Final Year, Component 03

What is a novel? How did the form originate? How does its relationship with time and space make it particular from other forms and how does it renew itself? In this module, you will learn how to devise and plan your own novel through the reading and study of a selection of other novels. Seminars will consist of lecturer-led discussions, student discussion of the selected reading, and creative workshops. The module builds to a creative and critical assessment in which you will submit the outline of a novel, write your own beginning chapters, and submit an essay exploring the learning outcomes of the module through the novels of other writers.

How do you write poetry? Be introduced to the practice of writing poetry. Examine seven distinct formal elements of verse alongside the best examples from canonical poetry in the English language. Build your own skills, as well as an appreciation of the history, variety and power of poetry.

Investigate the myths surrounding the founding of the United States. Crossing disciplines of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and cinematic and theatrical texts, you compare the classic Western against a range of counter-narratives from black, Hispanic, latino, and aboriginal storytellers. This module interrogates the concept of a 'national literature', explores the relationship between folklore and contemporary society, and investigates the relationship between the Western as a narrative form, and the history of colonialism in the U.S.A.

This module's primary focus is ecological drama written from the 1950s (the dawn of the nuclear age) to the present day. It will examine a range of dramaturgies employed by key playwrights and theatre makers (including Caryl Churchill's formal experimentation; Katie Mitchell's collaborative work in creating lecture-performances; post-dramatic theatre by writers such as Claire MacDonald; aspects of surrealism in plays by Mike Bartlett, Thomas Eccleshare and Ella Hickson; and naturalism in Steve Waters' The Contingency Plan). It will also examine protest theatre / agitprop and the role it has played in Eco Theatre from 1960s America to Extinction Rebellion's contemporary street performances. While the main focus will be on theatre, we will also look at how ecologically aware drama has manifested itself over the years in film, from the 1980s TV series On the Edge to the more recent Years and Years and Chernobyl. We will also take a revisionist look at some older plays (e.g. Ibsen's An Enemy of the People) as examples of environmentally aware texts that deal with issues of ecological breakdown.

Film festivals have traditionally been global phenomena and played a pivotal role in the film industry ecosystem. In the 21st century, and due to the rise of digital technologies and telecommunications, festivals have become even more important to numerous independent filmmakers who seek routes of distribution (and self-distribution) of their films. The module offers a historical and contemporary examination of the multifaceted role of film festivals in validating, exhibiting and distributing as well as in the process of canonisation of film. While it explores established A-list festivals (such as Cannes, Venice, BFI LFF, Locarno), it also looks at ‘smaller’, niche festivals (such as London Asian Film Festival, and London Migration Film Festival) whose number and impact have increased over the years. Through a dynamic combination of lectures, seminars, presentations, group projects, masterclasses, field trips and the organisation of a one-day film festival at the Colchester campus, the module will equip students with advanced knowledge of the key roles involved in producing film festivals (directors, curators, juries, audiences, filmmakers). Students who are filmmakers will also gain an understanding of the necessary steps that need to be followed before they get their films screened at festivals as well as of the ways they may capitalise on such opportunities to progress their careers within the film industry.

This module is intended to provide you with a broad understanding the main theoretical frameworks of media and journalism to develop their critical appraisal of the interconnected communication world of today. This module is intended to provide you with a broad understanding the main theoretical frameworks of media and journalism to develop their critical appraisal of the interconnected communication world of today. It is aimed primarily at students looking to develop a research career in journalism or media studies as well as those students looking to acquire a critical approach to journalistic practice. It will also be interesting to students of Government and Sociology who are interested in understanding the big debates around the media and the relationships with politics and society. Each week a current event will be discussed in the seminar as well. The module will equip students with the knowledge, theoretical frameworks, and critical tools to unpack the complexities of contemporary networked newsrooms. It will provide the conceptual framework required to analyze and comprehend our interconnected communication sphere. The module will be open to students from LIFTS who want to critically reflect on the professional practice and to students from Government and Sociology who would be eager to acquire analytical tools that would support their interdisciplinary research.

Taught by award-winning professional playwrights, this module takes you through the A-Z of writing full-length plays. In this laboratory environment we study the tools and techniques you need to write successfully for the theatre. The module examines the different approaches available to the playwright, and challenges ideas about form, structure and use of language. Studying a range of playscripts in depth, you will develop your skills through practical exercises and assignments. This module gives you the opportunity to enhance your own creative process and progress your professional career.