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Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Undergraduate BA (Hons)
Creative Writing in Contemporary Culture
Explore all forms of writing, from historical narratives to literary texts, drama to adaptations, and mediated writing that makes use of technology.
Course Overview
-
W990 -
L27 -
City Campus -
Full-Time -
3 Years -
20 Sep 2021
You’ll be guided by practising writers and researchers, undertaking modules that encourage an interdisciplinary approach to understanding writing and contemporary culture. You’ll inform your own creative practice and develop strong communication and creative thinking skills by engaging with a diverse range of disciplines.
As part of your course, you'll:
- Receive a broad foundation in creative practice and cultural studies
- Develop your own creative practice by exploring poetry and the short story in more depth
- Start tailoring the course to suit your career aspirations through a range of option modules
- Complete a dissertation-length project
- Produce an anthology in collaboration with your fellow students, developing your entrepreneurial skills
You’ll take an interdisciplinary approach, drawing on multiple areas of research and culture to inform your creative writing practice. With a particular focus on employability, the course offers a range of specialist modules that encourage you to reflect on your skillset.
Joining the vibrant academic community within the School of Cultural Studies & Humanities, you’ll have regular contact with practising writers. You’ll attend innovative, multidisciplinary research, deliver by academic staff, that will feed into your learning.
Northern powerhouse
Leeds gives you a wealth of opportunities to strengthen your CV through the network of cultural organisations and institutions right on your doorstep. You’ll find Leeds Playhouse and the Leeds Literature Festival in the city, with the Bradford and Ilkley Literature Festivals both short train journeys away.
Leeds is also a major digital hub and part of the northern powerhouse.
Why study Creative Writing in Contemporary Culture at Leeds Beckett University...
- Industry links
- Expert careers service
- Supportive teaching team
- Develop your creative practice
- Applied Humanities practical module option
- Work with practising writers and active researchers
- Sandwich year option
BA (Hons) Creative Writing & Contemporary Culture student view BA (Hons) Creative Writing and Contemporary Culture student Shona talks about her experiences at Leeds Beckett
Everything you need to know
Discover all there is to know about the course, from entry requirements and fees to exploring the school you’ll be joining - we’ve got it covered.
Entry requirements
104
points required
If you're applying via UCAS, find out more about how your qualifications fit into the UCAS tariff.
Entry requirements
104
points required
UCAS Tariff Points: 104 points required.
(Minimum Minimum 64 from two A Levels or equivalent, excluding General Studies).
If you're applying via UCAS, find out more about how your qualifications fit into the UCAS tariff.
GCSE English Language at Grade C or above (Grade 4 for those sitting their GCSE from 2017 onwards) or equivalent. Key Skills Level 2, Functional Skills Level 2 and the Certificate in Adult Literacy are accepted in place of GCSEs.
Access to HE Diploma:
Pass overall with a minimum of 104 UCAS tariff points.Scottish Awards:
Minimum of 5 subjects at Grade B at Higher Level.Irish Leaving Certificate:
Minimum of 5 subjects at Grade C1 or above at Higher Level of which at least 3 must be at B2.Selection Criteria
We may use selection criteria based on your personal attributes; experience and/or commitment to the area of study. This information will be derived from your personal statement and reference and will only be used if you have met the general entry requirements.
International baccalaureate
24 Points
IELTS
IELTS 6.0 with no skills below 5.5, or an equivalent qualification. The University provides excellent support for any applicant who may be required to undertake additional English language courses.
Mature Applicants:
Our University welcomes applications from mature applicants who demonstrate academic potential. All students will be considered through the contextual admissions policy described above. If you do not meet the requirements through the contextual admissions policy, we may still be able to make you an offer if you have recent relevant work experience through our ‘Recognition of Prior Learning’ policy. Please ensure that you list both your qualifications and any relevant work experience in your application so that we can consider you under both schemes where applicable..
All applicants are required to meet our standard English language and Maths requirement of GCSE grade C or equivalent, for example we accept some Functional Skills Tests.
If you're applying via UCAS, find out more about how your qualifications fit into the UCAS tariff.
Selection Criteria
We may use selection criteria based on your personal attributes; experience and/or commitment to the area of study. This information will be derived from your personal statement and reference and will only be used if you have met the general entry requirements.
International baccalaureate
24 Points
IELTS
IELTS 6.0 with no skills below 5.5, or an equivalent qualification. The University provides excellent support for any applicant who may be required to undertake additional English language courses.
Additional entry requirements:
Verify your qualifications
If you are an international student, we can help you to compare and verify your qualifications. Please contact our International Office on +44 (0)113 812 1111 09.00 to 17.00 Mon-Thurs / 09.00 to 16.30 Fri GMT or email internationaloffice@leedsbeckett.ac.uk.Need to improve your English Language skills?
Don't worry if you don't have the level of English required for your chosen course. We offer a wide range of courses which have been designed to help you to improve your qualifications and English language ability, most of which are accredited by the British Council. Check your English and find out more about our English courses.More questions?
No matter what your questions, we are here to answer them, visit our International website to get more information and find out about our online open days.
We were awarded silver status in the latest Teaching Excellence Framework, reflecting our commitment to deliver high-quality teaching, learning and outcomes for our students.
As well as learning from expert tutors, you’ll be assigned an academic advisor to give you tailored feedback and support. Our subject-specific librarians will also direct you to the specialist learning and study-skills resources that will underpin your studies.
As well as learning from expert tutors, you’ll be assigned an academic advisor to give you tailored feedback and support. Our subject-specific librarians will also direct you to the specialist learning and study-skills resources that will underpin your studies.
Teaching & Learning
What you'll learn
Gain an introduction to the practices and processes of creative writing. Your studies will draw on examples from literary and digital texts, and you will begin to develop an understanding of the contexts of their production and reception. You will begin to use your initiative, creative response and collaborative working in a workshop setting to underpin your creative writing throughout the programme.
This module will support you as you start to work at degree level and develop strategies for the interpretation of contemporary literary texts. You will engage with a range of post-millennial texts that seek to problematize the contemporary period. You teaching will focus on literary innovations and ways in which texts interact with techniques, approaches and debates in literary studies today. Your learning will explore a range of critical approaches through a number of set texts to help you develop key skills that will inform your work at degree level.
This module will introduce you to the central debates and critical concepts in cultural studies. You will explore key issues such as the nature of culture, how media products work, how audiences experience culture, how cultural products make meaning, how the media represents the social world, and the role the media plays in cultural politics and power.
Study an extended range of forms that could include dramatic monologues and short scripts. You will study fundamental theoretical principles and debates such as narrative, voice and object that relate to writing practices, and you will start to explore and experiment with your own writing.
An opportunity to study the role of the public historian and others in creating and using historical knowledge in non-academic environments, such as heritage sites and on television.
Study a wide variety of poetry written in English and gain an understanding of the development of poetry from the Shakespearean period through to contemporary times. You will be better acquainted with a range of poetry in order to develop your sense of literary history. You will study critical and theoretical perspectives and interpretive tools to enable you to approach the reading and analysis of poetry with confidence.
What you'll learn
Explore key aspects of characterisation, story world-building and fictionalisation and build on your year one learning. You will respond to a range of contemporary authors from different cultures to produce your own short stories or extracts from longer works in progress. You will study and practise key aspects of narrative craft such as characterisation, dialogue, dramatisation, point of view and story architecture and understand how these are deployed in both short stories and novels/novellas.
This module will introduce you to the key theoretical and critical principles of adaptation. It seeks to expose you to a range of forms (texts produced for stage, screen and radio) and to understand how the requirements of audience and form might shape the experience of the practitioner. You will be given the scope to produce your own short adaptations, as a way to better understand adaptation practice.
Study poetic voice and audience, and the relationship between them. You will extend your knowledge of contemporary poetry and you will be encouraged to identify potential audiences for your work and start to situate it within a wider literary world.
Develop critical and interpretative skills informed by an understanding of the role theory plays in literary studies. This module will enable you to become more confident and more adventurous in your study of literature.
Option modules may include
Explore the relationship between popular music and the moving image by looking at the use of music in silent and sound cinema, Hollywood musicals, Disney and Bollywood, popular music and television, promotional video, music and advertising, new media and 'live' performance. You will learn to analyse the economic, technological and cultural elements which influence the production and consumption of popular music and its visual representation.
Understand the way that humanities disciplines and skills intersect with a range of professional working contexts. You will complete 36 hours of live-brief learning to gain first-hand experience of planning, delivery and evaluating a professional working brief set by an industry partner organisation. You will work as a group across 10 weeks alongside a tutor to design, deliver, present and evaluate the brief to industry standards. As well as conducting a reflective case study of your brief, you will complete a CV, cover letter, LinkedIn profile and undertake a recorded mock interview.
Gain an understanding of `postcolonial? literature and the conceptual and critical vocabulary you will need to read and analyse texts from formerly colonised regions of the world.
Study a selection of literature of the 20th century and examine how literature writes about some of the key events of the for example as WWI, WWII, post-war austerity and the Cold War. You will understand key terms such as modernism and postmodernism. You will consider texts that focus on the idea of alienation and dystopia and the place of the individual in society and explore why writers of the period turned to imagining the future in order to express their concerns with their present moments. In preparation for writing your dissertation, you will be guided through the process of developing your own research question to become a more independent learner.
This course offers the opportunity to take a ‘sandwich’ year – a year of paid employment in industry which will build your skills and experience. This is usually taken between the second and third year of your degree, typically making your course four years in total.
Students who choose the sandwich route find it helps with both their studies and getting a job after graduation. It can build your confidence, contacts, and of course your CV. Leeds Beckett advertise lots of placement opportunities and provide support in helping you find the right placement for you.
What you'll learn
You will work on a sustained creative writing practice project over two semesters, which will be overseen by a designated supervisor/tutor. This project will foster your abilities to work both independently as a writer and collaboratively as part of a group of artist-practitioners.
Option modules may include
Study the autobiographical branch of creative non-fiction.You will complete a number of creative writing exercises and regular workshops to help you refine your work with feedback from fellow students and tutor feedback in class, online, verbally, and in writing. This module will see you read a range of exemplary works of autobiographical non-fiction with a critical eye to begin making connections between the techniques and approaches of published works and your own.
Examine a body of reading, thought, and practice in contemporary writing loosely understood as `avant-garde? or experimental writing. Given the renegade nature of these works, we will move away from using such generic categories as poetry or prose, even as we try to understand how these texts usefully extend and interrogate precisely those categories. Through a programme of close reading, in-class and online discussion, and independent study, you will critically and creatively engage with a rich tradition of contemporary literary practice.
By reflecting on learning acquired through work placements, this module will focus on promoting self-awareness of your ‘career story’. You will look at how you evaluate your current skills, explore the future possibilities in your career development and navigate pathways through those chosen possibilities. This module will enable you to become ‘cartographer’ of your own future experience. You will embark upon a minimum of 80 hours work placement, supported by reflective exercises, and build expertise and confidence through a range of assessments designed by the course team and employer partners. Conceptualised and designed by digital specialists, the module is purposefully created to be delivered and experienced online – reflecting the increasingly distributed nature of work communications and embracing digital environments as an integral aspect of how employees and the self-employed progress their careers.
Understand the key concepts and debates in disability studies and how these can be applied to literary texts. This module will emphasise the centrality of literary studies to the emergent, interdisciplinary area of medical humanities.
Understand how writers and film-makers have imagined city spaces and identities in a range of postcolonial locations. Through an exciting range of literary and cinematic texts, and drawing on theories of urban space, place, and postcoloniality, you will explore issues that are of central importance to the world many of us live in today, including migrant labour, asylum seekers, refugees, and illegal immigrants; crime, conflict, and policing; memory, history, and urban space; class, gender, race, sexuality, and the postcolonial city amongst others.
Examine the development of 20th-century fiction by women with particular reference to the genre of romantic fiction. You will explore how a number of writers have modified and transformed the conventions of romantic fiction and discuss the appeal of romantic fiction in terms of its specific historical contexts and in relation to psychoanalytic models of desire and narrative. This module will provide the opportunity to study these texts alongside some key feminist theories of gender and sexuality of the 20th century. You will be encouraged to develop advanced analytic skills, coupled with critical self-reflexivity in the understanding and application of theory. The group oral presentation of ideas and argument will build on your existing communication and collaboration skills.
Gain an understanding of the cultural connections between Africa and the African Diaspora through the analysis of a range of key literary works. Through close reading and analysis of the modules primary texts and the interrogation of postcolonial theoretical debates, you will be encouraged to explore the intersections and tensions between issues of race, gender, identity, education and language within the contexts of slavery, colonialism, migration and exile.
Explore the development of the Gothic from its literary origins in the mid-18th century through to the mid-20th century. You will analyse the literary and cultural properties of Gothicism as it has shifted and diversified over this period and you will be encouraged to engage with Gothic novels alongside a range of forms across a wide cultural and historical spectrum. This module will also introduce you to theoretical and critical methods of analysing the Gothic such as Freud?s concept of the uncanny and Julia Kristeva?s theory of abjection.
Fees & Funding
The tuition fees for the 2021/22 academic year are not yet confirmed.
The tuition fees for the 2021/22 academic year are not yet confirmed.
Fees & Funding
The tuition fees for the 2021/22 academic year are not yet confirmed.
Additional course costs
Tuition Fees
Your tuition fees cover the cost of registration, tuition, academic supervision, assessments and examinations.
The following are also included in the cost of your course:
- 24/7 Library and student IT support
- Free wifi via eduroam
- Skills workshops and resources
- Library membership, giving access to more than 500,000 printed, multimedia and digital resources
- Access to software, including five free copies of Microsoft Office 365 to install on your PC,laptop and MAC, and access to free high-end software via the Leeds Beckett remote app
- Loan of high-end media equipment to support your studies
In many cases, costs associated with your course will be included in your course fee. However, in some cases there are ‘essential’ additional costs (those that you will be required to meet in addition to your course fee), and/or ‘optional’ additional costs (costs that are not required, but that you might choose to pay). We have included those essential or optional additional costs that relate to your course, below.
Other study-related expenses to consider: materials that you will need to complete your course such as books (whilst the library provides access to readings recommended for your modules, you may wish to purchase your own copies of some books); you can also make suggestions for books to be added to Library stock; placement costs (these may include travel expenses and living costs); student visas (international students only); printing, photocopying and stationery (you may need to pay for multiple copies of your dissertation or final project to be printed and bound); events associated with your course such as field trips; study abroad opportunities (travel costs and accommodation, visas and immunisations). Other costs could include academic conferences (travel costs) and professional-body membership (where applicable). The costs you will need to cover for graduation will include gown hire and guest tickets, and optional extras such as professional photography.
As well as your mobile phone, you will also need access to a desktop computer and/or laptop to complete assignments and access university online services such as MyBeckett, your virtual learning environment. You can book and borrow AV equipment through the media equipment service accessed online via the student hub and located in the library at each campus. Equipment includes: 360 Cameras, iPads, GoPros, MacBooks, portable data projectors, portable projection screens, flipchart stands, remote presenters, digital cameras and camcorders, SLR cameras, speakers, microphones, headphones, headsets, tripods, digital audio recorders and PC/laptops (a laptop loans service is provided on campus in the library on both campuses). Student laptops are also available from the laptop lockers located in the libraries.
This list is not exhaustive, costs are approximate and will vary depending on the choices you make during your course. Any rental, travel or living costs are also in addition to your course fees. If you choose to study via distance learning, you may not be able to access all of the facilities listed if you are not able to visit us on campus.
Additional information
For further information on financing your studies or information about whether you may qualify for one of our bursaries and scholarships, follow the links below:
The tuition fees for the 2021/22 academic year are not yet confirmed.
Additional course costs
Tuition Fees
Your tuition fees cover the cost of registration, tuition, academic supervision, assessments and examinations.
The following are also included in the cost of your course:
- 24/7 Library and student IT support
- Free wifi via eduroam
- Skills workshops and resources
- Library membership, giving access to more than 500,000 printed, multimedia and digital resources
- Access to software, including five free copies of Microsoft Office 365 to install on your PC,laptop and MAC, and access to free high-end software via the Leeds Beckett remote app
- Loan of high-end media equipment to support your studies
In many cases, costs associated with your course will be included in your course fee. However, in some cases there are ‘essential’ additional costs (those that you will be required to meet in addition to your course fee), and/or ‘optional’ additional costs (costs that are not required, but that you might choose to pay). We have included those essential or optional additional costs that relate to your course, below.
Other study-related expenses to consider: materials that you will need to complete your course such as books (whilst the library provides access to readings recommended for your modules, you may wish to purchase your own copies of some books); you can also make suggestions for books to be added to Library stock; placement costs (these may include travel expenses and living costs); student visas (international students only); printing, photocopying and stationery (you may need to pay for multiple copies of your dissertation or final project to be printed and bound); events associated with your course such as field trips; study abroad opportunities (travel costs and accommodation, visas and immunisations). Other costs could include academic conferences (travel costs) and professional-body membership (where applicable). The costs you will need to cover for graduation will include gown hire and guest tickets, and optional extras such as professional photography.
As well as your mobile phone, you will also need access to a desktop computer and/or laptop to complete assignments and access university online services such as MyBeckett, your virtual learning environment. You can book and borrow AV equipment through the media equipment service accessed online via the student hub and located in the library at each campus. Equipment includes: 360 Cameras, iPads, GoPros, MacBooks, portable data projectors, portable projection screens, flipchart stands, remote presenters, digital cameras and camcorders, SLR cameras, speakers, microphones, headphones, headsets, tripods, digital audio recorders and PC/laptops (a laptop loans service is provided on campus in the library on both campuses). Student laptops are also available from the laptop lockers located in the libraries.
This list is not exhaustive, costs are approximate and will vary depending on the choices you make during your course. Any rental, travel or living costs are also in addition to your course fees. If you choose to study via distance learning, you may not be able to access all of the facilities listed if you are not able to visit us on campus.
Additional information
For further information on financing your studies or information about whether you may qualify for one of our bursaries and scholarships, follow the links below:
School of Cultural Studies & Humanities Being Human Festival Students, staff and participants talk about taking part in the Being Human Festival
Your future in our hands
There’s a lot to consider when choosing a course. Take a look at the team you’ll be working with, employability statistics and career prospects to help make up your mind.
Studying Creative Writing taught me that each piece of writing has a purpose and that a piece of writing has to be drafted and crafted to ensure it is going to fit more than a criteria: it needs to resonate with its reader and leave a certain impression. My studies gave me the confidence to dive right into a text and discuss changes with my colleagues, and it made me comfortable in having my own work critiqued, which would have felt incredibly daunting if I had not already experienced this in the workshops.
Megan Slack
BA (Hons) English with Creative Writing
Dr Rachel Connor
Course Director / School of Cultural Studies & Humanities
Rachel is a novelist, short story writer and a dramatist for stage, audio and site-specific performance. Her BBC radio drama was selected by Harvard University for a recent exhibition on the politics and culture of radio. Her writing explores often unfamiliar worlds and closed communities, especially those involving groups of women; dystopian futures and how the environment has a bearing on our humanity.
Career Prospects
On completion of this course, you will have the skillset to work across a wide range of sectors such as the digital industry, marketing, arts administration and education. Your ability to write clearly and think creatively – as well as your strong communication skills and expert response to contemporary culture - will open opportunities in journalism. Your writing practice will equip you for the fields of creative and professional writing, including freelance work. Alternatively, you could progress on to the MA English Literature at our university.
- Freelance writer
- Journalist
- Editorial assistant
- Copywriter
Scholarships and bursaries
We are committed to ensuring that the opportunity to experience an education here at Leeds Beckett University is open to all. If you're thinking of joining us to study for your undergraduate degree, you may be eligible for a scholarship or bursary.
Bursaries are usually awarded depending on household income, whilst scholarships are available for a number of areas, and are based on sporting or academic excellence. For more information visit our scholarships and bursaries page.
Beckett Careers Team
Our Beckett Careers Team will support you with all aspects of your career planning, throughout university and beyond. Whether you’re looking for a part-time job or want to gain experience alongside your studies, need help preparing an application or exploring graduate job options, we can provide expert support every step of the way!
Throughout your university journey and up to five years after you graduate you'll have access to a broad range of support and tools to help you with:
- Getting ready to apply for jobs
- Working on your CV
- Preparing for an interview
- Applying for a graduate vacancies or placements
- Connecting with employers and organisations
Your Beckett experience
At Leeds Beckett your experience is important to us, find out more about what to expect from your time on this course and life at uni.
Experience Leeds Beckett
Explore our specialist teaching facilities and premium accommodation that you’ll be proud to call your second home.
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