Creative Writing BA (Hons) module details

Year one

Block 1: Exploring Creative Writing

You will explore a wide range of short form writing and a range of modes including international strict form poetry (for example, sonnet, rondeau, terza rima, ghazal, villanelle, sestina), free verse, flash fiction and historical flash fiction. Ethical questions of combining fact and fiction are addressed in an introduction to historical fiction. You may also explore the practice of review writing in a real-world context and digital short form writing on social media platforms.

Assessment

Collaborative Short Form Writing, 20%: You will collaborate with other students to write a strict-form poem and reflect individually on your learning.

Short Form Writing Portfolio, 80%: You will submit a portfolio consisting of a range of short form writing. The portfolio will include a critical commentary reflecting on the creative process and editing of the short form writing presented in the portfolio.

Block 2: Writing Identity

By exposing you to a range of biographical, autobiographical, poetic, and theoretical material this course explores the negotiation of identity in writing, in an international context, as potential material for the creative writer. You will explore selfhood, personality, memory, and examine the degree to which any written identity has a fictional component. You will consider the responsibility of writers to represent groups or individuals with care and intelligence. You will write about your own experiences of your national identity and examine the formation of postcolonial identities, and the role of intersectionality in the construction and negotiation of identity.

Assessment

Writing identity portfolio, 100%: You will write a range of pieces of identity-based writing covering both strands: autobiographical and fictional identity.

Block 3: Writers Salon

Writers always learn from reading. Drawing on the tradition of the literary salon and writers’ salons in the 21^st century, this module provides a framework for you to extend your writing skills through an exchange of ideas and collaborative learning. You will reflect on how your reading can inform and improve your own practice as a writer. Areas for consideration may include voice, form and structure, pace and development, genre, language, and the relationship of writer to reader. Reading for craft will be introduced through core readings in poetry and prose and will draw on materials from a range of countries and cultures, including published work from writers of colour and writing in translation. As well as producing new creative work, you will be expected to work individually or collaboratively to host the salon, selecting material, leading discussions, and devising exploratory writing activities

Assessment

Salon Host Micro-Teach, 30%: You will work in a group to teach your peers about reading for craft and reflect individually on your learning.

Portfolio: Creative Responses to Reading, 70%: You will submit a minimum of two new pieces of creative writing in response to core readings of your choice.

OR you can select to study one route from the list below:

Drama Route - Shifting Stages

On this module you will develop and demonstrate performance skills relevant to chosen theatrical texts. Analysing the structures, both linguistic and narrative, of play texts and performances, you will explore a range of critical and technical perspectives. Through workshops, you will engage in a practical exploration of the module topic through a range of tutor led exercises, consolidating your knowledge through creative practice and working collaboratively with others.

Assessment

Solo Performance or Presentation, 60%: You will produce a 6 minute performance or presentation to demonstrate performance skills in relation to one of the two play texts studied with a detailed textual analysis.

Essay, 40%: You will write an essay to demonstrate analysing selected written work and performance theory from established authors and practitioners.

English Language route - Evolving Language

This module is focused on the history and development of English from its beginnings to the present day and beyond. The module will examine theories about the origins of language, and use English as a case study to show how languages change over time. You will examine the history of English through the close study of texts chosen from the full range of the language's history; including early Celtic languages and Anglo-Saxon. The vexed question of language 'decay' will also be addressed and you will consider the various ways English is evolving in a globalised, IT-saturated world. You will examine differences between varieties of English spoken within the UK and globally and reflect on how such differences impact on communicative interaction.

Linguistic Report, 40%: You will write a report describing some linguistic data and its relevance to the history of the English language.

Group Presentation, 60%: You will deliver a fifteen-minute group presentation reporting on the findings of a small-scale research project on different varieties of the English language.

English Literature route - Introduction to Drama: Shakespeare

The module will introduce you to the playwright, William Shakespeare. It will explore textual production and the performance of plays in the early modern period. It will also examine Shakespeare’s meaning in contemporary culture by considering the continued adaptation of his work in other media forms such as novels or films. You will use examples of Shakespeare in adaptation to discuss key topics such as gender, social justice and (post)colonialism. In doing so, the module will explore Shakespeare’s significance to British culture, as well as his global legacy.

Assessment

Coursework, 40%: Using digital editions of Shakespeare's plays, you will produce a reflection on a 5 minute class presentation.

Blog article, 60%: You will write a blog article on the adaptation of one of the plays studied on the module.

Film Studies route - Disney, Warner Bros and the Business of the Film Studio

You will develop your understanding of the historic and current operation of major film studios, by reviewing their releases, changing structures over time, and their practices today. You will explore the history of movie studios and the evolving business practices of studios, focusing on the activities of two studios, the Walt Disney Company and Warner-Discovery. You will discover the key activities carried out by studios, including production, distribution, license sales and marketing.

Assessment

Preparatory exercise, 20%: You will produce a 5 minute presentation or written piece outlining one aspect of industry practice.

Essay project, 80%: You will write an essay exploring key themes of the module.

Education route - Childhood, Social Justice and Education

This module is an introduction to some of the important contemporary debates in Childhood Studies and society. The module will explore and evaluate the construction of childhood, the inequalities which surround childhood, and what it means to be a child in the UK in the 21st century. Drawing on a range of sociological and political conceptualizations of childhood and the many factors that shape our understanding of it, you will critically evaluate key issues impacting on childhood and how these issues are reflected in, or sustained by, or challenged by society. You will be encouraged to contest and interrogate your own thinking and assumptions about children, childhood and society.

Assessment

Academic poster, 40%: You will produce 1 poster or a series of posters exploring a theme from the module chosen by yourself.

Report, 60%: You will write an academic report exploring a theme from the module chosen by yourself.

History route – Global Cities

This module examines the role of cities in global history, particularly the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. You will gain an understanding of the significance of urbanisation in modern history, and the development of cities as key sites of global trade and exchange of ideas. Topics covered may include sanitation processes and hygiene movements, city planning, migration, the slave trade, colonialism, sport and leisure, religion and the arts. You will be introduced to cultural and social history concepts and engage with different types of history, such as urban history, medical history, environmental history, visual and material history and migration history.

Assessment

Presentation, 40%: You will work on one of the themes of the module, comparing how it developed in two different cities.

Portfolio, 60%: You will compile a variety of short pieces on cities explored during the module.

Journalism route - Understanding Journalism

This module introduces you to classic and new theories and practice of journalism, and the role the news media have in explaining and shaping society. You will reflect on the evolutions and the current state of the sector, and develop your understanding of global news debate and the role of journalism in shaping communities. Theories introduced include journalism and its role in society, theories of news production, content, and audience theories, and digital news theories. You will also dissect current events in order to understand how journalists have covered and responded to activism and social justice issues in the UK and worldwide both in mainstream media and social media.

Essay, 60%: You will select one question to answer from a selection.

Presentation, 40%: You will apply journalism theories to critically evaluating a news event.

Media route - Media, Culture and Society

This module considers a range of approaches to the study of media, culture, and society, particularly focusing on the socio-cultural contexts in which contemporary media operate on a domestic and global scale. You will examine the notion of 'culture' as a range of mediatised practices and explore the everyday significance of contemporary cultural and media forms.

Assessment

Creative project, 40%: You will create a small creative project around one of the theoretical concepts covered in the module and present it to the class.

Essay, 60%: You will write an essay related to the themes of the module.

Block 4: Shaping Ideas

This module is designed to develop your individual writing practice from your unique writing interests. We will work with your existing creative projects and passions to plan, research, and develop these projects effectively, including tackling any ethical questions that may arise from your research. You will be supported to understand the importance of giving constructive feedback and how to apply feedback to your own work. You will also gain experience in talking about your work to your peers and tutors.

Assessment

Pair feedback report, 20%: You will take on the role of editor and co-writer, providing valuable feedback on another student’s work.

Creative work and reflective commentary, 80%: You will write a new creative piece in your chosen form and genre, with a reflective commentary.

Year two

Block 1: Writing Place

This module is designed to explore the role place has as a major creative stimulant, and subject of research, in writing. Creative practice research, including field work and archival research, will form the basis of the creation of new writing anchored in place. Through encounters with prose and poetry from writers whose work is explicitly informed by the contemplation of place, you will consider the impact that local, regional, national, and international contexts might have upon your own creative work. Themes explored may include the role of memory, notions of home and displacement, the connection between place and sense of self and wellbeing, experiences of travel (including ethical consideration of representation), on-site writing, locative writing, liminal spaces, landscape and the natural world, urban spaces, movement and place, and place and genre (such as speculative fiction, ghost stories and crime).

Assessment

Field Trip e-Scrapbook, 40%: students can choose their method of presentation, for example, Padlet, Wix, etc. You will produce a scrapbook, displayed in a format of your choosing, to illustrate the creative practice research being undertaken (for example, field notes/photos/exploratory writing etc.) and potential avenues for the creative work.

Field Trip Creative Work, 60%: You will complete a piece of place-anchored writing, with a free choice of form, genre, and subject.

Block 2: Word, Image, Sound

This module aims to consider a variety of international writing contexts in which word, image and sound might be placed in creative dialogue, in terms of the varied spaces and places in which writing occurs, and in relation to issues and ideas that inform writing practices. This may include writing as varied as ekphrastic poetry, concrete poetry, poetry films, podcasting, screenplays, graphic novels, radio drama, hypertext, and audio-visual work. You will also examine the impact of global new media and the international digital environment on contemporary writing practices.

Assessment

Creative Practice Case Study, 100%: You will submit a choice of case study from the forms addressed in the module, including new creative work in your chosen form.

Block 3: Story Craft

Narrative remains a tremendously powerful tool in all aspects of media, in marketing, advertising, gaming, as well as all aspects of fiction. This module will remind you why, and how, this is so. Main themes may include narrative arcs and structures, characterisation, pace, event, story-world, dialogue, clue-laying, revelation, and concealment, and means of involving the reader. The module will focus on storytelling and prose, looking at story structure, narrative structure, and drive, and how writers compel us to turn the pages. It will consider how the art of storytelling has adapted to its contemporary setting and the relationship between form and content. You will develop your understanding of the importance of showing rather than telling and of the capacity strong image has to carry emotional content.

Assessment

Story Craft Proposal, 40%: You will submit a proposal illustrating your intended approach to story craft in your portfolio. Your proposal can be presented in a format of your own choosing, for example, PowerPoint, poster, Pecha Kucha, Padlet or webpage.

Story Craft Portfolio, 60%: You will produce a new creative work that applies the concepts of story craft studied in the module.

OR continue with the route selected in the first year:

Drama Route - Theatre Revolutions

You will engage with key moments of transition in theatre practice and develop your understanding of those changes from a range of cultural and historical perspectives. Theatre is an ever-changing form and this module provides you with the opportunity to explore exciting moments of change throughout history such as the shift from melodrama to naturalism or the shift from naturalism to post-dramatic performance. Themes you will explore could include Justice, War and Love.

Assessment

Essay, 50%: You will write an essay interpreting theatre and performance texts using primary and secondary courses to construct a coherent argument in response to one of number of essay questions.

Group performance, 50%: You will create a 30 minute group performance of one or more scenes from one of the plays studied.

Education route - Cultural and Technological Transformations in Education

This module explores how technology has impacted education and learning. We will consider key cultural changes, for example, that we now live in the ‘digital age and how technological change has impacted on notions of children’s and young people’s media literacy, e-learning, e-safety and social networking. Many students do not have access to technology and you will consider the inequalities this perpetuates, as well as how technologies can create a more inclusive form of education for neurodiverse students and students with disabilities. You will also consider how technology can create empowering learning opportunities, through gaming, podcasting, wikis and virtual world platforms for all students.

Assessment

Portfolio, 100%: You will work in pairs or small groups to create a portfolio exploring a topic from the module presented either as a wiki, website, or interactive Sway.

Education route - Preparing for Professional Practice

The educational landscape of the UK is changing rapidly and the range of graduate professional roles on offer is broader than ever before. This module is intended to support students who wish to go into both teaching and non-teaching-based careers. It will equip you to make informed, critical and confident assessments of the opportunities, debates and challenges that are available to you. You will identify your personal strengths, areas for personal and professional development, and opportunities by which this development might be achieved. You will also gain the practical skills and reflect on the development of your professional identity and application of academic knowledge in practical environments. You will attend career guidance sessions throughout the academic year and have the opportunity to undertake a placement.

Assessment, 100%: You will write a reflective report drawing on your own career interests, aspirations and background experience. This could include employment sector analysis documents, a high-quality CV, self-evaluation documents and evidence of completed, relevant professional development.

English Language route - Sociolinguistics

This module develops your awareness of the link between language and society and the issues that may arise from this link. You will explore topics such as the relationship between language and society, how English varies between regions and countries, the debate on Standard English, multilingualism and language choice, attitudes to language use in society, language and gender, language and class/age, language planning and maintenance, linguistic imperialism or a global language, language and societal problems and researching sociolinguistics.

Assessment

Test, 20%: a one hour online test

Coursework 1, 20%: You will write a critical review of a text exploring the course content.

Coursework 2, 30%: You will write an analytical study of a theme, topic, or data set exploring the course content.

Project, 30%: You will work as a group on a research project exploring a sociolinguistic topic of your choosing and deliver a 15 minute presentation on your findings.

English Literature route - Text Technologies

Literary and historical texts have always come down to us in material forms - from stone and wax tablets inscribed with a chisel or stylus to being held as electron charges within capacitors on computer microchips. This module is concerned with how these material forms function and how they have shaped the writings we read. You will explore three topics: '‘Manuscript, writing up to the year 1500’, ‘Printing, 1440-2000’, and ‘Digital texts, the 20th century and beyond'. You will discover the revolutionary aspects of each of these developments in text technologies and how they transformed writing, its dissemination and consumption. We will consider such questions as how print disrupted and displaced manuscript culture, how the changing economics of textual dissemination affect what gets written and disseminated, and how reading is shaped by the medium in which the writing is embodied.

Assessment Knowledge-Based Tests, 10%: You will complete a series of short tests.

Case Study, 30%: You will write a case study reflecting on theoretical knowledge and practical experiences of creating a manuscript or a printed document.

Digital Project, 60%: You will use your practical experience of the creation of a digital resource to discuss history of text technologies.

Film Studies route - Screen Archives - Preservation, Conservation and Usage

In this module you will learn about the management and usage of screen archives. You will discover how to identify, approach and mitigate the threats that time and space pose to the preservation of film and media heritage for future generations, while also identifying and exploring the various purposes for which this archival material is utilised by a range of external stakeholders. The module’s hands-on practical evaluation of historical material will encourage you to consider: what can we find and study in film archives? How do we present these items to the public? Who is an archivist and who a collector? And what, ultimately, are the purposes and uses of an archive’s holdings and how can they best be served? You will benefit form learning in the DMU film archives, where you will observe, evaluate film ephemera and their broad historical and socio-cultural contexts.

Assessment

Professional portfolio, 50%: You will write a portfolio reflecting on curatorial practices concerning archives and collections.

Exhibition materials and curatorial presentation, 50%: You will submit exhibition materials totalling and a 10 minute curatorial presentation around an artefact from a screen archive.

History route – Humans and the Natural World

This module will examine how humans have used, adapted, represented, changed and explored the natural world through the sciences and medicine, sport and leisure, industry, religion and visual culture, among others. You will be introduced to a diversity of historical approaches, including the history of science, medicine and technology, environmental history, sport history and visual history.

Assessment

Thematic essay, 40%: You will answer an essay question related to the themes of the module.

Podcast or video, 50%: You will choose to produce either a podcast or video of 5-10 minutes. You will work in pairs to examine one of the module themes and bring in primary source analysis.

Content notes, 10%: You will write to introduce your podcast or video.

Journalism route - Beyond news: Peace journalism and Opinion writing

You will explore innovative and constructive approaches to journalism, such as peace journalism, constructive journalism, and solution journalism, which aim to create opportunities for change through journalism. You will gain an understanding of practical elements of writing an entertaining, interesting and compelling first person opinion column, why these columns are more popular today in magazines and newspapers and write your own columns on your own blog. We will also look at review writing and the journalistic similarities here with opinion writing. You will be encouraged to find an area of popular culture they are interested in and review your experience of it, honing your work, practising techniques and styles, until your writing is up to industry standard.

Assessment

Constructive journalism report, 50%: You will write a report including and explanation of chosen constructive approach, with analysis and proposal of constructive output.

Review and column writing, 50%: You will write a review or column.

Media route - Public Relations and Strategic Communications

This module introduces you the concepts and debates that underpin both the practice and the academic discipline of public relations. You will learn about the different strands of public relations, the industry structures and the tools used by practitioners to engage with their audiences. You will develop an understanding of mediated communications and the relationship between practitioners and journalists. The ability to practically utilise new media and technology as part of strategic communications will also form a key strand of the modules learning and teaching strategy.

Assessment

Individual PR campaign plan, 60%: You will produce an online PR campaign plan from scratch targeting the UK audience. Your plan will be driven by global research and you will produce practical materials for the campaign which could be logo designs, posters, leaflets, press releases, blogs, websites, digital content, and any innovations with a rationale.

Group presentation and reflective report, 40%: You will deliver a 10 minute presentation as a group and write a reflective report.

Block 4: Personal Projects

This module builds upon the skills developed in Shaping Ideas at level 4. It is therefore part of a pathway dedicated to the planning for, and management of, longer projects that will culminate in the level 6 dissertation. . You will test the suitability of ideas for your dissertation, plan and begin writing and receive feedback from your tutors and fellow students. You will look at the role of exploratory writing, editing needs at different stages of development, making major and transformative changes, and working through difficulties and setbacks. This module also develops your professional writing and employability skills by exploring how writers present themselves online and establishing your online web presence.

Assessment

Collaborative Hub, 20%: You will undertake a collaborative research project that culminates in the creating of a professional website that represents each member of the group.

Personal Project, 80%: You will produce a new creative work plus a contextualising critical commentary.

Year three

Block 1: Genre Specialism

This module provides you with an opportunity to work with a specialist practitioner in a set genre, for example web writing, radio drama or children's writing. You will work collaboratively in small group workshops and with guidance from the practitioner, reflecting on your own working practices and strengths. You will produce a professionally presented project in the set genre which engages with the contemporary literary marketplace. The genre specialism may vary from year to year.

Assessment

Genre Project, 70%: a sample of creative writing making use of the techniques and procedures of the specialist genre, submitted to a professional standard.

Genre Commentary, 30%: You will produce a commentary comprising a range of elements, such as promotional materials showing audience/industry knowledge, a professional dossier of materials suitable when submitting and preparing work for publication relevant to the industry demands of the genre, critical, research-anchored reflection upon the Genre project and your writing practice, accounts of craft and editing challenges relevant to the industry demands of the genre.

Block 2: Writing and Publishing

In this module you will gain professional skills and knowledge of the writing industry in its global context.

Although some will be specific to the needs of creative writing practitioners, the knowledge and employability skills gained will also be an advantage in a range of career options.

Topics may include discussions of international publishing trends, copyright, digital marketing, the selling of translation rights, developments in e-publishing, the global phenomenon of print-on-demand, and self-publishing. Provision may include contributions from industry professionals with a range of international links, for example, talks from visiting professors, or voice coaching and performance sessions for students.

Assessment

Publication project, 70%: You will produce a publication in a format of your choosing, either print-based or digital.

Marketing Plan, 30%: You will produce a marketing plan to promote your publication.

The marketing plan and publication project will run as two parallel projects; one informs the other. As such both assessments will be in progress concurrently. Students may have the opportunity to engage professionally in promoting and selling their publications at the Leicester Centre for Creative Writing States of Independence book festival, or a similar event.

Block 3: Uncreative Writing, Creative Misbehaviour

This module will encourage students to rethink the very premise of ‘Creative Writing’ as self-expression. It will heighten our attention to the language that surrounds us in everyday life, and involve an element of self-transformation in our attitudes towards relations between art and life. Creative Writing is founded upon notions of ‘original’ composition, and the quest to find a ‘unique’ voice. The ability to generate new writing that expresses creative thought and reflects upon experiences is one of the enduring definitions of what it means to be human. But there is an alternative, playful, history of ‘Uncreative Writing’ that challenges these ideas and welcomes kinds of writing practice open to celebrating the ‘materiality’ of language, chance procedures, collage, ‘conceptual writing’, ‘found’ and ‘appropriated’ texts, and experiments with artificial constraints.

This alternate history is also multi-disciplinary, and this module brings students into dialogue with a range of ideas, attitudes and practices that have been central to visual art, musical composition, mathematics, and Zen. Central to the module is a celebration of the importance of play and experimentation as central tenets of creativity. During this process, students will rethink notions of originality, creativity, authenticity, authorship, inspiration, and self-expression.

This course aims to transform the student’s attitudes and relationship to language as material and its implications for composition. Students will learn of the innovations of Cubism, Dada, Surrealism, Oulipo, L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E and Conceptual Writing. In the process this course will foster play, an openness to experimentation, a receptivity towards the creative resources of everyday life, and a willingness to transform everyday material.

Assessment

Uncreative Project, 60%: You will devise a concept for a longer submission of creative work. You will produce work with a conceptual coherence that draws on the approaches, techniques, and procedures of the module. This will be contextualised by an author’s preface.

Writer’s Preface, 40%: You will articulate the concept of the project and situate this in relation to existing work encountered in the module. You will offer an account of the working processes/methods/systems/techniques used in making the project.

OR continue with the route selected in the first year:

Drama Route - Performance, Identity, and Activism

This module explores the ways in which theatre and performance has been, and can be, used as a vehicle to discuss politics, to emancipate individuals and communities, as a tool for intervention and liberation, or as a means of engagement and communication within society. Exploring politics of personal identity and social relations, the module enables you to make connections between performance and political activism, using intersectional perspectives – race, gender, sexuality, class, and (dis)ability – to create work that pushes beyond pure entertainment. It also considers ways in which drama, theatre and performance functions as a means of engagement and communication within society.

Assessment

Critical Essay or Presentation, 40%: You will write an essay or deliver a 9 minute presentationdemonstrating your knowledge and critical understanding of theory and practice examined explored in the module.

Solo/Group Creative Project, 60%: You will create either a 15 minute solo piece or 30 minute group piece of original work informed by specific cultural, social or political issues.

Film Studies route - British Cinema - Creativity, Independents and Interdependence

This module explores British cinema, its cultural specificity and its remarkable creative and cultural diversity within an industry-grounded framework, with a particular focus on the post-studio period since the late 1960s and developments between the 1980s and the present. You will gain an understanding of some of the creative figures, individual producers and production companies, films, cycles, genres and trends which have shaped post-1960s and contemporary British film. You will also discover the structural and cultural challenges faced by the UK film industry and the strategies UK filmmakers and institutions have deployed to bring ‘culturally British’ films to audiences at home and worldwide.

Education route – Adult Learners and Lifelong Learning

This module explores the differences between adult education and adults in education, including Further and Higher Education and HE in Further Education. It will examine the theoretical and practical distinctions between adults and school-based learners and will provide you with an opportunity to explore possible routes for your degree beyond the primary sector. The growth and expansion of adult education will be discussed within the contemporary political context and the changed and changing FE and HE landscapes and the concept of Lifelong Learning and Employability will be explored in depth.

Assessment

Essay, 30%: You will write an essay evaluating the relationship between political perspectives on the form and focus of adult education and the conceptual character of the adult learner.

Report, 70%: You will write a report exploring a single area of adult learning in particular detail.

Education route - Reflection on Practice: Teaching and Learning

You will undertake a placement in a learning environment which could be within schools, arts and community projects, gallery education, post-compulsory education, prisons, early years settings, Scout groups, extra-curricular clubs, hospital schools, as well as alternative educational settings. You will adopt the approach of a reflective practitioner and get involved in the 'process' of critical reflection. In so doing, you will use this as a tool for developing and consolidating your knowledge and understanding of the teaching and learning process.

Assessment

Presentation, 30%: You will choose a 10 minute microteach or a presentation of an artefact to critically reflect upon a strategy or resource that supports effective teaching and learning drawn from your placement experience.

E-portfolio, 70%: You will write an e-portfolio, critically reflecting on your time in the placement setting.

Education route – Gender and Education

The module examines current debates concerning gender and education. It begins with the historically disadvantaged position of girls and women in education and examines the literature on this subject as it has developed over the past 20 years. The notion of equal opportunities is interrogated and the social construction of gender is problematised and examined. You will also consider recent debates on gender and achievement and the 'problem of boys'.

Assessment

Presentation, 40%: You will deliver a 10 minute presentation exploring the themes of the module.

Project, 60%: You will write an extended research paper.

English Language route - Language and Identity

This module examines the complex role that language plays in the construction of identities in contemporary society. You will learn about a range of theoretical approaches to the study of language and identity, including performativity and intersectionality. These approaches will be examined in relation to various spoken and written data from domains such as the media, the workplace and online spaces. You will critically evaluate the role that language plays in the construction of identities and in real-world issues such as sexism and racism.

Assessment

Report plan, 20%: You will writea plan of a report for feedback from your tutor.

Report, 30%: You will write a report on a specific approach to the study of language and identity.

Podcast, 50%: You will produce a 10 minute podcast on a topic related to gender and sexuality designed by the student, including analysis of original linguistic data.

English Literature route - World Englishes: On the Page and Beyond

This module explores a diverse range of ‘World Englishes’ or English-language literature from across the globe. You will develop your knowledge on the production of English literature in a variety of national, ideological, historical, or social contexts and examine examples both on and off the written page. The module focuses on the legacy of colonisation in anglophone and/or postcolonial nations, and the literature thereof. There is an emphasis on the interactions between text and context, and you will be encouraged to explore a range of concepts such as memory, nationality, class, ethnicity, and gender.

Assessment

Blog entry, 40%: You will submit 4 weekly blog posts responding to one of the set texts discussed, comprising of either written words or minutes of video content.

Research essay, 60%: You will write an essay examining several texts through a specific argument.

History route – The World on Display

This module explores the complex histories of collecting and displaying. You will examine the relationship between museums and history by looking at the origins of museum objects and the histories that shaped collecting practices. You will examine these which may include public history and heritage sites, the impact of colonialism and decolonisation processes in the formation of museums, as well as the effects of the emergence of academic disciplines such as archaeology and anthropology in the shaping of collecting and displaying practices.

Assessment

Literature review, 40%: You will review and analyse secondary sources related to one of the module themes.

Online Exhibition, 45%. In pairs, you will work on an online exhibition related to one of the themes of the module. You will include primary sources and a final bibliography.

Critical reflection, 15%: You will write reflecting on the work you have done for this module focusing on the knowledge and skills you have learned.

Journalism route - Music, Film & Entertainment Journalism

This module will develop your understanding of music, film and entertainment journalism, its history and its cultural importance. It is a practical module designed to prepare you for a career as a journalists, PR or promoter. You will produce a varied multi-media journalism portfolio showcasing your ability to preview events and write reviews of gigs/albums/films/theatre/TV/comedy and other arts forms to industry standard on various media platforms, including digital, print and social media. The curriculum will include guest speakers, including musicians, directors, and working music, film, and arts journalists, to enhance the learning experience. Supported where possible with trips to relevant music venues, theatres, to speak to staff about media management and how their venues are reported by the media.

Assessment

Journalism portfolio, 100%.

Media route – Gender and TV Fictions

What have women/those who identify as women contributed to the production of television drama and sitcom? How have women been represented within these genres in terms of their gender, class, sexuality, race and age? These are key questions which this module addresses by exploring British feminine-gendered fiction from the 1960s to the contemporary period. Taking an historical approach, this module contextualises key shifts to women’s positioning on both sides of the television screen in relation to broader cultural, economic, social and industrial change. You will feminine forms of British television fictions’ negotiations and responses to feminism, postfeminism, neoliberalism, postcolonialism and broadcasting policy.

Assessment

Research portfolio, 50%: You will write a portfolio of research materials including a viewing diary, research notes and summaries of key critical sources regarding the writing and representation of screen femininities.

Group presentation, 50%: You will pitch an idea for a television drama or sitcom about femininities and gender politics.

Year-long: Dissertation

This is your opportunity to work independently to produce a professionally presented creative work in a single form or genre of your choice. You will consider your own work in relation to current published work in the same and related genres and be supported by your supervisor and a response group of fellow students. You will receive and respond to feedback constructively over a longer period, mirroring more closely a real-world writing context. By critically reflecting on your own creative writing practice, you will understand how you have grown as a writer, providing you with a firm basis for further growth beyond graduation.

Assessment

Concept testing, 20%: You will test the concept for your dissertation which could include some creative work (exploratory), a concise summary of the project clearly indicating chosen form/genre and an annotated bibliography of other works in the chosen form/genre/.

Dissertation, 80%: You will produce an original creative work, including a synopsis or similar. This will be accompanied by a critical reflective essay.