SJ6019S - Publishing and the Book part 2 (2024/25)
Module specification | Module approved to run in 2024/25 | ||||||||||||
Module title | Publishing and the Book part 2 | ||||||||||||
Module level | Honours (06) | ||||||||||||
Credit rating for module | 15 | ||||||||||||
School | School of Art, Architecture and Design | ||||||||||||
Total study hours | 150 | ||||||||||||
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Assessment components |
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Running in 2024/25(Please note that module timeslots are subject to change) |
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Module summary
Publishing and the Book Part 2 introduces students to contemporary conditions of authorship and follows the process of production of both literary material and the book. The module emphasises employability and immerses students in London’s current publishing industry. Each week, students meet one or two figures from the publishing industry and learn about the process of author rights and representation, commissioning, editing, book production, design, marketing and sales, digital and audio publishing, and the post-production landscape of bookselling, literary festivals, prizes, podcasts and blogs.
The module aims to give students a current understanding of the process of taking a manuscript from author to publisher, bookseller and reader, and an opportunity to devise a group research project into the industry.
The module is taught through a combination of guest speaker sessions and masterclasses, studio project group activities, and is assessed by critical portfolio, publishing studio project and/or professional placement/shadowing in situ.
Prior learning requirements
Completion and pass (120 credits) of previous level. This module cannot be taken in addition to SJ5017S.
Available for Study Abroad? YES
Syllabus
The module takes students through the commercial processes of literary publishing today from author to reader (LO1/LO2), and on the basis of guest speaker presentations and studio discussion students initiate, refine and produce publishing projects (LO3/LO4) focussing on a given aspect of the industry (LO5).
Balance of independent study and scheduled teaching activity
Scheduled teaching ensures that independent study is effective and addresses the learning outcomes and assessment tasks. Students are expected to, and have the opportunity to, continue with their studies outside of scheduled classes. There will be a range of learning strategies deployed and individual learning styles will be accommodated. The module’s learning outcomes, its contents and delivery, have been scrutinised and will be regularly reviewed to ensure an inclusive approach to pedagogic practice.
The module and course utilise the University’s blended learning platform to support and reinforce learning, to foster peer-to-peer communication and to facilitate tutorial support for students. Reflective learning is promoted through assessment items and interim formative feedback points that ask students to reflect on their progress, seek help where they identify the opportunity for improvement in learning strategies and outcomes, and make recommendations to themselves for future development. Throughout the module, students build a body of work, including reflections on progress and achievement.
The School’s programme of employability events and embedded work-related learning within the curriculum supports students’ personal development planning. Through these initiatives, students are increasingly able, as they progress from year to year, to understand the professional environment of their disciplines, the various opportunities available to them, and how to shape their learning according to their ambitions.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of Publishing and the Book Part 2, students will be able to:
Cognitive Intellectual Abilities
LO1 articulate to an advanced degree a coherent, detailed and sustained understanding of London’s current literary and publishing culture, showing awareness of recent developments in the sector;
Knowledge and Understanding
LO2 evaluate literary production in terms of wider commercial, material, critical and cultural contexts, showing awareness of recent developments in the sector;
Subject Specific Skills
LO3 produce sustained critical and/or creative responses to the contemporary contexts of literary publishing in London, showing innovative and independent thought;
Transferable Skills
LO4 initiate, develop, contribute to and manage critically and creatively sophisticated teamwork in response to publishing industry norms;
LO5 reflect and report on commercial and industry norms, showing advanced awareness of recent industry trends.