EN3CW-Creative Writing Dissertation

Module Provider: English Literature
Number of credits: 40 [20 ECTS credits]
Level:6
Terms in which taught: Summer / Autumn / Spring module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2022/3

Module Convenor: Ms Shelley Harris
Email: shelley.harris@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:
This module allows students in their final year to develop a sustained piece of independent writing of 7000-7500 words. In consultation with a member of staff, students will write an original, stand-alone creative work, whether that be a short story, a play, a screenplay or a collection of verse. The student will also work in close contact with a peer community of creative writers working on their own dissertations. This group will self-organise to meet regularly through Spring term to conduct workshops on individual member£s creative pieces. These sessions will allow for serious critical discussion of the work and form the basis for ongoing revision. They will also inform the student£s critical essay of 2500 £ 3000 words, which will focus on their own work but also include reference to influences. The module develops advanced research and writing skills and qualities of independence and active learning.

Aims:
This module will provide students with knowledge and understanding of issues and expectations surrounding the production of a substantial piece of creative writing. It aims to promote skills of composition, editing and critical self-reflection, both of students£ own work and that of others.

Assessable learning outcomes:
By the end of the module students will be expected to:
£ demonstrate the ability to produce an extended piece of original creative writing
£ deploy a range of literary techniques and strategies with imagination and originality
£ display a thorough knowledge of the specific skills relevant to the their genre of choice
£ be able to situate their work with reference to the work of established writers
£ engage with relevant critical theories and terms
£ engageconstructively and critically with work and ideas discussed in seminars

Additional outcomes:
Oral and written communication skills will be developed, together with critical, interpretative and analytical abilities. Students will also enhance their IT competence through the use of relevant web resources in a critically informed manner.

Outline content:
The module will be delivered through a combination of one-to-one tutorials with a member of the academic staff and 2 hour long workshops conducted for the most part by the students themselves. In the case of the former, discussion would normally include the process of choosing topic and/or genre, questions of influence and originality, the nature of the presumed audience for the piece, technical concerns such as point--of view, tense, lexis, character, narrative structure etc., critical issueswith a bearing on the project.

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:
Group discussion in 2-hour seminars. Students will also receive at least four individual tutorials on their own creative writing portfolio.

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Lectures		1	2
Seminars	4
Tutorials	2.5	3	0.5
Practicals classes and workshops	2	4	1
Guided independent study:	171	158	51
Total hours by term	179.5	166	54.5
Total hours for module	400

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Portfolio	100

Summative assessment- Examinations:

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

Students will submit a portfolio 10,000 words in length (with an exception for a poetry portfolio, the length of which is to be determined in discussion with the dissertation supervisor). The portfolio comprises: an original creative work – for example a short story, a novel opening, a play, a screenplay or a collection of verse (7000 – 7500 words) - and a critical essay reflecting on the creative work and setting it in its literary and cultural context (2500 – 3000 words).  

The deadline for submission will be the first Friday of the Summer term.  

Formative assessment methods:
The supervisor will comment on draft extracts in both Autumn and Spring terms.

Penalties for late submission:

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/cqsd-old-site-documents/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:
A mark of at least 40% overall.

Reassessment arrangements:
Dissertation to be resubmitted by 22 August.

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

1) Required text books: 

2) Specialist equipment or materials: 

3) Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear: 

4) Printing and binding: 

5) Computers and devices with a particular specification: 

6) Travel, accommodation and subsistence: 

Last updated: 22 September 2022