Entry requirements

General entry requirements + English 6.

Prerequisite courses for this course are: Malmö University courses Creative Writing I (15 credits, passed): EN212E, EN212A, EN203E or EN215A and Creative Writing II (15 credits, passed): EN213A or EN216A or equivalent.

Progression level in relation to degree requirements

The course is not part of any main field of study.

Course contents

Students select one genre (fiction, poetry, or literary non-fiction) as a primary focus and produce a substantial work in that genre. On editorial practice: The student will be required to keep a writing diary, contribute online reflections on the course material, as well as present their mid-term findings at a ‘Work in Progress’ seminar. Participation in a majority of class activities is a requirement for passing the course, and the basis for development of the student’s craft. See ‘Assessment 2’ below. The course also provides an introduction to the business of publishing. The course concludes with the submission of a portfolio containing the student’s work for the term.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course the student:

1. Is able to show intermediate-advanced craft skills in a chosen literary genre; and is conversant in the history and theories related to creative writing in the genre of choice; as well as showing an increased awareness of the place of their own work in the broader conversation of literature and culture.
2. Is able to, via readings, discussions, peer review work and submitted course material, show increased confidence to further experiment in adjacent or hybrid forms of expression.
3. Can exhibit further knowledge of the practices involved in getting literary work published; as a contributor as well as a part of an editorial team.
4. Can revise and compile a professional portfolio of their own work and examine it self-critically. The progress of the student’s portfolio from draft/idea to complete submission over the course of the term forms an important part of the course.

Learning activities

This is a workshop-centered course in the ‘studio’ model. It features:

• Distance learning via an online learning platform
• Online writing workshops
• Formal, written and/or oral peer review before and during workshops
• The opportunity to practice publishing and editorial skills
• Extensive reading as well as set exercises
• Time provided to work on the student’s own material to set deadlines

Assessment

The student is assessed based on:

1. The submission of a project portfolio: Portfolio: 5000 words of prose or literary non-fiction, or up to 200 lines of poetry. This assessment includes draft work and revisions as outlined in learning outcomes 1 and 4. (12 HP)
2. Editorial practice: In order to pass the second assessment ‘Editorial practice’ the student must participate in a majority of class and group activities, including the diary, reflections and Work in Progress seminar outlined in learning outcomes 2 and 3. (3 HP)

The overall grade for the course is made up of the project portfolio grade: 12 HP (learning outcomes 1 and 4) and the Editorial practice grade: 3 HP (learning outcomes 2 and 3).

Course literature

Required texts vary based on the student’s genre of focus.

Fiction

Lamott, Anne. Bird by Bird, ISBN: 9780385480017

Poetry

Clanchy, Kate. How to Grow Your Own Poem, ISBN: 9781529024692

Creative Nonfiction

Gutkind, Lee. The Art of Creative Nonfiction, ISBN: 9780471113560

Reading material for all students

• Granta Magazine 157, ISBN: 1909889377
• Shailja, Patel, Migritude, ISBN: 9781885030054 (language: Eng)
• Hall, Steven, Raw Shark Texts, ISBN 9781838851804 (language: Eng).
• Kaminsky, Ilya (Ed.), In the Shape of a Human Body I Am Visiting the Earth, ISBN: 9781944211073
• One self-selected to echo the own focus. (language: Eng)

Additional material may be introduced in the course, but no more than 100 pages.

Course evaluation

Malmö University provides students who participate in, or who have completed a course, with the opportunity to express their opinions and describe their experiences of the course by completing a course evaluation administered by the University. The University will compile and summarise the results of course evaluations. The University will also inform participants of the results and any decisions relating to measures taken in response to the course evaluations. The results will be made available to the students (HF 1:14).

Interim rules

If a course is no longer offered, or has undergone significant changes, the students must be offered two opportunities for re-examination based on the syllabus that applied at the time of registration, for a period of one year after the changes have been implemented.

Additional information

This is the English version of a Swedish syllabus.

If a student has a Learning support decision, the examiner has the right to provide the student with an adapted test, or to allow the student to take the exam in a different format.