Nowadays, with so many writing programmes available, it makes sense to spend some time thinking about what your expectations are of a course of study and to consider how the postgraduate courses we're offering here at Dundee differ from the rest...
At Dundee we offer a fully accredited MLitt in Writing Practice and Study which is like no other available in the UK. It is distinctive in its approach and teaching, and highly engaged in the world of contemporary publishing, offering students the opportunity to meet with writers and publishers from around the UK and beyond and to take part in our varied and exciting range of literary activities, from performing their own work to being "showcased" at our Literary Festival. Each module can be studied separately, or as part of a full degree or diploma that can be taken part time or full time.
In the first instance, our MLitt Module "Creating Writing" is highly creative. From your first session, you will be producing work and evaluating it within an informed, lively atmosphere - and learning from the outset what it is about your work that makes it distinctive and interesting and worth developing.
When so many courses are taught seminar style, often no more than an hour long, and often using other's texts and abstracts, at Dundee we teach in concentrated blocks of time and dedicated one-to-one tutorials so giving you the practical hands-on help you need. We leave you space enough between sessions to develop your writing style so you can bring fresh material to bear upon discussions - and we help guide and direct you towards making the kind of writing you're best at: Finding your own distinctive and important "voice"...
Those who complete the module "Creating Writing" and would like to continue their study and practice of creative writing, we offer "Refining Writing", a Module designed to enhance the principles already laid down in "Creating Writing" - establishing your creative work within its own particular context and helping you prepare it to be sent out into the world or find its own individual niche. "Refining Writing" aims to encourage those objective, editing based skills that are so necessary when developing creative work to a high standard. Where the aim in "Creating Writing" was to help establish the writer's voice and theme and tone, the emphasis is now upon refining that work - coming to understand what is good about it and why, what areas need strengthening, what areas need to be cut back...
Then, there is the way the Module fits against your other areas of MLitt study - so your sense of creativity is developed along with intellectual skills... And you can combine an understanding of theory and research practices alongside your own growing work as a writer: Making it possible for you to speak out for and claim your artistic property. And giving those of you who have been away from university for a while, or have never attended before, a solid understanding of "where writing is at".
And finally, for those who wish it, there is the option to extend your "Creating Writing" Module into a full dissertation-style manuscript - in other words, to go on and create a fully realised 15,000-20,000 word piece of work that can be sent out into the world and evaluated on its own terms. Whether that be a one woman play that can be put forward for a funding proposal to be to be performed across the Highlands and Islands, a range of short stories to be sent out for publication in magazines and journals, or a fledgling proposal for a screenplay or novel that needs an agent...
Your Course Convenor, Kirsty Gunn, is uniquely placed to make sure your work can access the right places, and can help you come up with a plan of action for future work.
So why not find out more? View the "Creating Writing" module details or email Professor Kirsty Gunn at k.j.gunn@dundee.ac.uk or Dr Jim Stewart at j.c.q.stewart@dundee.ac.uk with any questions. They would be delighted to hear from you.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
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