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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.

EN 235Digital and Nonlinear Storytelling *

3

EN 240Introduction to Film and Visual Studies *

3

 

EN 400Internship *

3

OR

GMD 400Internship *

3

OR

GMD 400SLInternship *

3

 

EN 424Senior Seminar *

3

OR

GMD 404Performance Media Lab *

3

 

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 208Digital Approaches to Literature *

3

 

EN 220The Movie or the Book? Narrative Adaptation in the Cinema *

3

OR

IS 220The Movie or the Book? Narrative Adaptation in the Cinema *

3

 

EN 225Heroes, Antiheroes, and Superheroes *

3

EN 360Book Histories, Book Futures *

3

 

EN 390Digital Projects in the Humanities *

1-3

OR

HU 390Digital Projects in the Humanities *

1-3

 

HI 295Introduction to Public History

3

HI 307Museum Studies

3

Writing Cluster

All majors take nine (9) credits from the following options:
EN 270Approaches to Creative Writing *

3

EN 301The Writing Process: Theory and Practice *

3

EN 303Literary Nonfiction *

3

EN 305Topics in Creative Writing *

3

EN 308Style and Revision *

3

COMM 209Contemporary Journalism *

3

COMM 302Public Relations Writing and Media Techniques

3

COMM 307Broadcast Writing and Delivery

3

COMM 315Writing for Digital Media *

3

Digital Production and Design Cluster

All majors take nine (9) credits from the following options:
COMM 204Video Production: Multimedia Communication

3

VIS 101User Centered Design

3

GMD 105Video Editing

1

GMD 106Motion Graphics

1

GMD 200Digital Publishing

3

GMD 255Typography

3

GMD 305Publication Design

3

GMD 308Web and Social Media Design

3

IT 125Web Development

3

IT 225Advanced Web Development

3

IT 227Mobile App Development

3

IT 322Game Design

3

IT 324Story and Narrative Development for Video Games

3

IT 3253-D Modeling and Animation

3

EN 400Internship *

3

GMD 400Internship *

3

GMD 400SLInternship *

3

Students may take an additional internship (EN 400, GMD 400, or GMD 400SL).

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 101Composition I *

3

TRS 100Theological Inquiry *

3

CNCT 100Connections *

3

Introductory Social Science (SS-1) core course *

3

One (1) elective

3

EN 101: WR core course

TRS 100: TRS-1 core course

Year One — Spring

EN 102Composition II *

3

Natural Science (NS) core course with lab *

4

HI Introductory History (HI-1) core course *

3

Two (2) electives

6

EN 102: WR core course

Year Two — Fall

EN 240Introduction to Film and Visual Studies *

3

PH 100Introduction 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 235Digital 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 424Senior Seminar *

3

OR

GMD 404Performance 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

EN 424: DSINQ and WI core course

GMD 404: DSINQ course

Year Four — Spring

EN 400Internship *

3

OR

GMD 400Internship *

3

OR

GMD 400SLInternship *

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.