Life-Writing: History, Form, Practice
| Module title | Life-Writing: History, Form, Practice |
|---|---|
| Module code | EAS3178 |
| Academic year | 2020/1 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff | Professor Daisy Hay (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 15 |
|---|
Module description
This module explores the history and contemporary practice of life-writing, a genre that encompasses biography, autobiography, autofiction, memoir, travel writing and other hybrid forms. In seminars the module charts the development of life-writing from the eighteenth century to the present day, before investigating the range and potential of the genre through analysis of the work of some of the most innovative twenty-first century exponents of the form. In workshops you will develop the skills necessary to pursue either an independent piece of life-writing (creative non-fiction) or an extended study of the genre. The module thus welcomes both students who wish to develop their own creative practice and those who wish instead to investigate the form through an extended critical essay. It is suitable for all and no pre-requisite modules are required. Students enrolled on the combined-honours degree in English and Creative Writing, and who are taking this module as part of the Creative Writing component of their programme, will take the Creative Writing assessment. Those taking the module as part of their English degree will have their choice of assessment type.
Module aims - intentions of the module
In seminars we will begin by tracking the genesis and evolution of life-writing by studying the work of Samuel Johnson, Virginia Woolf and Alexander Masters. Thereafter we will explore the different manifestations of the genre through a series of seminars on biography, autobiography, the writing of place, autofiction, objects and images, issues of truth and fiction, and the distinction between public and private. Lectures from practitioners of life-writing will offer a practice-based perspective on the topics under discussion.
In workshops you will either develop your own practice as life-writers, or the skills to research and complete a meta-biographical research project on the genre. We will chart the different stages involved in the research and writing of extended projects, through sessions on finding a subject, research methods, narrative and argument and, in the second half of the module, via work-in-progress discussions during which all students will have an opportunity to present work and receive informal feedback from staff and peers. By the end of the module you will have a thorough understanding of the richness and variety of life-writing, and, depending on the pathway you choose, will have developed skills either as life-writers or as scholars of the form.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of life-writing, and a critical understanding of some of the key themes, topics and debates that emerge in the texts.
- 2. Produce a piece of original life-writing, in a manner informed by reading, or an extended research project on the genre.
- 3. Analyse and critically examine, at an advanced level, diverse forms of life-writing and the devices and perspectives used therein.
- 4. Demonstrate an understanding of how life-writing has developed, historically, from the eighteenth century to the present day
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 5. Demonstrate an advanced appreciation of formal techniques and imaginative expression in creative writing via the production of a work of creative non-fiction OR demonstrate an advanced ability to understand and analyse relevant theoretical ideas and to apply these ideas to literary texts in an extended essay.
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Through seminar work and informal work-in-progress presentations, demonstrate advanced communication skills, and an ability to work both individually and in groups
- 7. Through essay-writing, demonstrate appropriate research and bibliographic skills, an advanced capacity to construct a coherent, substantiated argument, and a capacity to write clear and correct prose;
- 8. Through research for seminars, essays, extended research projects and works of creative non-fiction, demonstrate advanced proficiency in information retrieval and analysis
Syllabus plan
Seminars:
- Genesis, Evolution Parts I and II, and Autobiography
- Biography, People and Place, Autofiction
- Objects and Images, Truth and Crossing the Line, Private Lives; Public Stories
- Beyond Words: Life-writing and the graphic form
Lectures:
- Introduction and Beginnings
- Autobiography
- Biography
- Autofiction
- What’s the Truth?
Workshops:
- Finding a Subject
- Research Methods
- Narrative and Argument
- three work-in-progress sessions during the second half of the module
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | 267 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 33 | Seminars, lectures and workshops |
| Guided Independent Study | 33 | Study group preparation and meetings |
| Guided Independent Study | 70 | Seminar and workshop preparation (individual) |
| Guided Independent Study | 164 | Reading, research and essay and extended project/ creative non-fiction preparation and writing |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Critical essay on history and genre of life-writing | 35 | 2000 words | 1, 3-4, 7 | Feedback sheet with opportunity for tutorial follow up. |
| Piece of original life-writing OR extended research project on the genre | 65 | 4000 words | 1-2, 5-8 | Feedback sheet with opportunity for tutorial follow up. |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical essay on history and genre of life-writing | Critical essay on history and genre of life-writing | 1, 3-4, 7 | Referral/ Deferral period |
| Piece of original life-writing OR extended research project on the genre | Piece of original life-writing OR extended research project on the genre | 1-2, 5-8 | Referral/ Deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Indicative core reading:
- Samuel Johnson, Life of Richard Savage
- Virginia Woolf, Orlando
- Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
- Alexander Masters, Stuart: A Life Backwards
- Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina, Mr and Mrs Prince
- Amy Liptrot, The Outrun
- Sheila Heti, Motherhood
- Laura Cummings, On Chapel Sands
- Augusten Burroughs, Running with Scissors
- Hisham Matar, The Return
- Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 29/01/2016 |
| Last revision date | 05/03/2020 |
