This module will give students the opportunity to develop a basic understanding of key issues and methodologies related to the study of creative writing as an academic discipline; to explore purpose and method in writing, both individually and collaboratively; to develop competence in basic creative writing skills in the traditional genres of prose and poetry, as related to each stage of the writing process; and to develop appropriate vocabulary and formats to reflect on their own writing as process and product.
Generic themes and issues will be covered in lecture-demonstrations; while generic-specific skills and processes will be introduced in tutor-led seminars, and reinforced student-led groups.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
Distinguish between the wide range of poetry and prose writings in relation to genre, content, form and style;
Demonstrate an understanding of the challenges posed by each stage of the writing process, and demonstrate an ability to apply process-specific skills, such a basic research and self-editing skills;
Identify the main elements of short stories and poems, and distinguish between readerly and writerly perspectives on craft and creativity;
Demonstrate competence in the use of language, and basic genre-specific creative writing skills in the poetry and prose genres studied;
Demonstrate an ability to begin to formulate criteria for writing quality based both on our own preference and on understanding what qualities are valued in contemporary prose and poetry.
Assessment
33574-01 : Portfolio of creative work plus self reflection piece : Coursework (100%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions
Portfolio of creative writing demonstrating contrasting approaches to the same stimuli (e.g., a given theme), containing both poetry and prose of approx. 2500w, plus a critical, self-reflective account about the learning experience and writing process of approx. 500 words (100%)