Digital Writing and Narrative Design (B.A.)
The digital writing and narrative design program merges technological sophistication with humanistic inquiry, connecting the work of our Liberal Arts Core with digital literacy and strong writing and storytelling skills. This program prepares students to enter a variety of career fields in the creative economy, from multimedia content creation and nonprofit work to marketing and social media management, and more. Students can tailor their course of study in ways informed both by their creativity and passions, the employment landscape of the creative economy, and the advice of their mentors.
Through the foundation and capstone courses of this major, students learn how to engage with written texts in creative, inquiry-driven ways, culminating in a substantial digital or multimedia writing and research project in their senior year. Students also choose courses from three clusters — humanities, writing, and digital production and design — allowing majors to tailor their degree to their interests. Through the cluster in humanities, students learn how to develop critical reading, writing, and research skills, seeking to understand how stories shape human thought and behavior. Through the writing cluster, students can develop skills in creative writing, professional and journalistic writing, and digital content creation. Through the cluster in digital production and design, students can gain a range of skills from web development and game design to electronic publishing and video production.
Emphasizing writing, critical thinking, and integrative, technologically minded approaches to writing in the public sphere, the digital writing and narrative design program foregrounds the work of intentional, purpose-driven design in the products of human thought and creativity.
The number of electives available in this program makes it exceptionally well-suited to minors and double majors. Minors that work particularly well include English, gender studies, fine arts, business, information technology, web design, graphic & media design, communication, sustainability, media & performance studies, and more.
Upon graduating from this program, students will be able to demonstrate
- the ability to analyze the design elements and their effects in creative writing and media;
- multimodal literacy by producing high-quality work informed by technology;
- informational literacy by integrating appropriate research into their own analyses;
- awareness of public voice through effective presentation or display of their own work;
- strong writing and storytelling skills in their own critical and creative work; and
- the ability to connect educational experiences to professional employment contexts.
A minor in Digital Writing and Narrative Design is also available. Please see the School of Humanities minors section for details.
Residency Requirements: Students must complete at least 18 credits in program coursework at Marymount. Those credits must include EN 240 Introduction to Film and Visual Storytelling, EN 235 Digital and Nonlinear Storytelling, and EN 424 Senior Seminar.
Degree Requirements — Digital Writing and Narrative Design
This degree requires a total of 120 credits.
Liberal Arts Core and University Requirements
See University Requirements and the Liberal Arts Core for details. Digital writing and narrative design majors will satisfy the three-course university Writing Intensive (WI) requirement in the following way: by completing EN 240 Introduction of Film and Visual Studies (required for all majors) and by choosing EN 424 Senior Seminar or other WI courses in the clusters, Liberal Arts Core, or university electives.
Major Requirements
To fulfill the requirements of the major, all students in this program will take the following coursework in a sequence determined in collaboration with an academic advisor. Some courses also satisfy Liberal Arts Core and/or University Requirements.
Major Electives
All majors also complete coursework in the three following clusters.
Humanities Cluster
All majors take nine (9) credits from the following options:
| EN 208 | Digital Approaches to Literature * | 3 |
| | |
| EN 220 | The Movie or the Book? Narrative Adaptation in the Cinema * | 3 |
| OR | |
| IS 220 | The Movie or the Book? Narrative Adaptation in the Cinema * | 3 |
| | |
| EN 225 | Heroes, Antiheroes, and Superheroes * | 3 |
| EN 360 | Book Histories, Book Futures * | 3 |
| | |
| EN 390 | Digital Projects in the Humanities * | 1-3 |
| OR | |
| HU 390 | Digital Projects in the Humanities * | 1-3 |
| | |
| HI 295 | Introduction to Public History | 3 |
| HI 307 | Museum Studies | 3 |
Writing Cluster
All majors take nine (9) credits from the following options:
| EN 270 | Approaches to Creative Writing * | 3 |
| EN 301 | The Writing Process: Theory and Practice * | 3 |
| EN 303 | Literary Nonfiction * | 3 |
| EN 305 | Topics in Creative Writing * | 3 |
| EN 308 | Style and Revision * | 3 |
| COMM 209 | Contemporary Journalism * | 3 |
| COMM 302 | Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques | 3 |
| COMM 307 | Broadcast Writing and Delivery | 3 |
| COMM 315 | Writing for Digital Media * | 3 |
Digital Production and Design Cluster
All majors take nine (9) credits from the following options:
Sample Degree Plan — Digital Writing and Narrative Design
Please note that this is a sample plan; all students should consult with an advisor in making course selections. Students should take lower-level courses before upper-level courses. Course substitutions are approved on a case-by-case basis.
Year One — Fall
| EN 101 | Composition I * | 3 |
| TRS 100 | Theological Inquiry * | 3 |
| CNCT 100 | Connections * | 3 |
| | Introductory Social Science (SS-1) core course * | 3 |
| | One (1) elective | 3 |
Year One — Spring
| EN 102 | Composition II * | 3 |
| | Natural Science (NS) core course with lab * | 4 |
| HI | Introductory History (HI-1) core course * | 3 |
| | Two (2) electives | 6 |
Year Two — Fall
| EN 240 | Introduction to Film and Visual Studies * | 3 |
| PH 100 | Introduction to Philosophy * | 3 |
| | Humanities cluster major elective | |
| | Introductory Social Science (SS-1) core course in a second discipline * | 3 |
| | One (1) elective | 3 |
EN 240: DSINQ, WI, and LT-1 core course
PH 100: PH-1 core course
Year Two — Spring
| EN 235 | Digital and Nonlinear Storytelling * | 3 |
| | Writing cluster major elective | |
| | Introductory Social Science (SS-1) in a third discipline or Second Natural Science (NS) core course * | 3 |
| MA | Mathematics (MT) core course * | 3-4 |
| | One (1) elective - GP course if not already completed * | 3 |
Year Three — Fall
| | Digital Production and Design cluster major elective | |
| | Fine Arts (FNA), Advanced History (HI-2), or Advanced Literature (LT-2) core course - EN 360 recommended * | 3 |
| | Advanced Social Science (SS-2) core course * | 3 |
| | Fine Arts (FNA), Advanced Literature (LT-2), or Advanced History (HI-2) core course * | 3 |
| | One (1) elective - 2nd WI course if not already completed * | |
EN 360 (recommended): DSINQ, LT-2 core course
Year Three — Spring
| | Humanities cluster major elective | |
| | Writing cluster major elective | |
| | Digital Production and Design cluster major elective | |
| | Advanced Theology/Religious Studies (TRS-2) or Theological Ethics (TRS-E) core course * | 3 |
| | One (1) elective | 3 |
Year Four — Fall
| EN 424 | Senior Seminar * | 3 |
| OR | |
| GMD 404 | Performance Media Lab * | 3 |
| | |
| | Humanities cluster major elective | |
| | Writing cluster major elective | |
| PH | Advanced Philosophy (PH-2) or Philosophical Ethics (PH-E) core course * | 3 |
| | One (1) elective - 3rd DSINQ course required if not already completed * | 3 |
Year Four — Spring
| EN 400 | Internship * | 3 |
| OR | |
| GMD 400 | Internship * | 3 |
| OR | |
| GMD 400SL | Internship * | 3 |
| | |
| | Digital Production and Design cluster major elective | |
| | One (1) elective - 3rd WI course if not already completed * | |
| | Two (2) electives | 6 |
* Fulfills Liberal Arts Core/University Requirements. See University Requirements and the Liberal Arts Core and the Course Descriptions for further information.