Faculty of Arts and Education
Deakin University
Honours in Professional and Creative Writing is a fourth year of study, an extra year taken after completing a degree. The course is transitional between undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. The skills developed during the Honours course include the ability to carry out original research from a variety of sources; think critically and logically about the nature of the research material; use that research material to produce a substantial individual project of one's own initiative; demonstrate a command of the methodology and critical terminology of a particular discipline; and write clearly with a command of the concepts and theory relevant to the field.
Students have the opportunity to research and develop substantial pieces of writing in the genre of their choice in conjunction with an experienced supervisor, normally an experienced writer. Or they may choose to work on an editorial project with a skilled editor.
Students who do Honours in Professional and Creative Writing sometimes have postgraduate study in their sights and ultimately perhaps a job as an academic. Many, though, have their sights set on professional work as a writer - of fiction, poetry, film scripts, play scripts, feature articles. Demand for high-level and self-conscious writing skills, for research and report-writing skills are increasing in the twenty-first century.
An Honours degree can enhance students' career prospects not only in various practical fields of literary and cultural production, and in editing, but also in the wider arenas of the cultural and communication 'industries', and in policy analysis.
Successful completion of an Honours degree also positions students for postgraduate study, whether immediately following or after settling into a career and wishing to develop further their expertise and prospects for professional advancement. Honours students have gone on to further study through Masters Degrees by Coursework, Masters Degrees by research, and PhD.
The normal pattern is to complete two core units comprising AAR410 (Research Methods in the Arts) and ALW492(Theorising Creativity), and two reading units (one in each semester), as well as 4 credit points of thesis units, two of which are completed in each semester.
In Professional and Creative Writing, students will produce creative work (e.g., film script, suite of poems or short stories, a novella or an edited manuscript) which will constitute the major component (up to 70%) of the research. However, this creative component must be accompanied by a scholarly written component (an exegesis) which should be in the range of 4000 to 6,000 words.
The exegesis should demonstrate the student's analytical understanding of the discipline and sets the creative work within a disciplinary and developmental framework. Creative works can not have been submitted for credit in other units, courses or awards.
Course summary details including units of study
Honours Course Adviser
Tel (03) 9244 3956
sudesh.mishra@deakin.edu.au
Campus: Burwood
Tel (03) 9244 3956
sudesh.mishra@deakin.edu.au
Campus: Burwood
Tel (03) 9244 3954
robin.freeman@deakin.edu.au
Campus: Burwood
Tel (03) 9244 6465
katya.johanson@deakin.edu.au
Campus: Burwood
Tel (03) 9244 6468
k.lerossignol@deakin.edu.au
Campus: Geelong (Waurn Ponds)
Tel (03) 5227 1331
david.mccooey@deakin.edu.au
Campus: Burwood
Tel (03) 9244 6559
mmeehan@deakin.edu.au
Campus: Burwood
Tel (03) 9244 3964
virginia.murray@deakin.edu.au
Campus: Burwood
Tel (03) 9244 6760
gaylene.perry@deakin.edu.au
Campus: Geelong
Tel (03) 5227 1274
mariat@deakin.edu.au
|
Professional and Creative Writing mini-site 
'I found that having honours on my resume opened more doors than just having my undergraduate - I know because I looked for work in the industry both before and after I did my honours year.' |
