BA (Joint Honours) JOURNALISM and CREATIVE WRITING

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1 BA (Joint Honours) JOURNALISM and CREATIVE WRITING

2 BA (Joint Honours) JOURNALISM and CREATIVE WRITING Why study Journalism and Creative Writing at Strathclyde? You may already feel you re destined to be a novelist or a journalist. You may want a different kind of career that values the written word. Or you may simply know that you love to write. Either way we offer you the chance to learn new skills in reading, writing and editing, to experiment with writing strategies, and to think more carefully about what writing is, how it works, and what its cultural impact is. Writing workshops depend on trust between students and the maturity to speak frankly about the strengths and weaknesses of your and other people s work. Because of this we warmly welcome applications from mature students and students with diverse cultural backgrounds. Degree Structure The full-time BA joint Honours degree is four years. All students are admitted as potential Honours students. Students may exit with a BA degree at the end of Year 3 if they have achieved the required standard. Subject Combinations Within the BA (Honours) Humanities & Social Sciences programme, Journalism & Creative Writing can be studied to joint Honours only, in combination with the subjects listed opposite. Please see separate subject leaflets for more information.

3 The Course There are three core strands which run throughout the course: Journalism skills taught in practical workshop sessions, including news writing, features, research and ethics. You will build a portfolio of work. Creative Writing writing genres, including the short story, poetry and screen writing. You will be given weekly assignments which form the basis of workshops. We expect you to talk openly about your work with your fellow students, and to offer opinions about their work in turn. Education English French History Italian Law Politics Psychology Social Policy Spanish Economics* Human Resource Management* * offered by Strathclyde Business School Journalism and Creative Writing the context and theory of professional communication. Who owns the media and why does it matter? How does journalism relate to politics? Who is your audience and how is it changing? How far should the law control journalists and writers? What difference is the internet making? How do different kinds of communication work? Curriculum Year 1 Journalism and Creative Writing 1 introduces core concepts such as objectivity, news values, genre and narrative. Lectures address the theory behind journalism and creative writing, while workshops let you practice your writing skills. As well as letting you sharpen your writing skills, this class aims to get you thinking about the similarities, and differences, between journalism and creative writing as cultural practices.

4 Year 2 There are three separate courses, each with equal weighting Creative Writing 2, Journalism 2 and Journalism & Creative Writing 2. In Creative Writing 2, you will look at modes of narration and genre. There will also be classes in poetry writing. Teaching is mostly through workshops, allowing you to build up a portfolio of writing. This will form the basis for your assessment in the course. Workshop classes in Journalism 2 introduce the basic skills involved in writing a news story. You will study the language and structure of a news report, and build up a portfolio of writing in journalism to be used as the basis for assessment. Journalism & Creative Writing 2 studies the institutional context of journalism and creative writing such as who owns the media and what the key trends are in culture, technology, economics and politics that drive the evolution of the media. Assessment is by essay and exam. Year 3 Classes include Journalism 3, Creative Writing 3 and Journalism & Creative Writing 3. Looking at a wide range of texts and documentaries from a number of writers including Joan Didion, David Foster Wallace and Dave Eggers, as well as articles and features from the New Yorker and Atlantic Monthly, these classes examine the way research-based non-fiction works and why. You will also learn how to research a piece of non-fiction and how to shape it into an article. Year 4 (Honours) This year you can choose from a range of option classes in Journalism or Creative Writing, or both. These will include the opportunity to produce portfolios of journalism or creative writing, to help build and market your own publications, or to specialise in particular forms of journalism or journalism study. Current Option classes include The Journalism of War, Ethical Issues in Journalism, Media and Literary Publics as well as a Creative Writing class that looks at ways that narrative can be used in the digital age. Looking at a range of online sites that feature fiction, this class examines the way narrative can shape and is shaped by new technology. Journalism classes move on to feature writing. You will develop more of your own strengths and preferences in Creative Writing classes, as well as learning to write extended review articles. Journalism & Creative Writing 3 builds on the work from Years 1 and 2. You will also receive research training in preparation for dissertation and professional practice.

5 International Connections Every year, some of our students study abroad at universities overseas, including in Europe and the USA. We also welcome students from all over the world to study with us. We encourage international contact which enables staff and students to remain open to new ideas. Research-based Teaching All of our staff not only teach but write books, articles, reviews and journalism and appear in the media and radio programmes. This keeps our students in touch with the latest ideas in the subject. You will be taught by researchers with international reputations. I always wanted to be a writer and I already have ideas in my head. Strathclyde, with its great facilities and teachers is exactly what I was looking for to open the door to these. I often work in the library because it s a quiet, friendly place to work without distractions. Outreach We are committed to working with people from other disciplines and walks of life. Each year, we welcome distinguished creative writers and academics to speak about their work and encourage students to come and meet them. The Faculty has hosted numerous international conferences on topics ranging from texts and architecture to cyber culture. We currently host networks on Nostalgia and the Middlebrow which also involve other universities and organisations. We actively encourage our students to participate in such events. Aynsleigh Hollywood Studying Journalism and Creative Writing

6 Careers The course will be attractive to anyone who wants to make a living as a professional writer, whether in journalism or creative writing. But it is also highly relevant for work in public relations almost all large organisations nowadays have a press officer and for jobs requiring any kind of writing, from formal reports to advertising. Contacts Enquiries regarding entry qualifications or course content should be made to: t: /8412 e: hass-admissions-ba@strath.ac.uk Specific enquiries about Journalism and Creative Writing should be directed to: e: hass-courses-hum@strath.ac.uk It is also ideal for anyone interested in researching communication, whether in an academic setting such as a university, or a commercial setting like the marketing industry. Graduates of creative writing at Strathclyde have gone on to notable success, including Booker and Whitbread prize nominations. Others have gone on to succeed in the national press and media. the place of useful learning University of Strathclyde Glasgow G1 1XQ Information current at August Please consult the University website for the most up-to-date information. The University of Strathclyde is a charitable body, registered in Scotland, with registration number SC