Writing theory and practice: an introduction
T Threadgold
8 points * One I-hour lecture, one 1-hour seminar, and one 1-hour workshop per week * Second semester * Clayton
This subject is designed to introduce students to the theory and practice of writing in the humanities, and to provide students with the grammatical, rhetorical and generic skills to write effectively in a range of contexts and situations. It will cover a range of topics which may be adapted and selected to suit the specific academic and projected vocational needs of the students enrolled in the course. These include differences between speech and writing, the historical emergence of prose registers and genres, changing conceptions of originality and creativity, the meaning of innovation and creativity in different disciplines, an introduction to genre theory and practice, questions of `craft' and `technique' in professional and creative writing, the redefinition of academic writing in the humanities and the emergence of ficto-criticism, feminist and poststructuralist challenges to disciplinary and discursive authority where writing is concerned, writing and technology, the effects of these developments on writing in the arts and the professions, questions of evaluation and assessment of writing in both the academic and the public domain, and where relevant, some discussion of legal issues: defamation, censorship and copyright.
Assessment
Two writing tasks (2000 words): 30% each * Journal and oral presentation: 40%
Preliminary reading
Goody J The logic of writing and the organisation of society Cambridge UP, 1986
Grenville K The writing book: A workbook for fiction writers Allen and Unwin
Leith D and Myerson G The power of address: Explorations in rhetoric Routledge, 1989
Cohen K Writing in a film age: Essays of contemporary novelists Colorado UP, 1991
A detailed reading list and course readings will be provided by the department
Third-year level