English with Creative Writing BA(Hons)

Why study BA(Hons) English with Creative Writing at University College Falmouth?

BA(Hons) English with Creative Writing course leaflet (1.62 MB)

Falmouth's English degrees are unique, distinctive and highly flexible; offering everything you'd expect from a traditional English degree, but arming you with a fresh and innovative approach to your chosen discipline. Furthermore, you'll be able to tailor your degree to your own specialist interests.

English with Creative Writing will equip you with an understanding of literary texts and their historical and cultural contexts, reception and consumption. You'll explore the concept of the imagination as both a cultural process and a creative product. Specialising in the analysis and development of literary and cultural theories, you'll consider how these operate and can be applied to your own creative writing.

"The course challenged my perceptions, re-invigorated my passion and writing and pushed me to think deeply, theoretically and creatively." Dan Prisk, BA(Hons) English with Creative Writing graduate

What will I get out of the course?

Diverse in its approach, BA(Hons) English with Creative Writing offers an exciting and contemporary range of writing options that focus on forms and genre. You'll be encouraged to specialise in areas such as poetry, fiction, scripts and lyrics, developing practical and creative skills informed by your knowledge of literary and cultural theory.

The course will also equip you with the theoretical and philosophical tools to enable you to make a sophisticated and informed analysis of literary and non-literary texts - as well as the analytical, theoretical, textual and contextual proficiency to make you an exceptional and very employable graduate.

"I have found the lectures and seminars very educational and above all else enjoyable. Every member of staff that I have had contact with has been friendly, knowledgeable and passionate about the topics that have been covered. I look forward to what is to come." James Millar, BA(Hons) English with Creative Writing student

Tell me more about the BA(Hons) English with Creative Writing course

The English with Creative Writing course has inspired me to explore my potential, giving me the skills to bring my writing into the world. It is challenging, exciting and defintiely rewarding as I am encouraged to find my own voice and create my own future. Sudevi Geary, BA(Hons) English with Creative Writing student

By choosing to study for a degree in English with Creative Writing at Falmouth you will:

• Benefit from being taught by friendly and approachable staff who are experts in their respective fields.
• Study literature and culture from the 16th century to the present, introducing you to a substantial number of authors and texts from different periods of literary history.
• Undertake work rooted in writing and reading, discussion and debate, close reading, contextualisation and creative response.
• Have the opportunity to contribute to our own publication, WiTH magazine.
• Be able to tailor your degree to your own specialist interests and for your chosen career or postgraduate destination.
• Be assessed through a combination of coursework, project work, formal presentations, portfolio work and dissertations.

"The course is run by a team of highly dedicated lecturers, whose passion for the course has really inspired me. My tutors have always taken time to help me with any problems I've had, the units taught on the course are stimulating and highly interesting and I feel that they've pushed me to my full potential." Theo Krekis, BA(Hons) English with Creative Writing student

Course publications

WiTH magazine

At University College Falmouth, we believe all good writing is creative and that it underpins and informs all the subject areas on offer to our students, just as literary and media theory underpin and inform creative writing. So whether studying topics such as Creative Writing and Cultural Criticism, Science and Literature, The Gothic and Grotesque, Creative Non-Fiction, or genrebased units such as Writing Fiction, Writing for Radio or Poetry & Form, our students’ work is rooted in writing and reading, discussion and debate, close reading, contextualisation and creative response.

WiTH magazine came out of a growing excitement among our students body about what they had written, and a desire to share and showcase it with others in the university. In the last two years five issues of the magazine have been produced, but the paperback volume, WiTH6, is our formal launch issue and includes some highlights of previous issues along with much previously unpublished work.

WiTH6 (456.97 KB)

WiTH8

"What really struck me about the course at Falmouth is that it allows such a wide variety of writing - whether it's theatre, novels or articles that you want to write - the course encourages it all." Dominic Knutton, Theatre Director

New books by BA(Hons) English with Creative Writing lecturer

From Hepworth's Garden Out
Poems about painters and St. Ives
Rupert Loydell (Ed.)

From Rupert Loydell's first visit to this small Cornish harbour town, he, along with many others, has been fascinated by the combination of sea, light, people and painting that constitute St. Ives.

These themes, along with tourism & trade, myth and the nature of creativity itself, are the subject of this anthology. From Hepworth's Garden Out has at its heart the sculptor Barbara Hepworth's garden and studio, now run by the Tate as a small museum. It is a secluded and magical place, however full of visitors, and it is from this small green oasis and its stone and metal inhabitants that this book starts its winding journey.

Troubles Swapped for Something Fresh
Manifestos and Unmanifestos
Rupert Loydell (Ed.)

Edited by Rupert Loydell, Troubles Swapped for Something Fresh is an eclectic and exciting gathering of poetry and prose-poems that try to understand what poetry is and who or what it might be for. It is also about what writers might want or demand from poetry, in either a general or personal way.

Guest lectures

Below is a list of speakers from the BA(Hons) English with Creative Writing guest lecture series:

• Dr Bryony Randall, University of Glasgow, a leading national expert on Virginia Woolf
• Dr Clarissa Smith - on her recent book
• Dr Shamira Meghani, University of Sussex - on Sexuality, Nationalism and Bollywood film
• Jean McNeil, novelist - on her experience as writer in residence for a scientific exploration of the Arctic
• Phil Terry, poet - on the Oulipo writing project
• Andy Brown, poet, novelist - on ecopoetics
• Tony Lopez - on WS Graham and St Ives artists
• Nicholas Royle, novelist - Craft of Writing 1
• Peter Blegvad, singersongwriter, lecturer - Writing Lyrics
• David Grubb, poet, novelist - Craft of Writing 1 and 2
• Martin Stannard, poet - Poetry & Form
• Phil Bowen, poet, comedian - Poetry & Form + open performance
• Luke Kennard, poet, playwright - Poetry & Form + open performance
• Tony Lopez, poet, critic, lecturer - Craft of Writing 2
• Penelope Shuttle, poet, novelist - Craft of Writing 2
• Allen Fisher, poet, critic, lecturer - Craft of Writing
• Sam Richards, ethnomusicologist, lecturer - Writing Lyrics

Professorial lecture series

Falmouth's Professorial lecture series aims to produce an engaging and challenging public programme that stimulates the intellectual curiosity of our staff, students and alumni, our research collaborators, our industry partners, our local communities and other supporters. Recent lectures relevant to students in the School of Media include Andrew Chitty and Emily Bell.

Andrew Chitty

Seven myths that drive the digital economy

Andrew has been a pioneer in the converging worlds of TV and digital media since the mid 90s when as Editor of BBC2's The Net he was responsible for the BBC's first website and virtual world. Since 1998 he's built Illumina Digital into the UK's leading cross platform production company winning a raft of awards including 4 BAFTAS, 8 RTS Awards, The UN award for e-learning and even a Golden Ladle for the world's best cookery site. In 2008 Illumina joined All3Media, the UK's largest independent production group.

Andrew has been active in policy and industry groups, co-authoring OFCOM's paper New Options for Public Service in the Digital Age and has advised Lord Stephen Carter as a member of the ministerial steering board for the Digital Britain Report. He is a council member of PACT, trustee of TRC Media in Glasgow and a past board member of Skillset. Andrew is currently Chair of the National Skills Council for Digital Media.

A video of Andrew Chitty's lecture can be viewed online here

Download the transcript of Andrew Chitty's lecture (175.81 KB)

Emily Bell

Back To the News Future: Journalism 10 Years from Now

Director of Digital Content for Guardian News and Media, Emily set up www.mediaguardian.co.uk in 2001. www.guardian.co.uk has won multiple awards, including the prestigious Webby for Best Newspaper on the web in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Oxford graduate, Bell is one of the rising stars coming through from a younger, more web-focused generation of senior media figures.

A video of Emily Bell's lecture can be viewed online here

A decade of English at Falmouth

In 2008, graduates celebrated the tenth anniversary of BA(Hons) English with Media Studies at Falmouth. Over the last decade, the course has grown from a small part time course to one of the largest undergraduate departments at the institution, with over 200 full time students currently studying either English with Media Studies or English with Creative Writing.

The reunion event included a small showcase of work from 2008 graduates and the official launch of our student anthology: ‘WiTH' magazine. A jazz band then welcomed alumni into the beautiful Italian Garden of Tremough House for drinks, a barbeque and party.

Photographs from the event can be viewed here

Facilities

The Learning Resource Centres at Woodlane and Tremough provide extensive resources for study, creativity and inspiration within an integrated learning environment for all students, including:

• A specialist art and graphic design library with wide-ranging collections including 50,000 books, e-resources and journals.
• Our Media and Design collections. 
• An extensive collection to meet all students' needs, including 100,000 books, a wide range of journals, online and electronic resources, and specialist video and DVD collections. 
• A service allowing items to be transferred between sites.

Course outline

Level 1

• Introduction to Literary Studies
• Introduction to Media Studies
• The Craft of Writing
• Critical Practices
• The Knowing Self: Literature and Culture 1540 - 1688
• Creative Writing Strategies

Level 2

• Freedom and Experiment: Literature and Culture 1688 - 1832
• Cultural Theory and the Politics of the Popular
• Making Nations: Literature and Culture 1832 - 1914
• The Politics of Subjectivity and Identity

Plus one option from each study block:

• Writing Short Stories
• Writing Lyrics
• Poetry and Form
• Writing for Radio

• Writing a Novel
• Screen Writing
• The Long Poem and Poem Sequence
• Different Engines: Science Fiction

Level 3

• Dissertation
• Creative Writing Portfolio (with Critical Essay)
• Aftermaths: Literature and Culture 1914 - 1968
• To the Millennium and Beyond: Literature and Culture 1968 - Present

Plus one option from each study block:

• Writing for Theatre
• Alt Dot Writing
• Travel Writing: Literary Histories and Practice
• Bodies, Gender and Language

• Creative Non-Fiction
• Poetry for Publication and Performance
• Writing for Children
• Mass Market Fictions

Answers and advice about the course

If you have any queries about the course please visit our HelpMe Forum

HelpMe Forum

For further information about BA(Hons) English with Creative Writing at University College Falmouth, please email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01326 214358.

Career opportunities

Our students graduate with extensive transferable skills, helping them enjoy success in a wide range of careers including: journalism, publishing, law, public relations, marketing, web editing, screen writing, novel writing, teaching (at all levels), research assistants, personnel, arts administration and the Civil Service. Postgraduate study is a further option.

• Writer
• Journalist
• Advertising
• PR
• Marketing
• Publishing
• Arts adminstration

Course entry requirements

A minimum of 220 UCAS points, equivalent Level 3 qualifications or relevant experience. All applicants to the English courses will be invited to a two-part interview. No portfolio is required.

For further information about BA(Hons) English with Creative Writing at University College Falmouth, please email admissions@falmouth.ac.uk or telephone Admissions on 01326 214358.

Interview dates and selection process

Interviews will commence in late February.

The interview will include small group interviews followed by individual interviews and a tour of the campus. Applicants are not expected to bring samples of their writing to interview but will be asked to discuss their knowledge of, commitment to and enthusiasm for the subject.

Location: Tremough Campus

Related courses

• English with Media Studies BA(Hons)
• Journalism BA(Hons)
• Public Relations BA(Hons)
• Theatre: Writing BA(Hons)