B.A. (Hons) Drama / Creative Writing

How does a Combined Honours degree work?

Teaching is organised in units that typically involve lectures, seminars and practical/tutorial work. Most units are assessed by a mixture of coursework and formal examination, although there are a number of units that are assessed by coursework only.

In each year of full-time study, you will take 120 credits, made up of a number of units which are worth 30 credits each.

In Year 1 you will take 60 credits of core units from each of your two subjects.

You will be introduced to the core strands of drama and theatre through a combination of practice-led, studio-based exercises and lecture or seminar activity. You will be introduced to plays, playwrights and practitioners and study the major movements and theories in 20th and 21st century drama.

You will gain a firm foundation in the major forms, which are short fiction, poetry, scripts and non-fiction writing. You will also acquire key writers disciplines such as reading as a writer, keeping journals and notebooks and redrafting.

In Year 2 you can choose the balance of your two subjects:

Equal study 60 credits from each of your subjects

Major/minor study 90 credits from the major subject and 30 credits from the minor subject.

Drama modules will give you the opportunity to study units including acting, workshop presentation, rehearsal strategies, directing and dramaturgy; theatre research within the theatre practices strand, new theatre writing and contemporary theatre practices within theatre research.

Creative writing modules will develop your craft in the major forms including scripting and journalism, and continue to use the key writer's disciplines and reflect in writing about your work.

In your final year you can continue with the equal or major/minor route you have chosen in Year 2 or you can choose from the following options:

If you have chosen equal study in Year 2 you can choose major/minor study in Year 3.

If you have chosen major/minor study in Year 2, in most subject areas you can choose units completely in your major subject in Year 3. This option is called named route study and leads to a single subject degree. See below for a list of available named route degrees.

All final year Combined Honours students must complete a directed project, dissertation or independent study unit. If you take equal study you can choose this unit in any of the two subject areas; if you take major/minor study, you will take this unit as part of your major subject.

Drama modules will let you choose from specialist areas of study: acting, directing and, dramaturgy, and will be given opportunities to embark upon independent study and forge links with the creative industries through encounters with visiting professionals.

A level of competence in your craft and proficiency in reflective writing and they key writer's disciplines, will allow you to specialise to produce portfolios of accomplished and polished work.