- TO ALL MFA STUDENTS:

In order to make sure you're on top of your requirements, we are now asking that every student, for every term, consult with their graduate advisor before signing up for classes. Once your choices have been cleared, the advisor will notify me and the grad division.

For those majoring in Fiction, Poetry or Creative Non-Fiction, your advisor is Prof. Andrew Winer:

andrew.winer at ucr.edu

For those majoring in Screenwriting or Playwriting, your advisor is Prof. Charles (Chuck) Evered:

cbevered at aol.com

PLEASE NOTE: if you intend to sign up for a cross-genre workshop (if, for instance, you're a fiction major but want to take a poetry workshop), we strongly advise you to contact the professor of that workshop to see if the class is subject to instructor approval, and if he or she may require a writing sample from you before admitting you to the class. This applies ONLY to cross-genre workshops, NOT to workshops in your major genre, or to seminars. You can find any professor's email on the MFA website (some office phones may have changed or been disconnected, so email is your best option):

http://writingmfa.ucr.edu/people/index.html

Also note that screenwriting and playwriting workshops both count toward workshop requirements for either major (Screenwriting or Playwriting) and therefore are not considered cross-genre if you're majoring in either of those two genres, only if you're majoring in one of the other three genres (Poetry, Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction).

Please do not panic if you can't get into a class. You have two years, in some cases three, and other opportunities will arise. Also, if you find you're not able to get into a particular graduate level workshop, whether because it's full or because it's a cross-genre and the instructor feels you are not quite ready for a graduate level workshop in that subject, you might (with prior instructor and grad advisor/director approval) still be able to take an upper division undergraduate workshop in that subject for credit. We're looking to make sure students are in the right classes to suit their needs, and also to be as flexible as possible.

Tracey, Yvonne: as not all new students may yet be signed up for this listserv, please forward this email to all incoming students in the new cohort, if you have their contact emails. 

Melissa Harkness is the graduate student representative, and can assist with signing students up for the listserv:

mhark001 at ucr.edu

Thanks!

Robin Russin

Associate Professor, Department of Theatre
Director, MFA for Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92521
(951) 827-2707
(213) 949-1061 cel
robin.russin at ucr.edu
http://robinrussin.com

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