Creative Writing

BA (Hons) Creative Writing
Mode: full-time

This course is practical and hands-on, with an emphasis on innovation and diversity. You will be encouraged to identify and develop your own specialism within a variety of genres.

The course has good links with other art, design and media courses, providing the opportunity to engage in cross-media and multimedia projects, as well as giving you a strong grounding in online, web-based writing environments.

You will have access to experienced writers, academics, professionals, research students and alumni of the course via readings and seminars. This year we are also launching Divergence, an international online peer reviewed journal of innovative writing and text-based art.

The Creative Writing Society, run by students, hosts ‘open mic’ readings and also publishes work online.

At stage one you will study a range of forms and techniques in the major genres of fiction, poetry, scriptwriting and creative non-fiction, whilst developing your own approaches in preparation for the more project based modules of the second year, where specialisation and experimentation are both encouraged.

In the third stage you produce substantial work in your own specialised areas (one or two specifically), in particular in the Special Project.

In June you have the opportunity to showcase work from throughout the period of your studies in the Degree Show.

Areas of study include:

• Innovative Writing
• Scriptwriting
• Performance Writing
• Creative Non-fiction
• Collaboration

Why choose this course?

• Unique course that adapts to your needs and specialisms
• Innovative course content, with a strong element of new media and multimedia writing
• A stimulating, creative environment of practice-based teaching and learning
• Undergraduate and graduate students will showcase their own work, throughout the B: Fest festival.
• Divergence, an online international peer-reviewed journal of innovative writing and text-based art (including hypertext, animated text sound-based writing, etc) will be launched in the summer
• Student-run Creative Writing Society, which offers the chance to have your work published online
• Dynamic creative atmosphere
• Media-related courses are ranked 3rd in the UK, according to the 2007 Guardian
• Opportunities to engage in cross-media collaboration
• Advice on publication and finding outlets
• Opportunities to engage in the Writers in Schools course
• Innovative online facilities

Career Opportunities

Creative Writing offers many other opportunities for career development apart from simply becoming a full-time practising author or writer. Advertising and copywriting are obvious examples, but students from the
course have also gone on to successful careers in TV script editing, music journalism and the teaching of creative writing.

Others may go into copywriting (for magazines, websites, etc) or academic research. All will bring strong writing and editing skills to their chosen careers, in a world where more and more jobs require the production of text.

Teaching/learning methods and strategies

Most of our teaching takes place in seminar groups and workshops. We encourage discussion in seminars and expect students to ask questions, make their own contributions and generally engage. Workshops are group efforts, where the lecturer will take the lead as chair, but will not expect to dominate.

Assessment

Primarily through your own creative work, often in project or portfolio forms. There are opportunities to present assessments in live or recorded performance, cross- and multi-media forms, as well as in collaboration.