University of Cambridge: Programme Specifications Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this programme specification. Programme specifications are produced and then reviewed annually by the relevant faculty or department and revised where necessary. However, we reserve the right to withdraw, update or amend this programme specification at any time without notice. Further information about specifications and an archive of programme specifications for all awards of the University is available online at: www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/camdata/archive.html MASTER OF STUDIES IN CREATIVE WRITING 1 Awarding body University of Cambridge 2 Teaching institution University of Cambridge Institute of Continuing Education 3 Accreditation details None 4 Name of final award Master of Studies 5 Programme title Master of Studies in Creative Writing 6 JACS code(s) W800 7 Relevant QAA benchmark statement(s) English (revised 2007) 8 Qualifications framework level FHEQ level 7 9 Date specification was produced/ September 2013 last revised 10 Date specification was last reviewed September 2013 Introduction This MSt programme is designed for postgraduate students who wish to develop high-level skills in Creative Writing both in fiction and non-fiction literatures. Students will be guided in the production of creative work in a range of genres and styles and also in critical reflection on their own work and that of other writers. The MSt aims to facilitate students creative practice, whether for their own personal creative development as writers or because their professional work impinges on these areas. Examples could include teachers of English at secondary level for whom (following recent curriculum revisions) the teaching of creative writing is increasingly necessary for GCSE and A level English Language and English Literature. It is also designed to be of professional value to those working in areas such as journalism, broadcasting, publishing and editing. The programme s administration and teaching would be undertaken by the Institute of Continuing Education (ICE) and its academic standards monitored and assured by a sub-committee of the Degree Committee of the Faculty of English. Educational Aims of the Programme The overall aims of the MSt degree are to: enable students to develop high levels of expertise in creative writing; facilitate students creative practice and to encourage creative experimentation develop students critical awareness and theoretical understanding of the literary skills and techniques deployed in successful fiction and non-fiction; identify and consolidate existing strengths in students own writing; assist students in exploring and engaging with, both critically and creatively, a wide range of literary genres; extend students creative and critical/analytical writing; Page 1 of 8
supply professional development for writers, editors and teachers of creative writing. Objectives of the MSt Programme The MSt programme in Creative Writing has the following objectives. It is designed to: (1) provide students with a high level of practical expertise as specialists in creative writing; (2) enhance students critical and theoretical perception of their own and others work; (3) develop students creative, critical and professional writing skills; (4) broaden students knowledge and appreciation of a range of literary genres (fictional and non-fictional); (5) enable students to apply a sophisticated knowledge and understanding of the field of creative writing to their own professional and personal careers. (6) ensure that students finish the MSt with a portfolio of creative work and an awareness of how and in what directions they may further their writing careers Programme Outcomes Knowledge and Understanding: Teaching and Learning By the end of the course the students should have: 1. Developed their own writing and self-editing skills in a range of fiction and non-fiction genres. 2. A solid and substantial understanding of the history (in terms of innovative developments) of fiction and non-fiction writing and of critical, analytical and narrative theory. Teaching and Learning Methods These learning outcomes (1 and 2 above) are achieved in the first year through a cycle of learning for each module which includes: personal study of appropriate material guided by reading lists and other resources; residential courses including seminars/workshops and both critical and practical exercises, lectures (offered by practising writer-academics), structured discussions (drawing on the expertise of visiting writers, writer/performers, broadcasters, literary agents and editors); full and appropriate use of the Institute s interactive Virtual Learning Environment (VLE); one-to-one supervision (online and face-to-face). The learning outcomes are achieved in the second year by specialisation in a chosen genre. Following a two-day study course in October, students work under supervision to produce a portfolio of their own creative and critical writing. Students have up to five supervisions throughout the year and, at a final session, present and discuss their work before tutors and fellow students. Assessment Students will be expected to produce non-assessed creative writing throughout the first year, both independently and during residential weekends. Learning outcomes are formally assessed through four essay assignments (totalling a minimum of 12,000 words) and a supervised dissertation (a portfolio of between 15,000-18,000 words). For students at the end of year 2 whose work is Page 2 of 8
deemed to be borderline, attendance at a viva voce examination (face-to-face or by videoconference) will be expected. A key feature of the moderation of this course is that the emphasis of formal assessment in Year 1 will not focus primarily on students' creative work. Students will produce creative work prior to and during each module and will receive feedback on this work, but the burden of assessment will fall on formative, critical and reflective work. In order not to inhibit the experimentation and risk-taking essential to writers' development, course tutors wish no formal marks to be awarded for creative work until Year 2. Students will nevertheless receive clear guidance from tutors as to whether their creative work is attaining the requisite standard for successful completion of the course. Skills and Other Attributes By the end of the course the students should have acquired: (1) extended communication/discussion skills; (2) enhanced ability to assimilate, evaluate and organise material; (3) research skills and theoretical concepts appropriate to both fiction and non-fiction writing; (4) the facility to select and appropriate critical and creative literary techniques suited to specific tasks. Assessment Learning outcomes are assessed through four essay assignments (totalling a minimum of 12,000 words) and a supervised dissertation (a portfolio of between 15,000-18,000 words). For details of first-year assignments, see Course Content below. Teaching and Learning Methods Skills are developed through: personal study (prior to each residential session) of appropriate material guided by reading lists and other resources; residential courses in the first year of the programme including lectures (offered by practising writer-academics), structured discussions (drawing on the expertise of visiting writers, writer/performers, broadcasters, literary agents and editors), seminars/workshops and both critical and practical exercises; full and appropriate use of the Institute s interactive Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) including online forums one-to-one supervision (online and face-to-face) to include detailed feedback on students work and progress. Page 3 of 8
The learning outcomes are achieved in the second year by specialisation in any chosen genre. Following a two-day study course in October, students work under supervision to produce a dissertation in the form of a portfolio of creative and critical writing on a subject and form approved by the Degree Committee, comprising a 3000-word critical essay (including footnotes and appendices), and 12000 to 15000 words of creative prose. If the portfolio is comprised of poetry, an equivalent quantity of poems will be submitted, subject to consultation with the dissertation supervisor, plus a critical essay of 3000 words, including footnotes and appendices. Students have up to five supervisions throughout the year and, at a final session, present and discuss their work before tutors and fellow students. Assessment Four essay assignments totalling a minimum of 12,000 words; A dissertation in the form of a portfolio of creative and critical writing of 15,000-18,000 words. Programme Structure The first-year programme will be delivered in teaching blocks of four days each. After each module, students will have c. three weeks until the submission date for their critical assignment. YEAR 1 September submission of pre-module written exercise October Module 1 (residential 4 days) Writing for Readers: The Art of Poetry and the Craft of Criticism December Module 2 (residential 4 days) Writing for Readers: Imagined Worlds - fiction, long and short February Module 3 (residential 4 days) Writing for Performance: Monologue and Polyphonic Scripts June Module 4 (residential 4 days) Writing Life: Creative Non- Fiction YEAR 2 Finalisation of Year 2 dissertation title October days) October-December January-March April May 31 Entry to Year 2: Research Skills course and initial supervision (two 2 supervisions (online and face-to-face) 2 supervisions (online and face-to-face) Presentation and discussion of portfolios (one-day programme) Dissertation portfolios submitted Page 4 of 8
July Committee October Vivas held for any borderline candidates; meeting of Degree Sub- Degree awarded Requirements for the Award of the Degree 1. In order to proceed to Year 2, students must complete four written assignments each of 3,000 words. Each essay counts as 10% of the overall award mark, 40% in total, and the dissertation constitutes 60% of the overall award mark. Students must attain an average of 60% overall in the four essay assignments to progress to Y2. 2. The degree is awarded on the satisfactory completion in Y1 of the four assignments and the satisfactory completion of a 15,000-18,000 word portfolio, constituting 60% of the overall grade, awarded a mark of 60% or above. 3. A dissertation awarded a mark of 59% is a borderline fail subject to a viva and/or corrections. Marks of 58% and below for the dissertation are absolute fails, with no resubmission possible. 4. Although the overall result of the degree is Pass or Fail, Degree Committee may recommend that a student with a mark of 75% or above (when aggregating the essay and dissertation grades) may be deemed a Distinction. 5. Students achieving a pass in Year 1 but not completing, or failing to reach the required standard for, the Year 2 requirements may be awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Creative Writing on the recommendation of the Degree Committee to the Strategic Committee of the Institute of Continuing Education. Course Content Module 1: Writing for Readers: The Art of Poetry and the Craft of Criticism This four-day residential course introduces students to the critical skills and literary techniques they will encounter during the course and encourages students to begin to reflect on their own work. Through workshops, shared writing exercises and talks, students will be invited to explore their expectations of the course and their ambitions for their own writing. The 3,000-word assignment to be written following this module will be either a critical analysis of at least two poems or a critical comparison and evaluation of two works of autobiography Alternatively, students may write a critical analysis of one of their own pieces of work in poetry or prose, focusing on aspects of narrative voice and literary structure. Module 2: Writing for Readers: Imagined Worlds: fiction long and short This four-day residential course covers three key areas of fiction: the novel, the short story and children s literature. Each area is addressed by focusing on key innovations in the development of the form, and engaging with the critical skills and creative approaches required to write or edit literary fiction. The 3,000-word assignment for this module will be either a close critical analysis of at least two contrasting short stories or an analysis of the literary devices and effects achieved by Page 5 of 8
one novelist and one children s author, with reference to at least two of their works. Alternatively, students may write a critical commentary on an example of their own prose writing (one short story or two novel chapters). Module 3: Fiction: Writing for Performance: Monologue and Polyphonic Scripts This four-day residential course covers the structural patterning of the monologue, from political speech to stand-up routine, including the lecture, the radio essay and the podcast. It traces rhetoric to its Greek roots, and uses monologues from Shakespeare as reference points, furnishing students with the literary tools necessary to approach the monologue as writer, critic, editor or teacher. The course will also cover the stage play from medieval liturgical drama to the contemporary play as a structure within which to study the function and form of playwriting. It tracks the diversification of the play form into radio, television and film media, equipping students with the critical skills and creative tools to teach, write or script-edit performance texts. The 3,000-word assignment for this module will be either a critical analysis of at least two contrasting dramatic texts or an analysis of the literary and dramatic devices employed and effects achieved by one playwright/screenwriter with reference to at least two of their works. Alternatively, students may write a critical commentary on an example of their own scriptwriting Module 4: Writing Life: Creative Non-Fiction This four day residential course explores the concept of creative non-fiction and examines examples drawn from a range of sub-genres including biography, memoir, travel-writing and writing about the environment as well as paying attention to the relationship between the science of objective observation and the arts of selection and presentation. The 3,000-word assignment to be written following this module students will either compare and contrast the approaches and achievements of two writers of creative non-fiction, or write a critical commentary on an example of their own creative non-fiction. There will be a residential Research Skills course at the beginning of Y2 and the opportunity for students to discuss the planning of their Dissertation portfolios with their supervisor. During this weekend there will also be talks on publication and the literary market, with the aim of offering students advice on the potential for publishing and disseminating their work after completing the MSt. Students will have two further individual supervisions per term, one online, one face-to-face, in Y2. The portfolio would contain substantial evidence of creative written work from the student, supported by critical and evaluative commentary. Academic and Course Directors, Examiners and administrative support Academic Director Course Director Internal Examiner Moderating External Examiner Dr Jenny Bavidge, ICE University Lecturer in English Literature Dr Sarah Burton Dr Mark Wormald, Pembroke College Cambridge Professor Philip Gross, University of Glamorgan Page 6 of 8
The administration of the course will be supported by the Academic Programme Management team within the Institute of Continuing Education, University of Cambridge. Indicators of Quality The Master of Studies in Creative Writing will admit students every year. The number of students admitted at each intake would be at least 15. Of these, it is expected that 90% would proceed to Year 2. All tutors will be published authors with expertise in at least one area of writing. The programme will draw on the expertise of members of the English Faculty and the experience of ICE tutors currently engaged in the teaching of creative writing as part of the University's public programmes provision. Among guest lecturers who have already offered to contribute to the programme are Michael Holroyd, Stewart Lee, Mark Amory, and Clare Clark. Learning Support All students will be matriculated as members of a College and have access to learning support from the Institute of Continuing Education, their College and the University s resources including those of the Faculty of English. In Year 1, the Course Director and tutorial team give advice on planning the year s work. All students discuss their portfolio proposals with the Course Director. Progress is monitored through the four assessed assignments and students are given extensive feedback on these, both through written comments, and one-to-one supervisions. Each assessed essay would be double-marked. Students have borrowing rights in the University Library and the Faculty of English library, and may attend research seminars and lectures organised by the Faculty and the colleges. Each student is given a Course Handbook which gives full details of the course, what it entails, timetables, essay titles, reading lists, assessment criteria and details on the presentation of essays and the dissertation. An additional information handbook, focusing in particular on the portfolio, is given to the students prior to embarking on Year 2. Evaluating and Improving the Quality of Standards of Learning The Faculty of English and the Institute of Continuing Education participate in the University s quality assurance and enhancement system. Academic management of the degree is in the hands of a degree sub-committee which includes Faculty and Institute members. This subcommittee reports to the Academic Policy and Strategic Committees of the Institute of Continuing Education and to the Faculty of English degree committee. 1. Internal examining. Year 1. The Course Director marks the pre-sessional assignment; two internal examiners mark each of the essay assignments (double-marking). 2. External examining Year 1. A sample of work covering a range of marks is sent to a subject-specific external examiner. 3. Year 2. The Degree Sub-Committee and the examiners re-convene as an Examination Board with the Sub-Committee taking the moderating role between internal and external examiners for the dissertation portfolios. The external examiners report to the Vice- Chancellor s Office and to the Director of Continuing Education. 4. Students complete an end-of-course evaluation which is analysed; the results and recommendations for future action go to the Degree Sub-Committee and the Academic Operations Committee of ICE. Page 7 of 8
5. Assessment weighting: All essays must be completed by the end of Year 1 of the course and students must successfully achieve 60% or above as the average grade for the four essays. The final assessment is based on an aggregate mark where the four module assignments constitute 40% and the dissertation 60% of the overall grade. The presessional assignment (prior to Year 1) must also be completed, but does not contribute to the final mark awarded for the MSt. Employment and careers As well as providing support, feedback and advice for those who wish to pursue a writing career, the course is especially useful as a career enhancement for teachers, journalists and those working in the areas of publishing, broadcasting and editing. The analytical and transferable skills it provides will prove to be of value to those seeking to develop or change their careers within a large number of fields. Page 8 of 8