Module Code - Title:
EH4037
-
INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING
Year Last Offered:
2025/6
Hours Per Week:
Grading Type:
N
Prerequisite Modules:
Rationale and Purpose of the Module:
There is a strong tradition in the Limerick area of creative writing which includes the works of writers such as Kate O'Brien, Frank McCourt, and Kevin Barry. With the creation of the new McCourt Chair in Creative Writing, a general module is needed out of which the first steps towards the creation of undergraduate and graduate creative writing streams might be taken.
Syllabus:
Ireland has a long and well established tradition of excellence in the genre of short story, theatrical, creative non-fiction and poetry writing. This creative writing module draws on that tradition and offers students an opportunity to develop their skills in creative writing in these four genres. Students will benefit from lectures and workshops in which they will learn about the practices of other writers, and from thence explore strategies for effective writing. Students will participate in regular writing activities, working collectively and individually to complete a piece of work in their chosen genre.
Learning Outcomes:
Cognitive (Knowledge, Understanding, Application, Analysis, Evaluation, Synthesis)
Objectives: By the end of this course students should have
A.Read the work of a variety of contemporary authors and developed an understanding of the formal, structural, and thematic concerns surrounding that work.
B.Enhanced their critical and analytical skills through reading and commenting on the writing both of their fellow classmates and of a variety of published authors.
C.Developed their skills as creative writers by writing and revising their own creative work after receiving feedback about that work from their fellow classmates as well as from the lecturer.
D.Improved their ability to analyze critically the work of other writers and to understand more fully their strengths and weaknesses as creators of text.
Affective (Attitudes and Values)
Be confident of the ability to write creatively and to workshop writings in academic situations.
Be fully aware of the linguistic demands and expectations involved in literary composition.
Understand the value of peer-response.
Psychomotor (Physical Skills)
n/a
How the Module will be Taught and what will be the Learning Experiences of the Students:
This course is an introductory level creative writing course which will be run partially as a writing workshop, partially as a discussion-oriented class. Students will be asked to read and discuss the work of numerous authors, they will become familiar with different basic forms of creative writing, and they will be required to write and revise their own work. Students will be encouraged to use critical thinking and reflective writing to come to a deeper understanding both of the published authors we read, of the work of their fellow classmates, and of their own writing.
Research Findings Incorporated in to the Syllabus (If Relevant):
Prime Texts:
Julia Bell and Andrew Motion (2001)
The Creative Writing Coursebook: Forty Authors Share Advice and Exercises for Fiction and Poetry
, Macmillan
Linda Anderson and Derek Neale (2005)
Creative Writing: A Workbook with Readings
, Routledge
Other Relevant Texts:
Pat Boran (2005)
The Portable Creative Writing Workshop
, New Island
Programme(s) in which this Module is Offered:
BALLFIUFA - Languages, Literature and Film
BANMENUFA - New Media and English
BAJOHOUFA - JOINT HONOURS
BAENHIUFA - English and History
BALALIUFA - Languages and Literature
Semester(s) Module is Offered:
Autumn
Module Leader:
Niamh.Hehir@ul.ie