Keele Badge

ENG-40031 - Module Specification
School of Humanities
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

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

ENG-40031 - Life/Writing
Coordinator: Tim Lustig Room: CBB1.049 Tel: +44 1782 7 33011
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 7
Credits: 30
Study Hours: 300
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

The last few years have seen the publication of major autobiographical and biographical works in Britain and the United States, as well as a surge of academic interest in life writing. Life/Writing responds to these new energies in the field, and aims to create a creative environment in which students work together and apart to produce high quality work. The emphasis of the module will be primarily on autobiographical writing, though biographical projects are also welcomed. Students will examine a range of autobiographical and biographical materials during weekly two-hour seminar/workshops. There will be discussion of selected passages drawn from classic works (Augustine, Rousseau, Mill, Gosse) and from more recent works (Sage, Diski, Slater, Hamilton-Paterson and many others). Students will read draft materials and discuss work produced during the semester by their peers.

Aims
- To explore the history of autobiographical and biographical writing
- To explore contemporary practices in autobiographical and biographical writing
- To develop practical and theoretical writing skills
- To develop creative work in collaboration with other practitioners
- To develop creative skills, including drafting and editing

Intended Learning Outcomes

plan work as part of the creative process, developing material and ideas discussed in seminar/workshops: 1,2
reflect creatively and analytically on the nature, history and techniques of autobiographical and biographical writing: 2,3
produce a substantial piece of autobiographical or biographical work to a potentially publishable standard: 2

Study hours

24 hours seminar/workshops.
2 hours individual tutorial.
34 hours preparation for and reflection on seminar/workshops.
200 hours research and preparation of portfolio.
40 hours research and preparation of reflective commentary.

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Creative Brief weighted 0%
A draft of work from the portfolio
Up to 2,000 words of draft material for the portfolio to be presented part way through the semester. Individual consultation with module tutor (up to 2 hours in total) will be given both before and after submission.

2: Portfolio weighted 80%
A portfolio of written work (5,000 words)
Students will present a substantial portfolio of written work consisting of chapters or passages from an autobiographical or biographical work.

3: Commentary weighted 20%
A reflective commentary (1,500 words)
Students will write a reflective commentary on the portfolio in order to demonstrate, for example, evidence of primary and secondary reading, response to seminar/workshops, and a narrative account of the aims and methods used in the portfolio.

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