| Unit name | Exploring Cultures through Creative Practice |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MODLM0085 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Rhiannon Daniels |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
N/A |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
N/A |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
N/A |
| School/department | School of Modern Languages |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences |
Why is this unit important?
Do you find yourself limited by conventional academic approaches? On this unit you will explore different forms of culture by becoming creative practitioners or ‘makers’. ‘Making’ in this context is understood broadly to include forms of creative writing, as well as material artefacts/things, which might be made by hand (e.g. printed at Bristol Common Press) and/or made with digital tools.
You will gain new skills as makers and be introduced to a selection of new humanities-based methods for evaluating written and visual cultural production – such as creative criticism, critical making, and material thinking – which will nuance your understanding of the forms, practices and aims of criticism.
This unit will introduce material from the Middle Ages and Renaissance as well as the modern period, in order to enable you to explore the long history and rich diversity of creative responses to literary and visual works across time. You might find yourself exploring the role of gameplay in a Renaissance salon alongside a digital video game, or using your experience as an editor of a medieval text to reflect on the difficulties of achieving standardisation in a text you have printed on a handpress.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This is an optional unit, which is designed to cultivate ambition and independent learning, showcasing SML’s expertise in creative and practice-based research. The unit offers an opportunity to broaden your expertise by developing skills in a range of applied contexts that you may not have experienced before (e.g. creative writing, letterpress printing). You will be working at the cutting-edge of some new methodological approaches and have the opportunity to use resources which are unique to Bristol, such as Bristol Common Press. There will be a strong emphasis on collaboration and co-creation in learning and assessment activities.
Overview of Content:
Content will vary according to availability of teaching staff and other units being offered, but topics and approaches may include:
Diversity of topics will be balanced and held in check through a strong emphasis on the role played by different technologies of making (proceeding broadly chronologically). The unit might therefore follow this schedule:
Week 1: Exploring methodologies
Weeks 2-5: Creative Writing and Editing
Weeks 7-9: Printing at Bristol Common Press
Weeks 10-11: Digital tools
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit?
Students will have explored a range of new methodological approaches, learned how to apply one or more of these methodologies, and gained new technical skills (e.g. in editing, letterpress printing). They will have been exposed to a new way of working as makers/practitioners and as collaborators/co-creators.
Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:
Your learning on this unit will be a blend of practical skills acquisition where you will learn through handling objects and materials and making new materials, and the critical discussion of primary and secondary sources.
Teaching will involve asynchronous and synchronous elements, including creative doing and making as individuals and in groups, discussion, and research. Students are expected to engage fully with the reading and all creative activities. Learning will be further supported through the opportunity for individual consultation.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Students will be given the opportunity to submit a plan for their portfolio and gain feedback (max. 2 pages, 0%, Not Required for Credit). Elements of the portfolio tasks will form part of seminar preparation or in-class activity, and will be given formative feedback as part of teaching.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Portfolio, 3000 words (100%) [ILOs 1-4]
The portfolio will include at least one example of a critically-made ‘artefact’ and commentary on the process of collaborative making in the context of a relevant methodology or methodologies.
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the form or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are normally confirmed by the School shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. MODLM0085).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
