Course Catalogue

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A practical, one-week creative writing course that enables students to develop their own original literary work in response to the urban environment. We contextualise the writer in the city by examining such concepts as the literary flâneuse as urban explorer and the poetics of place, as well as exploring some of the narratives of the built environment and the ways in which the wild takes root in the city. Students learn about the wider context of urban and experimental writing through seminars, workshops and the production of literary non-fiction, fiction, poetry or hybrid work.

Over one teaching week:

5 x 1 hr seminar

5 x 2 hr workshop

1 x 0.5hr tutorial

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The portfolio assessment consists of one of more pieces of creative work (3000 words or equivalent for poetry or hybrid forms) plus critical commentary of 300 words: 100%

This course aims to:

■ Identify the concept of urban literature through reference to specific texts, authors and theories

■ Examine genres employed in urban writing e.g. memoir, experimental writing, poetry, hybrid forms

■ Develop the practical skills of close reading and workshop critique of creative works in progress

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Describe and analyse the role of place in informing literature relating to the urban environment

■ Compose high quality original creative work

■ Critique samples of creative work through close reading and discussion

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.