Modules
Creative Writing: Making a Poem (EAS2032)
| Staff | Professor Andy Brown - Convenor |
|---|---|
| Credit Value | 30 |
| ECTS Value | 15 |
| NQF Level | 5 |
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Co-requisites | Students taking this module are NOT eligible to take the other Level 2 Creative Writing module ‘Building A Story’. |
| Duration of Module | Term 1: 11 weeks; |
Module aims
You will develop a substantial body of your own poetry, alongside a Writer’s 'Project Book', developing a project based on your own reading, research and practice. It will comprise of an annotated summary of 'what you have researched this term’, including: images, artworks, poetry and poetics, contextual articles, and other materials such as music, art, interviews etc, with an annotated summary of how this gathered material relates to your finished portfolio. Your participation and commentary is integral to seminars. There will be an emphasis on introducing key concepts in the fortnightly lectures; developing these concepts and techniques in lively weekly seminar writing workshops; group work, and informal individual presentations in seminars.
ILO: Module-specific skills
- 1. Demonstrate an appreciation of formal techniques and imaginative expression in writing poetry
- 2. Demonstrate an ability to produce pieces of poetry, in agreement with specified forms and techniques taught on the module
- 3. Present written and oral arguments concerning their own poetry and that of other authors, both peers and published authors
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
- 4. Demonstrate a range of creative writing styles and approaches
- 5. Analyse a range of English poetry
- 6. Articulate a knowledge and understanding of creative writing texts, concepts, and methodologies
- 7. Demonstrate rhetorical skills of effective communication and argument, both written and oral, with a broad range of vocabulary and an appropriate critical and professional terminology
ILO: Personal and key skills
- 8. Through seminar work demonstrate communication skills, and an ability to work individually and in online groups
- 9. Demonstrate appropriate research and bibliographic skills, a capacity to construct a coherent, substantiated argument, skills of creative expression and a capacity to write clear and correct prose
- 10. Demonstrate proficiency in time-management, organisational skills and use of online platforms
Syllabus plan
The module is delivered in a combination of fortnightly one-hour lectures, followed by a weekly two-hour seminar. In addition, fortnightly workshops will be dedicated to discussion of reading, journal-production and the development of coherent writing projects in a ‘Writer’s Project Workbook’, with unassessed presentations to peers.
The syllabus is focused on the techniques of writing poetry and, through various examples drawn from contemporary poetry, will include lectures on phrasing, line and stanzas; figurative language; voice; rhythm and measure; the music of a poem; poems written in sequence; narrative poetry; and building a body of work.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | 267 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 6 | 6 x 1 hour lectures |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 22 | 11 x 2 hour seminars |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 5 | 5 x Writer's 'Project Book' seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | 40 | Study group preparation and meetings |
| Guided Independent Study | 70 | Seminar preparation (individual) |
| Guided Independent Study | 157 | Reading, research and project book preparation |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Writer's Project Book (submitted at the end of term) | 20 | Continuous (20 pages) | 1-7, 9-10 | Feedback sheet with opportunity for tutorial follow-up |
| Finished portfolio of poetry developed from the Project Book (submitted exams week) | 70 | 10 finished poems (140-175 lines) | 1, 2, 4, 7, 10 | Feedback sheet with opportunity for tutorial follow-up |
| Module Participation | 10 | Continuous | 8 | Tutorial feedback and follow-up |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writer's Project Book (20 pages) | Writer's Project Book (20 pages) | 1-7, 9, 10 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Finished sample of poetry developed from the Writers Project Book (10 finished poems, 140-175 lines) | Finished sample of poetry developed from the Writers Project Book (10 finished poems, 140-175 lines) | 1, 2 , 4, 7, 10 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Module participation | Repeat study or mitigation | 8 | Referral/deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Set text:
- STAYING ALIVE ed. Neil Astley (Bloodaxe Books)
- You must develop YOUR OWN reading list for this module, based on your personal interests relevant to the project you are developing in your Writer’s Project Book. This should come from a range of modern poetry by individual authors of your own choosing. You are expected to keep a detailed record of this in your assessed Project Book and to report on it in seminars.
- Individual seminar tutors will set their own set texts for their seminar groups. This information will be made available to you prior to the course. In addition, some material for lectures will be made available on ELE, including:
- Dalton, Amanda. ‘Room of Leaves’ in How to Disappear (Bloodaxe, 1999)
- Kennard, Luke. ‘The Murderer’ in The Harbour Beyond the Movie (Salt, 2007)
Module has an active ELE page?
Yes
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
- ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=6985
- Over 300 world-class interviews with authors at The Paris Review – http://www.parisreview.com
Indicative learning resources - Other resources
Students should also regularly read magazines in the library that publish contemporary poetry, such as:
- Agenda
- Granta
- London Review of Books
- Paris Review
- Poetry (Chicago)
- Poetry Review
- Stand
- Times Literary Supplement
- Wasafiri, and others
Available as distance learning?
No
Origin date
27/02/2017
Last revision date
20/01/2023
Key words search
English, Poetry, Creative Writing