Aims of the course:
- To introduce students to the art of short story writing
- To foster an understanding of various subgenres of the short story, through guided reading and interpretive commentary
- To encourage and guide students' own experiments with the form through practical writing exercises
Course content overview:
- This course will begin with a consideration of what makes a short story - apart from its length - a distinct genre, introducing the elements which combine to produce the short story's unique effect.
- Each week will focus on a particular short story (with reference to others) by one of the genre's key exponents, to illustrate developments and variations in the genre. The story will also be used to demonstrate a technical aspect of short story writing.
- Students will discover how writers achieve certain effects and be encouraged to appropriate and experiment with these techniques in their own original writing.
Schedule (this course is completed entirely online):
Orientation Week: 21 - 27 October 2019
Teaching Weeks: 28 October - 1 December 2019
Feedback Week: 2 - 8 December 2019
Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours reading material, etc., although this will vary from person to person.
While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material).
Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (discussion boards,etc).
A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to participants who contribute constructively to weekly discussions and exercises/assignments for the duration of the course.
What our students say - October 2018
“The content greatly exceeded my expectations. It had clearly been well thought out, and the format tested over time… I was given activities and choices that could and did stretch me and develop me as an aspiring writer.”
“The tutor had a genuine, personal interest in the course and me and my fellow students.”
“Sarah is excellent in giving guidance and advice, both practical and creative.”
