Course Catalogue

To develop students’ critical and creative response to a range of critical and creative texts, and the moving image.

To guide students towards a critical and historical understanding of written and film cultures.

To familiarise students with the skills and conventions of professional writing and film practice and the values that accompany them.

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, team, organisational and communication skills.

To enrich learning and teaching by supporting student development and research which engages theoretical and practical investigation and furthers academic and artistic discourse both within and beyond the institution.

To encourage students to recognise the skills and insights they develop through the course and help them identify career opportunities.

To challenge students to read and view analytically across a culturally and historically broad range of texts in relation to the ethical and social contexts of the human experience.

To interact effectively with others, in team or group work, for example through collaboration or in workshop situations.

Knowledge and understanding is acquired through lectures, seminars, tutorials, screenings, group work, practical workshops, independent study and work-based learning, VLE delivery and support. Knowledge and understanding is also effected by staff demonstrations (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), and showcases (opportunities taken to screen and discuss finished work and view work in progress).

Students are assessed by coursework, examinations and group productions of short film. Coursework includes creative work and essays of various length, literature reviews, individual and group presentations, individual and group critical self-evaluation, journals, self-reflective portfolios, research exercises, individual work-based learning reports, blogs and dissertations. 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 audiovisual artefacts.

Intellectual skills are assessed through the range of assessment used on the Creative Writing and Film Studies programme. 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.

Professional practical skills are acquired through lectures, seminars, tutorials, group work, the production of assessments and particularly through independent study and practice. Hands on involvement with audio-visual equipment and work based learning are particularly significant in advancing those skills. All students receive initial guidance on how to use cameras, lighting and sound equipment and editing software. All students are offered guidance on how to use specialised electronic journals and databases.

Transferable skills are developed through seminars, group work, tutorials, independent study and work-based learning.

Students receive induction into basic IT skills at Level 4 and are encouraged to use these skills throughout the levels. Canvas is used to support students’ learning on all modules. Extensive guides to essay writing and research are available through the Academic Achievement Canvas site

Assessment of transferable skills is through coursework at all levels. The forms of assessment are structured over the three years of the degree to allow students to develop certain transferable skills, such as those of presentation (oral or written) and communication, collaboration, self-reflection and the skills involved in learning independently.

The Creative Writing and Film Studies Programme has a vocational practice strand, which provides students with industry skillsets in blogging, reviewing, publishing, film production, building vocational skills in the core Production Skills and The Writer in the World modules at Level 4, Writing in Production and Working in Film at level 5, The Writer at Work and The Writer at Work: The Project and Thesis in level 6 and the optional module Work Based learning at level 6. Students will meet employers, alumni and those who work in the Creative Industries during Professional Practice weeks.

The reworking of the industry strand in this review supports students in developing and articulating their career ambitions through their three-year degree. This builds from initial self-awareness and developing ambitions to explore whilst studying in L4, towards a final Graduate Pack constructed in level 5 and 6 containing an industry ready CV and career plan.

In the L4 module Production Skills students will engage with Future Focus, consider their own ambitions, and identify areas to develop in across the programme.

Students will explore employment in the Creative Industries and options such as full-time, freelance and start-ups in the module, Working in Film, at level 5 and in The Writer at Work at level 6.  The assessment task in Working in Film will be devised with input from industry and will involve students presenting to industry partners and getting feedback from them. Students complete a career plan in this module, as part of a careers pack and consider how they will develop the necessary skills and experience to achieve their ambitions, encouraging them to undertake placement and extra curricula opportunities in the final year of their study.

At level 6 students have an option to undertake either a work placement or work on a brief for an external client in the optional module Work-based Learning (6044FILM or 6060CW).