Creative Writing and English Literature with a Foundation Year

More than ever before, the world needs writers. People who can communicate ideas clearly, cleverly, and thoughtfully. Our BA in Creative Writing and English Literature offers a rich and distinctive academic experience resting on four key pillars: reading, writing, reflection, and rewriting. This single honours degree is designed to develop you as a writer, a critical thinker and an adaptable professional ready for a wide variety of careers.
The foundation year gives you an exciting introduction to higher education, exploring the humanities and social sciences before progressing to the full degree programme. It’s ideal if you need a little more support after further education or if you are returning to education after a gap.
During your foundation year, you will explore what it means to be human, studying a range of humanities and social science topics to introduce you to university-level study.

You will start the degree course in your second year, when you can tailor your degree to your own interests, learning how to write novels, write for the stage, screen and broadcast, write short stories and non-fiction, write poetry, writing as a career and exploring styles and genres.
At the heart of our programme is the belief that good writing begins with good reading. You will learn to read attentively and analytically through a variety of carefully selected English Literature modules and learn to analyse how texts influence subsequent generations of writers through innovative use of idea and style. This close reading practice directly informs the work in our Creative Writing modules, allowing you to experiment with techniques drawn from established writers while developing your own voice across a range of genres.

You will have the opportunity to produce original work in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, screenwriting, and stage drama, guided by published writers with notable professional profiles. You will learn to reflect on our own work, developing the ability to assess its effectiveness and identify areas for growth, leading to a repeated process of returning to the text for rewriting. We treat rewriting as a core part of the creative process, redrafting work following of supportive and encouraging feedback from tutors and peers. Beyond the classroom, our programme offers a range of enriching opportunities. You could choose to spend a semester or a full year abroad, broadening your cultural and literary horizons, or opt for a year in industry to develop professional experience and apply your skills in a workplace setting . These options allow you to enhance your academic and personal development, as well as employability.
Some of our creative writing students have taken up placements with independent Welsh publishers like Parthian, Seren, Honno, brought on either directly by the publisher or through programmes like SPIN placements. Others have had the opportunity to be extras on film sets and learn firsthand what goes into a production. These opportunities give crucial industry insight to students on an incidental basis, but are extraordinarily valuable not only for the insight, but for the assistance they provide when students begin to think of employment.

Graduates of our programme leave with a versatile skillset—analytical precision, imaginative thinking, persuasive communication, and an understanding of audience—all of which are highly valued across many sectors. Whether pursuing careers within the creative industries, such as publishing, screenwriting, arts administration, or journalism, or in fields like public relations, marketing, education, or political work, you will be well prepared to succeed.

Please visit our course page for more information. https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/culture-communication/english-literature-creative-writing/ba-english-literature-creative-writing-foundation-year/

Course Modules

Your first year will include a mixture of compulsory and optional modules, with examples of compulsory modules from recent years including:
• Monsters, Theories, Transformations
• English Essentials
• The Stage Play World

Your second and third years will comprise entirely optional modules from a large range of subject areas. Examples of optional modules in recent years have included:
• Contentious Shakespeare
• Revolution of the Word: Modernism
• Contemporary Wars and Conflicts
• Welsh Gothic / Gothic Wales
• Other Tongues: Multilingualism in English Language Literature

Your final year will include an optional independent dissertation project.
For the full programme structure and module breakdown, please visit our webpage at: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/culture-communication/english-literature-creative-writing/ba-english-literature-creative-writing

We offer a variety of assessment methods within our programmes. In addition to traditional examinations and essays, examples of alternative assessment include:

• Presentations
• Group Work
• Original Writing

Throughout your undergraduate English Literature and Creative Writing degree, you will develop excellent research and analytical skills and learn to present your ideas effectively both verbally and in writing. For full breakdown of course structure and assessment please visit our course page: https://www.swansea.ac.uk/undergraduate/courses/culture-communication/english-literature-creative-writing/ba-english-literature-creative-writing or get in touch with us at study@swansea.ac.uk