Writing

The Writing programme consists of six distinct but complementary units through which you will develop your writing practice. Although we ask you to respond to particular briefs and projects throughout these units, we want you to think of these as parts of your larger writing practice rather than discrete tasks. By the end of the programme, you will have a substantial portfolio of writing and a strong sense of how these works constitute your broader practice and how you might want to develop this further. As such, you can use the programme units both as an opportunity to consolidate your practice and the means by which you might test and extend it, whether by experimenting with form or exploring new areas of enquiry.

There will be a number of opportunities to collaborate with others but at a minimum, your programme will include 307 contact hours and 1,493 independent study hours. Contact hours can include lectures, seminars, tutorials, critical forums and workshops among other types of teaching delivery.

Teaching types included on your programme can include briefings, projects, tutorials, seminars, lectures, critical forums, technical inductions, technical workshops, offsite visits and blended learning.

The programme is delivered across three terms and includes a combination of programme, School and College units.

Term 1

Publics and Counterpublics (15 credits)

How might we create the public for whom we write? In this unit we will consider how our writing might enter the world, and the effect it might have upon it once it does.

Distance and Proximity (15 credits)

We are always writing from somewhere, and this unit consider what it means to have a position, whether in relation to a subject, or a person. Maintaining a ‘critical distance’ to a subject is often said to be important, yet ‘close knowledge’ is also greatly valued. How far from – or how close to – a subject might one be to write best about it?

Attention (15 credits)

Attention is one of the foremost qualities of a writer, whether it is turned to the rhythm of a sentence or the cut of a jacket, a political movement or the stillness within a dance. To notice, to discern, to discriminate: all of these things will be considered within this unit.

Term 2

The Practical Past (15 credits)

Research is one of the most important ways by which we engage with the world, and in this unit we will look at how we can develop our research skills to improve our writing practice. As well as reading groups and discussions on various historiographic approaches, you will visit archives, libraries, and other collections to learn how these might be used to extend their practices.

How to Live Together (15 credits)

Writing is often presented as a solitary activity; we prefer to think of it as something collaborative, something that is made with and for others. In this unit you will work together to produce work for a cultural organisation which will be made public; this might be a small publication, for example, or a podcast, or a series of talks.

Urgency of the Arts (15 credits)

In term 2, School of Arts and Humanities Masters’ students will participate in a School-wide unit called "The Urgency of the Arts." In this unit we ask how arts and humanities research and practice can engage with our current socio-political climate, and how might it shape, be necessary and essential in contemporary cultural debates.

Term 3

Independent Research Project (60 credits)

The Independent Research Project is the culmination of the MA Writing programme, and constitutes the largest piece of work to be completed. The form of the IRP is subject to negotiation but it is suggested that the submission consists of a piece of writing of between 10,000–12,000 words; this might be reduced if the submission also contains other elements, such as a website, or other audio-visual materials, for example. Although the IRP consists largely of independent study, it is also supported by individual and group tutorials, and work-in-progress presentations.

The IRP forms the major part of a Portfolio of Practice which also consists of a Practice Statement of no more than 500 words, as well as other contextualising material which contributes to your practice. You will also take part in a public event during which you will present a short extract of your work; your work will also appear in the online event.

AcrossRCA is a compulsory 30-credit unit which is delivered as part of all MA programmes.

Situated at the core of your RCA experience, this ambitious interdisciplinary College-wide unit supports you in responding to the challenges of complex, uncertain and changing physical and digital worlds. Developed in response to student feedback, AcrossRCA creates an exciting opportunity for you to collaborate meaningfully across programmes.

Challenging you to use your imagination and intellect to respond to urgent contemporary themes, this ambitious unit will provide you with the opportunity to:

• make connections across disciplines
• think critically about your creative practice
• develop creative networks within and beyond the College
• generate innovative responses to complex problems
• reflect on how to propose ideas for positive change in local and/or global contexts

AcrossRCA launches with a series of presentations and panel discussions from acclaimed speakers who will introduce the themes and act as inspirational starting points for your collaborative team response.

Delivered online and in-person across two terms, the unit has been designed to complement your disciplinary studies and to provide you with a platform to thrive beyond graduation.