module specification

In this module you will develop your creative writing and observational skills through a series of formative in-class assignments based on guided visits to contrasting locations in London. The module complements the autumn semester module IF3068 Writing London and extends your understanding of London as a literary and creative setting, as a plot and character location, and as a place where you can observe different models of urban relatedness and space. On fortnightly observational field trips your study group will remain in several London locations for the duration of the class. In these locations you will respond to creative writing prompts and write descriptive, symbolic and associative notes in your logbook, based on critical guidance discussed in class in advance and with your tutor when on site. The week after each guided location visit, you will work up and creatively and critically explore your place-based observations through a series of formative assignments in class. You will also participate in group criticism of your work in class with your fellow students and tutor. The module follows a pattern of field trip followed by workshop, repeated five times in five different London locations.

You will practise and develop skills central to creative writing such as workshopping external creative work, keeping study and creative journals, note-taking, listening, speaking and participation skills for workshop, library and online research strategies, and engagement with academic research. In workshop, you will complete formative assignments and read and discuss introductory critical material relating to urban experience, creative writing and place. 

Over five weeks of fieldwork and five weeks of workshops you will develop creative and critical strategies for turning your observations into writing. You will learn observational strategies for use on location (LO1), creative forms for writing (LO2) and critical ideas to help you discuss the value of writing about place in relation to characterisation, action and theme (LO4). Field trips may include busy locations, urban centres and zones of transition like railway stations; edge zones and zones under development, shopping zones, art galleries, places of worship, and wilder natural landscapes and parks (LO1). You will develop and maintain a notebook of observations in places like Spitalfields Market, Kings Cross Station, Granary Square, Coal Drops Yard, Camley Street Natural Park, Stratford East Bank and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Battersea Power Station and Battersea Park, Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Southwark Cathedral, Borough Market and Hampstead Heath (LO3).

In each writing workshop class, your tutor will help you write convincing and interesting evocations of place (LO2), and help you think about the relationship between place, action, character and theme (LO4) through discussion of literary and critical extracts (LO4). In a series of workshop formative assignments, you will present your work for discussion and feedback from your tutor and peers, participate in discussion of other students’ work (LO5) and respond to this in your summative written assessments (LO2 & LO5)

The module is delivered through tutor-led workshops (21 hours) and a series of fieldwork visits (15 hours) with students contributing to discussion, group work and tutorials. Students will also engage in ongoing guided self and online study to enable them to improve their reading and writing skills and complete required formative and summative assessment components (114 hrs). Module information including module booklet and summative assessment details is available on WebLearn. Formative assignment and workshop tasks, reading resources, study support resources and weekly material are also on WebLearn.  Students will be encouraged to explore digital resources on Talis, develop initial research strategies using databases, develop robust strategies for online research including reliability testing, explore the physical research resources in the ILRC, and develop understanding of archive-related resources (local borough and City of London Corporation library and research resources and archives). Students will also be encouraged to explore the vast array of London-related cultural resources online.

LO1 Develop place-based observational skills 

LO2 Develop creative writing skills in workshop and formative assignments

LO3 Maintain an observation notebook in various places over a period of time

LO4 Criticise textual material on creative writing and place

LO5 Respond to tutor and peer feedback in workshop and writing

https://rl.talis.com/3/londonmet/lists/ED768974-6305-46C4-32FD-5B51DAFDE1A8.html