View Specification DocumentWriting the City (Online Distance Learning) CRWRT1005
- Academic Session: 2026-27
- School: School of Critical Studies
- Credits: 12
- Level: Level 1 (SCQF level 7)
- Typically Offered: Summer
- Available to Visiting Students: Yes
- Taught Wholly by Distance Learning: Yes
- Collaborative Online International Learning: No
- Curriculum For Life: No
Short Description
A practical, one-week creative writing course that enables students to develop their own original literary work in response to the urban environment including its virtual manifestations. We contextualise the writer in the city by examining such concepts as the literary flâneuse as urban explorer and the poetics of place, as well as exploring some of the narratives of the built environment and the ways in which the wild takes root in the city. Students learn about the wider context of urban and experimental writing through seminars, workshops and the production of literary non-fiction, fiction, poetry or hybrid work.
Timetable
Over one teaching week:
5 x 1 hr online live seminar
5 x 2 hr online live workshop
1 x 0.5 hr online live tutorial
1 x 1hr lecture
Live sessions are delivered by Zoom and supported by a Moodle directing students to asynchronous support elements such as discussion forums and padlets.
Requirements of Entry
None
Excluded Courses
CRWRT1022 Writing the City campus iteration
Co-requisites
None
Assessment
The standard assessments for this course are:
■ The portfolio assessment consists of one of more pieces of creative work (3000 words or equivalent for poetry or hybrid forms) plus critical commentary of 300 words - 100%
If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available:
■ There is no alternative to the portfolio, but a flexible deadline can be offered as reasonable adjustments (students should follow the usual process for extensions)
Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.
Main Assessment In: August
Course Aims
This course aims to:
• Identify the concept of urban literature through reference to specific texts, authors and theories
• Examine genres employed in urban writing e.g. memoir, experimental writing, poetry, hybrid forms
•Develop the practical skills of close reading and workshop critique of creative works in progress
Intended Learning Outcomes of Course
By the end of this course students will be able to:
• Describe and analyse the role of place in informing literature relating to the urban environment
• Evidence skills in the composition of original creative work
•Critique samples of creative work through close reading and discussion