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ENG-10023 - Module Specification
School of Humanities
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

For academic year: 2022/23 Last Updated: 19 January 2023

ENG-10023 - Fiction Through Practice
Coordinator: James Sheard Tel: +44 1782 7 33302
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 4
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office: 01782 733147

Programme/Approved Electives for 2022/23

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2022/23

This module is designed to establish a bridge between the composition and criticism of prose fiction by introducing students to different literary modes through practice. Reading a selection of twentieth-century short stories, the module will look at the major elements of prose fiction (for example voice, narrative structure, evocation of character and place), explore how different writers approach these elements and encourage students to develop them in their own writing. The course will be taught via lectures, reading groups and workshops, in which students will learn about the elements of fiction writing, read and discuss selected short stories, and compose work of their own.

Aims
To introduce students to the key characteristics of prose fiction.
To show how the understanding of these characteristics can be employed to explore the meaning of a text.
To provide students with an awareness of the literary traditions to which their writing might respond.
To provide students with an awareness of the contemporary literary context of their own writing.
To introduce an awareness of form and genre to students' own creative writing.
To give students the opportunity to engage with creative as well as critical practice and to begin to explore the relationship between the two.

Intended Learning Outcomes

demonstrate familiarity with the distinctive characteristics of prose fiction (narrative voice, narrative structure, evocation of place etc.): 1,2
write short, creative prose pieces that demonstrate an engagement with the critical questions raised on the module: 1
reflect critically on the creative practice (of themselves and others): 2
show knowledge of the work of a range of authors of short fiction: 2
demonstrate analytic skills - close reading, description and analysis of form and meaning - using appropriate literary terminology: 2

Study hours

Lectures: 6 hours
Small Reading Groups: 6 hours
Exercise Workshops: 6 hours
Open Advice Sessions: 5 hours
Peer Review Workshops: 12 hours
Feedback: 1 hour
Individual study: 72 hours
Workshop/Assessment preparation: 42 hours

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Portfolio weighted 60%
A Portfolio of Original Writing
A collection of between 3 and 5 short extracts or a single short story (2,000-2,500 words)

2: Commentary weighted 40%
Commentary on the Portfolio
A 1,000-word commentary that shows in detail the way in which the student's own work situates itself within the context of a particular literary mode/genre and explores technical issues of writing.

Please note that for the 2022/23 Academic Year programmes may be adapted to operate in accordance with a flexible, digital approach. This means that there may be some changes made to how modules are delivered and assessed. The latest information will be provided to you by your School in module handbooks. We endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes and details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/student-terms-and-conditions/

Last Updated: 19 January 2023