Overview
Every scholar has to write, whatever their discipline. Academic writing is always creative: putting words together to make sentences, sentences to make paragraphs, and so on, as nobody has ever done before. However, in any discipline, some academics write more creatively than others. This online course will raise your awareness of the scope for creativity in academic writing and provide you with the skills you need to use creative techniques in ways that will make your academic writing more engaging and accessible for your readers.
Course objectives
- Understand the role of fiction and fiction writing techniques in academic writing
- Understand the role of poetry and poetic techniques in academic writing
- Understand the role of play and screenplay writing in academic work
- Understand the blurred boundary between writing and drawing
- Understand writing as a resource as well as a task to complete
- Know how to find time to write creatively, and how to use that time well
- Draft a piece of creative academic writing: blog post, journal article, thesis chapter or section
Course requirements
Students may write on an electronic device or on paper as they prefer, though for one exercise they will need either access to a printer or to write on paper. They will also need a pair of scissors. Participants are required to bring their own laptop or tablet.
Who is this course for?
PGRs and ECRs across all disciplines. May also be of interest to senior scholars, practice-based researchers, independent researchers, and scholars.
Course timetable
3 July - 7 July 2023
The course will start at 1pm on Monday, 3 July 2023.
Monday, 3 July 2023
Afternoon: Introductions, sensory language
Tuesday, 4 July 2023
Morning: Storytelling and planning
Afternoon: Fiction writing techniques
Wednesday, 5 July 2023
Morning: Autoethnography
Afternoon: Poetry and poetic techniques
Thursday, 6 July 2023
Morning: Writing and drawing
Afternoon: Play and screenplay techniques
Friday, 7 July 2023
Morning: Writing as a resource; next steps
Course Leader
Dr Helen Kara has been an independent researcher since 1999 and also teaches research methods and ethics. She is not, and never has been, an academic, though she has learned to speak the language. In 2015 Helen was the first fully independent researcher to be conferred as a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. She is also an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Cathie Marsh Institute for Social Research, University of Manchester. She has written several books and journal articles on research methods and ethics, including Creative Research Methods: A Practical Guide (2020 (2nd edn), Policy Press) and, with Richard Phillips, Creative Writing for Social Research (2021, Policy Press).
Cost
£360 – Full price
£240 – Discounted rate for PGRs
Book your place
Registration is available through our eStore.
Bursaries for PGR students
If you are a PGR student you are entitled to apply for a bursary. These are competitive, limited in number, and may be offered on a full and part fee-waiver basis. If you would like to apply for one of these bursaries please complete our bursary application form and you will be notified as soon as possible.