creative writing course surrey

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• SFU Continuing Studies

The Writer's Studio: Creative Writing Certificate

Continuing studies, on this page.

Every writer needs the right tools, techniques and support to develop their work. The Writer’s Studio part-time creative writing program is designed for writers who are ready to immerse themselves in a manuscript. You’ll join a supportive community as you master your craft and establish a sustainable writing practice.

Format:  Part-time Completion time:  10 months Locations:  Vancouver, online

Why this program?

Striking a balance between a formal, full-time MFA (master of fine arts) and individual writing courses, the Writer’s Studio offers training in the theory, craft and business of writing. As you work towards your Creative Writing Certificate from SFU, you’ll benefit from:

• One-on-one mentorship from experienced, published authors
• Small workshop groups focused on specific genres
• A high ratio of instructional hours per tuition dollar
• Support in completing your manuscript
• Practice in giving public readings
• SFU alumnus status and benefits upon program completion

Compare us to an MFA

Sep 2024-jun 2025 mentors.

Learn under the guidance of accomplished authors in a range of genres. View previous mentors .

Junie Désil,

Brian Payton, Fiction, Non-Fiction

Stella Harvey, Fiction, Personal Narrative

Saleema Nawaz,

Commercial Fiction

Program details

Vancouver or online

Program completion

10 months To graduate, pass all courses and submit a final portfolio.

Program dates

• Sep 2023–Jun 2024 online
• Jan–Dec 2024 Vancouver/online
• Sep 2024–Jun 2025 online

Learning methods

• Mentor-led group workshops
• Courses (see list below)
• One-on-one mentor consultations
• Mentor readings and talks
• Guest author panels
• Practice in delivering public readings
• Weekly course modules (about 3 hours of course work)
• 2 workshops/month (2.5 hours each)
• 3 mentor meetings (1 hour each)
• Other weekly sessions (3 hours each)

View Sep 2023 program schedule View Jan 2024 program schedule

Required courses:

• Workshops   (TWS301–TWS306)
• The Practice of Writing   (TWS520)
• The Craft of Writing   (TWS530)
• The Business of Writing   (TWS540)

Learning materials

Required textbook:

Chesham, A. and Farina, L. (Eds.)  Resonance: Essays on the Craft and Life of Writing . Anvil Press, 2022. ISBN 978-1-77214-184-9. Available from the publisher or your local bookstore. 

$5,500 $75 program application fee

Scholarships

• Writing Mom Scholarship: $2,000 Open to mothers with children under 18 (scholarship is trans-inclusive)
• Emerging Writer Scholarship: $2,000 Open to all applicants

To be considered, add a second page to your program application letter that explains how the scholarship would help you.

Application info

Applications accepted twice a year:

• May 1–Jun 30 (for Sep start)
• Sep 1–Oct 31 (for Jan start)

Application details

Want to get published?

Get featured in our anthology.

As a Writer’s Studio student, you’ll see your work published in our annual anthology, emerge , which is launched each year at the Vancouver Writers Festival .

View anthology

JOIN SUCCESSFUL ALUMNI

Graduates of the Writer’s Studio have gone on to publish their work and earn recognition in regional and national awards and competitions.

Meet our alumni

Courses and events

Register for courses.

Not ready for a full program? Take individual writing courses, available throughout the year.

Find courses

GET WRITING FEEDBACK

Book a consultation on your manuscript with a member of our writing community.

View options

Upcoming events and workshops

Attend an online info session.

Reserve your spot to explore the program and chat live with program staff.

Sign up for email updates

To stay informed about this program, please fill out the form below.

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About our Collection of Personal Information policy.

Student stories

With her debut book for middle-graders, Kim Spencer has authored both a B.C. bestseller and a four-time award winner. Read more

One of the Writer’s Studio’s most active graduates, writer and artist Candie Tanaka remains dedicated to bringing the writing community together. Read more

A horrific childhood might have stopped Joseph Kakwinokanasum from following his dream of becoming a writer. Instead, it fuelled his drive—and inspired his first novel. Read more

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Creative Writing

Entry requirements.

Applicants should have a first or 2:1 UK honours degree, or a recognised equivalent international qualification.

We may be able to take relevant work experience into consideration if you don't meet these requirements. If you have at least one year of relevant experience in a full-time graduate-level role (or a minimum of two years’ experience in a relevant graduate-level part-time role) please provide full details of your role and responsibilities in your personal statement and CV when you submit your application.

As part of the application procedure, applicants will be asked to provide a portfolio of creative material (5,000 words prose or equivalent).

English language requirements:

IELTS Academic: 7.0 overall with 7.0 in Writing and 6.0 in each other element.

Months of entry

Course content.

Surrey’s MA Creative Writing is about more than just words. It’s a pathway to finding your own unique literary voice.

Drawing on the experience of our published writers and academics, you’ll engage with intriguing literary theories and writing techniques, and discover how to find your niche and engage with the publishing world. As part of our School of Literature and Languages, you’ll share ideas within a diverse, creative community and be able to attend a calendar of events that will broaden your thinking and develop your writing skills – this includes the annual Surrey New Writers’ Festival and Surrey Poetry Festival.

You may join us as a relatively new writer, wanting to experiment with a range of forms and discover your voice and genre. Alternatively, you may arrive with a more advanced project you want to develop further.

Either way, the extensive experience of our published writers and academics, including our Distinguished Writer-in-Residence and Poet in Residence, will help you hone your technical ability, and deepen your understanding of the cultural, literary and theoretical history of text production. This course could be your stepping stone to a career in writing, communications, publishing, marketing, advertising, journalism or teaching, or a gateway to PhD study.

Information for international students

We are proud to be one of the most culturally diverse universities in the UK. We are here to help you throughout the application process – from advising on choosing the right course to applying for a visa and preparing for your first few weeks at Surrey.

For more information please go to - https://www.surrey.ac.uk/international

Fees and funding

Understand all of the costs involved for your studies.

Find out more about your tuition fees, available scholarships and bursaries, postgraduate taught student finance, how to pay your fees and our top tips on managing your money.

www.surrey.ac.uk/fees-and-funding

Qualification, course duration and attendance options

• Campus-based learning is available for this qualification

Course contact details

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Creative Writing MA

University of surrey, different course options.

• Key information

Course Summary

Tuition fees, entry requirements, university information, similar courses at this uni, key information data source : idp connect, qualification type.

MA - Master of Arts

Subject areas

Creative Writing

Course type

Why choose this course

Surrey’s MA Creative Writing is about more than just words. It’s a pathway to finding your own unique literary voice.

Drawing on the experience of our published writers and academics, you’ll discuss intriguing literary theories and writing techniques, discover how to find your niche and engage with the publishing world. As part of our School of Literature and Languages, you’ll share ideas within a diverse, creative community and be able to attend a calendar of events that will broaden your thinking and develop your writing skills – this includes the annual Surrey New Writers’ Festival and Morag Morris Poetry Lecture.

As part of our commitment to further enriching our students’ skills in creative writing, we host a Distinguished Writer-in-Residence and a Poet-in-Residence in the School. They run workshops, masterclasses and one-to-one surgeries for our students. On this course, you will have the chance to collaborate with and be inspired by internationally acclaimed figures.

What you will study

Whether you are an aspiring writer of prose or poetry or both, our MA in Creative Writing encourages lateral thought and will sharpen your research and writing abilities.

You may join us as a relatively new writer, wanting to experiment with a range of forms and discover your voice and genre. Alternatively, you may arrive with a more advanced project you want to develop further.

Either way, the extensive experience of our published writers and academics will help you hone your technical ability, and deepen your understanding of the cultural, literary and theoretical history of text production.

Careers and graduate prospects

We offer careers information, advice and guidance to all students whilst studying with us, which is extended to our alumni for three years after leaving the University.

As a creative writing student, you’ll build a network of industry contacts by working alongside published writers and editors. Our courses are a launch pad for a career in writing, communications, publishing, marketing, advertising, journalism and teaching.

UK fees Course fees for UK students

For this course (per year)

International fees Course fees for EU and international students

Applicants should have a first or 2:1 UK honours degree, or a recognised equivalent international qualification. We may be able to take relevant work experience into consideration if you don't meet these requirements. If you have at least one year of relevant experience in a full-time graduate-level role (or a minimum of two years’ experience in a relevant graduate-level part-time role) please provide full details of your role and responsibilities in your personal statement and CV when you submit your application.

The University of Surrey was established in 1891, and has a rich history of education and innovation. Surrey welcomes more than 3,500 postgraduate students to its campus annually, and the university is home to an academic community which is represented by over 120 countries from around the world. Surrey is renowned for celebrating diversity, with cultural inclusivity is at the centre of all its activities. Surrey is a research-driven... more

Creative Writing PhD

Full time | 4 years | JUL-24

Influence what is possible

KPU Creative Writing is a home for those who love community, creativity and imagination. Our program offers award-winning faculty, small class sizes, and a rigorous approach to the discipline of writing.

KPU Creative Writing

The KPU Creative Writing Department welcomes students into a rigorous and inspiring engagement with the craft of creative writing. Offering small class sizes and dedicated mentorship with award-winning instructors, Creative Writing at KPU nurtures creativity while honing the critical faculties necessary to communicate ideas and succeed in the field of writing, as well as other fields.

Courses are offered in fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, and new media, as well as specific genres such as young adult literature, spoken word, and speculative fiction. The department provides a creative community for students developing their writing voice, and through engagement and volunteer opportunities with industry partners, encourages an active literary life both on campus and off.

Who Studies Creative Writing?

Students from many walks of life are drawn to study Creative Writing. In a Creative Writing classroom, students improve their skills in poetry, screenwriting and script writing, fiction, and nonfiction. Those who are interested in the digital world will find courses which explore the craft through web-based media, video, and sound. Skills learned in Creative Writing include excellence in writing, creative self-expression, interpersonal engagement in a community of peers, and the development of critical thinking skills. We welcome everyone who's ever been captivated by a story, a song, or a poem and yearns to be the one holding the pen.

Please join us!

Student success.

Shirin Moradi Galvez

Shirin Moradi Galvez’s passion for writing began once they learned to lift a pencil. Growing up, Shirin wrote stories, lyrics, and screenplays as a past-time to fulfill their interest, a key influence that led them to study creative writing and English at KPU.

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The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalised web experience.

You can accept all, or else manage cookies individually. However, blocking some types of cookies may affect your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer.

You can change your cookies preference at any time by visiting our Cookies Notice page. Please remember to clear your browsing data and cookies when you change your cookies preferences. This will remove all cookies previously placed on your browser.

For more detailed information about the cookies we use, or how to clear your browser cookies data see our Cookies Notice

Manage consent preferences

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They are essential for you to browse the website and use its features.

You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. We can’t identify you from these cookies.

These help us personalise our sites for you by remembering your preferences and settings. They may be set by us or by third party providers, whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies, then these services may not function properly.

These cookies allow us to count visits and see where our traffic comes from, so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are popular and see how visitors move around the site. The cookies cannot directly identify any individual users.

If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site and will not be able to improve its performance for you.

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Studying Creative Writing

Search through undergraduate Communication and Media degree courses to see what’s available from UK universities. Each page should give you an insight into what the course might be like, along with information on entry requirements, UCAS points and university league table performance.A degree in Communication and Media will give you the knowledge and skills required for a career in the media industry. Courses have an interdisciplinary approach where you think critically about the press, film, broadcasting, digital media, advertising and other areas. You’ll learn how to be flexible, adaptable and critical, and potentially gain valuable experience through industry work placements.

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BA (Hons) — 2025 entry English Literature and Creative Writing

If you’re an aspiring writer and literature enthusiast, our English Literature and Creative Writing BA (Hons) degree has the ideal combination of topics for you.

Key course information

Ba (hons) with placement, why choose this course.

• Engage in intellectually challenging teaching in literature and creative writing, with acclaimed writers and scholars as well as enthusiastic and experienced teachers who convey ideas and explain techniques and methodologies enthusiastically and accessibly  
• As a student of English Literature and Creative Writing BA (Hons) at Surrey, you will become part of a community of literary and cultural scholars, writers, and creative practitioners, and will be able to explore the opportunities and challenges of studying, practising, and producing critical and creative forms of expression.  
• We have a firm eye on your future employability. We’ll equip you with skills that employers value – clear and compelling communication skills, independent thinking and collaborative working. If you choose to take one of our award-winning Professional Training placements , you’ll be able to enhance your readiness for employment.  

Top 5 in the UK

English literature is ranked top 5 for overall student satisfaction* in the National Student Survey 2023

12th in the UK

For English in the Guardian University Guide 2024

13th in the UK

The University of Surrey is ranked 13th in the Complete University Guide 2024.  

*Measured by % positivity across all questions for all providers listed in the Guardian University Guide league tables.

English Literature and Creative Writing alumna launches short story collection

What you need to know about studying English literature

Introducing the School of Literature and Languages

Course details open, what you will study.

On our English Literature and Creative Writing BA (Hons) course, you’ll study vital and influential works of literature, you'll read and discuss contemporary writing as well as classics in a wide range of genres.   

You’ll explore canonical as well as more experimental forms, texts, and authors alongside perspectives, world views, and creative practices that have been historically silenced, marginalised, or endangered. Throughout the programme, you’ll develop sensitivity and appreciation for a diverse range of cultures and forms of artistic expressions, as well as emotional and cultural intelligence when discussing them with your peers and tutors.   

The programme includes innovative modules Science-Fiction and Renaissance Lives, plus a new Creative Writing poetry module and identities module, alongside our excellent existing creative writing and period-based literary modules in Medieval, Early Modern, 19th century, Modernist and Contemporary Studies.   

You’ll develop a wide range of creative writing skills and knowledge, looking at forms such as novels, short stories, poetry, plays, screenplays, graphic novels and writing for games.    

You will study classic works like those of Shakespeare and George Eliot, as well as writing by contemporary authors including Kazuo Ishiguro, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Jhumpa Lahiri.    

Genres you’ll study include travel writing, 19th-century theatre and fiction, science-fiction, contemporary global literatures, medieval literature, romantic literature, early modern, modernist and contemporary literatures.    

Our creative writing modules will develop your understanding of the techniques used and challenges faced by the writers you study on your English literature modules. You’ll assess the potential and challenges of forms of artistic expression that are increasingly central in contemporary culture and society, such as digital storytelling, video-gaming, blogging and podcasting. Your studies will also help you find inspiration and root your own creative work in the authors and literary traditions you’ll be exploring.   

You’ll gain professional and transferable skills in communications, writing, and critical thinking. You’ll learn how to write at a professional level in a variety of modes: analytical commentary and interpretive analysis, literary criticism, prose fiction, poetry, and writing for stage, screen, gaming and beyond. These skills are paramount in a wide range of professional environments and career paths, such as writing, editing, copywriting, teaching, publishing, marketing, journalism, social media and communications roles.  

Culture and arts at Surrey

As a BA (Hons) English Literature and Creative Writing student at Surrey, you’ll find yourself in an exciting and creatively invigorating environment. 

Alongside your lectures, tutorials, seminars and workshops, you'll have a wide range of opportunities to engage with our vibrant research culture and arts activities.  

Literary events on and around campus include the annual Morag Morris Poetry Lecture, the Surrey Poetry Festival and the Surrey New Writers Festival.  

The School of Literature and Languages also regularly hosts talks by major writers and critics, as well as literary agents, publishers and other speakers of interest.  

Our current Distinguished Writer in Residence is the acclaimed writer,  Neel Mukherjee , and our new Poet in Residence for 2023-24 is Briony Hughes. Both offer regular writing workshops and, in the case of our Distinguished Writer in Residence, one-on-one writing surgery sessions.  

Dr Liz Bahs

Programme leader

School of Literature and Languages

This course is taught by academic staff from the School of Literature and Languages.

Course structure Open

The academic year is divided into two semesters of 15 weeks each. Each semester consists of a period of teaching, revision/directed learning and assessment. 

The structure of our programmes follow clear educational aims that are tailored to each programme. These are all outlined in the programme specifications which include further details such as the learning outcomes.

• English Literature and Creative Writing BA (Hons)
• English Literature and Creative Writing BA (Hons) with placement

Please note: The   full module listing for the optional Professional Training placement part of your course is available in the relevant programme specification.

Modules listed are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. Modules are subject to teaching availability, student demand and/or class size caps.

The University operates a credit framework for all taught programmes based on a 15-credit tariff.

Course options

Year 1 - ba (hons), introduction to creative writing.

This introductory module will provide a theoretical and practice-based introduction to narrative and poetics. We will discuss technical elements of poetry and prose, and address the similarities and differences among various forms. In addition, we will consider historical and literary movements in relation to different formal techniques and their cultural contexts. During the seminar session, students will engage in writing exercises and connected to the topic of the weekly lecture and workshop original work with other students, benefitting from that key peer group feedback and support that will help guide and sustain their practice as writers. Throughout the module, we will examine creative processes and practices and the role of revision in the wider writing process itself. Students will have the opportunity to discuss their own processes in a self-reflective critical commentary that will accompany their final portfolio of creative work.  

THINKING LIKE A CRITIC I

This module introduces students to key theoretical debates and critical methodologies relating to literature and literary studies. It extends the student's knowledge of the different approaches we can take to literary studies, the various questions we can ask of literature, and the diverse forms of knowledge and insight that the study of literature can yield. Simultaneously, it allows students to identify the approaches and concerns in which they have been previously (and often unwittingly) been trained and those which most interest them going forward; it then helps them develop and enhance their understanding and application of their preferred methodologies. The module is in this way both complementary and foundational to all the other modules students will take in both their first year and in subsequent years: it gives them a vital tool-kit they will deploy on all modules. Topics and methodologies to be explored include questions of form and the close reading of literary texts; the political and ideological implications of literary texts; the interrelationships between texts, genres and culture more generally; the relationship between texts and their various historical contexts; and the evolution of the academic discipline of English Literature from the early 20th to the early 21st century. Students are trained not only to understand some of the most influential literary theories and methodologies, but also to appraise, compare and critique these different approaches. They will also undertake their own theoretically-informed critical analyses of literary texts, thereby also developing their ability to apply different methodologies and theoretical approaches. The module's themes and focus are then extended by the semester 2 companion module ELI1011 Theories of Reading II, which continues the survey of key literary theories. Both these modules form a foundation for levels 5 and 6 where the theoretical knowledge and application skills will be further reinforced.

LITERARY HISTORIES I

This module introduces students to different periods in literary history from the medieval period to the late Eighteenth Century through the examination of a variety of texts. Students will study texts in English from the medieval period, the Early Modern period, the Restoration, and the neo-Classical period. Throughout the module students will learn to interpret literature by focusing on aspects of its historical including social, environmental, global and cultural context, and to consider the interplay between historical background and texts. How does historical change and how do specific historical events impact on the production and reception of literature? What distinguishes imaginative literature from other textual historical documents? Students will also be encouraged to reflect on the academic practice of dividing history into key 'moments': the 'politics' of periodization, in other words. At what point does one period end and another begin? Why have literary critics chosen to mark the parameters of certain literary-historical periods as they have? While the focus is on English literature, the module will remain sensitive to the interplay between English literary traditions and those in other countries and the increasingly multicultural dimension of English literary history. Lectures will introduce students to key features of the literary period in question, to theoretical concepts which have proved useful in historicist approaches to literary criticism, and provide readings of set literary texts from a historical perspective. Seminars will enable students to discuss issues raised in the lectures and secondary reading as well as their own interpretations of the set texts in ways that will develop their critical thinking, research, and communication skills. By enabling students to gain the critical skills and knowledge required to study literature historically this module will provide a foundation for their further study of historical literary periods in semester 2 of their first year and for their study of literature in their second and final years.

UNDERSTANDING THE NOVEL

  This module is designed to introduce students to the academic study of the novel. Over the course of the module students will learn to read narrative fiction closely and critically, and to consider the relations between prose texts and the political, cultural, and intellectual contexts in which they are written and read. Focusing on novels in English from a range of historical periods and national contexts, the module examines fundamental aspects of the novel such as formal structure, characterisation, narrative, and voice, and important novelistic genres such as realism and the Gothic. It also considers the novel form’s representation of key issues such as subjectivity, gender, race, and politics. By enabling students to acquire the knowledge and critical skills needed to study and analyse novels, this module will provide a foundation for the study of prose fiction at degree level. This module connects to other period specific modules throughout the degree at levels 5 and 6. As a hybrid creative writing and English literature module, it also makes up part of the creative writing pathway in the degree, connecting to creative writing modules in the first, second and final years  

UNDERSTANDING STAGE AND SCREEN

This module is designed to introduce the academic study of drama and film. By studying three modern British plays and their adaptations to the screen you will develop an understanding of how drama and film are distinguished from other printed forms of literature alongside an appreciation of their cultural significance. Students on the module will be encouraged to think about the relationship between texts and their immediate historical and political contexts. You will be trained in the use of technical terms for drama and films, and will be introduced to the visual and audio analysis appropriate to both forms. Students will have the opportunity to develop creative as well as critical responses to the films and plays studied.  

THINKING LIKE A WRITER

Building on your semester 1 creative writing module, this module will further examine prose and poetry, and will also address writing for the stage, screen and even for games! Additionally, this module will encourage students to reflect on what it might mean to ‘think like a writer’. It will introduce students to writing for the stage as well as the big and small screen, through the work of individuals who are both critics and creative practitioners in their respective fields. The module also examines the creative work of poets, playwrights, screenwriters, prose writers and writers for the new spaces of digital and electronic media often in the light of these authors’ critical writing, and helps students to think about how their own creative and critical practice might inform each other. The module also includes an introduction to narrative and creative writing theory that will be explored in greater depth in the second and final years of your creative writing programme.  

THINKING LIKE A CRITIC II

The module builds on ELI1033, continuing to give students the necessary methodologies for undertaking close reading of literary texts and a self-aware understanding of their own subject positions in doing so. It provides wide coverage of different forms of literary theory and sets this alongside discussions of how to carry out critical analyses on literary texts. The module acts as a basis for levels 5 and 6, where the theoretical knowledge and application skills will be reinforced. Together with a rigorous study of a wide range of theoretical traditions, students will also analyse, through collaborative exercises and seminar discussions, short texts and cultural phenomena. In this way, they will develop the critical skills necessary to appreciate how theoretical texts can provide us with powerful tools to discuss important social questions that affect contemporary societies.

LITERARY HISTORIES II

This module introduces students to the main periods in literary history from Romanticism to Postmodernism by examining a variety of texts from these periods. Students will study texts in English from the Romantic and Victorian periods and from modernism and postmodernism. Throughout the module students will learn to interpret literature by focusing on aspects of its historical (including social, cultural, environmental, and global) context, and to consider the interplay between historical background and texts. How does historical change and how do specific historical events impact on the production and reception of literature? What distinguishes imaginative literature from other textual historical documents? Students will also be encouraged to reflect on the academic practice of dividing history into key 'moments': the 'politics' of periodization, in other words. At what point does one period end and another begin? Why have literary critics chosen to mark the parameters of certain literary-historical periods as they have? While the focus is on English literature, the module will explore the increasingly multicultural dimension of English literary history in the modern period. Lectures will introduce students to key features of the literary period in question, to theoretical concepts which have proved useful in historicist approaches to literary criticism, and provide readings of set literary texts from a historical perspective. Seminars will enable students to discuss issues raised in the lectures and secondary reading and develop their own interpretations of the set texts. This module enables students to build upon and expand the critical skills and knowledge acquired in semester 1 modules by enhancing students' capabilities in these areas and encouraging a deeper study of literature historically, this module will also provide a foundation for the study of literature across a range of time periods in levels 5 and 6. In particular, the module connects to other period specific modules throughout the degree especially at level 5.

UNDERSTANDING POETRY

This module is designed to give students the confidence to read, study, and enjoy poetry. Over the course of the module students will learn to read and think critically and creatively about poems in English from a range of genres, historical periods and sub/cultures, about the formal elements of verse (such as rhyme, lineation, stanza structure, and metre), and about the social, political,global and intellectual contexts that shape poetic writing. The module will introduce and examine the technical features of poetry as a form, and offer an in-depth consideration of some of the most important poetic genres: epic, lyric, dramatic, and free verse. In the final week of the module, a lecture given by one of Surrey University’s professional poets will introduce students to the most recent trends in contemporary poetry. By enabling students to acquire the knowledge and critical skills needed to appreciate and analyse poems, this module will provide a foundation for the study of poetry at degree level. Peer-led discussion of debates around poetry, and workshopping and portfolio-building in seminars, fosters resilience and confidence (in analytical and/or creative writing; sharing ideas and written work in class) whilst developing transferable writing, communication and presentation skills suitable for a range of careers. This module connects to other first year modules in both the English literature and creative writing streams to ground students in the basics of their discipline, setting the scene for more in depth knowledge and practice development in modules throughout the degree. As a hybrid creative writing and English literature module, it also makes up part of the creative writing pathway in the degree, connecting to creative writing modules in the first, second and final years.

GLOBAL LITERATURES

This module introduces students to global literatures across geocultural spaces and historical periods through the study and critical analysis of a range of texts written in multiple languages and from both Western and non-Western perspectives. This module is part of a global strand embedded in our programme, which will help students develop global sensitivity and appreciation for cultural and linguistic diversity. The central question that will guide our discussions is how literary texts engage with the idea of the world. You will work collaboratively to develop critical and analytical skills that will enable you to appreciate: (1) how literary texts foster historical awareness and sensitivity to global issues affecting contemporary societies; (2) how literature is deeply shaped by cultural, political, and social forces; (3) how texts actively create narrative worlds that respond to specific symbolic and cultural needs. Building upon the theoretical foundations acquired during the first year, students will reflect on the value and challenges of studying literature today from a global, multilingual and  comparative perspective.

Year 2 - BA (Hons)

Elements of narrative.

This module explores the varied formal and technical challenges facing creative writers, examining the affordances and constraints of different modes of writing and the cultural, historical and theoretical contexts which impact upon how texts (including prose fiction, poetry, screenplays and dramatic scripts) are written and understood, and to translate this understanding into more effective creative practice.

CONTEMPORARY POSTCOLONIAL FICTIONS AND CULTURES

By focusing on a wide range of postcolonial fictions, this module explores what it means to write in a postcolonial context and allows students to reflect on the legacies of colonialism today. Student will discuss how colonialism and postcoloniality affect both content and fictional form, and will be encouraged to use the solid theoretical foundations built during the first year in the programme to critically analyse postcolonial fictions and cultures. The skills in interpretive analysis and research they will acquire in this module will be fundamental in preparing them for the dissertation project at the conclusion of their learning journey. Students will be able to explore a wide range of artistic forms¿prose, poetry, drama, and film and will develop crucial skills in critical analysis, connective thinking, and digital competency during our seminar discussions and in online activities. This module is part of a global strand embedded in our programme. In addressing prominent global issues such as colonialism, migration, diaspora, racial, gender, and class inequalities this module offers students tools to understand how and why literature can be a powerful instrument of critique and analysis of a persistently unequal world. The module further provides a theoretical underpinning that will enable students to draw connections between contemporary fictions and postcolonial and decolonial theories.

INTRODUCTION TO TEFL

This is a module for Level 5 students in the School of  Literature and Languages. It is taught over one semester, with three contact hours per teaching week.The module considers a range of approaches to teaching English as a Foreign Language, approaches which can be applied to the teaching of other languages. It provides practice and assessment in lesson planning and in teaching through peer teaching tasks. The skills developed on the module such as speaking in front of groups and decision making are transferable to a number of other careers. The module is capped at 14 students in each semester.  

Building on the introduction to modernism covered in the first-year core modules, this module explores a period in literature that was to bring innovation across the spectrum of cultural endeavour. Through a range of exciting and innovative works of literature from around the world, you will be introduced to the key ideas underlying the theories and practises of modernist writers in the period between 1900 and 1945. By exploring the concept of multiple global modernisms, the module builds global and cultural skills that will enable you to critically engage with the key themes central to modernist thought. As well as acquiring in-depth knowledge of the individual texts on the module, you will be able to develop a sense of how movements in modernist literature relate both to each other and to other disciplines such as philosophy, economics, politics, and art. Through the independent research undertaken for assessment and a particular focus on the skills required for advanced secondary source research, this module will also develop resourcefulness and digital skills.

MONSTERS, MYSTICS AND DEMONS

This module explores a range of literary texts produced in England at the end of the Middle Ages, paying particular attention to issues of language, gender, race, social status, travel, and religion. It explores the relationship between the self and the other, focusing on ideas of perfection and monstrosity, and the divine and the demonic. The module explores three interrelated themes that speak to the historical, social, and religious contexts of late Medieval English literature: 1) Monstrous Masculinities and Femininities 2) Travellers’ Tales: Encountering the Other and 3) Visions of Another Order. Alongside analysing examples the literature of the period, you will practice translating passages from late medieval literary texts in the workshops. In addition to the set primary texts, you will examine relevant examples from historical texts and visual that help to further illuminate these three thematic strands.

NINETEENTH-CENTURY LITERATURE AND CULTURE

This module gives students a broad and deep understanding of nineteenth-century literature in relation to a range of social, cultural and political contexts. Following a roughly chronological trajectory the module picks up key issues (industrialisation, the impacts of empire, faith and doubt) and examines them through key texts and authors of the period. The module pushes students to think in nuanced ways about the relationship between text and context and about the cultural forces which have promoted or marginalised historical voices.

RENAISSANCE LIVES

Renaissance Lives focusses on early modern identity through the understanding of lives (real and fictional) and how these may be represented in literature and life writing. Through the module, different lives are explored through a thematic focus on gender and sexuality, race and faith. These three strands allow students to focus upon diversity and enable them to explore the relevance of renaissance lives to the present-day ideas. A visit by a professional biofiction author will further encourage students to understand how their own writing may address contemporary discourses of gender, sexuality, race and faith. This optional module develops knowledge and skills introduced at Level 4 both critical and creative and gives students a wider and deeper understanding of key material from the Early Modern period of literature in English. There are two key points of building upon various Level 4 elements: first, a sense of historical contextualisation that focuses on important political and intellectual discourses, and second, a generic pathway that covers drama, poetry, and prose, whether critical or creative. The module also ensures that students have a solid basis for understanding English literature of the Early Modern period and concepts of the self and identity. This knowledge will be extended and deepened through optional modules at level 6.

TRANSLATION FRENCH-ENGLISH I

This is a practical introduction to translation from French to English. Students will be introduced to some basic concepts and terminology in translation and will learn through translating short texts from French to English and writing reflective commentaries on translation issues. Students will gain an understanding of the processes involved in translating from French to English and will develop their ability to analyse and interpret texts and to recognise and resolve translation issues, using appropriate translation resources. Texts will be contemporary and will cover a range of text types, chosen to illustrate a wide variety of translation problems as well as to introduce aspects of Francophone cultures.

TRANSLATION GERMAN-ENGLISH I

This is a practical introduction to translation from German to English. Students will be introduced to some basic concepts and terminology in translation and will learn through translating short texts from German to English and writing reflective commentaries on translation issues. Students will gain an understanding of the processes involved in translating from German to English and will develop their ability to analyse and interpret texts and to recognise and resolve translation issues, using appropriate translation resources. Texts will be contemporary and will cover a range of text types, chosen to illustrate a wide variety of translation problems as well as to introduce aspects of German-speaking cultures.

TRANSLATION SPANISH-ENGLISH I

This is a practical introduction to translation from Spanish to English. Students will be introduced to some basic concepts and terminology in translation and will learn through translating short texts from Spanish to English and writing reflective commentaries on translation issues. Students will gain an understanding of the processes involved in translating from Spanish to English and will develop their ability to analyse and interpret texts and to recognise and resolve translation issues, using appropriate translation resources. Texts will be contemporary and will cover a range of text types, chosen to illustrate a wide variety of translation problems as well as to introduce aspects of Spanish-speaking cultures.

SIGNIFICANT OTHERS: VICTORIAN CREATIVE PARTNERSHIPS

This interdisciplinary module, focused on Victorian creative partnerships, explores connections between texts, individuals, couples, circles and movements. It investigates the ways in which female and male figures worked in various forms of partnership: as spouses, siblings, friends and lovers. It examines a range of Victorian texts including poems, short stories, plays, novels and novellas, letters and diaries as well as visual texts. It engages with the themes of gender, sexuality, identity, power, partnership, co/authorship and readership. The module introduces students to contextual debates about sexual politics, gender and representation in the nineteenth-century, and seeks to understand how writers responded and contributed to them. It also reads nineteenth-century figures and texts in relation to more recent feminist and gender theory, revealing their continued cultural importance. Authors studied include: tthe Brownings, the Brontës, George Eliot and George Henry Lewes, Arthur Hugh Clough and Matthew Arnold, Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins, the Rossettis, and Michael Field.

WRITING POETRY: COMPOSITION AND CRAFT

This module explores elements of poetic craft, discourse, and techniques for writing poetry through the close analysis of lyric, narrative, dramatic, and hybrid modes in contemporary poetry written for the page and / or performance and exhibition. The module introduces students to contemporary and innovative discussions including topics such as formal and free poetic structures, sound effect and rhythm, poetic voice and persona, writing communities, poetic intent and play. The module asks students to engage with the development of their own writing alongside of reading and listening to contemporary poetry, essays, and manifestos by chosen 'companion poets' they will encounter in the module.

CONTEMPORARY STORYTELLING

This module allows you to explore various modes of storytelling in a contemporary context, with a view to developing your narrative skills. The course will engage with contemporary fiction, poetry, non-fiction, film, and theatre and will help you to to investigate and understand the multiple ways readers and writers engage with storytelling and narrative. There will be lectures on each topic, with workshop-style seminars that are designed to help you engage with and analyse your own writing and the writing of others, with the aim of helping students to hone your ability to edit and create. 

GENDER AND SEXUALITY IN CONTEMPORARY TEXTS AND CULTURES

This module explores how a culturally diverse range of contemporary texts negotiate issues of gender and sexuality. Using a variety of formats (novels, poems, graphic novels, films and even comedy) we will reflect on what writing about gendered experiences and queer desire entails and how these lived and embodied intimacies affect form and determine meaning. The module provides a theoretical underpinning that will enable you to construct links between contemporary texts and relevant trans-inclusive and anti-racist theories about intersectional identities and LGBTQIA2S+* literature and culture. In this module, you will not just read about queer theory, you will hear directly from the theorists: The module provides podcast conversations with several prominent scholars from the field to enrich your reading of secondary literature with a digital research communication tool. You will be able to expand the knowledge of feminism, queer studies, and intersectional thinking that you have built in your first year of studies and reflect on how these discourses affect you and your peers in your day-to-day life, while also considering unfamiliar perspectives and cultures.

ROMANTIC LITERATURE: 1789-1830

Following on from the brief introductions to Romanticism at Level 4 , this module allows students to explore in more depth and detail the profound literary and cultural innovations that took place in the Romantic period (roughly, 1789-1830), and which continue to shape culture and society today. The module forms part of a set of historically focused pre-1900 ‘period’ modules that focus on specific literary periods as a way of studying literature: students must take at least one of these modules to complement the more contemporary focus of other modules, so as to gain greater knowledge of both the evolution of English literature over time and the variant forms and concerns of literature in different historical periods. Examining a broad range of canonical and non-canonical Romantic texts (and thus highlighting the diversity of authors and styles in the period), the module each week uses a selection of representative writers to explore a key form or theme: for example, Nature, imagination, the self and subjectivity, sentimentalism and feeling, and shifting notions of masculinity and femininity. Famous writers such as Blake, Wordsworth, Keats and Byron are read alongside authors who are less well known today (for example, Charlotte Smith, Anna Letitia Barbauld, Ignatius Sancho and Henry Derozio) to give students a rich, synchronic understanding of the key concerns, debates, alliances and animosities distinctive to this specific period in British literary history. At the same time, students explore the global contexts and connections driving the evolution of English literature and of British culture more broadly in this period, and they also consider the ongoing relevance of Romantic-era concerns and debates to 21st century society (for example, Romantic writers’ diverse reactions to increasing globalization, and the emergence of modern environmental and conservationist thinking).

THE AMERICAN CENTURY

This module draws attention to and interrogates the changing relationship between the 'self' and 'society' in twentieth-century American culture. Approaching this topic from an interdisciplinary perspective, the module examining three interrelated areas that address the major social, political, and aesthetic developments of the 'American Century': 1) urbanisation, commerce and the American city, 2) transnationalism and American identity, and race, nation, and the body in contemporary America. In addition to the primary texts, students will examine relevant examples from film, art, music, and design that help to further illuminate these three thematic strands. In particular, this module focuses on students’ global awareness and understanding, both regarding American literary and culture, as well as the ways in which successive periods of migration and transnational exchange have led to widespread American influence in a range of cultural domains. Through analysis of a range of texts and cultural materials, students will gain deeper insight into the impact and influence of American culture in the twentieth century and beyond to develop global and cultural capabilities.

SCIENCE FICTION

This module explores the meanings and developments of science fiction throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, as well as focusing on the relationship between this innovative form and the cultural, political, ethical and ecological sustainability issues addressed in the texts. Discussion and analysis will focus not only on what worlds or peoples are imagined in science fiction and why, but also on how such core features of science fiction have been developed, challenged and reconfigured by various political and historical movements and events (such as the cold war, feminism, black civil rights movements, gay liberation, imperial endeavours, global warming and other ecological sustainability narratives, among others). The module will give particular attention to technological developments and their relationship to the human, addressing the ways in which the human is rethought and reimagined through its interaction with technological innovation. Themes that will be addressed may include alternative futurisms, artificial intelligence, body modifications, alien species and/or worlds, dystopian and utopian imaginaries, future technologies, technology and sustainability, technology and identity and struggles for freedom. Science fiction will therefore be engaged with through the lens of contemporary theories (such as postcolonialism, gender studies, ecocriticism and posthumanism), as well as with attention to changing interpretations of the meaning of the genre in its diverse socio-political and global cultural contexts.  This module connects to other contemporary literature modules on the programme in your second year and is part of the contemporary literature route that students can choose as a focus of their degree, which includes module in the first and final years of the degree. As a hybrid creative writing and English literature module, it also makes up part of the creative writing pathway in the degree, connecting to creative writing modules in the 1st, 2nd and final years.

TRANSMEDIA NARRATIVES

First defined by media scholar Henry Jenkins in 2003, transmedia storytelling is the process of creating, sharing and developing fictional content across a range of media and communication platforms, including film, television, print and social media. Transmedia storytelling is an outcome of the structure of the contemporary media and entertainment industries, which are dominated by global media conglomerates, such as the Disney corporation, that aim to maximise audience engagement with their creative properties. For example, fans of the ‘Marvel Cinematic Universe’ can consume different iterations of the Marvel stories and characters that extend beyond the films via spin-off television series, new comics, short films, animations and websites. These act as extensions to the existing story as it moves from one medium to another. This is one of the key things that distinguishes transmedia storytelling from traditional adaptation of, for example, a book to a film. Transmedia storytelling has also been celebrated as a narrative model that promotes collaborative authorship and participatory spectatorship from fans, who frequently contribute to official and unofficial extensions of narrative storyworlds. In this module we will be exploring the concept of transmedia storytelling and how fictional storyworlds are created and extended across multiple, global media platforms. After establishing the key concepts of transmedia storytelling, we will look at a range of case studies. These will vary according current trends in popular culture, but might include Harry Potter, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Gossip Girl, Star Wars, James Bond, Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead. Please Note: This is not a creative writing module. Students may need access to one or more streaming platforms in order to access material that we will be examining in our case studies. This will be advised at the beginning of the semester, but might include Disney+, AmazonPrime, Netflix, etc.

TEACHING LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE

This module takes students off campus and into local schools. They work closely with MFL or English Literature teachers, shadowing them or taking small groups of school students, and gaining an insight into the teaching profession. This module complements ELA2012 Introduction to TEFL, by allowing students to see teaching strategies and techniques in the real world. The Module has the backing of the "Undergraduate Ambassadors Scheme" ( www.uas.ac.uk ).

WRITING THE VICTORIANS: NEO-VICTORIANISM IN CONTEMPORARY CULTURE

This module aims to explore a variety of neo-Victorian texts to examine how the legacy of the Victorians continues to inform contemporary culture. Students will be asked to consider the significance of neo-Victorian writing in the context of postmodernity and will analyse the literary, cultural and commercial impacts of the genre. The module will begin by considering early examples of neo-Victorian texts that emerged in the 1950s and 60s before exploring the expansion of the genre in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It will cover a range of neo-Victorian productions including novels, poetry, film and TV adaptations that are informed by well-known Victorian texts in order to examine the wider cultural impact of contemporary engagements with the Victorian period, and will ask students to analyse issues of race, class, gender and sexuality which are interrogated and challenged by neo-Victorian works. The module draws upon and enhances the core knowledge and research skills acquired in second year Victorian Literature focussed modules. As a hybrid creative writing and English literature module, it also makes up part of the creative writing pathway in the degree, connecting to creative writing modules in the 1st, 2nd and final years.

TRANSLATION ENGLISH-FRENCH I

This is a practical introduction to translation from English to French. Students will learn to express some basic concepts and terminology in translation in French and will learn through translating short texts from English to French and writing reflective commentaries on translation issues. Students will gain an understanding of the processes involved in translating from English to French and will develop their ability to analyse and interpret texts and to recognise and resolve translation issues, using appropriate translation resources. Texts will be contemporary and will cover a range of text types, chosen to illustrate a wide variety of translation problems and enhance cultural awareness.

TRANSLATION ENGLISH-SPANISH I

This is a practical introduction to translation from English to Spanish. Students will learn to express some basic concepts and terminology in translation in Spanish and will learn through translating short texts from English to Spanish and writing reflective commentaries on translation issues. Students will gain an understanding of the processes involved in translating from English to Spanish and will develop their ability to analyse and interpret texts and to recognise and resolve translation issues, using appropriate translation resources. Texts will be contemporary and will cover a range of text types, chosen to illustrate a wide variety of translation problems and enhance cultural awareness.

Year 3 - BA (Hons)

Language diversity.

This module, which assumes no prior knowledge of languages other than English, is intended to give students an insight into the diversity of human communication systems found throughout the world. In order to understand how language works, we need to examine the variety of systems to be found, some of which differ drastically from what we know and what we might expect. This module builds on the skills students have developed in constructing arguments and finding evidence in support of their reasoning through their modules at Levels 4 and 5, by demonstrating how complimentary skills are applied in scientific research related to language. Students are introduced to alternative ways of thinking about the world around us to further develop their ability to scrutinise and assess evidence.

WRITING GAMING

Gaming has existed as a mode of play and expression since the earliest times of human existence. In the latter part of the 20th and into the first two decades of the 21st Century (the period we will focus on with this module), there has been a vast expansion of the forms, modes and technologies employed in gaming and game play. Out of wargaming and board gaming practices (and often the interfaces of these) in the post-World War II era, increasingly complex and sophisticated character and narrative focussed Role-Playing Games (RPGs) developed as well as other narrative forms that connect gaming with interactive textuality, such as gamebooks, Collectable Card Games, online interactive fiction, video games and multi-player online gaming platforms. There has been, in the early 21st century, additionally, a large increase in the number of board games being produced and played, while wargaming also remains an active and vibrant aspect of gaming culture. An aspect of gaming that has sometimes fallen short, in ‘quality’ terms, though, is the writing that underpins both the rules systems and the ‘story’ component of games (background, character, description. narrative, dialogue, terminology, etc.) This is perhaps unsurprising as games have been primarily written by gamers rather than professional writers; many of these, of course, go on to develop their writing skills and become accomplished writers in their own right. More and more, though, creative writers are specifically incorporated into the game design and realisation processes (for both analogue and virtual gaming environments) to improve the quality of the gaming experience. In this module students will receive an overview of the gaming field and examine aspects of this that specifically pertain to writing for games. What approaches work well for games and gaming modes? How are these different from writing for and in other forms and media? What writing skills are particularly useful? Do we have the freedom to write outside of limiting industry constraints and models? What are the new forms of writing practice that are emerging in relation to games and gaming? We will also be interested in analysing games and gaming critically as cultural objects, and situating them within the broader context of contemporary cultural and literary theory. This is not a module that will teach students how to code and/or produce and design video games (or, indeed commercial analogue games). We will touch on aspects of game design, game production, gaming studies, critical digital studies, etc., but the focus for this module will be on writing creatively for games: writing gaming. Expert guest speakers from the gaming and independent gaming industries will be included in the teaching provision for this module. If students have specific coding, visual art or musical/sound art skills that they would like to bring to their exercises and assignments, they can certainly draw on these skills, but if they don’t, that is completely fine – none of these are required for this module. In each seminar we will first spend some time discussing the set texts and the techniques and standpoints employed by writers and other artists, before moving on to the workshop part of the session where students will produce work in accordance with the task set for that week, within and outside of the classroom. We will read and discuss a selection of pieces at the end of each class. This process will help students grow in confidence, both in presentational terms and in terms of delivering and receiving feedback on their work, in a safe and supportive setting. In addition, each week there will be a scheduled 2-hour gaming session where students will gather to explore individual and collaborative gaming in practice. Different approaches to gaming will be proposed each week, or students can opt to work during this time on longer gaming experiences and projects. At the end of the semester students will produce a creative portfolio of gaming writing, alongside a critical commentary reflecting on the creative work produced and using theories, concepts and practices studied on the module, OR an academic critical essay examining some aspect of writing for games OR a Game Demo alongside a critical commentary reflecting on the demo produced and using theories, concepts and practices studied on the module. Possible submissions for the creative portfolio include online interactive fiction (e.g. Twine, Squiffy), a gamebook text, a tabletop game text (board game, card game, wargame, Role-Playing Game), a game demo, a game setting, a game system, Game Design Documentation (GDD) for a proposed game, a 'creative essay', gaming portfolio as creative essay, a zine, a website for a game, etc. This module connects to other contemporary literature modules on the programme in the 2nd and final years where the emphasis is on 20th and 21st Century approaches to creating and examining literatures and our cultural responses to them. As such, it is part of the contemporary literature route that students can choose as a focus of their degree. As a hybrid creative writing and English literature module, it also makes up part of the creative writing pathway in the degree, connecting to creative writing modules in the 1st, 2nd and final years.  

WOMEN BEHIND THE SCREEN: GENDER & LABOUR IN FILM

Over the past 90 years, only three women have won the Oscar for best director and only 4 more have been nominated. Hollywood’s marginalisation of women’s authorial agency reflects a global pattern of women being shut out of the top creative jobs of director and screenwriter. Instead, women who work in film are more often found in roles that tend not to be recognised as creatively significant. Why is it that women have faced such barriers to entry and success in the world of film? Why are the roles that women typically undertake considered less important or valuable to a film’s success? Are women’s films less well-regarded critically and by audiences? Has this changed over time? This module explores the relationship between gender and labour in film by looking at the types of roles women have played in filmmaking. That is, instead of thinking about how women are represented on screen via the characters they play, we will consider the part they play behind the camera in getting films, of all types, made. In doing this, we will be looking at, and questioning, perceptions of the types of roles women can, should and do undertake in filmmaking, both currently and in the past. We will consider the work of women who have risen to positions of prominence as writers, directors and producers in the mainstream global film industries as well as looking at the opportunities afforded to women in other arenas, such as independent and experimental film. Just as importantly, we will think about women’s ‘invisible’ labour in filmmaking, be that through low-valued, gendered jobs (such as make-up artists and secretaries) or through amateur and non-professional filmmaking activities. As a whole, the module will question whether, and if so how, women’s creative power and agency in film has been marginalised, and the ways women have sought to overcome this. This module is open to all students, whether or not you have previously taken any film studies modules.

QUEER ECOLOGIES AND ENVIRONMENTAL LITERATURE

Environmental literature is deeply entwined with queer, decolonial and intersectional perspectives: Place and race, space and class, feminist and LGBTQIA2s+* issues, all meet in the queer ecologies we will explore in this module. We will learn about the (queer) history of writing about the environment, about the role of protest in literature and about how describing the world around us in texts actually changes the shape of the natural and built environment. Building on skills and knowledge you have acquired in previous modules on literary history and on theoretical approaches, the module aims to expand your knowledge of global ecocritical and queer writing and theory and to enable you to critically analyse contemporary depictions of climate change dystopias, of human and non-human animal relationships, of protest poetry, and of queer environmental fiction. We will discuss novels, poetry, performances, Youtube videos, as well as the odd social media account, and always combine our readings with a specific theoretical concept to help you learn how to put knowledge into practice. Since the module will also give you some insight into research communication, you will have the option of creating a research-based podcast as your final assessment. The module will include a workshop on podcasting, which will teach you new digital skills and enable you to develop an independent project, potentially in cooperation with collaborators outside of the seminar room. You will also contribute to a collaborative digital glossary, taking charge of creating a communal knowledge resource with formative feedback from your lecturer and comments and questions from fellow students. This module is part of a global strand embedded in our programme, which will help students develop global sensitivity and appreciation for cultural and linguistic diversity. We will discuss a global and culturally diverse range of primary texts, as well as theory texts, and cover, for example, Indigenous knowledges from different parts of the planet.

CONTEMPORARY SHAKESPEARE

This module introduces students to a range of creative and critical strands and debates related to contemporary Shakespearean performance. These may include global and intercultural Shakespeare, adaptations on stage and screen, applied Shakespeare, gender - and colour-blind Shakespeare, cultural politics and ethics. Drawing on relevant critical debates on how and why Shakespeare is performed today within diverse and multicultural societies, students will be able to engage with case-studies of UK and international productions and artists. The module will pay attention to key terms such as diversity, diaspora, hybridity and inclusivity and enable students to draw on these in informed critical analysis and discussion.

THE GOTHIC IMAGINATION, 1800S PRESENT

The Gothic has been a fixture of British and American literary history and popular culture from its origins in the eighteenth century, and continues to capture and haunt the human imagination. Straddling both 'high' and 'low' art forms, appealing to elite as well as mass audiences, the Gothic thrives on blurring boundaries and dissolving traditional dichotomies- between, for example, self and other, human and inhuman, civilisation and savagery, public and private identities This optional level 6 module focuses on Gothic literary and cultural production from Horace Walpole's 1764 seminal Gothic novel The Castle of Otranto up to the stylized Goth aesthetic and obsession with true crime Gothic figures in twenty-first-century cinema and television. Drawing on a variety of literary and visual texts this module demonstrates how Gothic fictions are born out of hyper-tense socio-political and psychological states, symbolising and expressing anxieties about class, ethnicity, nationality, sexuality and gender. Gothic texts are situated in their historical, biographical, geographical and global contexts, offering a nuanced understanding of the proliferation of the genre across periods, disciplines and borders. As well as exploring famous Gothic figures of the vampire and the zombie, we also consider the Gothic as a mode of writing, and as a mode of cultural engagement with the traumas of post/modernity. The module confronts topics including otherness and the limits of the human, monstrous doubling, the horrors of addiction, grotesque transformation, and the ethics and dangers of science. It traces the evolution of the Gothic, covering: Gothic origin; European Gothic; Gothic satire; Romantic and Neo/Victorian Gothic; Female and Feminist Gothic; American and African-American Gothic; and Goth culture. Through studying the texts, debates and themes of the module, and through the assessments, you will develop transferable skills in critical thinking and reading, independent research and groupwork, presentation and communication, digital capabilities and analytical writing.

RULE BREAKERS, UPSTARTS & GENRE RAPSCALLIONS: GENRE WRITING FROM COMMERCIAL TO SUBVERSIVE

Often dismissed as disposable entertainment, derided for rehashing formulaic plot devices, popular genre fiction may better be considered literature that tests the generic boundaries within which it operates. This Level 6 Creative Writing module aims to establish the fundamental techniques, strategies, and conventions of popular genres and modes (such as mystery, horror, graphic narrative), as well as ways writers may choose to subvert those conventions, with an eye toward developing original creative projects that engage—in some way—with genre. This module is intended to complement the range of Creative Writing modules offered at level 6, focussing on genre construction and reception across a variety of contexts. One of the keys to becoming a more sophisticated writer is to become a more careful reader. Whether you love or hate, are exhilarated, or bored by a text, you can always learn from it. To that end, we will read and discuss relevant literary and theoretical works in detail, considering both the elements of craft that contribute to the construction of different genres (character, plot, form, structure, and so on), as well as the aesthetic and conceptual frameworks that underpin each text, particularly where writers may subvert genre expectations. And to make use of all our reading, we will learn to articulate responses to set texts through a series of writing exercises in which you are encouraged to experiment—and have fun—with the concepts introduced by the texts we read. Students should also be prepared to contribute fully to workshop discussions of their own and each other’s work. The module will provide students the opportunity to produce, revise and polish their creative writing and will encourage and enable them to reflect on their own creative work and writing practice in a productive and critically informed manner. Attendance is compulsory.

THE AGE OF CHIVALRY: MEDIEVAL AND EARLY MODERN ROMANCE

This module introduces students to the huge variety of medieval and Early Modern romance from the twelfth to the early-seventeenth centuries. The texts will be read either in Middle English or in translation (languages covered will be Latin, French, Middle English, Arabic, Spanish, and Welsh). The module explores the genre with a particular interest in gender and sexuality, instances of transgression, multi-culturalism, and multilingualism. It also investigates the traditional connection of romances with female readership. The module is subdivided into three interconnected areas: stories of knightly chivalry, tales of the supernatural, and reactions to romance. As well as the primary texts, students will study examples of contemporary historical material to help them contextualise both the romances and these three thematic areas. The module will build on students’ understanding of medieval and Early Modern texts and historical contexts developed from modules in the first and second years. Additionally, the module will enable students to further engage their interests in literary history, the development of romance as a genre, and examining literature through key critical and theoretical lenses such as gender theory, queer theory, critical race theory, and ecocriticism. After taking this module, students will have a detailed understanding of the fluid and expansive nature of romance and its changing historical and social contexts. They will also have been afforded the opportunity to develop their critical thinking, research, writing, and communication skills in ways that will benefit them on their chosen career path.

CREATIVE WRITING AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE

This module is intended to follow on from previous CW modules and help you develop with an advanced engagement with questions of form and craft. It will concentrate on the practicalities of writing creatively within the context of a broad narrative frame. The focus of the module is on prose fiction and on poetry, as well as helping you produce polished and professional quality work in either or both modes. This module also provides knowledge and advice on the processes of getting published, the workings of the publishing industry and invites reflection on the challenges and opportunities of writing professionally.    

CHILDREN'S LITERATURE

The module offers students the opportunity to learn about children’s literature across a variety of genres, ages, as well as about its historical development and socio-cultural contexts. The module will require students to engage the critical thinking skills and theoretical knowledge that they have acquired in modules across their first and second years in a new context, enabling them to think deeply about the ways in which children’s literature should be studied with the same rigorous approach that they would apply to texts written for adults. In particular, students will be encouraged to consider how genre, form, gender, race, identity, setting, temporality,. They will also confront their own relationship to texts that they read as children or young adults and consider what components result in effective writing for children which will enable them to engage with complex critical concepts, and develop their own writing both creative and critical. Through participating in group discussions in the lecture-seminars, students will develop a detailed understanding of how to analyse children’s literature and how to write for children. The module will also afford students the opportunity to develop their critical thinking, research, writing, and communication skills in ways that will benefit them on their chosen career path. At the end of the semester students will produce a work of children’s literature alongside a commentary reflecting upon their creative work OR a critical essay that focusses on two works of children’s literature using the theories, concepts and practices studied.

SCREENWRITING

The module offers students the opportunity to learn the processes for writing a compelling script for film or television. Through analysing film clips, reading extracts from screenplays, engaging with theoretical concepts, and participating in class discussions and workshops students will be offered a comprehensive overview of the screenwriting process. The module builds upon the knowledge and skills from students’ BA studies in English Literature and Creative Writing at Level 4. It develops critical and creative skills for modules including the dissertation and aligns with other critical and creative modes in other at Level 6.  The two-hour workshops address the needs of in-depth writing and analysis at level 6. At the end of the semester students will produce a professionally formatted script for a short film or television episode alongside a commentary reflecting upon their creative work and/or a critical essay that focusses on films/ TV episodes of their own choice using theories, concepts and practices studied on the module.

UNDERSTANDING ANIMATION

Innovations in frame-by-frame filmmaking techniques and technology have played a significant role in the evolution of cinema and the moving image. Animation could be argued as the precursor to cinema, as early animation devices preceded the invention of the motion picture camera. Today, animation and frame-by-frame filmmaking plays a significant role in cinema, from special effects in blockbuster Hollywood films to the rise in popularity and success of animated features. This module addresses animation from a historical and/or contemporary perspective by looking at examples of different types of frame-by-frame filmmaking (e.g. traditional animation, digital and CGI animation, studio animation, independent and artist animation). The focus of the module will vary according to the convener’s interest and expertise, but could, for example, focus on one example of animation in-depth (e.g. Disney animation or digital animation) or cover a range in terms of history, technology, aesthetics. By responding to the convener’s research interests and expertise, the module will introduce current research in animation and/or film studies and/or new media studies.

MOBILITIES OF NATION AND EMPIRE: VICTORIAN LITERATURE 1850-1890

This module explores the relationship between national and imperial identities in literature from the 1850s to 1890s by writers from Britain and beyond, including Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell, Wilkie Collins, Behramji Malabari and James Africanus Horton. The module introduces students to contextual debates about the nation-state and its imperial engagements, and seeks to understand how authors respond and contribute to these ideas through literature both from within and beyond Britain. The module engages with these themes through a focus on concepts of space and mobility, using literary journeys as a way into understanding how novelists construct a dialogue between national and imperial spaces in literary texts. It draws upon and enhances the core knowledge and research skills acquired in second year Victorian Literature focussed modules. As a hybrid creative writing and English literature module, it also makes up part of the creative writing pathway in the degree, connecting to creative writing modules in the 1st, 2nd and final years.

BUILDING STORIES- METHODS AND MATERIALS OF CONTEMPORARY WRITING

"Literature was never only words, never merely immaterial verbal constructions. Literary texts, like us, have bodies, an actuality necessitating that their materialities and meanings are deeply interwoven into each other"-N. Katherine Hayles, Writing Machines. In this level 6 Creative Writing module, we will, as Hayles argues, consider the materiality of a variety of print-based and digital-born literature with an eye toward developing original creative projects. We will read and discuss relevant literary and theoretical works in detail, considering the medium (and technology, where appropriate) involved in their construction, as well as the aesthetic and conceptual frameworks that underpin each text. And to make use of all of our reading, students will learn to articulate responses to set texts through a series of writing exercises in which they are encouraged to experiment-to get their hands dirty, to play, to have fun-with the concepts introduced by the texts we read. Students should also be prepared to contribute fully to workshop discussions of their own and each other's work. The module will provide students the opportunity to produce, revise and polish their creative writing and will encourage and enable them to reflect on their own creative work and writing practice in a productive and critically-informed manner. Attendance is compulsory.

MEDIEVAL WOMEN'S WRITING

This module explores the centrality of texts written by and for medieval women to both the history of medieval literature and to women's literary history. You will be introduced to a range of works written for and about women in England between the 11th and 15th centuries and will examine in detail the major female authors writing from the 12th to the 15th centuries, such as the courtly writer Marie de France, the English woman mystic Julian of Norwich, and the visionary Margery Kempe. Texts will be read either in Middle English or in modernized versions, or (in the case of texts written in the French of the English, in translation). The module will explore a range of literary forms and genres, including saints' lives, romance and lais, mystical and visionary writing and women's letters. You will be asked to critically analyse and/or engage creatively with the texts, paying attention to your linguistic, literary, religious and socio- historical contexts and focusing on issues such as antifeminism, social hierarchies, literacy, multingualism and multi-culturalism, and gender and sexuality. The module provides you with a working knowledge of tools on used by researchers and writers examining and engaging with historically remote literatures and cultures, building on previous modules on global literatures and theories of gender and sexuality. These tools include not only the ability to analyse and critically evaluate texts and ideas, but also to understand them within their wider historical, geographical and social contexts, as well as practical tools of reading and translating Middle English texts.

Semester 1 & 2

Dissertation.

The dissertation module is intended to provide students with an opportunity to select a research topic relating to an aspect of literary study which has engaged their own particular interest, and to explore it in detail through guided self-study. Each student will be assigned a tutor who will assist them in choosing their subject matter and literary approach, and who will provide advice, encouragement and formative feedback over the course of the writing process, as well as suggesting relevant reading material which may help inspire or critically locate the project. As well as the dissertation itself students will undertake a formative presentation in semester 1, and work on developing self-reflective skills through completing a progress log with their supervisors. This module connects to other modules on the programme undertaken by the students and can act as a culmination of their studies, in that the students can bring together and build from strands from earlier modules that they have particularly liked and excelled at, or act as a complement to other modules that the student has enjoyed but where they wish to use this dissertation module as an opportunity to explore and develop a different area that they wish to write on. As such, this module can connect with any of the modules students have studied across their degree, and allows them to tailor their pathway through the degree, and the degree itself, in their own way.  

CREATIVE WRITING SUBMISSION

This module provides students with the opportunity to explore the challenges of producing a large scale portfolio of creative writing accompanied by self-reflective critical commentary. This Dissertation portfolio may consist of a single extended piece of writing or a collection of pieces of a shorter length. An agreed word count for students submitting poetry should be negotiated with their supervisor, although as a rule 5,000 words of creative prose is considered equivalent to 150 lines of poetry. Each student will be assigned a supervisor who will assist them in choosing their subject matter and literary approach, and who will provide advice, encouragement and formative feedback over the course of the writing process, as well as suggesting relevant reading material which may help inspire or critically locate the project. This module also allows students to reflect at length on the project’s rigourous relationship to previous work in the field, form or genre, on the writing processes and thinking behind the creative choices made, and to locate the work productively in literary and theoretical contexts. As well as the dissertation itself students will undertake a formative presentation in semester 1, and work on developing self-reflective skills through completing a progress log with their supervisors. This module connects to other modules on the programme undertaken by the students and can act as a culmination of their studies, in that the students can bring together and build from strands from earlier modules that they have particularly liked and excelled at, or act as a complement to other modules that the student has enjoyed but where they wish to use this dissertation module as an opportunity to explore and develop a different area that they wish to write on. As such, this module can connect with any of the modules students have studied across their degree, and allows them to tailor their pathway through the degree, and the degree itself, in their own way.  

Year 1 - BA (Hons) with placement

Year 2 - ba (hons) with placement, year 3 - ba (hons) with placement, professional training year module (full-year work).

This module supports students’ development of personal and professional attitudes and abilities appropriate to a Professional Training placement.  It supports and facilitates self-reflection and transfer of learning from their Professional Training placement experiences to their final year of study and their future employment.  The PTY module is concerned with Personal and Professional Development towards holistic academic and non-academic learning, and is a process that involves self-reflection, documented via the creation of a personal record, planning and monitoring progress towards the achievement of personal objectives.  Development and learning may occur before and during the placement, and this is reflected in the assessment model as a progressive process. However, the graded assessment takes place primarily towards the end of the placement.  Additionally, the module aims to enable students to evidence and evaluate their placement experiences and transfer that learning to other situations through written and presentation skills.

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING YEAR MODULE (WORK-STUDY 50/50)

This module supports students’ development of personal and professional attitudes and abilities appropriate to a Professional Training placement.  It supports and facilitates self-reflection and transfer of learning from their Professional Training placement experiences to their final year of study and their future employment.  The PTY module is concerned with Personal and Professional Development towards holistic academic and non-academic learning, and is a process that involves self-reflection, documented via the creation of a personal record, planning and monitoring progress towards the achievement of personal objectives.  Development and learning may occur before and during the placement, and this is reflected in the assessment model as a progressive process. However, the graded assessment takes place primarily towards the end of the placement.  Additionally, the module aims to enable students to evidence and evaluate their placement experiences and transfer that learning to other situations through written skills.

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING YEAR MODULE (FULL-YEAR STUDY)

This module supports students’ development of personal and professional attitudes and abilities appropriate to a Professional Training placement.  It supports and facilitates self-reflection and transfer of learning from their Professional Training placement experiences to their final year of study and their future employment.  The PTY module is concerned with Personal and Professional Development towards holistic academic and non-academic learning and is a process that involves self-reflection. Development and learning may occur before and during the placement, and this is reflected in the assessment model as a progressive process. However, the graded assessment takes place primarily towards the end of the placement.  Additionally, the module aims to enable students to evidence and evaluate their placement experiences and transfer that learning to other situations through written skills.

Teaching and learning

Our creative writing lecturers are all published writers as well as experienced lecturers and researchers, who bring their creative and professional experience and insight to the classroom – and to the creative writing you produce. 

In our lectures, we introduce a diverse variety of classic and contemporary texts and a wide range of modes of writing – everything from sonnets to screenplays, novels to flash fiction. In your weekly workshops, you are encouraged to experiment with these techniques and types of writing yourself, receiving regular detailed feedback from your tutors and suggestions from your peers.  

At Surrey, we believe that English literature and creative writing fit together perfectly as parts of a joint degree. The reading in your English literature modules will inspire the work you produce in your creative writing classes. The theoretical discussions and practical exercises you undertake in your creative writing modules will inform your understanding of the creative and technical decisions made by the writers you study in English literature classes.  

This programme is designed not only to deepen your understanding and enjoyment of English literature, but to help build the confidence and skills you’ll need to write creatively to a professional standard yourself. 

• Independent study
• Practical sessions

We assess modules individually and award credits for the successful completion of each one. Assessment takes place through a combination of examination and/or coursework, practical examinations and reports. 

Check individual module information to see full details at a module level. 

General course information

Contact hours.

Contact hours can vary across our modules. Full details of the contact hours for each module are available from the University of Surrey's  module catalogue . See the modules section for more information.

New students will receive their personalised timetable in Welcome Week. In later semesters, two weeks before the start of semester.

Scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week (Monday – Friday), with part-time classes normally scheduled on one or two days. Wednesday afternoons tend to be for sports and cultural activities.

View our code of practice for the scheduling of teaching and assessment (PDF) for more information.

Stag Hill is the University's main campus and where the majority of our courses are taught. 

Career opportunities Open

We offer careers information, advice and guidance to all students whilst studying with us, which is extended to our alumni for three years after leaving the University.

The survey, Graduate Outcomes 2023, HESA, shows that 94 per cent of undergraduates in the School of Literature and Languages go on to further study or employment in a wide variety of careers.  

English literature graduates are ideally qualified for such professions as journalism, marketing, management, communications, publishing, the media industries, teaching, writing and arts administration. 

Some examples of careers our graduates have gone on to include: 

• Graduate Trainee, Dale Carnegie Training 
• Editorial Assistant, The Handbook 
• Junior Account Executive, Livewire Public Relations 
• Teacher of English, Teach First 
• Editor and Marketing Executive, Warner Group Publications 
• Editorial Assistant, Hachette UK 
• Copywriter, Tesco MPC. 

See the developing careers of some of our alumni .

If you’d like to pursue further study, our courses will provide you with essential knowledge and skills, as well as offering informed support and guidance to assist you in your studies. 

Hear from our students Open

Student - English Literature with Creative Writing BA (Hons)

"The staff on my course are brilliant. The literature academics and creative writers know their areas so well and are excited to share and build their knowledge with their students."

Luana Vasconcelos

Student - English Literature and Creative Writing BA (Hons)

"It’s just incredible to be able to write my own work and explore different formats. I’ve always been a prose writer, but by my final year I’ve written poems, short stories and scripts as well."

Entry requirements Open

Learn more about the qualifications we typically accept to study this course at Surrey.

Select your country

If you are studying for Australian qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Australia.

Subject requirements

For courses that have specific-subject requirements at A-level:

Minimum standard in English and mathematics

If you are applying for an undergraduate course at Surrey, you must meet our minimum standards for English and mathematics.

• English : Year 10 Certificate, English C.
• Mathematics : Year 10 Certificate, Mathematics C.

Some courses may require higher grades in English and mathematics and/or additional subjects, so please check the requirements provided on individual course pages.

If you are studying for Austrian qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Austria.

For courses that have specific subject requirements at A-level:

English : Matura (Reifeprüfung), English 2 (gut).

Mathematics :

We do not accept school leaving qualifications from Azerbaijan.

If you are studying for a Bangladeshi Higher Secondary Certificate qualification, you must obtain a GPA of 5 out of 5 or 80% to apply for our undergraduate courses.

English : IELTS Academic required.

Mathematics : Higher Secondary Certificate/Intermediate Certificate, Mathematics 60-69.

If you are studying for Belgian qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Belgium.

We do not accept school leaving qualifications from Botswana.

The Certificado de Conclusão de Ensino Médio/Certificado de Conclusão de Segundo Grau is considered for entry onto our Foundation Years at Surrey. On the course page on our website, please check to see if there is an option for a Foundation Year before making a UCAS application.

• Cambridge O-levels Accepted with the same requirements as UK GCSEs.
• Cambridge A-levels Accepted with the same requirements as UK A-levels.

If you are studying for Bulgarian qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Bulgaria.

If you are studying for Canadian qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Canada. Please contact the admissions team if you are studying in Quebec, or an institution delivering the Quebec curriculum.

When a specific subject is required, that subject should be taken in grade 12 of the High School Diploma.

Minimum standard in English and Mathematics

If you are applying for an undergraduate course at Surrey, you must meet our minimum standards for English and Mathematics.

English : Applicants who have completed Grade 12 Canadian High School/Secondary School qualifications should achieve grade B or 75% in a grade 12 English module. Applicants who were not required to take grade 12 English, or did not reach the required grade, will be required to take a recognised English language test.

Mathematics : Grade 11 Secondary School Diploma, Mathematics Pass.

Some courses may require higher grades in English and Mathematics and/or additional subjects, so please check the requirements provided on individual course pages.

We accept the Chinese National University Entrance Examination (Gaokao) for direct entry to Year 1 UG programmes. Please see the table below for our grade equivalencies:

Where there is a subject-specific requirement, students should achieve the same % in that subject (e.g. if Maths is a requirement of a BBB subject, the student should achieve 74% in Maths). Senior Secondary School Graduation Certificate and IELTS required.

For further information on these entry requirements, please explore our dedicated  China site  (中文网站).

If you are studying for Croatian qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Croatia.

If you are studying for Cypriot qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Cyprus.

Please note: If you are studying in Northern Cyprus and are looking for our Lise Diplomasi equivalents please visit our Turkey page.

If you are studying for Czech qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Czech Republic.

Mathematics:

If you are studying for Danish qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Denmark.

• English : Hojere Forberedelseseksamen (HF) / Hojere Handelseksamen (HHX) / Hojere Teknisk Eksamen (HTX) / Studentereksamen (STX) - 7. If you have taken the Folkeskolens 10 Klasseprove then we will require IELTs.

We do not accept school leaving qualifications from Egypt.

If you are studying for Estonian qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Estonia.

*If maths is required A-Level subject then the student must have studied "Extensive mathematics" (not Narrow Mathematics)*

• IELTS Academic required.

If you are studying for Finnish qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Finland.

Ylioppilastukintotodistus / Studentexamensbetyg - M / 5

If you are studying for French qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for France.

Where Mathematics is a required A-level subject, we expect you to study Spécialité Maths (Advanced Maths) in Terminale; however, where Mathematics is required as a second Science subject, we will accept Maths Complémentaires (General Maths) in Terminale. For Engineering courses that ask for Physics as a required subject, we will accept Engineering Sciences.

• Baccalauréat, English, 12.
• OIB, English, 10.

Alternatively, where Mathematics is not studied as part of the Baccalauréat, we will accept Mathematics studies until the end of Seconde, where evidence can be provided of 10/20 in school assessments. 

If you are studying for German qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Germany.

We do not accept the Ghanaian Senior Secondary School Certificate.

If you are studying for Greek qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Greece.

We welcome applicants with Pan-Hellenic qualifications, although these will not form part of any offer made.

If you are studying for a qualification in Hong Kong, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Hong Kong.

Associate degrees

If you have an associate degree, you can apply for first or second year entry.

For 1st year entrants:

• You must meet the subject requirements, either through the secondary or post-secondary studies

For 2nd year entrants:

• You must have covered the modules and content included in the first year of the Surrey degree course (as assessed by the appropriate admissions tutor). Your secondary qualifications (e.g. HKDSE) will also be taken into account during your application.

We do not include Liberal Studies in our offers.

If you do not meet the entry requirements, you can apply to study for an  International Foundation Year  at our  International Study Centre , which will prepare you for a full undergraduate degree course.

When A-level Maths is a required subject, the extended part of HKDSE Maths is required.

English : Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE), English 4.

Mathematics : Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE), Mathematics 3.

If you are studying for a Hungarian qualification, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Hungary.

If you are studying for an Indian qualification, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for India.

UK requirement (A-level) to Standard XII equivalent:

• Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) / Standard XII , English 70% from CBSE or ISC exam boards 
• Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) / Standard XII, English 80% from the majority of Indian state boards (excluding Haryana, Andhra Pradesh/Telangana/U.P./Bihar/Gujrat/Punjab).

40% in ​either of the following All India Standard X qualifications:

• All India Secondary School Examination (Exam board = Central Board of Secondary Education)
• Indian Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (Exam board = Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, New Delhi)

Alternatively, 50%   in Standard X from a state board.

We do not accept school leaving qualifications from Indonesia.

If you are studying for an Iranian qualification, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Iran.

Award of the High School Diploma (Theoretical Stream, post-2019) studied between 4-5 years, with an overall grade of 14*. The Technical and Vocational stream and Work and Knowledge stream will not be acceptable for direct entry.

*dependent on subject requirements

We do not accept school leaving qualifications from Iraq.

If you are studying for an Irish qualification, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Ireland.

We will look at the QQI Level 5 Certificate on a case by case basis depending on module relevance to chosen degree programme. Please contact Admissions for more information.

English and mathematics :

If you are studying for an Italian qualification, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Italy.

We do not accept the Upper Secondary School Certificate.

We do not accept school leaving qualifications from Jordan.

We do not accept school leaving qualifications from Kazakhstan.

Accepted qualifications

• Kenyan Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) Accepted with the same requirements as UK GCSEs.
• Cambridge Overseas Higher School Certificate (COHSC)
• East African Advanced Certificate of Education (EAACE)
• Kenya Advanced Certificate of Education (KACE) Accepted with the same requirements as UK A-levels.

We do not accept school leaving qualifications from Kuwait.

If you are studying for a Latvian qualification, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Latvia.

We do not accept the General Secondary Education Certificate.

If you are studying for a Lithuanian qualification, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Lithuania.

If you are studying for qualifications from Luxembourg, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Luxembourg.

Mathematics : *Certificat de Fin d'études Moyennes*, Maths 40-47.

If you are studying for a Malaysian qualification, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses.

Suitably qualified applicants can be considered for Year 2 entry. Please refer enquiries to  [email protected] .

The table below shows grade equivalencies for Malaysia.

English : Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) English with CEFR grade B2 in all components OR Pre-2021, Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), 1119 Advanced English C.

Mathematics : Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), Mathematics C.

If you are studying for Maltese qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Malta.

Please note: you will need the Advanced and Intermediate, so for BBB in the UK A-levels we would ask for BB MEC Advanced and BBB MEC Intermediate.

English : Secondary Education Certificate, English, 3

We accept the following qualifications:

GCE O-levels Accepted with the same requirements as UK GCSEs.

Cambridge Overseas Higher School Certificate/GCE Advanced Level Accepted with the same requirements as UK A-levels.

We do not accept the Diplomă de Bacalaureat from Moldova for year 1 entry. However, a foundation course or evidence of further study will be considered.

If you are studying for qualifications in the Netherlands, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for the Netherlands.

English : VWO/Hoger Algemeen Voortgezet Onderwijs (HAVO) diploma 8

If you are studying for New Zealand qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for New Zealand.

English : National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA), English, Achieved.

Mathematics : National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA), Mathematics, Achieved.

We do not accept the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) from Nigeria. 

If you are studying for Norwegian qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Norway.

English : Vitnemal for Videregående Oppleaering (VVO) / Vitnemål fra den Videregående Skole, English 4.

We do not accept school leaving qualifications from Oman.

We consider a range of high school qualifications for entry onto our undergraduate courses.

Take a look at  country-specific information  for certain countries in the Middle East.

If you are a student from Brazil then take a look at the country-specific entry requirements .

Take a look at  country-specific information  for certain countries in South Asia.

Take a look at  country-specific information  for certain countries in South East Asia.

We do not accept the Intermediate/Higher Secondary Certificate from Pakistan.

If you are studying for Polish qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Poland.

English : IELTS Academic required.

Mathematics :  

If you are studying for Portuguese qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Portugal.

Where maths is a required subject at A-level, applicants will be required to achieve Certifcado de fim de Estudos Secundarios maths at 17 for A-level Grade A, 16 for Grade B and 15 for Grade C. 

All applicants for undergraduate courses must also meet a minimum standard in English and mathematics.

English : IELTS Academic required

If maths does not appear in the final Certifcado de fim de Estudos Secundarios (or other named qualifications above) or if the above grades were not met, we can accept maths in the Y9 high school transcript at the following grades:  

We do not accept Qatar school leaving qualifications.

If you are studying for Romanian qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Romania.

We do not accept the Certificate of Secondary (Complete) General Education.

We do not accept the Tawjihiyah (General Secondary Education Certificate).

If you are studying for Singaporean qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Singapore.

Suitably qualified applicants can be considered for Year 2 entry. Please refer enquiries to  [email protected] .  

All applicants for undergraduate courses must also meet a minimum standard in English and Mathematics.

English : Singapore/Cambridge O-level English at grade C. The Singapore Integrated Programme satisfies the English requirement.

Mathematics : Singapore/Cambridge O-level mathematics at grade C. The Singapore Integrated Programme satisfies the mathematics requirement.

If you are studying for Slovakian qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Slovakia.

Alternatively, where mathematics is not studied as part of the Maturitná skúška, we will accept mathematics in the Y11 or Y12 high school transcript at the same grades outlined above. 

If you are studying for Slovenian qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Slovenia.

For courses that have specific subject requirements at A-level.

Subjects that ask specifically for mathematics or require English A-Level (English Literature BA or English Literature with Creative Writing BA):

For all other required subjects and where mathematics is a second science:

English : IELTS Academic required

Mathematics : 

If you are studying for South African qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for South Africa.

English : Senior Certificate (with matriculation endorsement), English 5.

Mathematics : Senior Certificate (with matriculation endorsement), Mathematical Literacy 5 or Maths 4.

We do not accept the High School Diploma.

If you are studying for Spanish qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Spain.

English : IELTS required

If you are studying for Sri Lankan qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Sri Lanka:

English : Cambridge O-level, English at grade C

Mathematics : Cambridge/Sri Lankan O-level, mathematics at grade C

If you are studying for Swedish qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Sweden.

GCSE English : 

Courses requiring GCSE English Language C (4) or B (5)  - English 6 grade C or English 5 grade B in one of the following qualifications:  

Avgångsbetyg  

Slutbetyg från Gymnasieskola  

Slutbetyg fran Grundskola  

Courses requiring GCSE English Language Grade A / 7 – English 6 at Grade B in one of the following qualifications: 

GCSE Mathematics

Courses requiring GCSE Mathematics Grade C (4) or B (5) – Maths at Grade E in one of the following qualifications:  

Courses requiring GCSE Mathematics Grade A / 7 – Maths at Grade D in one of the following qualifications  

If you are studying for Swiss qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Switzerland.

Subject equivalent

• Grade A: Matura 5.0
• Grade B: Matura 4.5

English and Mathematics :

For the minimum standard for GCSE Mathematics only we can also accept: 

• GCSE C Grade equivalent Certificat de Culture Generale - 4.0  
• GCSE B Grade equivalent Certificat de Culture Generale - 4.1  
• GCSE A Grade equivalent Certificat de Culture Generale  - 4.2  

If you studied the Certificat de Culture Generale then we may need an IELTS or equivalent to meet our minimum standards for English Language. 

We do not accept the Senior High School Leaving Certificate.

If you are studying for Tanzanian qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Tanzania.

• English Language: Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) at grade C.
• Mathematics: Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) at grade C.

We do not accept the Senior High School Leaving Certificate.

If you are studying for Turkish qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Turkiye.

Minimum standard in English and mathematics

Mathematics : Lise Bitirme Diplomasi Mathematics, 3, or 55% in Grade 10 or above. 

If you are studying for Ugandan qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. The table below shows grade equivalencies for Uganda.

English : Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE), 6.

Mathematics : East African Certificate of Education (EACE), Mathematics 6, or, Uganda Certificate of Education (UCE), 6.

We do not accept Ukrainian school leaving qualifications.

We do not accept school leaving qualifications.

If you are studying for American qualifications, you will need a suitable equivalent grade to apply for our undergraduate courses. We are able to consider a combination of any three test scores at the appropriate level (e.g. 2 APs and 1 SAT Subject Test). Honours and College level class content can also be reviewed on case-by-case basis by our Admissions Team.  

The table below shows grade equivalencies for the United States of America.

*Please see the latest update from the College Board regarding SAT Subject Tests.

If you are applying for an undergraduate course at Surrey, you must meet our minimum standards for English and Mathematics.

English : Grade 12 High School Diploma, English C.

Mathematics : Grade 12 High School Diploma, Mathematics C.

Alternatively, an overall SAT score of 1290/1600 (critical reading, writing and mathematics) with a minimum of 600 in each component.

We do not accept the Upper Secondary School Graduation Diploma.

Please refer to the entry requirements for the country where your High School qualifications originate from, or the relevant UK qualifications on the course page. For information on entry requirements based on an International Foundation Year, please contact the  admissions team with details about where you are taking your International Foundation Year, and the content you are studying.

We do not accept school leaving qualifications from Algeria.

We do not accept the Zimbabwe General Certificate of Education at Ordinary level.

We do not accept school leaving qualifications from Morocco.

International students in the United Kingdom

Overall: ABB-BBB.

Required subjects: Grade B at English Language or English Literature.

Please note: A-level General Studies and A-level Critical Thinking are not accepted. Applicants taking an A-level science subject with the Science Practical Endorsement are expected to pass the practical element.

GCSE or equivalent: English Language at Grade 4 (C) and Mathematics at Grade 4 (C).

BTEC (QCF Level 3) Extended Diploma

Overall: DDD-DDM.

Required subjects: Please contact the Admissions team to discuss suitability

International Baccalaureate Diploma

Overall: 33-32. 

Required subjects: English Literature or English Literature HL5/SL6.

GCSE or equivalent: Mathematics (either course) HL4/SL4.

European Baccalaureate

Overall: 78%-75%.

Required subjects: English Literature or English Literature with at least 7.5.

GCSE or equivalent: Mathematics 6.

Access to HE Diploma

Overall: QAA-recognised Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 level 3 credits overall including 30 at Distinction and 15 at Merit - 27 at Distinction and 18 credits at Merit.

Required subjects: Please contact the Admissions team to discuss suitability.

GCSE or equivalent: English Language and Mathematics at Grade 4 (C).

Scottish Highers

Overall: AABBB-ABBBB.

Required subjects: English Language or English Literature.

GCSE or equivalent: English Language - Scottish National 5 - C Maths - Scottish National 5 - C.

Welsh Baccalaureate

Overall: Pass overall with ABB-BBB from a combination of the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate and two A-levels.

Required subjects: A-level English Literature or English Language.

Please note: A-level General Studies and A-level Critical Thinking are not accepted. Applicants taking an A-level science subject with the Science Practical Endorsement are Expected to pass the practical element. 

GCSE or equivalent: English Language and Mathematics ­– Numeracy as part of the Welsh Baccalaureate. Please check the A-level dropdown for the required GCSE levels.

Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)

Applicants taking the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) will receive our standard A-level offer for this programme, plus an alternate offer of one A-level grade lower, subject to achieving an A grade in the EPQ. The one grade reduction will not apply to any required subjects.

Applicants can only receive one grade reduction from the published grades, an EPQ grade reduction can’t be applied in addition to other grade reductions made through other schemes such as Contextual Admissions or In2Surrey.

English language requirements

IELTS Academic: 6.5 overall with 6.0 in writing and 5.5 in each other element.

View the  other English language qualifications that we accept.

If you do not currently meet the level required for your programme, we offer intensive pre-sessional English language courses , designed to take you to the level of English ability and skill required for your studies here.

International Foundation Year

If you are an international student and you don’t meet the entry requirements for this degree, we offer the International Foundation Year at the Surrey International Study Centre. Upon successful completion, you can progress to this degree course.

Selection process

We normally make offers in terms of grades.

If you are a suitable candidate you will be invited to an applicant day. During your visit to the University you can find out more about the course and meet staff and students.

Recognition of prior learning

We recognise that many students enter their higher education course with valuable knowledge and skills developed through a range of professional, vocational and community contexts.  

If this applies to you, the recognition of prior learning (RPL) process may allow you to join a course without the formal entry requirements or enter your course at a point appropriate to your previous learning and experience.  

There are restrictions on RPL for some courses and fees may be payable for certain claims. Please see the code of practice for recognition of prior learning and prior credit: taught programmes (PDF) for further information.

Contextual offers

Did you know eligible students receive support through their application to Surrey, which could include a grade reduction on offer?

Fees and funding Open

Explore  UKCISA’s website for more information if you are unsure whether you are a UK or overseas student. View the  list of fees for all undergraduate courses.

The annual tuition fees for courses starting in September 2025

Payment schedule

• Students with Tuition Fee Loan: the Student Loans Company pay fees in line with their schedule.
• 50% payable 10 days after the invoice date (expected to be early October of each academic year)
• 50% in January of the same academic year.

The exact date(s) will be on invoices. Students on part-time programmes where fees are paid on a modular basis, cannot pay fees by instalment.

• Sponsored students: must provide us with valid sponsorship information that covers the period of study.

Professional training placement fees

If you are studying on a programme which contains a Professional Training placement year there will be a reduced fee for the academic year in which you undertake your placement. This is normally confirmed 12 to 18 months in advance, or once Government policy is determined.

Placements and study abroad Open

Our award-winning Professional Training placement scheme gives you the chance to spend a year in industry, either in the UK or abroad.

We have thousands of placement providers to choose from, most of which offer pay. So, become one of our many students who have had their lives and career choices transformed.

English literature and creative writing placements

Unusually for a course like this, we also offer the opportunity for you to do a Professional Training placement. You can gain experience in degree-related professions such as publishing, marketing, the media industries, teaching or arts administration.

Surrey was the first English course to introduce a Professional Training component, in 2008, and our experience as a leader in professional training will help you make the most of the year.

Some examples of organisations that participate in the scheme include:

• Brighton and Hove Independent Picture Production Company
• British Council
• Grand Connaught Rooms
• NBC Universal
• Toyota (PR and Press Communications)
• Winning Moves (a leading UK board game company).

A Professional Training placement will give you the opportunity to develop valuable transferable skills in analysis, reflection, communication and organisation.

Applying for placements

Students are generally not placed by the University. But we offer support and guidance throughout the process, with access to a vacancy site of placement opportunities.

Find out more about the application process .

Professional Training placement at Toyota

Discover more about English literature student Alice's placement experience within the social media team.

Study and work abroad

Studying at Surrey opens a world of opportunity. Take advantage of our study and work abroad  partnerships, explore the world, and expand your skills for the graduate job market. 

The opportunities abroad vary depending on the course, but options include study exchanges, work/research placements, summer programmes, and recent graduate internships. Financial support is available through various grants and bursaries, as well as Student Finance. 

Perhaps you would like to volunteer in India or learn about Brazilian business and culture in São Paulo during your summer holidays? With 140+ opportunities in 36+ different countries worldwide, there is something for everyone. 

Partner institutions

You have the opportunity to spend one semester or the full academic year on a study or work placement abroad. Places include:

• La Trobe University, Australia
• Monash University, Australia
• Swinburne University of Technology, Australia
• University of Sydney, Australia
• University of Wollongong, Australia
• Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
• Seoul National University, South Korea
• Cincinnati University, US
• North Carolina State University, US
• Northern Arizona University, US
• Texas Tech, US
• University of Central Florida, US
• University of North Texas, US.

If you’re more interested in a professional experience, you could have the chance to work with a partner organisation outside the UK.

Apply for your chosen course online through UCAS, with the following course and institution codes.

Institution code S85

Apply via UCAS

Related courses

English Literature BA (Hons)

English Literature and French BA (Hons)

English Literature and Spanish BA (Hons)

About the university of surrey.

Accommodation

We have a range of housing to suit all requirements and budgets. There are more than 6,000 rooms available (en-suite, single-sex, studio flat, shared or single).

Student life

At Surrey we offer a friendly university campus set in beautiful countryside, with the convenience and social life of bustling Guildford on your doorstep.

Need more information?

Contact our Admissions team or talk to a current University of Surrey student online.

Next open day

Next campus tour.

• BA (Hons)View UPG13F0022U
• BA (Hons) with placementView UPG13S0022U

Terms and conditions

When you accept an offer to study at the University of Surrey, you are agreeing to follow our policies and procedures , student regulations , and terms and conditions .

We provide these terms and conditions in two stages:

• First when we make an offer.
• Second when students accept their offer and register to study with us (registration terms and conditions will vary depending on your course and academic year).

View our generic registration terms and conditions (PDF) for the 2023/24 academic year, as a guide on what to expect.

This online prospectus has been published in advance of the academic year to which it applies.

Whilst we have done everything possible to ensure this information is accurate, some changes may happen between publishing and the start of the course.

It is important to check this website for any updates before you apply for a course with us. Read our full disclaimer .

Creative Writing

01 Mar 2022 @ 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm –

Our Creative Writing course is designed to support your mental health and emotional wellbeing and let your voice be heard.

• Post author By Mary Frances Trust
• Post date 1 Mar 2022

Creative Writing - An Introduction (Beginners)

Course intent.

Enjoy the well-being benefits gained through working in a friendly, creative learning environment.

What will we cover?

• Plot structure
• Finding inspiration
• Safeguarding, Prevent and British Values

To ensure that learners make good progress with their personal learning goals, the tutor will work with the learner on their Individual Learning Plan.

Who is this course for? Is there anything I need to know before joining?

As our courses are taught in English, please contact us if you have any concerns about your level of English.

What do I need to bring to the first class? Will there be any extra costs?

What can i do when i finish the course.

You will be able to enrol on future Surrey Adult Learning Creative Writing courses. The tutor can also advise you about suitable courses provided by other organisations where appropriate.

Additional information

We welcome learners with additional needs and disabilities. When you enrol please let us know if you would like to discuss your extra support needs with a member of the Supported Learning Team who will then contact you as soon as possible. If you are enrolling within 10 days of the course start date, we may not be able to contact you before your first class. Surrey Adult Learning values and supports equality and diversity by promoting fairness and respect at all times.

How to enrol

You can't currently enrol online for this course, so please call 0300 200 1044 to express your interest or to make an enquiry for further information.

Find another course

If this isn't what you're looking for, then we've got plenty more courses to offer!

• Reviewed: 27 Apr 2024
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INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING - 2023/4

Module code: ELI1026

Module Overview

This introductory module will provide a theoretical and practice-based introduction to narrative and poetics. We will discuss technical elements of poetry and prose, and address the similarities and differences among various forms. In addition, we will consider historical and literary movements in relation to different formal techniques and their cultural contexts. During the seminar session, students will engage in writing exercises and connected to the topic of the weekly lecture and workshop original work with other students, benefitting from that key peer group feedback and support that will help guide and sustain their practice as writers. Throughout the module, we will examine creative processes and practices and the role of revision in the wider writing process itself. Students will have the opportunity to discuss their own processes in a self-reflective critical commentary that will accompany their final portfolio of creative work.  

Module provider

School of Literature and Languages

Module Leader

BAHS Liz (Lit & Langs)

Number of Credits: 15

Ects credits: 7.5, framework: fheq level 4, module cap (maximum number of students): 45, overall student workload.

Independent Learning Hours: 50

Lecture Hours: 11

Seminar Hours: 22

Guided Learning: 45

Captured Content: 22

Module Availability

Prerequisites / co-requisites.

Students must be enrolled in the English and Creative Writing programme, or be taking Creative Writing as their minor pathway.    

Module content

Areas looked at in Introduction to Creative Writing may include: Understanding Creativity Language, Meaning, and Clarity Narrative Elements of Writing Poetics Introducing Poetic Forms: The Sonnet Introducing Poetic Forms: Stanza Forms Introducing Prose Forms: The Short Story Introducing Prose Forms: The Novel Process and Reflection

Assessment pattern

Alternative assessment, assessment strategy.

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate: •    individual critical and/or creative responses to the subject material via a diverse range of assessment submission options designed to appeal to diverse and inclusive learning and composition practices and/or to allow students to select assessment types most useful to them in planning for their current professional orientation or future employment plans •    the development in their knowledge and understanding of literary and creative texts and textual practices (especially in poetry and prose) that will feed forward into their future careers as writers and/or critics through the broad range of assessment submission possibilities incorporated into the open-ended assessment type integral to the module •    their understanding of various poetic and narrative techniques and their understanding and of a range of styles and themes in fiction and poetry as part of their journey to develop and hone their ability to locate their create work in larger literary contexts through their degree •    their understanding of verbal creativity and the formal and aesthetic dimensions of literary and creative texts •    a range of subject specific and transferable skills gained in critical and creative thinking, in the production of critical and creative texts, and of practical support in the development of employability and/or creative practice skills •    the student's understanding of the cultural and historical contexts of the work they have studied and have written themselves, including global cultural and sustainability concerns •    individual critical and/or creative responses to the subject material via a diverse range of assessment submission options designed to appeal to diverse and inclusive learning and composition practices and/or to allow students to select assessment types most useful to them in planning for their current professional orientation or future employment plans Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of: * Creative Writing Portfolio (1500 words or equivalent) and Self-Reflective Critical Commentary (500 words) Designed to facilitate student accessibility, this portfolio can be in any form (or collection of forms) that the student wishes to work with or to try new forms of writing in.   Formative assessment and feedback Verbal feedback and formative ‘feed forward’ is provided through seminar discussions, and tutor and peer feedback in seminars, on short pieces (250-500 words of prose, or equivalent in another form) presented as part of the confidence building safe space of the creative writing workshop element of the classes. Each student can expect to present 2-3 such pieces over the course of the semester according to a schedule worked out between the tutor and the student cohort. Written and/or oral tutor feedback will also be provided on up to two piece of creative writing (maximum of 250 words or equivalent for poetry or other form) during the course of the module (the student is free to submit this at any point of the semester). As such, writing, presentation and critical analysis skills will be developed and honed which will feed forward to the summative assessment at the end of the module. There is the option of a range of other feedback mechanisms agreed between tutor and students in week 1 of the module, such as seminar contribution and writing exercises.    

Module aims

• The module aims to: equip students with knowledge about writing, narrative and poetic techniques
• encourage students to develop more effective personal writing and self-editing techniques that will connect forward to future creative writing modules in the degree
• help students engage with historical, cultural and formal considerations in writing and writing practice, particularly in prose and poetry
• build student confidence and resiliance in presenting, workshopping and analysing creative work in a group setting
• allow students to locate their own writing in critical, literary, cultural and historical contexts
• help students become conscious of, and comfortable with, their own creative processes and practices
• introduce students to creative writing theory as a tool with which to shape and locate their own creative writing and its critical frame

Learning outcomes

Attributes Developed

C - Cognitive/analytical

K - Subject knowledge

T - Transferable skills

P - Professional/Practical skills

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to: •     Develop students’ writing skills in prose fiction and/or poetry by more growing their sense of their own practice as writers and their resilience as writers of, often personal, creative work and their budding workshopping and editing skills through in-class discussion and sharing of writer experience alongside study of critical and source materials •     Assist students in locating their work in contexts of contemporary genres and writing styles through exposing them to traditional and alternative forms of literary production in these forms •    Equip students with the research and writing skills they will need to develop both their creative writing and their critical and analytical understanding of narrative and poetic techniques through engagement with the safe space of the seminar and the creative writing workshop setting where ideas, advice and responses are shared with fellow new authors •    Facilitate in students productive reflection on both the creative process itself and the finished work that has resulted from it by helping them gain confidence and ability in critical analysis and thinking, and an ability to use specific compositional skills that will have practical application to their practices as writers through group discussion, weekly exercises and other forms of engagement with critical and creative thinking in class •     Assist students in developing further a broad range of writing skills that they will take forward to later creative writing modules in their degree and onwards into the widely varied employment and career roles they can choose to engage with after graduation through the editing and feedback process engendered though the weekly writing exercises and the workshopping process in tandem with an emphasis on reading alongside writing as a critical tool in developing writerly skills The learning and teaching methods include a combination of lecture materials, seminars, captured content, guided learning and independent learning and includes a weekly interactive workshopping element where students either present or respond to their own or other's creative work in a supportive, constructive and open manner. Students will engage with preparatory reading, including creative work by other students, in advance of the seminar which will combine discussion of interrelated critical ideas and texts with in-class creative or critical writing exercises each week. Designed to help students reflect on and apply their learning to creative and critical outputs, the workshop environment acts as a safe space for developing and exchanging ideas, support and writing skills. Varied learning materials such as lexical texts, visual materials, sculptural objects and other physical material prompts, video and sound objects, games and gamified texts are designed to increase student accessibility and will present them with a range of interpretive materials and approaches with which to work and develop their own thinking and creative responses.  

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: ELI1026

Other information

Surrey's Curriculum Framework is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills and capabilities in the following areas:

Employability: This module sets the scene for writing as both craft and career path that is continued in the 1st year semester 2 creative writing module and later creative writing modules across the degree. In this 1st year module you will get the chance to write, experiment with and present work in what will be a new and unfamiliar place for most new students, the creative writing workshop. Alongside the study of some key texts in poetry and prose, you will start to develop your own writing skills, not just in the craft of the fiction writer and/or poet, but also in the broader field of professional writing. This is the start of your degree long journey to develop key writing and communication abilities that today’s employers value so much in students with literature and writing backgrounds. We will look at areas such as concision, poetics and prose style and structuring, meaning and clarity, narrative and other formal aspects of the writing craft. The skills developed in this module, expanded and refined in later creative writing modules across your degree, will help equip you for the vast range of employment and career pathways that our students go on to after (and sometimes during) their degree, beyond that of creative writer (novelist, poet, non-fiction writer, for example). Amongst these are: copywriting, editorial roles, teaching, publishing, marketing, proofreading, journalism and social media roles of all types just to name a few.

Global and Cultural Capabilities: Creative writing is a field that reaches out to all parts of the human experience and all parts of our global cultures, facilitating exchange of ideas and experiences and helping to foster creative and cultural empathy in readers and writers of all kinds across the globe. Creative writing also plays a very important recording and preservation role in narrativising and keeping alive and vibrant different cultures and experiences, especially those that might otherwise be silenced or endangered. In this module you will be asked to respond in writing to texts and modes of writing from different cultures and times, and are encouraged to share and write your experiences and knowledge, and those from their own cultures and backgrounds, to think about that of other students and writers and to respect and value differences in experience. The weekly workshopping sessions give students the opportunity to present your own narrative and to experience and respond to those of others in a friendly, constructive and open forum. Creative writing students will be exposed, through their English literature and other creative writing modules throughout their degree, to a wide range of texts from all over the world and students are encouraged to bring this knowledge into their writing and their writing practice right from the beginning of their study of creative writing.

Resourcefulness and Resilience: the life of a writer can often be a solitary and isolating one. This module, through workshopping, group work and shared writerly experience will help equip you for the real world setting of your current and future writing practice. You will also be introduced to constructive critical workshopping as a mode of not just engaging with writing practice and of presenting and thinking about your work and that of your creative writing peers but also the workshop as your own writing community to which you belong and can rely on for support and practical help in your writing. Some of these writing friendships and writerly connections you make in your creative writing seminars and workshops you will likely carry forward throughout your career as a writer. You will also benefit from the experience of your your tutors as professional writers working today, who started out just like you, and from periodic guest speakers attached to this and later creative writing modules as you progress through your degree. This module helps set the stage for more detailed discussions in later creative writing modules on your degree about your practice as a writer, the practicalities of building a portfolio of writing and a profile as a writer, the realities of the publishing industries and the importance of connecting to writing communities that will be essential to your current and future emotional and practical wellbeing and success as a writer.

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2023/4 academic year.

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