Course Title: The Business of Creative Writing

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: The Business of Creative Writing

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
COMM2399	City Campus	Undergraduate	345H Media and Communication	Face-to-Face	Sem 2 2011, Sem 2 2012, Sem 2 2013, Sem 2 2014

Course Coordinator: Dr Bonny Cassidy

Course Coordinator Phone: 03 9925 3792

Course Coordinator Email: bonny.cassidy@rmit.edu.au

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

You should have satisfactorily the prerequisite course COMM2186 Professional Practice before you commence this course. Note it is a condition of enrolment at RMIT that you accept responsibility for ensuring that you have completed the prerequisites before enrolling in a course.

Course Description

The primary goal of this course is to equip you with skills, knowledge and approaches that will assist you in maintaining the viability of your writing practice upon graduation. This course will examine a range of approaches, which may contribute to the potential of having a creative writing project published and/or produced. Through discussion, research, fieldwork, critical analysis, writing, presentation and reflection, you will develop your awareness of the process, challenges and opportunities which may enhance your prospects as a developing creative writer practitioner of ‘getting published’ or ‘getting produced’ in a range of contexts.

NB. This is a nominated Work Integrated Learning (WIL) course and is constituted of at least 50% WIL-based learning. This course includes a work integrated learning experience in which your knowledge and skills will be applied and assessed in a real or simulated workplace context and where feedback from industry and/or community is integral to your experience.

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

In this course you will develop the following program capabilities
- respond to and communicate ideas as a creative writer, reflecting on your own and others’ writing
- research using web, library archives, interviews, selective experiential research and other sources to inform and position your creative writing
- solve problems effectively and creatively
- develop your leadership ability through constructive collaboration and teamwork, as well as in the originality, innovation and quality of your own writing
- interact effectively in professional contexts such as networking and ’pitching’ your work to industry.

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:
•    evaluate the importance of communicating strategically to position your creative writing in a competitive marketplace
•    analyse networking and other collaborative opportunities to strengthen the prospect of your work ‘getting published’ or ‘getting produced’ in appropriate destinations
•    research your local and global market to identify a broad range of writing opportunities for your own creative writing project/s both within and outside the publishing industry
•    investigate the ’business’ of creative writing as integral aspects of ‘getting published’ or ’getting produced’.

Overview of Learning Activities

RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through our online systems. Through lecture-based delivery, workshops, a series of guest speakers and guided analysis of case studies, you will develop the skills and entrepreneurial approaches needed to recognise, and effectively act upon, opportunities. 

Overview of Learning Resources

You should make use of wider university resources such as its libraries, their print and audio-visual collections and, if appropriate, the University’s Learning Skills Unit. You will also need to make use of online resources when researching the field.

Overview of Assessment

You will be assessed on how well you meet the course’s learning outcomes and on your development against the program capabilities. Assessment in this course will test your skills and abilities and strategies in facilitating your transition into the workplace with your writing. The assessment items are designed to demonstrate how well you have engaged with the material in the course and how well you understand what creative writers need to do to ensure they give their work the best chance of publication or production. Feedback will be given on all assessments.

If you have a long term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program director or the Disability Liaison Unit if you would like to find out more.

Your course assessment conforms to RMIT assessment principles, regulations, policies and procedures.