Gwybodaeth Modiwlau

Module Identifier
WR10020
Module Title
Reading for Writers
Academic Year
2021/2022
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 2
Other Staff

Course Delivery

 

Assessment

Due to Covid-19 students should refer to the module Blackboard pages for assessment details

Assessment Type Assessment length / details Proportion
Semester Assessment Assignment 1  (2,000 words) A creative piece inspired by the module text  50%
Semester Assessment Assignment 2  (2,000 words) Critical essay  50%
Supplementary Assessment Assignment 1  (2,000 words) A creative piece inspired by the module text  50%
Supplementary Assessment Assignment 2  (2,000 words) Critical essay  50%

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module students should be able to:


​1. Demonstrate close reading skills and an understanding of the importance of these to a writer’s development.


2. Demonstrate an increased knowledge, and critical understanding, of approaches to contemporary fiction and ways of analyzing it.


3. Demonstrate, via assignments and in-group discussion, evidence of continuing critical reflection on their reading and writing skills.


4. Produce work that demonstrates wide reading and a sound understanding of literary context.



Brief description

To be a good writer, you need to be a good reader. This module explores how, as writers, we can learn from, and find inspiration in, reading. Working from a single contemporary novel, the module will explore in detail what the work demonstrates about writing technique, the writer’s themes and ideas, and the relationship between the writer and the reader.

Content

The emphasis of this module is on detailed close reading. Students will move through the text week by week, and in response will be required to develop creative work drawing on, and interrogating, the skills and ideas identified in discussion. The module will also begin to address theories of reading and the importance of critical reception.

Weeks 1-5:

Students will work through the body of the novel, reading individually and in groups. Seminar sessions will focus on techniques – such as voice, point of view, language – and the ways in which the author employs them. Prompts will be provided to direct students’ reading and thinking, and to offer ways of analyzing the text. Seminar discussion will focus on close reading of the novel, and on students’ responses to the series of prompts. Short workshop exercises will allow students to further explore the techniques they have uncovered, and to experiment with the skills they have discussed.

Week 6-10:

Students will complete the reading of the novel. Seminar sessions will focus on structure, theme and idea, looking at the novel as a whole, and will consider the role of critical reception in the novel’s success. Prompts will be provided to allow students to explore key aspects of the text, and discussion will focus on close reading to illuminate these. Short workshop exercises will encourage students to engage with questions of structure and theme in their own writing, as evidenced in the text they have been studying.

Module Skills

Skills Type Skills details
Application of Number
Communication Oral communication in seminar discussions and workshop feedback. Written communication in workshop tasks and assignments.
Improving own Learning and Performance Responding to the feedback of peers and the tutor to improve writing skills. Demonstrating the ability to undertake independent research and for focused reading of relevant texts.
Information Technology Word-processing required for workshop tasks and assignments, as well as digital resources for research.
Personal Development and Career planning ​Responding to the feedback of peers and the tutor. Independent self-reflection.
Problem solving Analyzing and employing reading and writing skills. Planning and developing workshop exercises and assignments.
Research skills Undertaking research into key contexts, themes and techniques and presenting this in a scholarly manner.
Subject Specific Skills Practical proficiency in creative writing; revision and editing. Close reading. Analysis of texts and research sources.
Team work Group discussion in seminars and peer feedback in response to workshop tasks.

Notes

This module is at CQFW Level 4