MA Creative Writing and Critical Life

Year 1

(Award available for year: Master of Arts)

Learning outcomes

All MA programmes and modules in the School of English require the following generic intellectual abilities to:

- demonstrate in-depth, specialist knowledge and advanced techniques relevant to the discipline and/or to demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of concepts, information and techniques at the forefront of the discipline;
- exhibit high levels of skill in the exercise of generic and subject-specific intellectual abilities;
- demonstrate a strong understanding of techniques applicable to their own research or advanced scholarship;
- take a proactive and self-reflective role in working and in developing professional relationships with others;
- formulate proactively ideas and hypotheses and to develop, implement and execute plans by which to evaluate these;
- evaluate critically and creatively current issues, research and advanced scholarship in the discipline;
- research, organise and write an extended research project / dissertation (consisting of two pieces of written work, of 2000 and 10000 words respectively).

Skills specific to the MA in Writing Identities are:

- the identification of past and ongoing critical debates in the field of English Literature and creative writing;
- the development of the student's own knowledge, understanding and ideas regarding different kinds of writing;
- the bespoke designing of their own specialised or wide-ranging MA programme through selective choice between the option modules available to them;
- the identification of central issues regarding the individual module topics;
- the ability to refine a research project / dissertation topic from the wide field of study available to them.


On completion of the programme students should have shown evidence of being able to:
- show a nuanced appreciation of central issues and research in fields relevant to the study of Critical Life
- demonstrate theoretical, critical and practical understanding of processes of Creative Writing
- exhibit dexterity and sophistication in addressing overlaps and dissonances between the fields of Creative Writing and Critical Life
- demonstrate the ability to refine a research project / dissertation topic including, as appropriate, practice as research.

Transferable (key) skills

Masters (Taught), Postgraduate Diploma & Postgraduate Certificate students will have had the opportunity to acquire the following abilities as defined in the modules specified for the programme:

- the skills necessary to undertake a higher research degree and/or for employment in a higher capacity;
- evaluation of their own achievement and that of others;
- self direction and effective decision making;
- independent learning and the ability to work in a way which ensures continuing professional development;
- to engage critically in the development of professional/disciplinary boundaries and norms.

Assessment

Achievement for the degree of Masters (taught programme) will be assessed by a variety of methods in accordance with the learning outcomes of the modules specified for the year/programme and will include:

- evidencing an ability to conduct independent in-depth enquiry within the discipline;
- demonstrating the ability to apply breadth and/or depth of knowledge to a complex specialist area;
- drawing on a range of perspectives in an area of study;
- evaluating and criticising received opinion;
- making reasoned judgements whilst understanding the limitations on judgements made in the absence of complete data.