Awards

Target Award

Award Description:Bachelor of Arts with Honours - BAH

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit

Alternative Exit

Programme Offerings

Full-Time

F2F-JMU-SEP

Educational Aims of the Course

To provide a context in which to explore Creative Writing and Film as media of communication for the individual and the group, paying due regard to audiences, institutions and the marketplace To familiarise students with the skills and conventions of professional practice, whether producing audio-visual artefacts or prose fiction, poetry, scriptwriting and other forms of creative writing, and the values that accompany them To guide students towards a critical and historical understanding of film, television and writing and publishing cultures To foster students creative enthusiasm for Creative Writing and Film and develop the capacity to respond creatively to a broad range of stimuli To facilitate opportunities for students to develop the technical skills and the artistic and cognitive insights necessary to engage effectively in the study and practice of Creative Writing and Film. To promote the development of graduates who are critical independent thinkers possessing a range of transferable skills, particularly the development of initiative, self-motivation, team, organisational and communication skills. To enrich teaching and learning by supporting staff development and research which engages theoretical, practical, commercial and artistic investigation and furthers academic and artistic discourse both within and beyond the institution. To encourage students to reflect on and develop their employability skills and to complete a Self-awareness Statement.

Learning Outcomes

1.
Demonstrate the cultural and industrial contexts in which film and literary texts are produced, disseminated and received
2.
Synthesise: information, ideas, critical perspectives and text and media production practices
3.
Evaluate: exercise independent judgement in the selection of material for critical and creative activities; in the assessment of critical and creative contexts; and in the articulation of informed and reasoned arguments (expressed in oral, written or audio-visual forms
4.
Engage in the production of original film or written material based on an acquisition and understanding of appropriate performance and production vocabularies skills structures techniques and working methods with an emphasis on audience and markets
5.
Make new work both in ensemble and individual contexts as a creative practitioner specialising in poetry prose or script and/or digital film production
6.
Communicate competently with an audience through the application of the practical production skills associated with publishing and digital filmmaking. Dependent on choice joint and single honours students may acquire the technical craft skills associated with the art and craft of the short story teller novelist poet and screenwriter and of the filmmaker
7.
Use individual digital filmmaking writing and workshop techniques associated with key cultural forms or practitioners
8.
Engage in independent and group research as part of the process of creating new creative works
9.
Demonstrate appropriate skills in securing work within the industry through an understanding of the professional field
10.
Locate select and retrieve relevant material for independent or tutor guided assignments (theoretical and or practical)
11.
Research plan and expedite original written or audio visual texts or artefacts
12.
Understand the impact of past traditions and the canon on contemporary practice in the areas of film and creative writing
13.
Apply key methods and concepts for the purpose of analysing screen media or published texts
14.
Undertake critical research: formulating a topic or a hypothesis, reviewing debates and existing literature, assessing differing perspectives and constructing an argument.
15.
Approach tasks independently, creatively and in a disciplined manner.
16.
Take responsibility for personal work, responding to criticism and practicing self-evaluation.
17.
Encounter situations in a spirit of enquiry, formulating and asking incisive questions.
18.
Appreciate the values of open-mindedness and sensitivity to difference.
19.
Exercise critical judgment
20.
Think and learn independently and reflectively, prioritising workloads and re-setting objectives where necessary
21.
Produce written material in a variety of forms, genres and registers
22.
Plan and implement long term projects
23.
Replicate the techniques and practices involved in the production of creative writing and audio visual artefacts
24.
Analyse traditional and contemporary critical perspectives on film production and of relative concepts, issues and debates pertinent to the disciplines
25.
Discuss the relationships between practice and theory, and market practice and technique
26.
Evaluate the Processes by which digital production and publication is made in the creation of new work
27.
Analyse: describe and interpret artistic and cultural representations with an understanding of their generic, stylistic and institutional properties
28.
Historicise: comprehend the operation of moving image and texts within history and the canon. Identify the features of historical contexts that facilitate particular cultural expressions and inform the construction of particular identities and subject positions
29.
Conceptualise: abstract from the specific conditions of a context in order to formulate key issues

Teaching, Learning and Assessment

Knowledge and understanding is acquired through lectures, seminars, tutorials, screenings, group work, practical workshops, independent study and work-based learning. Furthermore knowledge and understanding is also effected by demonstrations/workshops (short expositions to demonstrate skills and techniques and to establish the parameters of professional practice); master classes (expert workshops by visiting practitioners to familiarise students with current industrial practice); work-related learning projects (work-based or simulated); and showcases (opportunities taken to audience with discussion of finished work and works in progress). Knowledge and understanding is assessed by coursework, examinations, class contribution and group productions of audio-visual artefacts. Coursework includes: essays of various length; reviews; original writing; individual and group presentations; individual and group critical self-evaluation; blogs and websites; logbooks; self-reflective group portfolios; research exercises; individual work-based learning reports; dissertations; commentaries. Examinations include: class-tests and unseen exams. Group productions of audio-visual artefacts include: photo-storyboard, factual and fictional video productions. Intellectual skills are promoted through lectures and applied by students in seminars, group work, tutorials, independent study and the production of assessments. Some or all of these skills may also be developed through reflection on work-based learning and production of written texts and of films Intellectual skills are assessed through the range of forms of assessment used on the Film Studies and Creative Writing programmes. The forms of assessment are structured over the three years of the degree to allow students to develop the ability to think independently, to formulate and research their own topics, and to build on their knowledge and interests. Specifically, critical and evaluative coursework essays, oral presentations and viva are employed to assess learning outcomes. At Level 6, students write a dissertation or compile a portfolio which addresses key thinking skills. A limited number of formal (unseen) examinations at all levels provide students with the opportunity to organise information and structure a reasoned argument under limited time conditions. Professional practical skills are acquired through lectures, seminars, tutorials, group work, the production of assessments and particularly through independent study and practice. Skills based practical classes and applied production projects are the basic means of teaching and learning practical skills. Self, group and tutor evaluation and feedback inform the learning process particularly at Levels 4 and 5. At Level 6, students have a significant element of independence to experiment and test practical skills but meet regularly with staff and peers to discuss methodologies and progress of the practical work. Some of the skills are taught and assessed in non-practice based modules. All students receive initial guidance on how to use film/creative writing related information resources located in the Learning Resource Centres and/or on-line. Assessment of practical skills is via coursework, blogs, websites, workshop and editing/publication projects. Assessment can involve the staff team monitoring and marking both process and editing/film production against agreed and written criteria. Assessment of process learning is supported either by commentaries or individual logs or self-evaluative essays or viva voce. Furthermore there are more traditional modes of assessment involved; for example both oral and written coursework, and examinations, throughout the curriculum. Transferable skills are developed through seminars, group work, tutorials, independent study, work-based learning. Sustained independent learning is supported by individual or group tutorials, individual or group supervision, and the formulation of learning agreements. In

Opportunities for work related learning

Opportunities for work-related learning and work-based learning on the Creative Writing and Film Studies programme are offered by modules at Levels 4, 5 and 6: In Level 4 students are offered early glimpses of experience of the world of work with CareerSmart: Explore. Students have the opportunity to produce fiction and non-fiction films working to a professional standard. All practical filmmaking modules in the programme provide ample space for other forms of work-related learning such as role plays, simulations and on and off-campus activities. At Level 5 students experience with the world of work increases when students are required to produce filmed pieces of work of increased scope, size and the duration of production is much larger than at Level 4. Students often have to work with professional actors and in the process come even closer to the work and conditions of professional production while the whole production process is designed as a simulation of a professional production process. In the Work Based Learning: Film Studies (Option Module) students are asked to secure an 80 hour long placement with a media company or organisation and report on their experience and on the company's structure in detail. To further develop and enhance our students employability, and drawing on the existing research and industry expertise we have on the Writing programme (permanent staff include: published poets, novelists, short story writers; broadcast playwrights; performed theatre and screen writers; publishers; literary editors; and community arts project managers), we have a Level 6 work related learning module called The Writer At Work. Freelance/Self-employment models will be encouraged as this is absolutely representative of the way in which subject skills are best represented in the employment world. Existing industry links will be used to finesse and deliver and assess the module. Group work is encouraged, facilitating a more rounded view, with individuals within a group adopting different roles within the simulated world of work. The module will be delivered in the form of lectures, workshops, private study, tutorials, case-studies, field visits and industry-sourced masterclasses. Specifically, students will be taught how to prepare a Learning Agreement and how to produce a portfolio which includes an awareness of personal development in its reflective element. Students will be assigned industry-specialist supervisors wherever possible and will be taught how to manage all aspects of their project, in terms of funding, resources, production and marketing. Writing as a professional skill is embedded in all Creative Writing modules throughout the course. The transferable skills which the student acquires in modules at all levels, cultivate the personal skills required of a freelance writer: self-starting, project management, teamwork, a dynamic model of objective management, self-criticism, meeting deadlines, industry-standard presentation, and audience/market awareness. Further information about CareerSmart: Explore can be found at: https://www2.ljmu.ac.uk/careers/124203.htm

Programme Structure

Programme Structure Description

At Level 4 all modules are core. Students take 60 credits Film Studies modules and 60 credits Creative Writing modules. At Level 5 all modules are optional. At Level 6 all modules are optional. However, the following pre-requisites apply: - In order to take Final Film Pre-Production & Film Production … For more content click the Read More button below.

Structure

Entry Requirements

A levels

Access awards

Alternative qualifications considered

BTECs

GCSEs and equivalents

IELTS

International Baccalaureate

Interview required

Irish awards

NVQ

T levels

UCAS points

Welsh awards

Extra Entry Requirements

Can this course be deferred?

Yes

Is a DBS check required?

No

OCR National acceptability

  • National Certificate: Acceptable only when combined with other qualifications
  • National Diploma: Acceptable only when combined with other qualifications
  • National Extended Diploma: Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications

HECoS Code(s)

(CAH19-01) English studies

(CAH25-01) creative arts and design