English & Creative Writing - BA (Hons)
• We have strong connections with our stakeholders and offer a variety of work placement opportunities in year two.
• Opportunities to study abroad as part of an Erasmus exchange
• Distinctive degree that combines theory and practice
• Has a contemporary focus
• Embedded employability skills.
Watch our video to find out more - http://vimeo.com/52913414
Course Content
“Cardiff offers a wonderful stimulus for all things creative and cultural. Our degree
in English and Creative Writing at CMU combines your love of literature with your
passion for writing: it’s a great combination.” Dr Katharine Cox (Head of Department)
Cardiff is a city that has produced and been home to a rich pedigree of poets, novelists, scriptwriters and playwrights such as: National Poet of Wales, Gillian Clarke, Dannie Abse (Ash on a Young Man’s Sleeve), Trezza Azzopardi (The Hiding Place), James Hawes (Rancid Aluminium), John Williams (Cardiff Dead), Terry Nation (Doctor Who & creator of the Daleks), Peter Baynham (Alan Partridge, Borat), Roald Dahl (Boy, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and Tessa Hadley (The London Train) to name but a few.
Cardiff is vibrant with culture, art and huge student community of over 65,000. It was recently voted one of the world’s top ten cities to visit in the National Geographic (2011). Cardiff boasts the Millennium Centre opera house, the recently redeveloped Sherman Theatre, Roath Lock Drama Village (home to several BBC productions such as Upstairs Downstairs, Doctor Who and Casualty), Cardiff International Sport Village and a number of performance venues and sports arenas.
The degree balances the study of English literature with the skills necessary for
you to become an effective writer, providing a programme perfectly balanced between theory and practice. Assessment is weighted and degree strands are linked so wherever possible you’ll be able to submit creative pieces in your English modules and also apply your critical thinking in Creative Writing modules. We encourage our students to participate in our flourishing Erasmus exchange and will support your contributions to the range of student societies, sports clubs and voluntary work available at CMU.
English:
The study of English engages with your enthusiasm for reading and literature, and introduces you to advanced critical thinking in the form of theoretical practice. You will analyse a wide range of texts (including film and digital narratives) to explore the cutting edge of English as well as the historical narratives that have helped form the canon. A mixture of thematic and chronological modules ensures a good grounding in genre, context and period. You will challenge assumptions about the production of narratives and their relationship to questions of authority and identity. The degree has a strong contemporary focus and provides highly valued employability skills.
Creative Writing:
The Creative Writing modules are taught by published authors who have hands-on experience of writing for publication. The Creative Writing element of your degree will develop your thinking through textual and practical exploration, and equip you with a wide variety of writing skills and methodologies in relation to different genres (fiction, poetry, scriptwriting, non-fiction, etc). You will be encouraged to consider textual influence and experiment with different styles. At the core of the degree is your development as a writer and the honing of skills that you can use to find jobs in a variety of creative industries such as publishing, journalism and marketing. You’ll cultivate your individual voice and writing style through revision and editing, and share your writing and thinking with your fellow students in a supportive and evaluative environment. We encourage and support our students to seek publication and to develop a writing portfolio for prospective employers.
Year One:
Typical modules include:
Year Two:
Typical modules include:
Year Three:
Typical modules include:
- Modern and Contemporary Literature
- Narratives, Identities and Place
- The Auto-biographical ‘I’
- Getting Published
- Dissertation*
Career Potential
You’ll be supported and encouraged to develop a portfolio of highly valued skills and practices. The type of careers that our graduates pursue include professions such as writing (fiction, poetry, script), journalism, publishing, editing, media production, teaching, lecturing, PR, copywriting, advertising, video game production, web content generation, research, and Civil Service. There is also significant scope to go on to further study at PGCE, Master’s or PhD level.
Employability Skills and Graduate Attributes:
Many of the skills you will obtain as part of this degree are also useful in industries beyond those listed above. We ensure that our curriculum develops you as a graduate so that you demonstrate the following skills and attributes:
• Problem solving & analytical abilities
• Inter-personal and networking skills
• Global citizen (with knowledge of diversity & sustainability)
• Flexibility & Adaptability (life long learning)
• Effective Communication skills
• Creative & Innovative
• Digital Literacy
• Reflective practice.
Cardiff has one of the largest media and creative-industry sectors outside London, including BBC Wales, ITV Wales, S4C, BBC Radio Wales, the Western Mail and Wales on Sunday. English & Creative Writing at CMU is perfectly situated to draw on these amazing opportunities, combining a perfect combination of theory with ‘applied practice’, putting you in a powerful position when it comes to moving towards a career.
In year two of your degree, for instance, you can opt to take a work placement in one of Cardiff’s creative industries. We also have a flourishing creative writing magazine of our own, Nexus, on which you might decide to get your first taste at editorial control or even publication. We also encourage our students to participate in our Erasmus exchange programme which enables you to undertake several months of exciting study in a European university (through the medium of English).
Entry Requirements
Applicants should have 5 GCSEs to include English Language at grade C or above, plus one of the following:
- 260 points from at least three A Levels / Scottish Advanced Highers to include grades BC, grade B in English
- BTEC QCF Diploma / Extended Diploma with 260 points or Distinction Merit Merit to include a relevant subject
- 260 points from the Irish Leaving Certificate at Highers to include grade A1 or above in English (minimum C2 grade considered in points offer)
- Pass Access with 45 credits at Level 3 within a relevant subject
- 260 points from the Welsh Baccalaureate to include grades BC at A Level; grade B in English, Core considered as fourth subject
If your qualification isn't listed above, please refer to the UCAS website.
All applications are considered on their individual merits and we can be flexible in the offer that is made.
Applicants will also be asked to submit either a selection of fiction, journalism, poetry, an extract of a screenplay or other creative piece (no more than 2,000 words) to demonstrate their practical abilities.
Key Facts
Campus: Cyncoed
School: Cardiff School of Education
UCAS Code(s): QW38
Course Length: Three years full-time
Assessment:
We’re committed to innovative assessment practices that match identified learning outcomes for your module and degree. This means assessment, wherever possible, is linked to enhancing not only your subject knowledge but skills vital in developing your employment opportunities. Examples of assessment include research portfolios, group work, creative writing portfolios, critical and reflective practice, reviews, poster presentations, annotated bibliographies and so on.
The degree is enhanced by the use of the university’s e-learning system.
Teaching staff:
Dr Spencer Jordan’s (http://www.spencerjordan.com/) novel, Journeys in the Dead Season (2005), was considered by The Guardian as a ‘debut of real literary merit’.
Dr Kate North’s (http://www.katenorth.co.uk/) novel, Eva Shell, was published in 2008 and her poetry collection, Bistro, was published in 2012. Kate also edits for Iota poetry magazine (http://www.iotamagazine.co.uk/). Her writing was described by the Times Literary Supplement as a ‘cabaret of emotion’.
Carole Burns (http://www.caroleburns.com/) is author of Off the Page: Writers Talk About Beginnings, Endings, and Everything in Between (2008). Her fiction has been published in literary journals and magazines such as Other Voices and Washingtonian, and her nonfiction has been published in the Washington Post and the New York Times.
Robert Taffurelli is former Editor of Film and TV Production Review and Managing Editor of one of London’s largest publishing houses, and is a prolific freelance journalist and Consultant Editor of IBE magazine.
Modules are taught by the research active team (including Dr Carmen Casaliggi, Dr Katharine Cox, Dr Dimitra Fimi, and Dr Jeff Wallace) who have research interests in literature and place, J. R. R. Tolkien, legend, myth, and folklore, the relationship between art
and literature, Romanticism, feminist literature, contemporary literature, the city, posthumanism and DH Lawrence. Please see our Facebook page for our most recent publications.
How you’ll be taught: We utilise a range of teaching environments to best fit your learning needs. Delivery includes workshops, seminars, research seminars, lectures, virtual learning environments, away days, field trips and visits. Wherever possible, the emphasis is placed upon small group work and individual learning needs identified through your Personal and Professional Development plan. You’ll be allocated a personal tutor who will support you throughout each year.
Extra-Curricula:
Throughout the year, you will be invited to attend theatre trips, poetry and prose performances held in Cardiff. The Department regularly invites external speakers in to give presentations and readings. Kate North is editor of The C Word, an anthology of our students’ writing published by Cinnamon Press (2011).
How to Apply:
Applications for this course should be made online to UCAS at http://www.ucas.com/
For further information please visit our How to Apply pages at www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/howtoapply
International Applicants:
Before making an application, international students (those outside of the EU), should contact the International Office at Cardiff Met to discuss the necessary procedures in relation to studying with us. For further information visit www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/international.
Selection Procedure:
Selection is usually on the basis of a completed UCAS application and interview
Tuition Fees and Financial Support:
For up to date information on tuition fees and the financial support that may be available please refer to www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/fees.
Bursaries & Scholarships:
The university also offers a bursary and scholarship scheme to help students whilst at university. To see if you are eligible, visit www.cardiffmet.ac.uk/scholarships.