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.

Term 1

Unit 1: Distance and Proximity (15 credits)

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

Unit 2: 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.

Unit 3: 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.

Terms 1&2

AcrossRCA (30 credits)

Across terms 1 and 2, you will participate in AcrossRCA. This unit aims to support you to meet the challenges of a complex, uncertain and changing world by bringing you together to work collaboratively in cross-programme interdisciplinary teams. In your team you will develop a self-initiated themed project, informed by expertise within and beyond the College. These projects will challenge you to collectively use your intellect and imagination to address key cultural, social, environmental and economic challenges. In doing so, you will develop and reflect on the abilities required to translate knowledge into action, and help demonstrate the contribution that the creative arts can make to our understanding and experience of the world.

Term 2

Unit 4: 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.

Unit 5: 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 & Humanities Master’s 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.

The unit introduces you to a diverse range of perspectives, approaches and methods relevant to contemporary practice and thought in the arts and humanities. The delivery, predominantly based on workshops and featuring specialist presentations by leading artists, aims to assist you in recognising, questioning, expanding, and reevaluating your own artistic practices and disciplinary assumptions. Through interactions with staff and students from across the School, as well as through a variety of methodological approaches, you will develop an understanding of the contemporary concerns that shape and influence artistic practice. You will be encouraged to reflect on these as a means to articulate the potential of your own work within the context of broad cultural landscapes and urgent cultural debates.

Term 3

Independent Research Project (60 credits)

The IRP 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.