This is an exciting course of postgraduate study which raises questions about the state of literature today. You will work alongside our team of internationally published and performed poets, novelists and playwrights, to develop your writing in a stimulating and supportive environment. This course will be of primary interest to writers of fiction and poetry but will not require that you commit to either genre rigidly, nor that you conform to conventions. Instead you will be encouraged to work at the edge of new and evolving practices in creative writing as you respond to the challenges of the postmodern era.
You may also be interested in studying this course in a more flexible way by taking individual modules on a pay-as-you-go basis. You’d take the modules for full credit, so could build up to gaining the full qualification or simply take them for your own enjoyment and/or professional development. All of the modules on MA Literature, Culture and Modernity are available in this mode – please contact the programme leader (Scott Thurston) if you need advice on choosing which ones are right for you.
MA Creative Writing: Innovation and Experiment offers you the opportunity to develop your writing and to challenge your creative habits. You will be invited to:
Full-time
Semester 1
You will explore the role of theory in creative writing – engaging with fundamental issues that have influenced the development of innovative and experimental writing. You will be writing your own original work in a stimulating and supportive workshop environment and reflecting on how your social, political and gender positioning influences your creative production.
Theory, Text, Writing (30 credits)
A series of lecture and seminars on philosophical contributions to major questions surrounding contemporary writing:
- What is a literary text?
- What is the relationship between language and writing?
- How can one write politically?
- How does one’s awareness of gender affect writing?
We will be reading the work of Freud, Marx, Derrida and others, examining how a wide variety of contemporary writers have explored these questions in creative practice including Charles Bernstein, Caroline Bergvall, David Eggers, Christine Brooke-Rose and many more.
Study Theory, Text and Writing as a single module.
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Writing Workshop (30 credits)
A series of workshops in which you share your own creative projects with fellow students and a writing tutor. Work will be submitted regularly in advance to the group and the tutor, who will make detailed preparation for the workshops including annotating students’ material. This workshop provides a context for an on-going creative exploration of how theoretical ideas can influence and inform creative practice.
Study Writing Workshop as a single module.
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If you do not wish to continue onto the Postgraduate Diploma or full Masters qualification you can be awarded the Postgraduate Certificate if leaving the course at this stage.
Semester 2
You will explore the rich legacy of experimental writing from the 1950s onwards, learning about its links to theory and trying out your own experiments. You will be encouraged to push the boundaries of your creative practice in an adventurous way. You will also receive training in how to conduct yourself as a professional writer in the academic and cultural worlds.
Experimental Practice (30 credits)
A series of workshops and seminars, this module explores the history of new writing technologies over the last 50 years and examines how writers have sought new forms for expression to address rapidly changing realities. Topics covered may include:
- Technologies of the book
- Visual, sound and concrete poetry
- The use of mathematical rules and constraints in writing
- An introduction to new writing technologies including: hypertext, Photoshop, flash and web or CD/DVD
- The Novel as hypertext and narrative engineering
Study Experimental Practice as a single module.
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Literature in the Academic and Cultural World
This module deals with the public and academic aspects of the literary arts, including topics such as:
- The public value of the arts
- Marketing, publishing and networking
- Writing a research proposal
- Effective oral presentations
Study Literature in the Academic and Cultural World as a single module.
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If you do not wish to continue onto the dissertation project you can be awarded the Postgraduate Diploma if leaving the course at this stage.
Semester 3
As the culmination of this course of study, you will undertake an ambitious, large-scale independent creative project which will allow you to pursue the creative questions which fascinate you in more detail.
Dissertation: Creative Project (60 credits)
The Creative Project gives you regular one-to-one tutorial support as your pursue your creative vision. You will be encouraged to draw on your knowledge of theory, experimentation and your own developing practice. Reading material will be negotiated on an individual basis depending on your chosen area.
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Part-time
Year 1 Semester 1 (one core module)
- Theory, Text, Writing (30 credits)
Year 1, Semester 2 (one core module)
- Experimental Practice (30 credits)
Year 2, Semester 1 (one core module)
- Writing Workshop (30 Credits)
Year 2, Semester 2 (one core module)
- Literature in the Academic and Cultural World (30 credits)
Year 3, Semesters 1 and 2 (one core module)
- Dissertation: Creative Project (60 Credits)
