MA — 2025 entry English Literature

This optional module provides students with the opportunity to produce EITHER an English Literature study in an area of their choice (thematic, genre, period or author based, for example), OR a creative writing portfolio and accompanying critical commentary on an area, and in a creative form, of their choice. English Literature option: Students are facilitated in the conducting of independent literary research at postgraduate level. Students identify their area of research and then work with an assigned tutor, who will be an experienced researcher in a relevant field of literary studies, to devise a research question, carry out a small-scale and focused programme of research, and write and submit a 3000-word essay. Through planning and completing their research programme, students will develop skills in time management, researching, and writing. OR  Creative Writing option: Students are facilitated in the devising, writing and reflection upon an extended piece of creative writing exploring ideas, forms, themes, and approaches of their own choosing. This piece could, for example, be a short story, a chapter of a novel or a portfolio of poems. Students will identify their chosen theme, subject and literary form and then work with an assigned tutor, who will be an experienced creative writer with appropriate creative interests and writing experience. This module enables students to explore the subject matter and aspects of creative practice most important to them, while their tutors guide them through the key stages in producing a polished and effective piece of creative writing. The tutor will help them to engage with the specific technical and creative challenges that their chosen piece, as well as encouraging them to reflect on the literary, critical and theoretical contexts in which their work locates itself. Through planning and completing this creative piece, students will develop skills in time management, research, planning and structuring, writing, editing and redrafting, plus critical self-reflection.

Fantasy stories, poems, novels and other forms have been a staple of cultural consumption throughout the 20th and 21st Centuries but have a history as old as storytelling and literature itself. Naturally, we will use the term 'literature' in its widest creative writing sense, which would include visual, performative, virtual and other mediums as well as more traditional on-the-page forms. The term 'fantasy' has many sub-genres, categories and types of writing associated with it, and indeed alongside it, from myth and legend, fairy tales and historical fantasy, to high or epic fantasy, dark fantasy, magical realism and low fantasy to hybrids such as science-fantasy, gothic fantasy, comic fantasy, and fantasy noir. There are many, many more to choose from. There are also plenty of examples of other forms of speculative fiction writing that intersect with or spill over into what we might refer to as 'fantasy' in different ways - Star Wars is a famous example, where, even though its stories are set in a Science Fiction setting, the forms in which these stories are told, and the techniques and tropes used to tell them, arguably make these closer to fantasy stories than traditional Science Fiction. Superhero fiction is another form that we can often readily describe in terms of 'fantasy' tropes. This creative writing module will help give you an introduction to different forms of fantasy writing and will ask the question: what makes fantasy writing 'fantasy'? Also, how can we as writers plan and produce writing that stands out from the crowd of existing fantasy literary production? Following an initial introduction, the module will be spilt into 5 blocks of two weeks each looking in detail at different specific aspects of writing fantasy literature. These blocks may change from year to year to take advantage of our staff expertise in particular areas, and will really allow students to unpack aspects of these areas that are useful to them as writers and creative practitioners. Alongside, and interwoven with, essential stylistic and craft creative writing considerations such as world building, structure, character and voice, dialogue, narrative and plot we might examine writing gender and sexuality in fantasy, writing race and identity in fantasy, transnational and post-colonial writing in a fantasy context, writing historical fantasy fiction/poetry, eco- and sustainability-fantasy writing, comedic fantasy writing, writing monsters and monstrosity, writing the multiverse and more. Note that this module will not focus on young adult (YA) and childrens' literature as we have excellent provision for this elsewhere in the MA programme. In each seminar we will first spend some time discussing the set texts and the techniques and standpoints employed by writers and other artists working in the wider fantasy fields, before moving on to the workshop part of the session where students will produce work in accordance with the task set for that week, within and outside of the classroom. We will read and discuss a selection of pieces within each class. At the end of the semester students will produce either a portfolio of creative writing, alongside a critical commentary reflecting on the creative work produced and using theories, concepts and practices studied on the module OR a critical essay reflecting some aspect of fantasy literature  using theories, concepts and practices studied on the module. Possible submissions for the creative portfolio include prose (short stories, extracts from longer works, flash fiction or other forms of prose writing), poetry, screenwriting, writing for the stage, graphic novels and other visual forms, game writing, interactive fiction and more.This module connects to other contemporary literature modules on the programme where the emphasis is on 20th and 21st Century approaches to creating and examining literatures and our cultural responses to them.As a creative writing module, it also makes up part of the creative writing pathway in the degree, connecting to a wide variety of creative writing modules offered as part of the programme.

Environmental literature is deeply entwined with queer and intersectional perspectives: Place and race, space and class, feminist and LGBTQIA2s+* issues, all meet in the queer, decolonial and intersectional ecologies we will explore in this module. We will learn about the (queer) history of writing about the environment, about the role of protest in literature and about how describing the world around us in texts actually changes the shape of the natural and built environment. Building on skills and knowledge you have acquired in previous modules on literary history and on theoretical approaches, the module aims to expand your knowledge of global ecocritical and queer writing and theory and to enable you to critically analyse contemporary depictions of climate change dystopias, of human and non-human animal relationships, of protest poetry, and of queer environmental fiction. We will discuss novels, poetry, performances, Youtube videos, as well as the odd social media account, and always combine our readings with a specific theoretical concept to help you learn how to put knowledge into practice. Since the module will also give you some insight into research communication, you will have the option of creating a research-based podcast as your final assessment. The module will include a workshop on podcasting, which will teach you new digital skills and enable you to develop an independent project, potentially in cooperation with collaborators outside of the seminar room. You will also contribute to a collaborative digital glossary, taking charge of creating a communal knowledge resource with formative feedback from your lecturer and comments and questions from fellow students.

This module develops the study of nineteenth-century culture in a range of exciting directions to offer students new encounters with this rich period of literary and artistic history. The module revisits well-known works through new and unusual perspectives, as well as introducing students to lesser-known writers of the period. We situate the Victorians in global cultural contexts and explore how they responded to the challenges of their time. Topics including decadence and aesthetics, global connections, sustainability, adaptation and transmedia cultures, and creative partnerships, are informed by the research expertise of the Victoriographies research group who team-teach this module. The module will offer opportunities for students to present their research alongside peers and staff, and offers a choice of assessment formats in English literature and creative writing.

This optional module provides students with the opportunity to produce EITHER an English Literature study in an area of their choice (thematic, genre, period or author based, for example), OR a creative writing portfolio and accompanying critical commentary on an area, and in a creative form, of their choice. The module thus gives students considerable flexibility and optionality, in that they may explore here any topic they are interested in which is not elsewhere covered on the programme; this module is also one means by which students may adapt a ‘generalist’ MA curriculum into a more focused, specialist curriculum in which a preferred core topic is studied across multiple modules. English Literature option: Students conduct (under supervisory guidance)  independent literary research at postgraduate level. Students identify their preferred area of research and then work with an assigned tutor, who will be an experienced researcher in a relevant field of literary studies, to devise a research question, carry out a small-scale and focused programme of research, and write and submit a 3000-word essay. Through planning and completing their research programme, students will develop not only greater knowledge of their chosen topic but also skills in time management, researching, and writing. OR Creative Writing option: Students devise, write and reflect upon an extended piece of creative writing exploring ideas, forms, themes, and approaches of their own choosing. This piece could, for example, be a short story, a chapter of a novel or a portfolio of poems. Students will identify their chosen theme, subject and literary form and then work with an assigned tutor, who will be an experienced creative writer with appropriate creative interests and writing experience. This module enables students to explore the subject matter and aspects of creative practice most important to them, while their tutors guide them through the key stages in producing a polished and effective piece of creative writing. The tutor will help them to engage with the specific technical and creative challenges that their chosen piece, as well as encouraging them to reflect on the literary, critical and theoretical contexts in which their work locates itself. Through planning and completing this creative piece, students will develop skills in time management, research, planning and structuring, writing, editing and redrafting, plus critical self-reflection.

This module introduces students to the key critical considerations and creative and technical decisions faced by translators of works in the cultural/creative industries, such as the film, theatre, creative or publishing industries. By focusing on the repertoires and creative decisions that such translation entails, the definition of  ‘translation’ will be examined rather broadly, namely, both as a form of interlingual transfer and as a creative platform for (re)writing texts. Examples are offered from the areas of advertising, cultural heritage, tourism, performance (drama translation) and entertainment/art (children’s literature, comic books, films). The module is suitable for students with different language backgrounds and it offers a creative practical component as well as insights into how the creative industries work.

Gaming has existed as a mode of play and expression since the earliest times of human existence. In the latter part of the 20th and into the first two decades of the 21st Century (the period we will focus on with this module), there has been a vast expansion of the forms, modes and technologies employed in gaming and game play. Out of wargaming and board gaming practices (and often the interfaces of these) in the post-World War II era, increasingly complex and sophisticated character and narrative focussed Role-Playing Games (RPGs) developed as well as other narrative forms that connect gaming with interactive textuality, such as gamebooks, Collectable Card Games, online interactive fiction, video games and multi-player online gaming platforms. There has been, in the early 21st century, additionally, a large increase in the number of board games being produced and played, while wargaming also remains an active and vibrant aspect of gaming culture. An aspect of gaming that has sometimes fallen short, in 'quality' terms, though, is the writing that underpins both the rules systems and the 'story' component of games (background, character, description. narrative, dialogue, terminology, etc.) This is perhaps unsurprising as games have been primarily written by gamers rather than professional writers; many of these, of course, go on to develop their writing skills and become accomplished writers in their own right. More and more, though, creative writers are specifically incorporated into the game design and realisation processes (for both analogue and virtual gaming environments) to improve the quality of the gaming experience. In this module students will receive an overview of the gaming field and examine aspects of this that specifically pertain to writing for games. What approaches work well for games and gaming modes? How are these different from writing for and in other forms and media? What writing skills are particularly useful? Do we have the freedom to write outside of limiting industry constraints and models? What are the new forms of writing practice that are emerging in relation to games and gaming? We will also be interested in analysing games and gaming critically as cultural objects, and situating them within the broader context of contemporary cultural and literary theory.   This is not a module that will teach students how to code and/or produce and design video games (or, indeed commercial analogue games). We will touch on aspects of game design, game production, gaming studies, critical digital studies, etc., but the focus for this module will be on writing creatively for games: writing gaming. Expert guest speakers from the gaming and independent gaming industries will be included in the teaching provision for this module. If students have specific coding, visual art or musical/sound art skills that they would like to bring to their exercises and assignments, they can certainly draw on these skills, but if they don't, that is completely fine - none of these are required for this module.   In each seminar we will first spend some time discussing the set texts and the techniques and standpoints employed by writers and other artists, before moving on to the workshop part of the session where students will produce work in accordance with the task set for that week, within and outside of the classroom. We will read and discuss a selection of pieces at the end of each class. This process will help students grow in confidence, both in presentational terms and in terms of delivering and receiving feedback on their work, in a safe and supportive setting. In addition, each week there will be a scheduled 2-hour gaming session where students will gather to explore individual and collaborative gaming in practice. Different approaches to gaming will be proposed each week, or students can opt to work during this time on longer gaming experiences and projects. At the end of the semester students will produce a creative portfolio of gaming writing, alongside a critical commentary reflecting on the creative work produced and using theories, concepts and practices studied on the module, OR an academic critical essay examining some aspect of writing for games OR a Game Demo alongside a critical commentary reflecting on the demo produced and using theories, concepts and practices studied on the module. Possible submissions for the creative portfolio include online interactive fiction (e.g. Twine, Squiffy), a gamebook text, a tabletop game text (board game, card game, wargame, Role-Playing Game), a game demo, a game setting, a game system, Game Design Documentation (GDD) for a proposed game, a 'creative essay', gaming portfolio as creative essay, a zine, a website for a game, etc. This module connects to other contemporary literature modules on the programme where the emphasis is on 20th and 21st Century approaches to creating and examining literatures and our cultural responses to them. As a hybrid creative writing and English literature module, it also makes up part of the creative writing pathway in the degree, connecting to a wide variety of creative writing modules offered as part of the programme.

This module explores the centrality of texts written by and for medieval women to both the history of medieval literature and to women’s literary history. You will be introduced to a range of works written for and about women in England between the 11th and 15th centuries and will examine in detail the major female authors writing from the 12th to the 15th centuries, such as the courtly writer Marie de France, the English woman mystic Julian of Norwich, and the visionary Margery Kempe. Texts will be read either in Middle English or in modernized versions, or (in the case of texts written in the French of the English, in translation). The module will explore a range of literary forms and genres, including saints’ lives, romance and lais, mystical and visionary writing and women’s letters. You will be asked to critically analyse and/or engage creatively with the texts, paying attention to your linguistic, literary, religious and socio-historical contexts and focusing on issues such as antifeminism, social hierarchies, literacy, multingualism and multi-culturalism, and gender and sexuality. The module provides you with a working knowledge of tools on used by researchers and writers examining and engaging with historically remote literatures and cultures, connecting with modules of contemporary literary studies, research and writing skills, and medieval and early modern literature. These tools include not only the ability to analyse and critically evaluate texts and ideas, but also to understand them within their wider historical, geographical and social contexts, as well as practical tools of reading and translating Middle English texts.

The module offers students the opportunity to learn the processes for writing a compelling script for film and television. Through analysing film, reading extracts from screenplays, engaging with theoretical concepts, and participating in class discussions and workshops students will be offered a comprehensive overview of the screenwriting process. The module builds upon the knowledge and skills from students’ BA studies in terms of reading, writing critically and/or creatively, and watching and analysing film. It develops critical and creative skills for subsequent MA modules including the dissertation and aligns with other critical and creative modes in other modules through encouraging the development of genre knowledge and specific narrative-arc writing skills The two-hour workshops address the needs of in-depth writing and analysis at MA level. The extended writing for assessment is appropriate for MA level. At the end of the semester students will produce a professionally formatted script for short film or a pilot episode, alongside a commentary reflecting upon their creative work OR a critical essay that focusses films/ TV series of their own choice using theories, concepts and practices studied on the module.

This module introduces students firstly to the long tradition of travel writing in British (and Western) culture; secondly, to the key critical, theoretical and political debates associated with this influential genre. The first segment of the module provides a historical overview of key stages of the genre’s evolution from medieval times to modernity; the bulk of the module then explores a broad range of more recent travel writing, from the 1970s to the present day. Issues to be addressed include: the relationship between fact and fiction in travel writing, and the genre’s epistemological status; the genre’s function as a form of memoir and a medium for self-fashioning; the strategies of ‘othering’ deployed in the genre, and the ethical and geopolitical implications of these strategies; the environmentalist affordances and challenges of the genre; how considerations of gender, race and sexuality may differently inflect the genre. In keeping with the last aim, the texts for consideration will be drawn from a variety of authors/perspectives, thereby demonstrating the highly varied, international dimensions of the modern travel genre.

This optional module provides students with the opportunity to produce EITHER an English Literature study in an area of their choice (thematic, genre, period or author based, for example), OR a creative writing portfolio and accompanying critical commentary on an area, and in a creative form, of their choice. English Literature option: Students are facilitated in the conducting of independent literary research at postgraduate level. Students identify their area of research and then work with an assigned tutor, who will be an experienced researcher in a relevant field of literary studies, to devise a research question, carry out a small-scale and focused programme of research, and write and submit a 3000-word essay. Through planning and completing their research programme, students will develop skills in time management, researching, and writing. OR  Creative Writing option: Students are facilitated in the devising, writing and reflection upon an extended piece of creative writing exploring ideas, forms, themes, and approaches of their own choosing. This piece could, for example, be a short story, a chapter of a novel or a portfolio of poems. Students will identify their chosen theme, subject and literary form and then work with an assigned tutor, who will be an experienced creative writer with appropriate creative interests and writing experience. This module enables students to explore the subject matter and aspects of creative practice most important to them, while their tutors guide them through the key stages in producing a polished and effective piece of creative writing. The tutor will help them to engage with the specific technical and creative challenges that their chosen piece, as well as encouraging them to reflect on the literary, critical and theoretical contexts in which their work locates itself. Through planning and completing this creative piece, students will develop skills in time management, research, planning and structuring, writing, editing and redrafting, plus critical self-reflection.

Fantasy stories, poems, novels and other forms have been a staple of cultural consumption throughout the 20th and 21st Centuries but have a history as old as storytelling and literature itself. Naturally, we will use the term 'literature' in its widest creative writing sense, which would include visual, performative, virtual and other mediums as well as more traditional on-the-page forms. The term 'fantasy' has many sub-genres, categories and types of writing associated with it, and indeed alongside it, from myth and legend, fairy tales and historical fantasy, to high or epic fantasy, dark fantasy, magical realism and low fantasy to hybrids such as science-fantasy, gothic fantasy, comic fantasy, and fantasy noir. There are many, many more to choose from. There are also plenty of examples of other forms of speculative fiction writing that intersect with or spill over into what we might refer to as 'fantasy' in different ways - Star Wars is a famous example, where, even though its stories are set in a Science Fiction setting, the forms in which these stories are told, and the techniques and tropes used to tell them, arguably make these closer to fantasy stories than traditional Science Fiction. Superhero fiction is another form that we can often readily describe in terms of 'fantasy' tropes. This creative writing module will help give you an introduction to different forms of fantasy writing and will ask the question: what makes fantasy writing 'fantasy'? Also, how can we as writers plan and produce writing that stands out from the crowd of existing fantasy literary production? Following an initial introduction, the module will be spilt into 5 blocks of two weeks each looking in detail at different specific aspects of writing fantasy literature. These blocks may change from year to year to take advantage of our staff expertise in particular areas, and will really allow students to unpack aspects of these areas that are useful to them as writers and creative practitioners. Alongside, and interwoven with, essential stylistic and craft creative writing considerations such as world building, structure, character and voice, dialogue, narrative and plot we might examine writing gender and sexuality in fantasy, writing race and identity in fantasy, transnational and post-colonial writing in a fantasy context, writing historical fantasy fiction/poetry, eco- and sustainability-fantasy writing, comedic fantasy writing, writing monsters and monstrosity, writing the multiverse and more. Note that this module will not focus on young adult (YA) and childrens' literature as we have excellent provision for this elsewhere in the MA programme. In each seminar we will first spend some time discussing the set texts and the techniques and standpoints employed by writers and other artists working in the wider fantasy fields, before moving on to the workshop part of the session where students will produce work in accordance with the task set for that week, within and outside of the classroom. We will read and discuss a selection of pieces within each class. At the end of the semester students will produce either a portfolio of creative writing, alongside a critical commentary reflecting on the creative work produced and using theories, concepts and practices studied on the module OR a critical essay reflecting some aspect of fantasy literature  using theories, concepts and practices studied on the module. Possible submissions for the creative portfolio include prose (short stories, extracts from longer works, flash fiction or other forms of prose writing), poetry, screenwriting, writing for the stage, graphic novels and other visual forms, game writing, interactive fiction and more.This module connects to other contemporary literature modules on the programme where the emphasis is on 20th and 21st Century approaches to creating and examining literatures and our cultural responses to them.As a creative writing module, it also makes up part of the creative writing pathway in the degree, connecting to a wide variety of creative writing modules offered as part of the programme.

Environmental literature is deeply entwined with queer and intersectional perspectives: Place and race, space and class, feminist and LGBTQIA2s+* issues, all meet in the queer, decolonial and intersectional ecologies we will explore in this module. We will learn about the (queer) history of writing about the environment, about the role of protest in literature and about how describing the world around us in texts actually changes the shape of the natural and built environment. Building on skills and knowledge you have acquired in previous modules on literary history and on theoretical approaches, the module aims to expand your knowledge of global ecocritical and queer writing and theory and to enable you to critically analyse contemporary depictions of climate change dystopias, of human and non-human animal relationships, of protest poetry, and of queer environmental fiction. We will discuss novels, poetry, performances, Youtube videos, as well as the odd social media account, and always combine our readings with a specific theoretical concept to help you learn how to put knowledge into practice. Since the module will also give you some insight into research communication, you will have the option of creating a research-based podcast as your final assessment. The module will include a workshop on podcasting, which will teach you new digital skills and enable you to develop an independent project, potentially in cooperation with collaborators outside of the seminar room. You will also contribute to a collaborative digital glossary, taking charge of creating a communal knowledge resource with formative feedback from your lecturer and comments and questions from fellow students.

This module develops the study of nineteenth-century culture in a range of exciting directions to offer students new encounters with this rich period of literary and artistic history. The module revisits well-known works through new and unusual perspectives, as well as introducing students to lesser-known writers of the period. We situate the Victorians in global cultural contexts and explore how they responded to the challenges of their time. Topics including decadence and aesthetics, global connections, sustainability, adaptation and transmedia cultures, and creative partnerships, are informed by the research expertise of the Victoriographies research group who team-teach this module. The module will offer opportunities for students to present their research alongside peers and staff, and offers a choice of assessment formats in English literature and creative writing.

This optional module provides students with the opportunity to produce EITHER an English Literature study in an area of their choice (thematic, genre, period or author based, for example), OR a creative writing portfolio and accompanying critical commentary on an area, and in a creative form, of their choice. The module thus gives students considerable flexibility and optionality, in that they may explore here any topic they are interested in which is not elsewhere covered on the programme; this module is also one means by which students may adapt a ‘generalist’ MA curriculum into a more focused, specialist curriculum in which a preferred core topic is studied across multiple modules. English Literature option: Students conduct (under supervisory guidance)  independent literary research at postgraduate level. Students identify their preferred area of research and then work with an assigned tutor, who will be an experienced researcher in a relevant field of literary studies, to devise a research question, carry out a small-scale and focused programme of research, and write and submit a 3000-word essay. Through planning and completing their research programme, students will develop not only greater knowledge of their chosen topic but also skills in time management, researching, and writing. OR Creative Writing option: Students devise, write and reflect upon an extended piece of creative writing exploring ideas, forms, themes, and approaches of their own choosing. This piece could, for example, be a short story, a chapter of a novel or a portfolio of poems. Students will identify their chosen theme, subject and literary form and then work with an assigned tutor, who will be an experienced creative writer with appropriate creative interests and writing experience. This module enables students to explore the subject matter and aspects of creative practice most important to them, while their tutors guide them through the key stages in producing a polished and effective piece of creative writing. The tutor will help them to engage with the specific technical and creative challenges that their chosen piece, as well as encouraging them to reflect on the literary, critical and theoretical contexts in which their work locates itself. Through planning and completing this creative piece, students will develop skills in time management, research, planning and structuring, writing, editing and redrafting, plus critical self-reflection.

This module introduces students to the key critical considerations and creative and technical decisions faced by translators of works in the cultural/creative industries, such as the film, theatre, creative or publishing industries. By focusing on the repertoires and creative decisions that such translation entails, the definition of  ‘translation’ will be examined rather broadly, namely, both as a form of interlingual transfer and as a creative platform for (re)writing texts. Examples are offered from the areas of advertising, cultural heritage, tourism, performance (drama translation) and entertainment/art (children’s literature, comic books, films). The module is suitable for students with different language backgrounds and it offers a creative practical component as well as insights into how the creative industries work.

Gaming has existed as a mode of play and expression since the earliest times of human existence. In the latter part of the 20th and into the first two decades of the 21st Century (the period we will focus on with this module), there has been a vast expansion of the forms, modes and technologies employed in gaming and game play. Out of wargaming and board gaming practices (and often the interfaces of these) in the post-World War II era, increasingly complex and sophisticated character and narrative focussed Role-Playing Games (RPGs) developed as well as other narrative forms that connect gaming with interactive textuality, such as gamebooks, Collectable Card Games, online interactive fiction, video games and multi-player online gaming platforms. There has been, in the early 21st century, additionally, a large increase in the number of board games being produced and played, while wargaming also remains an active and vibrant aspect of gaming culture. An aspect of gaming that has sometimes fallen short, in 'quality' terms, though, is the writing that underpins both the rules systems and the 'story' component of games (background, character, description. narrative, dialogue, terminology, etc.) This is perhaps unsurprising as games have been primarily written by gamers rather than professional writers; many of these, of course, go on to develop their writing skills and become accomplished writers in their own right. More and more, though, creative writers are specifically incorporated into the game design and realisation processes (for both analogue and virtual gaming environments) to improve the quality of the gaming experience. In this module students will receive an overview of the gaming field and examine aspects of this that specifically pertain to writing for games. What approaches work well for games and gaming modes? How are these different from writing for and in other forms and media? What writing skills are particularly useful? Do we have the freedom to write outside of limiting industry constraints and models? What are the new forms of writing practice that are emerging in relation to games and gaming? We will also be interested in analysing games and gaming critically as cultural objects, and situating them within the broader context of contemporary cultural and literary theory.   This is not a module that will teach students how to code and/or produce and design video games (or, indeed commercial analogue games). We will touch on aspects of game design, game production, gaming studies, critical digital studies, etc., but the focus for this module will be on writing creatively for games: writing gaming. Expert guest speakers from the gaming and independent gaming industries will be included in the teaching provision for this module. If students have specific coding, visual art or musical/sound art skills that they would like to bring to their exercises and assignments, they can certainly draw on these skills, but if they don't, that is completely fine - none of these are required for this module.   In each seminar we will first spend some time discussing the set texts and the techniques and standpoints employed by writers and other artists, before moving on to the workshop part of the session where students will produce work in accordance with the task set for that week, within and outside of the classroom. We will read and discuss a selection of pieces at the end of each class. This process will help students grow in confidence, both in presentational terms and in terms of delivering and receiving feedback on their work, in a safe and supportive setting. In addition, each week there will be a scheduled 2-hour gaming session where students will gather to explore individual and collaborative gaming in practice. Different approaches to gaming will be proposed each week, or students can opt to work during this time on longer gaming experiences and projects. At the end of the semester students will produce a creative portfolio of gaming writing, alongside a critical commentary reflecting on the creative work produced and using theories, concepts and practices studied on the module, OR an academic critical essay examining some aspect of writing for games OR a Game Demo alongside a critical commentary reflecting on the demo produced and using theories, concepts and practices studied on the module. Possible submissions for the creative portfolio include online interactive fiction (e.g. Twine, Squiffy), a gamebook text, a tabletop game text (board game, card game, wargame, Role-Playing Game), a game demo, a game setting, a game system, Game Design Documentation (GDD) for a proposed game, a 'creative essay', gaming portfolio as creative essay, a zine, a website for a game, etc. This module connects to other contemporary literature modules on the programme where the emphasis is on 20th and 21st Century approaches to creating and examining literatures and our cultural responses to them. As a hybrid creative writing and English literature module, it also makes up part of the creative writing pathway in the degree, connecting to a wide variety of creative writing modules offered as part of the programme.

This module explores the centrality of texts written by and for medieval women to both the history of medieval literature and to women’s literary history. You will be introduced to a range of works written for and about women in England between the 11th and 15th centuries and will examine in detail the major female authors writing from the 12th to the 15th centuries, such as the courtly writer Marie de France, the English woman mystic Julian of Norwich, and the visionary Margery Kempe. Texts will be read either in Middle English or in modernized versions, or (in the case of texts written in the French of the English, in translation). The module will explore a range of literary forms and genres, including saints’ lives, romance and lais, mystical and visionary writing and women’s letters. You will be asked to critically analyse and/or engage creatively with the texts, paying attention to your linguistic, literary, religious and socio-historical contexts and focusing on issues such as antifeminism, social hierarchies, literacy, multingualism and multi-culturalism, and gender and sexuality. The module provides you with a working knowledge of tools on used by researchers and writers examining and engaging with historically remote literatures and cultures, connecting with modules of contemporary literary studies, research and writing skills, and medieval and early modern literature. These tools include not only the ability to analyse and critically evaluate texts and ideas, but also to understand them within their wider historical, geographical and social contexts, as well as practical tools of reading and translating Middle English texts.

The module offers students the opportunity to learn the processes for writing a compelling script for film and television. Through analysing film, reading extracts from screenplays, engaging with theoretical concepts, and participating in class discussions and workshops students will be offered a comprehensive overview of the screenwriting process. The module builds upon the knowledge and skills from students’ BA studies in terms of reading, writing critically and/or creatively, and watching and analysing film. It develops critical and creative skills for subsequent MA modules including the dissertation and aligns with other critical and creative modes in other modules through encouraging the development of genre knowledge and specific narrative-arc writing skills The two-hour workshops address the needs of in-depth writing and analysis at MA level. The extended writing for assessment is appropriate for MA level. At the end of the semester students will produce a professionally formatted script for short film or a pilot episode, alongside a commentary reflecting upon their creative work OR a critical essay that focusses films/ TV series of their own choice using theories, concepts and practices studied on the module.

This module introduces students firstly to the long tradition of travel writing in British (and Western) culture; secondly, to the key critical, theoretical and political debates associated with this influential genre. The first segment of the module provides a historical overview of key stages of the genre’s evolution from medieval times to modernity; the bulk of the module then explores a broad range of more recent travel writing, from the 1970s to the present day. Issues to be addressed include: the relationship between fact and fiction in travel writing, and the genre’s epistemological status; the genre’s function as a form of memoir and a medium for self-fashioning; the strategies of ‘othering’ deployed in the genre, and the ethical and geopolitical implications of these strategies; the environmentalist affordances and challenges of the genre; how considerations of gender, race and sexuality may differently inflect the genre. In keeping with the last aim, the texts for consideration will be drawn from a variety of authors/perspectives, thereby demonstrating the highly varied, international dimensions of the modern travel genre.

This optional module provides students with the opportunity to produce EITHER an English Literature study in an area of their choice (thematic, genre, period or author based, for example), OR a creative writing portfolio and accompanying critical commentary on an area, and in a creative form, of their choice. English Literature option: Students are facilitated in the conducting of independent literary research at postgraduate level. Students identify their area of research and then work with an assigned tutor, who will be an experienced researcher in a relevant field of literary studies, to devise a research question, carry out a small-scale and focused programme of research, and write and submit a 3000-word essay. Through planning and completing their research programme, students will develop skills in time management, researching, and writing. OR  Creative Writing option: Students are facilitated in the devising, writing and reflection upon an extended piece of creative writing exploring ideas, forms, themes, and approaches of their own choosing. This piece could, for example, be a short story, a chapter of a novel or a portfolio of poems. Students will identify their chosen theme, subject and literary form and then work with an assigned tutor, who will be an experienced creative writer with appropriate creative interests and writing experience. This module enables students to explore the subject matter and aspects of creative practice most important to them, while their tutors guide them through the key stages in producing a polished and effective piece of creative writing. The tutor will help them to engage with the specific technical and creative challenges that their chosen piece, as well as encouraging them to reflect on the literary, critical and theoretical contexts in which their work locates itself. Through planning and completing this creative piece, students will develop skills in time management, research, planning and structuring, writing, editing and redrafting, plus critical self-reflection.

Fantasy stories, poems, novels and other forms have been a staple of cultural consumption throughout the 20th and 21st Centuries but have a history as old as storytelling and literature itself. Naturally, we will use the term 'literature' in its widest creative writing sense, which would include visual, performative, virtual and other mediums as well as more traditional on-the-page forms. The term 'fantasy' has many sub-genres, categories and types of writing associated with it, and indeed alongside it, from myth and legend, fairy tales and historical fantasy, to high or epic fantasy, dark fantasy, magical realism and low fantasy to hybrids such as science-fantasy, gothic fantasy, comic fantasy, and fantasy noir. There are many, many more to choose from. There are also plenty of examples of other forms of speculative fiction writing that intersect with or spill over into what we might refer to as 'fantasy' in different ways - Star Wars is a famous example, where, even though its stories are set in a Science Fiction setting, the forms in which these stories are told, and the techniques and tropes used to tell them, arguably make these closer to fantasy stories than traditional Science Fiction. Superhero fiction is another form that we can often readily describe in terms of 'fantasy' tropes. This creative writing module will help give you an introduction to different forms of fantasy writing and will ask the question: what makes fantasy writing 'fantasy'? Also, how can we as writers plan and produce writing that stands out from the crowd of existing fantasy literary production? Following an initial introduction, the module will be spilt into 5 blocks of two weeks each looking in detail at different specific aspects of writing fantasy literature. These blocks may change from year to year to take advantage of our staff expertise in particular areas, and will really allow students to unpack aspects of these areas that are useful to them as writers and creative practitioners. Alongside, and interwoven with, essential stylistic and craft creative writing considerations such as world building, structure, character and voice, dialogue, narrative and plot we might examine writing gender and sexuality in fantasy, writing race and identity in fantasy, transnational and post-colonial writing in a fantasy context, writing historical fantasy fiction/poetry, eco- and sustainability-fantasy writing, comedic fantasy writing, writing monsters and monstrosity, writing the multiverse and more. Note that this module will not focus on young adult (YA) and childrens' literature as we have excellent provision for this elsewhere in the MA programme. In each seminar we will first spend some time discussing the set texts and the techniques and standpoints employed by writers and other artists working in the wider fantasy fields, before moving on to the workshop part of the session where students will produce work in accordance with the task set for that week, within and outside of the classroom. We will read and discuss a selection of pieces within each class. At the end of the semester students will produce either a portfolio of creative writing, alongside a critical commentary reflecting on the creative work produced and using theories, concepts and practices studied on the module OR a critical essay reflecting some aspect of fantasy literature  using theories, concepts and practices studied on the module. Possible submissions for the creative portfolio include prose (short stories, extracts from longer works, flash fiction or other forms of prose writing), poetry, screenwriting, writing for the stage, graphic novels and other visual forms, game writing, interactive fiction and more.This module connects to other contemporary literature modules on the programme where the emphasis is on 20th and 21st Century approaches to creating and examining literatures and our cultural responses to them.As a creative writing module, it also makes up part of the creative writing pathway in the degree, connecting to a wide variety of creative writing modules offered as part of the programme.

Environmental literature is deeply entwined with queer and intersectional perspectives: Place and race, space and class, feminist and LGBTQIA2s+* issues, all meet in the queer, decolonial and intersectional ecologies we will explore in this module. We will learn about the (queer) history of writing about the environment, about the role of protest in literature and about how describing the world around us in texts actually changes the shape of the natural and built environment. Building on skills and knowledge you have acquired in previous modules on literary history and on theoretical approaches, the module aims to expand your knowledge of global ecocritical and queer writing and theory and to enable you to critically analyse contemporary depictions of climate change dystopias, of human and non-human animal relationships, of protest poetry, and of queer environmental fiction. We will discuss novels, poetry, performances, Youtube videos, as well as the odd social media account, and always combine our readings with a specific theoretical concept to help you learn how to put knowledge into practice. Since the module will also give you some insight into research communication, you will have the option of creating a research-based podcast as your final assessment. The module will include a workshop on podcasting, which will teach you new digital skills and enable you to develop an independent project, potentially in cooperation with collaborators outside of the seminar room. You will also contribute to a collaborative digital glossary, taking charge of creating a communal knowledge resource with formative feedback from your lecturer and comments and questions from fellow students.

This module develops the study of nineteenth-century culture in a range of exciting directions to offer students new encounters with this rich period of literary and artistic history. The module revisits well-known works through new and unusual perspectives, as well as introducing students to lesser-known writers of the period. We situate the Victorians in global cultural contexts and explore how they responded to the challenges of their time. Topics including decadence and aesthetics, global connections, sustainability, adaptation and transmedia cultures, and creative partnerships, are informed by the research expertise of the Victoriographies research group who team-teach this module. The module will offer opportunities for students to present their research alongside peers and staff, and offers a choice of assessment formats in English literature and creative writing.

This optional module provides students with the opportunity to produce EITHER an English Literature study in an area of their choice (thematic, genre, period or author based, for example), OR a creative writing portfolio and accompanying critical commentary on an area, and in a creative form, of their choice. The module thus gives students considerable flexibility and optionality, in that they may explore here any topic they are interested in which is not elsewhere covered on the programme; this module is also one means by which students may adapt a ‘generalist’ MA curriculum into a more focused, specialist curriculum in which a preferred core topic is studied across multiple modules. English Literature option: Students conduct (under supervisory guidance)  independent literary research at postgraduate level. Students identify their preferred area of research and then work with an assigned tutor, who will be an experienced researcher in a relevant field of literary studies, to devise a research question, carry out a small-scale and focused programme of research, and write and submit a 3000-word essay. Through planning and completing their research programme, students will develop not only greater knowledge of their chosen topic but also skills in time management, researching, and writing. OR Creative Writing option: Students devise, write and reflect upon an extended piece of creative writing exploring ideas, forms, themes, and approaches of their own choosing. This piece could, for example, be a short story, a chapter of a novel or a portfolio of poems. Students will identify their chosen theme, subject and literary form and then work with an assigned tutor, who will be an experienced creative writer with appropriate creative interests and writing experience. This module enables students to explore the subject matter and aspects of creative practice most important to them, while their tutors guide them through the key stages in producing a polished and effective piece of creative writing. The tutor will help them to engage with the specific technical and creative challenges that their chosen piece, as well as encouraging them to reflect on the literary, critical and theoretical contexts in which their work locates itself. Through planning and completing this creative piece, students will develop skills in time management, research, planning and structuring, writing, editing and redrafting, plus critical self-reflection.

This module introduces students to the key critical considerations and creative and technical decisions faced by translators of works in the cultural/creative industries, such as the film, theatre, creative or publishing industries. By focusing on the repertoires and creative decisions that such translation entails, the definition of  ‘translation’ will be examined rather broadly, namely, both as a form of interlingual transfer and as a creative platform for (re)writing texts. Examples are offered from the areas of advertising, cultural heritage, tourism, performance (drama translation) and entertainment/art (children’s literature, comic books, films). The module is suitable for students with different language backgrounds and it offers a creative practical component as well as insights into how the creative industries work.

Gaming has existed as a mode of play and expression since the earliest times of human existence. In the latter part of the 20th and into the first two decades of the 21st Century (the period we will focus on with this module), there has been a vast expansion of the forms, modes and technologies employed in gaming and game play. Out of wargaming and board gaming practices (and often the interfaces of these) in the post-World War II era, increasingly complex and sophisticated character and narrative focussed Role-Playing Games (RPGs) developed as well as other narrative forms that connect gaming with interactive textuality, such as gamebooks, Collectable Card Games, online interactive fiction, video games and multi-player online gaming platforms. There has been, in the early 21st century, additionally, a large increase in the number of board games being produced and played, while wargaming also remains an active and vibrant aspect of gaming culture. An aspect of gaming that has sometimes fallen short, in 'quality' terms, though, is the writing that underpins both the rules systems and the 'story' component of games (background, character, description. narrative, dialogue, terminology, etc.) This is perhaps unsurprising as games have been primarily written by gamers rather than professional writers; many of these, of course, go on to develop their writing skills and become accomplished writers in their own right. More and more, though, creative writers are specifically incorporated into the game design and realisation processes (for both analogue and virtual gaming environments) to improve the quality of the gaming experience. In this module students will receive an overview of the gaming field and examine aspects of this that specifically pertain to writing for games. What approaches work well for games and gaming modes? How are these different from writing for and in other forms and media? What writing skills are particularly useful? Do we have the freedom to write outside of limiting industry constraints and models? What are the new forms of writing practice that are emerging in relation to games and gaming? We will also be interested in analysing games and gaming critically as cultural objects, and situating them within the broader context of contemporary cultural and literary theory.   This is not a module that will teach students how to code and/or produce and design video games (or, indeed commercial analogue games). We will touch on aspects of game design, game production, gaming studies, critical digital studies, etc., but the focus for this module will be on writing creatively for games: writing gaming. Expert guest speakers from the gaming and independent gaming industries will be included in the teaching provision for this module. If students have specific coding, visual art or musical/sound art skills that they would like to bring to their exercises and assignments, they can certainly draw on these skills, but if they don't, that is completely fine - none of these are required for this module.   In each seminar we will first spend some time discussing the set texts and the techniques and standpoints employed by writers and other artists, before moving on to the workshop part of the session where students will produce work in accordance with the task set for that week, within and outside of the classroom. We will read and discuss a selection of pieces at the end of each class. This process will help students grow in confidence, both in presentational terms and in terms of delivering and receiving feedback on their work, in a safe and supportive setting. In addition, each week there will be a scheduled 2-hour gaming session where students will gather to explore individual and collaborative gaming in practice. Different approaches to gaming will be proposed each week, or students can opt to work during this time on longer gaming experiences and projects. At the end of the semester students will produce a creative portfolio of gaming writing, alongside a critical commentary reflecting on the creative work produced and using theories, concepts and practices studied on the module, OR an academic critical essay examining some aspect of writing for games OR a Game Demo alongside a critical commentary reflecting on the demo produced and using theories, concepts and practices studied on the module. Possible submissions for the creative portfolio include online interactive fiction (e.g. Twine, Squiffy), a gamebook text, a tabletop game text (board game, card game, wargame, Role-Playing Game), a game demo, a game setting, a game system, Game Design Documentation (GDD) for a proposed game, a 'creative essay', gaming portfolio as creative essay, a zine, a website for a game, etc. This module connects to other contemporary literature modules on the programme where the emphasis is on 20th and 21st Century approaches to creating and examining literatures and our cultural responses to them. As a hybrid creative writing and English literature module, it also makes up part of the creative writing pathway in the degree, connecting to a wide variety of creative writing modules offered as part of the programme.

This module explores the centrality of texts written by and for medieval women to both the history of medieval literature and to women’s literary history. You will be introduced to a range of works written for and about women in England between the 11th and 15th centuries and will examine in detail the major female authors writing from the 12th to the 15th centuries, such as the courtly writer Marie de France, the English woman mystic Julian of Norwich, and the visionary Margery Kempe. Texts will be read either in Middle English or in modernized versions, or (in the case of texts written in the French of the English, in translation). The module will explore a range of literary forms and genres, including saints’ lives, romance and lais, mystical and visionary writing and women’s letters. You will be asked to critically analyse and/or engage creatively with the texts, paying attention to your linguistic, literary, religious and socio-historical contexts and focusing on issues such as antifeminism, social hierarchies, literacy, multingualism and multi-culturalism, and gender and sexuality. The module provides you with a working knowledge of tools on used by researchers and writers examining and engaging with historically remote literatures and cultures, connecting with modules of contemporary literary studies, research and writing skills, and medieval and early modern literature. These tools include not only the ability to analyse and critically evaluate texts and ideas, but also to understand them within their wider historical, geographical and social contexts, as well as practical tools of reading and translating Middle English texts.

The module offers students the opportunity to learn the processes for writing a compelling script for film and television. Through analysing film, reading extracts from screenplays, engaging with theoretical concepts, and participating in class discussions and workshops students will be offered a comprehensive overview of the screenwriting process. The module builds upon the knowledge and skills from students’ BA studies in terms of reading, writing critically and/or creatively, and watching and analysing film. It develops critical and creative skills for subsequent MA modules including the dissertation and aligns with other critical and creative modes in other modules through encouraging the development of genre knowledge and specific narrative-arc writing skills The two-hour workshops address the needs of in-depth writing and analysis at MA level. The extended writing for assessment is appropriate for MA level. At the end of the semester students will produce a professionally formatted script for short film or a pilot episode, alongside a commentary reflecting upon their creative work OR a critical essay that focusses films/ TV series of their own choice using theories, concepts and practices studied on the module.

This module introduces students firstly to the long tradition of travel writing in British (and Western) culture; secondly, to the key critical, theoretical and political debates associated with this influential genre. The first segment of the module provides a historical overview of key stages of the genre’s evolution from medieval times to modernity; the bulk of the module then explores a broad range of more recent travel writing, from the 1970s to the present day. Issues to be addressed include: the relationship between fact and fiction in travel writing, and the genre’s epistemological status; the genre’s function as a form of memoir and a medium for self-fashioning; the strategies of ‘othering’ deployed in the genre, and the ethical and geopolitical implications of these strategies; the environmentalist affordances and challenges of the genre; how considerations of gender, race and sexuality may differently inflect the genre. In keeping with the last aim, the texts for consideration will be drawn from a variety of authors/perspectives, thereby demonstrating the highly varied, international dimensions of the modern travel genre.