Creative Writing, Major (0005)
- Western Sydney University Major Code: 0005
Previous Code: M1113.1
Available to students in other Western Sydney University Programs: Yes. Check that your program has the available credit points required to complete the subjects in this field of study. Any requisite requirements must also be met. Consult your Program Advisor for further advice.
The Creative Writing major provides students the opportunity to produce their own creative writing and to edit and publish their work. Students study with professional authors, editors and publishers from the Writing and Society Research Centre and staff from the School of Humanities and Communication Arts. In addition, students have the opportunity to study contemporary approaches to language and literary studies, including literary criticism and theory, linguistic analysis, genre and textual study, and to read and examine a wide selection of modern and classic literatures. Career prospects include publishing, editing, teaching, writing and advertising.
Location
| Campus | Mode | Advice |
|---|---|---|
| Parramatta Campus - Victoria Road | Internal | EnquiriesHCA@westernsydney.edu.au |
Major Structure
Students must successfully complete 80 credit points as follows.
Please note all Bachelor of Arts students including Pathways to Teaching, Dean’s Scholars and double degrees must complete the structure under the heading Bachelor of Arts.
Please note all Bachelor of Creative Industries students including double degrees must complete the structure under the heading Bachelor of Creative Industries.
This major is available to students in other Western Sydney University programs. If the major is available on your campus, the program structure allows space for enrolment in the major and pre-requisite requirements can be met, please follow the structure under the heading Bachelor of Arts. Consult your Program Advisor for further advice.
Note: Not all subjects will be offered each year. Subjects will be offered on a rotational basis.
Bachelor of Arts Students
| Subject | Title | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory Subjects | ||
| COMM 1009 | Creative Writing: Practical Skills and Knowledge | 10 |
| COMM 1010 | Creative Writing: The Imaginative Life | 10 |
| LANG 2056 | Writing Industries | 10 |
| COMM 3043 | Writing Portfolio | 10 |
| Total Credit Points | 40 | |
Bachelor of Creative Industries Students
Creative Industries students must complete their Introduction to major subject as part of the core requirements of the program, prior to enrolling in this major.
| Subject | Title | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|
| COMM 1010 | Creative Writing: The Imaginative Life | 10 |
Creative Industry students must complete the three compulsory subjects below and must complete five subjects from the Level 2 / Level 3 subject pool with a minimum of 2 subjects at Level 3. See below.
| Subject | Title | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory Subjects | ||
| COMM 1009 | Creative Writing: Practical Skills and Knowledge | 10 |
| LANG 2056 | Writing Industries | 10 |
| COMM 3043 | Writing Portfolio | 10 |
| Total Credit Points | 30 | |
Pool Subjects
Bachelor of Arts students must complete four subjects from the list below, with a minimum of two subjects at Level 3. Bachelor of Creative Industries students must complete five subjects from the list below, with a minimum of two subjects at Level 3.
Note: Not all subjects will be offered each year. Subjects will be offered on a rotational basis.
Level 2 Subject Pool
| Subject | Title | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|
| COMM 2016 | Experimental Writing and Electronic Publication | 10 |
| LANG 2033 | Literature and Decolonisation | 10 |
| LANG 2050 | Medieval and Early Modern Literature | 10 |
| LANG 2036 | Modern Australian Poetry and Poetics | 10 |
| LANG 2058 | Race in Literature | 10 |
| HUMN 2044 | Representing Everyday Life in Literary and Visual Cultures | 10 |
| LANG 2039 | The Short Story: Nineteenth Century Women’s Writing | 10 |
| LANG 2044 | The Gothic | 10 |
| LANG 2048 | Working Grammar | 10 |
| LANG 2051 | Writing and Reading Sci-Fi and Fantasy | 10 |
| COMM 2043 | Writing Fiction | 10 |
Level 3 Subject Pool (choose at least two)
| Subject | Title | Credit Points |
|---|---|---|
| LANG 3001 | 19th Century American Literature | 10 |
| LANG 3002 | 20th Century American Literature | 10 |
| COMM 3005 | Australian Textual Studies | 10 |
| LANG 3019 | Children's and Young Adult Fiction | 10 |
| LANG 3018 | Children's Literature: Image and Text | 10 |
| LANG 3100 | Comedy and Tragedy: Dramas of Death and Rebirth | 10 |
| LANG 3069 | Contemporary Irish Writing | 10 |
| LANG 3027 | Creative Non-Fiction | 10 |
| COMM 3013 | Creative Writing Project | 10 |
| LANG 3028 | Crime Fiction | 10 |
| LANG 3033 | Film and Drama | 10 |
| LANG 3050 | Introduction to Stylistics | 10 |
| LANG 3059 | Law, Literature and Culture | 10 |
| LANG 3061 | Literary Animals | 10 |
| CART 3001 | Modernism | 10 |
| LANG 3066 | Postcolonial Literatures | 10 |
| CULT 3020 | Representing Crime | 10 |
| LANG 3072 | Short Fiction in the Americas | 10 |
| LANG 3086 | The Novel | 10 |
| LANG 3087 | Women's Writing | 10 |
| LANG 3089 | World Literature in Translation | 10 |
| LANG 3091 | Writing and Society | 10 |
| COMM 3041 | Writing For Performance | 10 |
| COMM 3042 | Writing Poetry | 10 |
Equivalent Subjects
The subjects listed below count towards completion of this Major for students who passed these subjects in 2023 or earlier.
LANG 3068 - Race in Literature, replaced by LANG 2058 Race in Literature
The subject listed below counts towards completion of this Major for students who passed this subject in 2021 or earlier.
COMM 2014 - Editing and Publishing, replaced by LANG 2056 Writing Industries
The subjects listed below count towards completion of this Major for students who passed these subjects in 2019 or earlier.
LANG 3064 - Literatures of Decolonisation, no longer offered
BEHV 3013 - Humanities Internship, no longer offered as part of this major
PERF 2024 - The Musical, no longer offered
LANG 2042 - Studies in Postcolonial Literature, replaced by LANG 3066 Postcolonial Literatures: Partition, Dependence and Exile
LANG 3092 - The Space of Literature, no longer offered
LANG 3088 - Women, Travel and Empire, no longer offered
LANG 3090 - Writing and Reading Sci Fi and Fantasy, replaced by LANG 2051 Writing and Reading Sci-Fi and Fantasy
Note: the Level 3 subject BEHV 3013 Humanities Internship cannot count towards completion of SM1129 English Teaching Specialisation (Birth-5/Birth-12) or M1126 Education Studies Major - Primary English Teaching Specialisation for students enrolled in programs 1708 Bachelor of Arts (Pathway to Teaching Birth - 5/Birth - 12), 1651 Bachelor of Arts (Pathway to Teaching Primary), 1822 Bachelor of Arts (Pathway to Teaching Primary) Dean's Scholars, 6017 Diploma in Arts/Bachelor of Arts (Pathway to Teaching Birth-5/Birth-12), 6019 Diploma in Arts/Bachelor of Arts (Pathway to Teaching Primary), as this would not satisfy the professional accreditation requirements for NESA.