Unit information: Planning a Creative Dissertation in 2023/24

Unit name	Planning a Creative Dissertation
Unit code	ENGLM0074
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Dr. Mimi Thebo
Open unit status	Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)	ENGLM0070, ENGLM0071, ENGLM0072
Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)	Workshop 2 (ENGLM0073)
Units you may not take alongside this one	n/a
School/department	Department of English
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Unit Information

In this unit, students will plan the final stages of writing a full-length manuscript. This may include many elements, such as: research, relevant reading, the creation of ancillary materials (like character sketches, maps, mood-boards, timelines, setting descriptions, etc) as well as a time-based plan. The student will also submit current writing in parallel with their research and planning, with the clear understanding that early drafts may need considerable revision.

Your learning on this unit

An overview of content

Guided Independent study forms the majority of the teaching in this unit. Students work with lecturers to evolve a plan for what materials will be produced and what forms of planning the student will undertake on the unit.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Understand the skills required to work independently, including setting goals, managing workload and meeting deadlines.
2. Communicate effectively, both orally and in writing, demonstrating an awareness of voice, idiom, idiolect, simile, metaphor, analogy, rhythm and media-specific restraints.
3. Use and develop information retrieval and analytical skills, including the ability to interpret, evaluate, synthesise and organise material.
4. Recognise and articulate their aesthetic sensibility in relationship to appropriate models and develop an understanding of their own processes of intellectual inquiry.
5. Anticipate and accommodate requirements that may change when creating an original work. Be able to work productively and negotiate creative contexts that are ambiguous, uncertain and unfamiliar.
6. Engage with written and oral feedback.

How you will learn

Teaching will take place in a collaborative 1-hour seminar environment, led by an experienced writing workshop tutor. Activities will be centred on discussion of previous close reading of participants’ original creative writing, with occasional other reading assigned by the tutor.

How you will be assessed

Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):

You will submit work to your tutor and discuss it with them. This may include them marking up your work editorially, discussing other writing with you (you will be expected to read suggested work), discussing your work with you in line edits or summaries.

Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):

Portfolio (100%) [ILOs 1-6], containing:

Creative writing assessment, 2500-words (or equivalent, in the case of poetry/script) of original creative writing

AND

Formative folder of research, 2500-words, reading notes and/or ancillary material demonstrating that the student’s dissertation project has been developed with an appropriate awareness of relevant contexts to assess learning outcomes

When assessment does not go to plan

When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the format or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are confirmed by the School/Centre shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the year.  

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. ENGLM0074).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.