The module is for Creative Writing students at level four. It is intended to introduce students to the basic techniques of writing poetry and poetry criticism. It begins by closely examining a number of key poetic and critical texts, which will lead on to the exploration of poetic practice itself. The essential concept of ‘poetry’ – uniquely concentrated and vivid language shaped into literary form – will be explored in relation to a number of important texts. The module will then proceed, from critical examination of exemplary texts, both old and new, to the students’ own poetic writing. Students will be encouraged to appreciate the exactitude of word-use in poetry, how its precision of perception is facilitated by a precision of language, and how form must always facilitate such precision, never over-ride it. Rhyme and metre will be explored in various forms. Here close analysis will typically be employed to reveal many aspects of the poet’s skills, aspects which should then be incorporated into the students’ own creative practice. In looking at modern texts, for example, it should become apparent how poetry needs to use the language of the time, not that of a previous era. Students will typically demonstrate their understanding of the texts being studied in group discussions and in written assignments. The insights gained in the first half of the course should be actively demonstrated in the second half by students in their own poetry assignments. The assignments will encourage students to choose their own preferred forms, and engage in the writing of poetry, using all their previously acquired skills in reading and analysis.

1. To introduce students to the basics of good poetic practice, from both a critical and a creative perspective.
2. To show students how studying exemplary poetic texts facilitates their own creative practice.
3. To give students the confidence to exercise their writing skills in poetry, and to share their practice in group discussions and workshops.
4. To bring classic texts, including contemporary work, into a creative dialogue with the students’ own creative practice.

The module is for Creative Writing students at level four. Its purpose is to introduce students to the basic techniques of prose writing for both critical and creative purposes. The module begins by exploring some key concepts in the creation and analysis of literature: plot, voicing, characterization, irony, beginnings and endings. It then proceeds by examining a number of exemplary shorter fictional texts.  The achievements of the chosen texts will be related to the first part of the module, namely the acquisition of skills relating to the structure, characterization and voicing of fiction. The module aims to show how prose writing works, and how a critical analysis of it should lead to a greater ability on the student’s part to be able to write creatively themselves. This inter-relationship between critical understanding and creative practice is emphasized by the assignments, which will begin with criticism and move on to creative outputs.

1. To introduce students to the basics of good writing in prose, for both critical and creative purposes.
2. To show students how critical intelligence is always interacting with creative energy in any serious writing process.
3. To give students the confidence to exercise their writing skills, both critically and creatively, so as to begin to understand that writing is not merely the expression of a completed thought, but an integral aspect of the process of thinking itself.
4. To explore a number of classic texts, some of them contemporary, so as to incorporate the insights gained thereby in the students’ own writing practice.

This module introduces students to dramatic storytelling, and the craft of writing scripts for a range of mediums including stage, screen and radio.

The production of dramatic material is a complex process, and this module introduces students to the basic conventions of script writing bringing together theory, analysis and creative practice to provide a holistic understanding of the dramatic script development process.

Students will investigate and develop an understanding of narrative, plot structure, character development and theme alongside considering concepts which relate to their chosen medium.

There is an emphasis on the development of basic scriptwriting, treatment writing and pitch skills emphasising the importance of these creative capabilities into the production of drama.

The aims of this module are as follows:

• To facilitate an understanding of the scriptwriting process
• To provide students with the tools to develop their core creative scriptwriting skills
• To encourage students to consider scriptwriting from a range of analytical perspectives
• To enable students to develop a critical understanding of drama and the dramatic script
• To provide opportunities for student to gain practical experience of writing scripts

This optional module will introduce students to various forms of children’s literature – such as ‘penny dreadfuls’, story papers, short stories, series fiction, comics, picture books, poetry and young adult fiction – across a range of genres, including fairy tales, fantasy, the school story, adventure fiction, detective fiction, social realism and horror. Students will explore the connections between genre, form, audience and ideological functions in children’s literature. Students will be encouraged to think about cultural contexts and social change and to consider how children’s literature reflects developments in adult constructions of and anxieties about childhood from the nineteenth century to the present day. Issues covered include representations of the ideal child, family, adult/child hierarchies, childhood spaces, education, gender and class, along with the didactic functions of children’s literature, its various audiences and the uses of censorship.

Typical texts studied on this module could include fairy tales by Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm, Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes, Disney adaptations of fairy tales, extracts from ‘penny dreadfuls’ and story papers – including Talbot Baines Reed’s Parkhurst school stories and Frank Richards’ Greyfriars stories, Frances Hodgson Burnett’s Little Lord Fauntleroy, Carolyn Keene’s The Secret of Shadow Ranch, Batman comics, Enid Blyton’s Five on a Treasure Island, Philippa Pearce’s Tom’s Midnight Garden, Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, picture books by Anthony Browne, Jacqueline Wilson’s The Illustrated Mum, J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Lil Chase’s Secrets, Lies & Locker 62, Judy Blume’s Forever, Nancy Garden’s Annie on My Mind and R. L. Stine’s The Boyfriend.

• To introduce students to a range of forms and genres of children’s literature.
• To develop a critical awareness of the construction of representations of childhood in children's literature.
• To explore and critically assess the cultural and social contexts of children’s literature.
• To explore critically a range of key themes issues in children’s literature.

This optional module for Combined Honours Creative Writing students is designed to provide a detailed understanding of flash fiction (‘short-short stories’). In seminars, students will analyse a wide range of flashes, for example, the 55-worders in the anthology The World’s Shortest Stories of Love and Death, the 100-worders in Dan Rhodes’s Anthropology and a Hundred Other Stories, and the 150-worders in David Gaffney’s Sawn-Off Tales. Stories ranging from 10 words to 360 will be analysed in an issue of Flash: The International Short-Short Story Magazine. Typically, use will be made of the essays and writing exercises in The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction: Tips From Editors, Teachers, and Writers in the Field. In seminars/workshops, students will present their own flash fiction, with a view to them compiling their own collection. Towards the end of the module, time will be devoted to researching and discussing the promotion and publication of flash fiction.

1. To develop a detailed understanding of flash fiction as a basis for the students’ own creative practice.
2. To give students the opportunity to discuss and analyse critically their own flash fiction.
3. To consider the processes of drafting, revision and preparing work for publication.
4. To research the possible ways of promoting and publishing original flash fiction.

This optional module for Combined Honours Creative Writing students is designed to provide a detailed practical understanding of the range of narrative voices and forms available to poets. Students will be encouraged to move beyond the confessional mode to employ a variety of narrative voices and to try out a range of both traditional and experimental poetic forms. In seminars and workshops, students will be exploring poems to consider the breadth of voices and forms available, and to understand both the challenges and potential of different modes of writing.

1. To equip students with a detailed understanding of the range of voices and forms available to poets
2. To foster critical reflection on the potential and limitations of these different modes of writing
3. To extend and refine the students' own poetry by encouraging them to tackle a range of voices and forms
4. To give students the opportunity to discuss and analyse critically their own use of form and voice in poetry.

The purpose of this module is threefold: to equip aspiring writers with knowledge that will help them to get their own work published and potentially to earn income as a writer; to provide insight into the publishing industry that will advantage those considering a career or freelance work in publishing; and to develop relevant professional writing skills that are also transferable to other occupations. The module will explore opportunities for publication, introducing the protocols – and pros and cons – of submitting work to literary magazines, competitions, agents, and publishers, as well as the alternative route of self-publishing (or ‘independent publishing’) and the pitfall of ‘vanity publishing’. It will also consider how a writer’s career can be enhanced by developing a public profile through such means as websites/blogs, social media, interviews, signings, readings, festivals, and workshops. The module will take students through the process of book production from drafting a proposal to reviewing the finished product, introducing such key aspects as copyediting and proofreading (using industry-standard markup), cover design and blurb-writing, and printing and e-publishing (including print-on-demand and ‘enhanced books’). It will also consider contemporary issues in publishing, such as environmental impact and diversity (of workforce, publications, and readers), as well as key events in the publishing calendar. The Research Project encourages students to explore an aspect of publishing that particularly interests them. The Portfolio of Professional Writing provides an opportunity to develop factual and persuasive writing skills in a range of short authentic forms (such as a book proposal, cover blurb, book review, author profile, website content, social-media post, reference article, and magazine pitch).

1. To develop knowledge and understanding of publishing as a creative industry.
2. To develop a critical awareness of opportunities for the aspiring writer to get their own work published and potentially to earn income as a writer.
3. To develop understanding of a range of jobs in publishing and the key skills these require.
4. To develop factual and persuasive writing skills that are specific to publishing and transferable to other occupations.

This module offers English students the opportunity to reflect on the transferable employability skills they have developed during their studies and to apply them in a relevant workplace context. As a work-based learning module, much of the students’ time will be spent working for a local company with an established relationship with the Department of English on a placement which requires them to use the skills typically developed on the English programmes, such as clear written and spoken communication, being critical, and recognising and applying language effectively in a range of contexts. Alongside students’ experience in the workplace, they will receive support, training and instruction from both their placement provider and their tutors on how best to develop and extend their abilities when applying them in the workplace. This will include reflection on what subject-specific skills they have developed, how to apply them in the workplace, and developing positive employment behaviours such as curiosity, organisation and positivity. Taught sessions will also focus on how knowledge about linguistic structures (as taught on this module) can be applied effectively in workplace communication and relations.

1. To develop students’ experience of working in a vibrant and engaging workplace relevant to their studies.
2. To foster in students a greater understanding of the transferable skills they develop on their English degree.
3. To encourage students’ awareness of how their skills are applicable and valuable in a range of workplace contexts.
4. To support students’ ability to reflect upon their employability and market themselves in terms of their skills and experience.

Part A:      

Preparation for Experiential Overseas Learning will take place at the university of Chester during level 5 and will include:  

• The multiple facets of Global citizenship
• Ethical engagement and practice
• Cross-cultural issues and sensitivity
• Intercultural communication

Theories, models and strategies of learning

• Theories and models Intercultural competence
• Theories and models of Integration and Multiculturalism

• Critical thinking skills and models of Reflection
• Experiential learning models
• Self-directed experiential learning

Personal and placement-related skills

• Enhanced independence
• Improved command of multicultural behaviour
• Increased knowledge and confidence in their individual facets of personal identity
• Effective time management and organisational skills
• Project management – working away from University and independent study
• Self-management and personal development
• Team building and team work

Part B:            Overseas

Students will engage in experiential learning activities overseas for at least 150 hours 

The purpose of this module is to enhance students’ prospects of completing an overseas placement to the best of their ability consequently it aims to:

• To equip participants with appropriate knowledge and skills to study or work in a different cultural, linguistic and/or social environment; enhancing ethical, cultural and intercultural awareness.
• To enhance students understanding of the ethical issues related to living and working abroad.
• To increase students Global Citizenship skills
• To provide an opportunity for students to reflect critically on their experience of living and learning within an unfamiliar culture, to their 'home' culture or ethnic group.

To challenge students to learn about themselves as global citizens in terms of life skills, career choices and academic development outside the classroom.

Preparation for the year abroad will take place in Chester during level 5 and will include:

• Cross-cultural issues and sensitivity
• Host-country orientation, study methods– economic, political and social reality of the country
• Orientation specific to exchange – health, education, gender issues
• The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
• Practical matters relating to living and studying in the wider world

Theories, models and strategies of learning

• Critical thinking skills, experiential learning       and models of reflection

Personal and placement-related transversal skills

• Effective self-motivation and independent resourcefulness
• Effective time management and organisational skills
• Project management – working away from University and independent study
• Self-management and personal development

Whilst abroad:

Students will undertake study at one of UoC’s partner universities; it is expected that students will choose a series of modules at the university abroad, which equal a full-time study load. This must be agreed by the host institution and the International Tutor. Students must supply details of their courses/modules on a learning agreement within 4 weeks of arrival at the host university, note students who fail to supply this within 4 weeks may have the opportunity withdrawn.

1. To experience academic life in country outside of the EU, enhancing cultural and intercultural awareness and increasing transversal skills.
2. To reflect on the impact of the experience in their destination on one’s own personal, academic and professional development.
3. To engage with the experience of study at a partner university to gain extensive first-hand knowledge and understanding of the relevant society from the perspective of the resident.
4. To further develop independent learning techniques.
5. To foster critical evaluation.

This module is designed for Level 5 Modern Language or English Language students intending to spend a year abroad and/or considering teaching English as Foreign Language. It is also suitable for students of all disciplines interested in a career in TEFL. Students will develop their knowledge of English grammar and structure and acquire a basic understanding of the communicative approach to teaching English as a Foreign Language.  Students will also be introduced to a range of methods of teaching, learning and assessment. This knowledge will be applied practically in the planning of motivating learning activities and lesson structures, utilising the loop input approach. Students will also be acquainted with a variety of language learning resources. To complement their theoretical knowledge students will also be provided with practical teaching experience, ideally with authentic foreign learners of English, where they will have to opportunity to experiment with various learning and assessment techniques. Some teaching practice will also be in the form of micro-teaching sessions with peers on the module.

1. To develop students' awareness of English language grammar and structure.
2. To raise students’ awareness of phonology and the appropriate methods and materials to teach English pronunciation successfully.
3. To introduce students to some basic contemporary pedagogical theory related to the teaching of English as a Foreign Language.
4. To introduce students to a range of teaching and learning materials
5. To provide students with practical skills for the English language classroom.
6. To establish sound approaches to critical reflection with regard to observation, practice and professional development.
7. To enable students to enhance their transferable and interpersonal skills such as self-presentation, time management, communication and problem solving.

This module allows students to spend several weeks working on one major project working in a professional, 'simulated real world' working environment. Students will plan, execute and evaluate their work for the selected context appropriate to the programme of study.

The experiences gained in this module are invaluable to those students who see themselves working in their chosen field in the future. The staff teaching on this module bring a wealth of professional experience which they use when supervising the project work of the students.

The exact role of each student will vary according to the project undertaken, (and often with outside agencies) under staff supervision or direction. All work created will be designed to emulate best professional practice.

The aims of the module are as follows: 

• To provide opportunities for students to engage with the processes necessary for the realisation of practice based work, drawing on and further developing skills gained in previous modules.
• To approximate the demands of professional practice in making and delivering the work created, in order to prepare students for the greater autonomy expected at Level 6.
• To enable students to contextualise their experiences in relation to current theoretical debates
• To encourage students to consider longer term plans for their own career development as makers and producers of collaborative work in diverse contexts.

Pre-placement:

• Structured approaches to researching, selecting and securing a suitable work placement relevant to the student’s interests and career aspirations*.
• Writing an effective CV. Constructing a letter of application.*
• Interview skills.*

 *Note: Students are required to undertake these pre-placement tasks during term 1 level 5, as part of the placement acquisition process and will be supported by the Work Based Learning team and the Careers and Employability department.

 Induction Programme and Placement:

• The organisational context: research-informed analysis of the placement organisation’s aims, structure, culture.
• Self- assessment of needs: identification of the range of transferable skills, competencies and attitudes employees need and employers expect graduates to possess. (Employability Skills: e.g. verbal and written communication, analytical / problem solving capabilities; self-management; team working behaviours; negotiation skills; influencing people; positive attitude, resilience, building rapport).
• Devising a strategy for integrating into the workplace and work based teams
• Completion of online assignment tasks covering sourcing and obtaining placement; health and safety procedures in general; general workplace integrity; placement requirements. 

During and post-placement: Learning effectively in and from the workplace:- 

• Devising and implementing strategies to improve own approach and performance
• Critical analysis/evaluation of approach to skill development and performance in the workplace;
• Influencing the Placement Provider’s appraisal;
• Devising an action plan to develop gaps in transferable skills based on the placement experiences;

This module aims to enhance students’ prospects of gaining graduate level employment through engagement with a University approved work placement**, which will enable them to:

• Develop their understanding of workplace practice and lifelong learning;
• Enhance their work readiness and employability prospects through development of transferable skills;
• Take responsibility for their own learning and acquisition of workplace employability skills;
• Articulate, in writing, their employability skills.

This module involves the analysis of a range of science fiction texts, normally selected from the nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first centuries. They will be considered as literary texts in their generic context but will also be placed in a range of historical, cultural, and ideological contexts. This module will analyse the formal characteristics of science fiction, but will also consider the genre as a ‘literature of ideas’, considering how science fiction has engaged with, and represented, cultural and technological changes since the late nineteenth century.   The sequence of seminars on the module will normally reflect the chronological development of science fiction.  The seminars will focus on core set texts (supplemented by additional material as appropriate), but will encompass social, literary and scientific contexts as well as text-based critical analysis.  There will be discussions of the role and technique of the science fiction writer; teaching may also include workshop sessions. An optional creative writing project is offered, particularly for Creative Writing students.

1. To analyse critically a range of science fiction texts.
2. To develop a critical awareness of the relationship between science fiction and the wider historical and cultural context(s) in which it is produced.
3. To encourage a detailed understanding of the complex thematic continuities and recurrent concerns of, and debates in, the field of science fiction (and where appropriate, to use this understanding in creative writing).
4. To enable students to deepen their engagement with English and American literary and cultural history and to analyse issues of canonicity with regard to science fiction.

This level 6 optional module offers students the opportunity to apply the critical skills acquired studying literature at levels 4 and 5 to explore how and why writers represent, question and problematize concepts of crime, deviance and subversion in their work. In representing issues, identities and behaviours which challenge established social norms, the module explores how these texts probe ideological and cultural constructions of what constitutes the criminal, the deviant and the subversive. Areas with which the module may engage could include: the psychology of the criminal; culturally non-normative sexuality and sexual behaviour; criminality and class; political debate and the censored author; representations of violence; the individual and the justice system. Texts studied would span genres, cultures and historical periods and may include works by Mikhail Bulgakov, Patricia Highsmith, Oscar Wilde, Baudelaire, Sarah Waters, Shirley Jackson and Truman Capote. Throughout, students are encouraged to examine texts within their social, historical and literary contexts to consider how literature reflects, questions and challenges the cultural and ideological preoccupations of the society in which it is produced.

1. To analyse critically literary representations of crime, deviance and subversion in a range of texts, employing appropriate theoretical approaches where relevant.
2. To interrogate what different cultures and eras represent as crime, deviance and subversion and reasons for this.
3. To develop a critical awareness of the relationship between literary texts and their historical, cultural and ideological contexts in terms of what constitutes crime, deviance and subversion.
4. To enable students to develop the higher level skills of analysis, synthesis, reflection and argument with the aim of producing informed, well-evidenced responses to the issues raised by the module content.

This optional module will introduce students to a range of twenty-first-century young adult fiction – including crossover fiction, stand-alone novels, series fiction, comics and graphic novels, film and television and fandom – across a range of genres, such as dystopian fiction, superhero narratives, crime fiction, LGBTQ fiction, fantasy, social realism and fan(dom) fiction. Students will be encouraged to consider the ways in which contemporary YA fiction responds to recent social, political, cultural and technological advancements and the extent to which twenty-first-century YA narratives push boundaries, celebrate diversity and emphasise accountability in their representations of adolescent identities and experiences. Issues covered include the role and representation of gender and sexuality, citizenship and political regimes, terrorism, criminality, technology and social media, and fandom and consumer culture in contemporary young adult fiction.

Typical texts studied on this module could include Cecily von Zeigesar’s Gossip Girl, Anne Cassidy’s Looking for JJ, Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight, J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl, Jack Thorne’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Cassandra Clare’s The Bane Chronicles, David Levithan’s Every Day, Sara Shepard’s Pretty Little Liars, Barry Lyga’s I Hunt Killers, Lisa Williamson’s The Art of Being Normal, Rob Thomas’s Veronica Mars, Frank Miller’s All-Star Batman and Robin, Grant Morrison’s Batman and Son, Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games, Joanna Kenrick’s Screwed and Malorie Blackman’s Boys Don’t Cry. 

• To introduce students to a range of twenty-first-century young adult texts and to identify key developments and emerging trends in the young adult fiction market in relation to contemporary cultural and social contexts;
• To explore the relationship between young adult texts and the contemporary publishing industry and fan communities;
• To cultivate a critical awareness representations of adolescence and adolescent-centred themes and issues in young adult fiction;
• To examine relationships and interactions between texts, readers and authors of young adult fiction in the twenty-first century.

This optional double module enables students to pursue and complete a selected extended writing project. Coursework for modules already completed may provide the basis for this much more substantial project (though inclusion of verbatim work from earlier assessments will not form part of the assessment or word limit for this module). Where previous modules on the Creative Writing programme have encouraged a diverse experience of varieties of writing for a variety of media, students will now have the opportunity to develop their own specialist interest to produce a substantial text. The specifications for the final project are necessarily flexible. Though the completed assessment will be the equivalent of 8,000 words, this may be constituted in a range of appropriate forms. The range of acceptable submissions includes:

A sustained piece of fictional prose (flash fiction, short story/stories, extract from a novel) or drama of 8,000 words;
A portfolio of poetry, equivalent to 8,000 words.

[NOTE: for purposes of assessment, 60 lines of poetry are equivalent to 1,000 words of prose.]

1. To enable students to devise, develop and complete a substantial writing project.
2. To promote the practical application of the combination of writing skills acquired in the taught modules.
3. To guide the student, through tutorial supervision, through the processes and methodologies of a large project from conception to completion.
4. To encourage the student, through the exhaustive and analytical processes of drafting and revising, to complete a final document which not only constitutes the summative outcome of their writing but also reflects the formative processes involved in its creation.

Through tutor-led exercises and workshops you will focus on aspects of writing for performance such as structure, characterisation, dialogue, and staging. In later workshops you will encounter issues of translation of work to the stage, exploring through read-through-with-action such areas, for example, as the rhythms of speech, pacing, effects of silence and pausing, the relationship between the actor and the written text and other aspects of staging. The module has a strong focus on theatricality – i.e. consideration of such matters as the use of setting, props, sound and lighting effects in your plays – to create the most powerful effects. You will gain an understanding of how to develop character through action and conflict; to utilise contrast; to vary the pace and nature of your scenes; to explore subtext; to include non-verbal scenes; and to write convincing dialogue.

1. To develop students' awareness of the range of techniques used by writers of drama.
2. To explore these techniques through the students' own creative practice.
3. To improve the students’ dramatic writing through working on a script project.
4. To facilitate the critical discussion and analysis of drama, and of the students' own creative practice.

This module creates the opportunity for students to reflect on their existing skillset and hone their professional competencies and skills in readiness for careers in the creative industries.  

Students will consider how best to promote themselves, developing an employability portfolio most appropriate to their career trajectory. Students will develop an understanding of local, national and international job markets and opportunities for entrepreneurial activity to give students practice in self-promotion, in targeting and networking with relevant employers and understanding the freelance world. 

Students will engage with a range of tasks to develop the content of their portfolio and explore opportunities and career prospects within their chosen industry. Indicative content will include:

• Developing websites 
• Profile creation and use of social media 
• Writing and developing curriculum vitae and cover letters
• Producing audio/-visual content 
• Skills assessment

The aims of the module are: 

• To enable students to market themselves effectively in the competitive creative industries
• To develop students' knowledge of professional fields of practice within and outside of the creative and cultural industries where their abilities, skills and knowledge may be relevant;
• To promote the importance of networking in the creative industries
• To develop students' appreciation of the transferability of their accumulated knowledge, experience and skills;