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Writing (MA)

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Course Overview

The MA in Writing is a one-year, full-time course. It covers a range of genres and forms, and it interacts with our other postgraduate offerings in publishing, literature and drama. The course thus builds on our strengths in the teaching of writing for page and stage, screen, journalism and other media. The course is open to applicants from any disciplinary background (within and beyond Arts) and welcomes all types of writing interests. A ‘Qualifier’ option is available for potential applicants who do not have a university degree but have a suitable publications record or sufficient experience in a related creative field.

A weekly ‘Writers Seminar’ features writers, publishers, agents and other visitors from the writing professions. Galway’s Cúirt literary festival is the focus in April. Students attend events and complete a related assessment.

Other scholarships available
Find out about our Postgraduate Scholarships here.

Applications and Selections

 Applications are made online via the University of Galway Postgraduate Applications System. 

Who Teaches this Course

McCormack, Mike—Author of Getting it in the Head (1995), for which he won the Rooney Prize; Crowe's Requiem (1998); and Notes from a Coma (2005). Teaches course in fiction-writing. 

O 'Malley, Mary—Author of Consideration of Silk (1990); Where the Rocks Float (1993); The Knife in the Wave (1997); and The Boning Hall (Carcanet Press, 2002).  She received a Hennessy Award in 1990. She is a member of Aosdana. Co-teaches poetry workshop with Mickey Gorman.

 

researcher
Prof Daniel Carey
BA, D.PHIL
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researcher
Dr John Kenny
BA, Phd
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researcher
Prof Patrick Lonergan
BA., MA., PhD.,
Professor of Drama and Theatre Studies
T: +353 91 49 2623
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researcher
Prof. Lionel Pilkington
B.A., M.A., Ph.D.
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Requirements and Assessment

There is continuous assessment of regular writing assignments and end-of-semester projects. The Final Portfolio, consisting of revisions and further development of writings done for courses during the year, is submitted in mid-August and accounts for one third of the overall assessment.

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

A university degree (minimum standard 2.2, or US GPA 3.0) or the equivalent in education and/or professional experience. Students will be accepted on the basis of their degree result (and/or experience), a sample of recent writing (3,000 words maximum) and a personal statement of interest (500 words maximum). Those who wish to explore possibilities for entry through the ‘qualifier’ option should contact the course director. 


Additional Requirements

Duration

1 year, full-time

Next start date

September 2023

A Level Grades ()

Average intake

15

QQI/FET FETAC Entry Routes

Closing Date

Please view the offer rounds website.

NFQ level

Mode of study

ECTS weighting

90

Award

CAO

Course code

MA-WRI

Course Outline

Core course:

In each semester, all students will take a Writers' Seminar. This will meet once a week for three hours through the semester. Its scope will include fiction and non-fiction, poetry and prose, dramatic and non-dramatic writing, journals and journalism. Normally, there will be a different visiting writer at each seminar meeting. Only students from the MA in Writing may enrol for credit in this seminar. Assessment is based on weekly journal writings.  

Optional courses:   

Optional modules vary from year to year.  Please contact the programme director for the current year’s offerings.  Some of the modules offered are listed below. Students must take six modules in total. The Writers' Seminar is compulsory, students may then take any five of the following modules—two from one semester and three from the other:  

Poetry Workshop. Students produce drafts sometimes in response to prompts or assignments from the workshop leader(s). These drafts are sometimes circulated for class discussion, with a view to improvement. By the end of the semester, students produce a number of complete poems and the class publishes a chapbook.  

Fiction Workshop. Students examine elements of craft in published writers selected by the workshop leader. They also produce short pieces of fiction, sometimes in response to a prompt or assignment. Drafts may be discussed in class, or in conference with the teacher. By the end of the semester, students submit a set number of words of fictional narrative.  

Non-Fiction Workshop. For a month students complete weekly writing assignments in elements of narrative (description, dialogue, etc.), then an essay or book proposal, which is next week by week undertaken in steps. Class meetings are devoted primarily to discussion of works-in-progress.  

Books Journalism.  This module will familiarise students with the various means by which books and authors are publicly ‘processed’ and discussed in professional fashion by readers and the writing marketplace generally. The prime focus will be styles of, and platforms for, literary reviewing.

DJ6100  Features Journalism. This module focuses on the nature and practice of writing feature pieces.

Irish Drama from Wilde to O’Casey. This module introduces students to the major figures in Irish Drama from the period just before the Revival to the post-independence era. It provides an in-depth insight into the plays, writers, and practices of a crucial period in Irish history that has had a formative and lasting impact on both Irish and international theatre. We consider the works of Shaw and Wilde before moving to the foundation of the Abbey Theatre, and the works of Yeats, Synge, Gregory and others. We conclude with the post-independence period showing how the plays of Sean O'Casey inaugurated a new period of international experimentation, evident in the work of the Gate Theatre and in plays by such writers as Teresa Deevy and Mary Manning. A key component of this module will be the exploration of ways in which the Abbey Theatre Digital Archive can present opportunities for innovative methodologies and insights.

Irish Drama from Beckett to the Present. This course introduces students to the major figures in Irish Drama from the post-war period to the present. We begin with a detailed study of the drama of Samuel Beckett before moving to consider Friel and Murphy from the 1960s onwards. We move then to the Troubles and their impact on Irish drama, and conclude by exploring Irish theatre in the global era. The class will also play a central role in a broader project about the Creative Arts Canon and Curriculum, whereby students will be carrying out research on neglected Irish female playwrights and producing resources related to their work.

Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Credits
You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module
An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Optional
A module you may choose to study.
Required
A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Semester
Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year.

Year 1 (90 Credits)

Required EN590: Final Project: Portfolio


15 months long | Credits: 30

The portfolio will contain at least one piece of writing for each course, and a key piece of work that the student has identified for primary attention. Genres in the portfolio may include, for instance, a brief dissertation on the history, theory, or criticism of Irish drama; a widely-based set of reviews and reception studies; a completed play or adapted screenplay; an integrated account of a theatrical production within an Irish theatre company.

Learning Outcomes
  1. To be confirmed
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
The above information outlines module EN590: "Final Project: Portfolio" and is valid from 2018 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Required EN604: Writer's Seminar


Semester 1 and Semester 2 | Credits: 10

A two-semester course required for MA in Writing students, open to attendance by others, with regular visits from writers, a weekly journal by students, and several longer writing assignments. Assessed on the basis of a portfolio.

Learning Outcomes
  1. To be confirmed
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
The above information outlines module EN604: "Writer's Seminar" and is valid from 2015 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional FM500: Screen Writing Fundamentals


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

The course has three core objectives: - To teach the craft of screenwriting; the ‘tools of the trade’. - To help students find their own ‘voice’ as writers in an encouraging, supportive environment. - To help students develop critical and analytical script editing skills, within a wider understanding of film as both art form and industry.

Learning Outcomes
  1. Understand the fundamentals of screenwriting and the various different theoretical approaches.
  2. Analyze film according to these approaches.
  3. Grasp the idea of story structure and how this applies to the visual medium of cinema, both in the classical and non-conventional narrative sense.
  4. Appreciate the importance of genre in its various forms and conventions.
  5. Absorb learned theory into individual, practical experience of the craft of screenwriting.
  6. Learn to critique their own and other’s work, and understand the importance of collaboration in the process of filmmaking.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Department-based Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
The above information outlines module FM500: "Screen Writing Fundamentals" and is valid from 2017 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional FM502: Screenplay Development


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This module follows on from Screenwriting Fundamentals in Semester 1 and is limited to eight students. The module will facilitate and guide students towards the development of a treatment for a feature film. The classes included in this module will also - enable students to develop their craft as visual storytellers. - help students find their own ‘voice’ as writers in an encouraging and creative environment. - explore alternative screen narratives.

Learning Outcomes
  1. Appreciate the power of metaphor and symbolism in the cinematic narrative.
  2. Understand the importance of film as a visual medium.
  3. Develop a treatment for a feature film screenplay
  4. Develop a critical understanding of cinematic language.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Department-based Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
The above information outlines module FM502: "Screenplay Development" and is valid from 2017 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional EN6135: Studies in Poetry


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

Students in this module are exposed to selected topics related to poetry. Topics and areas of focus may vary from year to year.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Discourse knowledgeably about selected poets as well as the broader cultural contexts in which they worked.
  2. Conduct sophisticated oral and/or written analyses of literary texts related to course themes.
  3. Critically engage with appropriate secondary sources.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "MLA Handbook" by Modern Language Association of America
    ISBN: 9781603292627.
The above information outlines module EN6135: "Studies in Poetry" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional EN602: Writing Workshop: Fiction


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

Run over twelve weeks this seminar is designed to explore the various modes of prose fiction writing. During the first half of the course the class will practise and develop the necessary skills: this will be done by way of various reading and writing assignments. As the course progresses students will be expected to draw these skills together and bring them to focus on one particular project. In consultation with the course tutor the student will decide whether that project will be a novel excerpt or a novella, or, a small collection of short stories.

Learning Outcomes
  1. To be confirmed
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
The above information outlines module EN602: "Writing Workshop: Fiction" and is valid from 2016 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional EN6112: Writing Workshop: Nonfiction 1


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

This module is designed to allow MAWN students to take a Nonfiction workshop in semester 1 as well as (as exists) semester 2
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Apply theoretical knowledge of the genres of nonfiction in their own writing practice.
  2. Describe, analyse and evaluate their own compositional practice and written work in nonfiction.
  3. Demonstrate proficiency in group workshopping and editing of nonfiction.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (50%)
  • Department-based Assessment (50%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "You Can't Make This Stuff Up" by Lee Gutkind
    ISBN: 0738215546.
    Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books
  2. "The Art of the personal essay" by selected and with an introduction by Phillip Lopate
    ISBN: 038542339X.
    Publisher: Anchor Books
  3. "Storycraft" by Jack Hart.
    ISBN: 0226318168.
    Publisher: Chicago; University of Chicago Press
The above information outlines module EN6112: "Writing Workshop: Nonfiction 1" and is valid from 2015 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional EN601: Writing Workshop: Poetry


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

The primary aim of this workshop is the generation of new work in poetry by students. This will be the result of readings in poetry in a wide variety of forms from various traditions, weekly exercises and projects.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. To be confirmed
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
The above information outlines module EN601: "Writing Workshop: Poetry" and is valid from 2015 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DT6102: Irish Drama and Theatre from Wilde to O'Casey


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

This course explores the history of Irish drama and theatre from 1890 to 1930
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Identify, describe and analyse key moments in Irish theatre history from 1890 to 1930, with special focus on the Irish literary revival.
  2. produce a substantial research paper that deploys the skills of archival research, textual analysis and performance analysis.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "Modern and contemporary Irish drama" by edited by John P. Harrington
    ISBN: 0393932435.
    Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co.
  2. "The Irish Dramatic Revival: 1899-1939" by n/a
    ISBN: 978-140817528.
The above information outlines module DT6102: "Irish Drama and Theatre from Wilde to O'Casey" and is valid from 2016 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DT6123: Playwright's Workshop I


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

A weekly writer’s workshop in which students will explore fundamental dramaturgical playwriting strategies and structures through analysis of plays from different genres and in-class writing tasks.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Analyse and identify dramaturgical structures as well as particular genre specific theatrical devises
  2. Develop prompts for starting and completing written work
  3. Plan, structure and complete original short play
  4. Critically reflect on writing and situate it within established genres
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "The Secret Life of Plays" by Steve Waters
    Publisher: Nick Hern Books
  2. "How Plays Work" by David Edgar
    Publisher: Nick Hern
  3. "Playwriting a Practical guide" by Noel Greig
    Publisher: Routledge
The above information outlines module DT6123: "Playwright's Workshop I" and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional EN527: Literature Of North America


Semester 1 | Credits: 10

This course examines current trends in contemporary North American writing of the past ten years within a cultural and theoretical context .
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. identify the themes and concerns in contemporary North American literature
  2. discuss how North American novelists engage with historical events and their own lived experience to provide a critique of their society, with reference to issues such as gender, race, and class.
  3. relate these contemporary novels to the tradition of writing from which they came and consider them in the historical context of the American novel.
  4. present close readings of the novels and describe them in terms of writing style, narrative voice, genre, use of language, and intertextuality.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "The Sellout" by Paul Beatty
  2. "The Things they Carried" by Tim O'Brien
  3. "The Virgin Suicides" by Jeffrey Eugenides
  4. "The Ice Storm" by Rick Moody
  5. "The Submission" by Amy Waldman
  6. "My Year of Meats" by Ruth Ozeki
  7. "Station Eleven" by Emily St John Mandel
  8. "A Complicated Kindness" by Miriam Toews
  9. "Winter's Bone" by Daniel Woodrell
The above information outlines module EN527: "Literature Of North America" and is valid from 2022 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DT6101: Irish Drama and Theatre from Beckett to the Present


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This course explores the history of Irish theatre from 1950 to the present, placing emphasis on the importance of Beckett for an understanding of Irish drama.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Identify key moments in Irish theatre history since 1950
  2. Describe and analyse the importance of social, cultural and economic factors in the development of Irish theatre history since 1950
  3. Produce a written research essay that deploys the skills of archival research, textual analysis, and performance analysis.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "Modern and Contemporary Irish Drama" by John Harrington
  2. "Contemporary Irish Plays." by Patrick Lonergan
The above information outlines module DT6101: "Irish Drama and Theatre from Beckett to the Present" and is valid from 2021 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional EN6111: Writing Workshop: Fiction 2


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This module is designed to allow MAWN students to continue studying and practising Fiction from semester 1 (as exists) into semester 2
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Apply theoretical knowledge of the genres of fiction in their own writing practice.
  2. Describe, analyse and evaluate their own compositional practice and written work.
  3. Demonstrate proficiency in group workshopping and editing.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (50%)
  • Department-based Assessment (50%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "The Art of Writing Fiction" by Andrew Cowan
  2. "On Writing" by Stephen King
    ISBN: 1444723251.
    Publisher: Hodder Paperback
  3. "Self-editing for fiction writers" by Renni Browne and Dave King; illustrations by George Booth
    ISBN: 0060545690.
    Publisher: Harper Resource
The above information outlines module EN6111: "Writing Workshop: Fiction 2" and is valid from 2015 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional EN6113: Writing Workshop: Poetry 2


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

The primary aim of this workshop is the generation of new poetry by students. The workshops will involve reading poetry from a broad range of traditions, in a wide range of forms. Students will submit weekly exercises and an end of semester short portfolio of poems they have edited in the light of feedback they have received over the course of the module.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Create original work on a broad range of subject matters and in a broad range of styles.
  2. Employ a diverse range of poetic forms.
  3. Assess the strengths and shortcomings of their own work and the work of other poets.
  4. Revise their work appropriately in response to feedback from the group and their tutor.
  5. Work towards submitting poems for publication.
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (40%)
  • Department-based Assessment (60%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "The Poet's Companion" by Addonizio, Kim and Laux, Dorianne
    ISBN: 978-0-393-316.
    Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company, NY
    Chapters: 2022-06-11T00:00:00
  2. "A Poetry Handbook" by Oliver, Mary
    ISBN: 978-0-15-6724.
    Publisher: Harcourt, Houghton Mifflin
    Chapters: 5, 7, 9, 11
  3. "Poetry Writing" by Sampson, Fiona
    ISBN: 978-0-7090-85.
    Publisher: Robert Hale
    Chapters: 2, 3, 6, 7, 18
  4. "Hiddenness, Uncertainty, Surprise: Three Gernerative Energies of Poetry" by Hirshfield, Jane
    ISBN: 978-1-85224-7.
    Publisher: Bloodaxe
    Chapters: 1, 2, 3
  5. "Poetry in the Making" by Hughes, Ted
    ISBN: 978-0-571-233.
    Publisher: Faber and Faber
    Chapters: 3, 4, 5
The above information outlines module EN6113: "Writing Workshop: Poetry 2" and is valid from 2015 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional EN603: Writing Workshop: Non-Fiction


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

A one-semester writing workshop open to those in the MA in Writing. Various genre-driven exercises lead up to the preparation of a lengthy nonfiction piece. Assessed on the basis of a portfolio.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. To be confirmed
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
The above information outlines module EN603: "Writing Workshop: Non-Fiction" and is valid from 2015 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DJ6100: Features Journalism


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

Students will be introduced to the field of features journalism, and to a range of specific formats within the genre. Through extensive practical work, they will learn to identify and pitch stories; to research and investigate; and to write to format and deadline.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Identify and shape promising topics
  2. Conduct the research appropriate to various article types, to include interviewing, observation, document analysis
  3. Prepare a range of feature journalism pieces in the appropriate formats and styles
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "English for journalists" by Wynford Hicks
    ISBN: 9780415404204.
    Publisher: Abingdon, Oxon, [England] ; Routledge, 2007.
  2. "Writing feature articles" by Brendan Hennessy
    ISBN: 9780240516912.
    Publisher: Oxford ; Focal Press, 2006.
  3. "Essential English" by Harold Evans
    ISBN: 9780712664479.
    Publisher: Pimlico
The above information outlines module DJ6100: "Features Journalism " and is valid from 2020 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DM6111: Generative Art and Media


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

In this module, students use computer programming to create generative art and media works. Students also develop skills in independent project development and creative problem solving.
(Language of instruction: English)

Learning Outcomes
  1. Create generative art and media works using computer code
  2. Experiment with computer code using exploratory methods
  3. Critically situate practice within broader field of digital art and media
  4. Work independently to solve problems in creative production
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Department-based Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "Code as Creative Medium" by Golan Levin and Tega Brain
    ISBN: 9780262542043.
    Publisher: MIT Press
  2. "Exploratory Programming for the Arts and Humanities" by Nick Montfort
    ISBN: 9780262034203.
    Publisher: MIT Press
  3. "Critical Code Studies" by Mark C. Marino
    ISBN: 9780262043656.
    Publisher: MIT Press
  4. "The Software Arts" by Warren Sack
    ISBN: 9780262039703.
    Publisher: MIT Press
  5. "Beyond the Creative Species" by Ollie Bown
    ISBN: 9780262045018.
    Publisher: MIT Press
  6. "Digital Art in Ireland: New Media and Irish Artistic Practice" by James O'Sullivan
    ISBN: 9781785274794.
    Publisher: Anthem Press
The above information outlines module DM6111: "Generative Art and Media" and is valid from 2022 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional EN6101: Books Journalism


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This module will familiarise students with the various means by which books and authors are publicly ‘processed’ and discussed in professional fashion by readers and the writing marketplace generally. The prime focus will be styles of, and platforms for, literary reviewing.

Learning Outcomes
  1. To be confirmed
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Department-based Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
The above information outlines module EN6101: "Books Journalism" and is valid from 2016 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional EN573: Travel Literature


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

Narratives of travel constituted one of the most popular publishing genres of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. This course examines the literary conventions, genres, and modes of representing otherness that characterised this disparate body of texts. We will make particular used of Early English Books Online which makes available virtually everything printed from 1475-1700.

Learning Outcomes
  1. To be confirmed
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
The above information outlines module EN573: "Travel Literature" and is valid from 2015 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Optional DT6135: Playwright's Workshop II: Dramaturgical Approaches to Craft


Semester 2 | Credits: 10

This workshop based module explores special topics in playwriting strategies and dramaturgical approaches which may include but are not limited to adaptation, documentary/verbatim theatre, and dramatic writing for the radio. By working through the challenges of different genres and writing processes, playwrights will stretch their skills in a collaborative group format. Students should be prepared to read work aloud in class and will learn to critique each other’s work.

Learning Outcomes
  1. Chart and adapt dramaturgical structures across a range of different styles of theatre
  2. Complete a short play( 20 minutes in duration) and a longer play (at least 40 minutes in duration).
  3. Critically reflect on their playwriting practice
Assessments

This module's usual assessment procedures, outlined below, may be affected by COVID-19 countermeasures. Current students should check Blackboard for up-to-date assessment information.

  • Continuous Assessment (100%)
Module Director
Lecturers / Tutors
Reading List
  1. "The Secret Life of Plays" by Steve Waters
  2. "How do Plays Work" by David Edgar
  3. "The Writers Journey" by Christopher Volger
The above information outlines module DT6135: "Playwright's Workshop II: Dramaturgical Approaches to Craft" and is valid from 2022 onwards.
Note: Module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

Graduates have gone on to work in the areas of teaching, journalism, publishing, editing, public relations and marketing. Graduates have also progressed to various doctoral programmes in the humanities—and it is now also possible to undertake a practice-led PhD in English/Creative Writing at University of Galway. Many graduates have concentrated on their development as independent writers, and over 60 books have been published by writers from this MA. 

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

Transferable Skills Employers Value

Work Placement

Study Abroad

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€7,190 p.a. 2023/24

Fees: Tuition

€7,050 p.a. 2023/24

Fees: Student levy

€140 p.a. 2023/24

Fees: Non EU

€17,780 p.a. 2023/24


Postgraduate students in receipt of a SUSI grant – please note an F4 grant is where SUSI will pay €4,000 towards your tuition (2023/24).  You will be liable for the remainder of the total fee.  An F5 grant is where SUSI will pay tuition up to a maximum of €6,270. SUSI will not cover the student levy of €140.

Postgraduate fee breakdown = Tuition (EU or NON EU) + Student levy as outlined above.

Note to non-EU students: learn about the 24-month Stayback Visa here. 

What Our Students Say

Gerry

Gerry Hanberry |   Published 3rd collection of poetry, At Grattan Road

The MA in Writing at NUI, Galway has, without doubt, contributed enormously to the development of many writers, including myself, who have subsequently gone on to become established and published in their own chosen areas. The course has also greatly enriched the cultural life of the city. One example of this enrichment would be the large attendances at the many regular literary events held both on campus and in the locality. Established writers have been attracted to the area by the opportunity to study and write in genres other than their own and less experienced writers have been given the confidence and expertise to progress. The list of publications and literary prizes of MA in Writing graduates lengthens every year. An academic year spent studying on this course is a wonderful and valuable experience.
Jennifer

Jennifer McCarrick |    

This is a great course of aspiring writers who want to be challenged, assessed, and improved in their work.

2023 QS Subject Rankings: Top 100

English Lang & Lit QS Subject Award Badge

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Downloads

  • Postgraduate Prospectus 2023

    Postgraduate Prospectus 2023 PDF (20.6MB)