Gwybodaeth Modiwlau

Module Identifier
WR11300
Module Title
Creative Practice
Academic Year
2018/2019
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 1 (Taught over 2 semesters)
Other Staff

Course Delivery

Delivery Type Delivery length / details
Lecture 20 x 1 Hour Lectures
Seminar 20 x 1 Hour Seminars
 

Assessment

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment Attendance and Participation  Engagement with all teaching activities throughout the course of the module  10%
Semester Assessment Creative Practice Portfolio  Weekly entries to a creative practice portfolio c 1500-2000 in total (online writing tasks responding to prompts)  30%
Semester Assessment Written Portfolio  2 x 2500 word portfolio comprising a 1500 word short story and a 1000 word critical commentary  60%
Supplementary Assessment Attendance and Participation  Students WILL NOT be permitted to make good the marks available for "attendance and participation"  10%
Supplementary Assessment Creative Practice Portfolio  Resubmit failed or missing creative practice portfolio  30%
Supplementary Assessment Writing Portolio  Resubmit failed or missing essay (2 x 2500 word portfolio comprising a 1500 word short story and a 1000 word critical commentary)  60%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge of the approaches and elements involved in fiction and poetry

2. Employ these elements in the planning and writing of their own stories and poems

3. Identify and correct common writing faults

4. Communicate knowledge and understanding of the elements of a critical commentary, including bibliography

5. Engage effectively with the full range of learning activities (lectures/seminars/workshops/tutorials/VLE) utilized in undergraduate-level creative practice teaching

Aims

This course is designed as a bridge from previous study/experience to university-level learning. It will provide an engaging and exciting introduction to core Creative Writing skills/knowledge and will teach important techniques of creativity which novice writers will benefit from understanding. Moreover, it will address issues which the teaching team repeatedly encounter at later points in students’ study) as well as deliver transferable skills pertinent to students’ broader academic and professional development. In terms of structure, format, and assessment, it has been designed to reflect the new Critical Practice module being designed on the Literary Studies side of the department and so offer an element of uniformity across departmental provisions

Brief description

This is the introductory module for students beginning their studies of Creative Writing and will provide core Creative Writing skills/knowledge and teach important techniques of creativity which novice writers will benefit from understanding. Students will be introduced to elements of good practice and common errors, as well as to a broad range of issues and skills including the use of self-reflexive commentaries and bibliographies. Assessment for this module is varied and designed to provide regular opportunities for formative feedback as well as traditional summative tasks

It will be delivered through a range of learning environments, with lectures used for the introduction of key material, seminars used for small-group discussion of lecture content, and writing labs used to hone skills, conduct exercises, and to gain feedback from tutors and peers on writing intended for the assignments. The module will provide students with the basic knowledge needed for the successful writing of fiction and poetry. In all cases there will be an emphasis on technical skills and on providing a foundation of knowledge and technique that students can build on in the rest of their degree course.

Content

Semester 1
Week 1 Lecture 1 Welcome to Your Imagination 1
Seminar 1 What Is Creative Practice? {Produce a short reflective paragraph on own creative goals for the year}

Week 2 Lecture 2 Academic Creative Practice 1
Writing Lab 1 The Basics: Structuring Sentences and Paragraphs

Week 3 Lecture 3 Welcome to Your Imagination 2
Seminar 2 Creative Practice in University {Produce a short commentary on the scene written for the Lab.}

Week 4 Lecture 4 Academic Creative Practice 2
Writing Lab 2 Problem-based learning task (variations on a scene)

Week 5 Lecture 5 What We Talk about When We Talk About Language 1
Seminar 3 Problem-based learning task (elegant variation) {Write a short but image-rich scene or poem}

Week 6 Lecture 6 What We Talk about When We Talk About Language 2
Writing Lab 3 Enriching our work with images

Week 7 Lecture 7 Character Produce a biography of a character you are working
Seminar 4 Problem-based learning task (create a character)

Week 8 Lecture 8 Character 2
Writing Lab 4 Characters in action

Week 9 Lecture 9 Narrative time 1
Seminar 5 Semester 1 Round-Up: Putting it all Together {Produce a draft bibliography for a piece currently in progress}

Week 10 Lecture 10 Other Ways 1
Writing Lab 5 Assignment surgery 1

Semester 2
Week 1 Lecture 11 Seven Basic Plots 1
Seminar 6 Problem-based learning task (outlining a plot) {Write a short outline of a story which corresponds to one of the basic plots}

Week 2 Lecture 12 Seven Basic Plots 2
Writing Lab 6 The plot thickens…

Week 3 Lecture 13 Better Writing Through Reading 1
Seminar 7 Problem-based learning task (critical reading for creatives) {Write a short analytical review of a story/novel}

Week 4 Lecture 14 Better Writing Through Reading 2
Writing Lab 7 Methods of integrating secondary material in commentaries

Week 5 Lecture 15 Originality
Seminar 8 Strategies for creating original writing {Provide a plot outline for a well-known story reworked as a different genre}

Week 6 Lecture 16 Narrative time 2
Writing Lab 8 A taste of transpositions

Week 7 Lecture 17 Narrative Modes and Style
Seminar 9 Problem-based learning task (approaches to poetry) {Copy editing task/grammar test}

Week 8 Lecture 18 Something Beginning with ‘P’: The Power and Possibilities of Poetry
Writing Lab 9 Editing for Creative Writers

Week 9 Lecture 19 Literature and Technology
Seminar 10 Semester 2 Round-Up: Putting it all together

Week 10 Lecture 20 Other Ways 2
Writing Lab 10 Assignment surgery 2 {Write a short reflective paragraph on your own creative development during the year}

Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Application of Number N/A
Communication Written communication in assessed work, oral communication in seminars and workshops.
Improving own Learning and Performance Improving writing in response to workshop criticism, and responding to feedback on assignments. Improving reading and research skills.
Information Technology Use of word-processing skills to prepare and submit portfolios, accessing material on Blackboard, use of digital resources for research.
Personal Development and Career planning Through critical self-reflection; transferable communications and research skills
Problem solving Dealing with the technical problems of writing fiction and poetry, including the correct use of conventions and English usage.
Research skills Undertaking research for portfolios, and background reading for lecture / seminar topics.
Subject Specific Skills Fictional and poetic techniques
Team work Participation and collaboration in workshops and seminars.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 4