ENG5842 - Life Writing: Writing the Self, Writing Others

Objectives:

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Demonstrate an understanding of, and respond creatively to, a range of literature dealing with autobiography and biography
Analyse and discuss the ways in which different writers have approached and structured personal narrative and apply it to their own writing practice
Demonstrate an understanding of how non-fictional forms can be used for innovation in life narrative and apply it to their own writing
Gain a greater understanding of the researching and structuring of life narratives through the development of parallels between published writing and their own creative practice
Research and write two life narratives – one autobiographical, one biographical

Content:

Semester 1: Autobiography
Reading, analysis and discussion of published texts across a range of autobiographical forms and styles will inform and develop the students’ exploration of ‘writing the self’ through their own writing in creative exercises and the production of an original autobiographical narrative.

Semester 2: Biography
Students will apply and adapt what they have learned about autobiography to writing about the lives of others, working with published texts, writing exercises and methods for researching and representing life stories. This will culminate in the researching and writing of a biographical narrative on a subject of each student’s choosing.

Learning and Teaching Information:

Learning and teaching methods will combine seminars, creative writing workshops and directed reading and writing, with a typical session divided between critical reading and discussion of selected texts and a related in-class writing exercise. Peer and tutor feedback on students’ original writing will be given, with time set aside in each session for work to be read aloud and discussed.

Seminar/Workshop
Contact hours: 16 x 2 hours =32
Intended group size: 15

Guided independent study
Hours: 168


Further details relating to assessment
At each session from the second teaching week onwards, in both semesters, students will take turns to read out their draft pieces of writing and receive verbal feedback in class from the tutor and fellow students. The work covered in the taught sessions provides students with a selection of drafts from which they can select one (or two) for development, revision and editing ahead of submission.

Other relevant matters
By discussion with the module tutor, students may submit a combination of prose and poetry for the autobiographical assessment.

Assessment:

001 Creative Writing (Autobiographical) 1 x 1250 words (prose) or 75 lines Poetry end of semester 1 40%
002 Creative Writing (Biographical narrative) 1 x 2000 words end of semester 2 60%


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