The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide (2024)
6
6th for Creative Writing
The Complete University Guide (2024)
Why Lancaster?
Study fiction and film while working on your own projects with support from professional filmmakers, expert screenwriters and published authors
Take part in small-group workshops to develop your novels, stories, poetry, and scripts, as well as getting involved in our student-run literary journals
Expand your skills using our cutting-edge production facilities, extensive rehearsal spaces, and editing and audio suites
Explore the city’s arts scene or venture to the Lake District, the home of poets and inspiration for many writers ever since
Be inspired by our rich programme of literary events on campus, online, and in the city’s historic Castle Quarter
A powerful image can persuade. The right words can inspire. Join us to unlock the secrets of effective storytelling and sharpen the skills you need to bring your ideas to life on page and screen.
Film lover and maker? Avid reader and writer? Combine your two creative interests with a degree that helps you explore the connection between them.
A hub for film and writing events
Study film with a department that’s consistently rated in the UK top-ten (Complete University Guide). You’ll discover the history and theory of film and production techniques in global cinema.
As well as our student-run cinema on campus, we have a city centre arts venue that shows the latest independent and foreign films on our doorstep. In previous years, final year students have shown their own films here. You’ll also be close to mainstream cinemas in Lancaster and nearby Morecambe, and a vibrant programme of literary events.
From Black Magic 4K cameras and Adobe editing software to sound-proofed editing suites and audio and lighting equipment, these are just some of the tools you have access to. We have everything you need to learn basic DSLR, digital audio and camerawork in our production facilities.
Whenever you need technical support, you can turn to our professional filmmakers and screenwriters from the Lancaster Institute of Contemporary Arts and our skilled technicians.
Unleash your creative voice
Exploring creative writing gives you the chance to study writing and performance from around the world. The Lancaster area provides a fantastic backdrop for your writing and filmmaking, from the historic city to our spectacular coastline, with ancient woodlands and soaring mountains within easy reach. The nearby Lake District has inspired writers and poets over the years.
The right team is key to your success. Lancaster was one of the very first universities to teach creative writing. Today we continue to lead in the discipline with our celebrated novelists, poets and playwrights. Our experts can help you explore traditional forms such as the short story, the novel, poetry, or theatre, as well as digital media.
“You get so much freedom in terms of what you write and what you’re interested in, and you’re really encouraged to follow that”. Discover how you could forge your Creative Writing journey at Lancaster University.
Film Studies at Lancaster University
Cutting-edge production facilities, a strong theoretical grounding, and a global perspective on film. Hear what Film Studies at Lancaster University could offer to you.
Students at work
You’ll be developing your practical skills in our film production modules by experimenting with narrative films or documentaries. We provide top-of-the-line production equipment so you can create your own original content.
Practical experience
You will have the opportunity to produce short films in all three years of your study.
Interesting surroundings
Make use of Lancaster’s stunning surroundings for the perfect film setting – cityscape, rural backdrop or coastal charm.
Film production
Gain practical film-making skills and an understanding of film production.
Production equipment
We provide top-of-the-line production equipment so you can create your own original content. Enjoy 24/7 access to our editing suites and specialist equipment, including cinema-ready digital cameras.
Showcase your films
Every year our final year students showcase their films in a major degree show exhibition, that is open to the public.
Your Placement Year
Sometimes known as a year in industry, your placement year will take place between your second and final year of study and this will extend your degree to four years.
Placements and Internships
Hear from students and employers on how Lancaster University could support you to gain real-world experience and bolster your CV with a placement or internship as part of your degree.
A placement year is an excellent way to...
try out a role that you may be interested in as a career path
start to build your professional network (some placement students are offered permanent roles to return to after they graduate)
develop skills, knowledge and experience to put you ahead of the field when you graduate
You'll spend your third year...
in a paid, graduate-level position, where you’ll work for between nine and twelve months in the type of role that you might be considering for after you graduate. A very wide range of companies and organisations offer placements across all sectors.
As a full-time employee, you’ll have a detailed job description with specific responsibilities and opportunities to access training and development, the same as other employees.
Our Careers and Placements Team...
will help you to secure a suitable placement with expert advice and resources, such as creating an effective CV, and tips for applications and interviews.
You will still be a Lancaster University student during your placement and we’ll keep in touch to check how you are getting on.
The university will...
use all reasonable effort to support you to find a suitable placement for your studies. While a placement role may not be available in a field or organisation that is directly related to your academic studies or career aspirations, all offer valuable experience of working at a graduate level and gaining a range of professional skills.
If you are unsuccessful in securing a suitable placement for your third year, you will be able to transfer to the equivalent non-placement degree scheme and continue with your studies at Lancaster, finishing your degree after your third year.
Careers
Whether you dream of becoming a bestselling novelist, director of blockbuster movies, or want to explore another creative area, Lancaster is a great place to start your success story. Our creative enterprise module which we offer as part of this course is a great way to boost your employability.
You’ll be able to think critically, communicate, work in teams, use complex equipment, analyse film and text, and use your knowledge of film theory to inform your thinking and practice. All of these are skills employers look for when hiring creative graduates.
By the time you graduate, you’ll have skills that could take you in a number of directions. Past students work in a range of areas:
Film production and editing
Publishing
Journalism
Marketing and advertising
Writing
Television and the media
Teaching
Research
Eager to continue learning? Some students continue their studies with our Master’s or PhD in Film Studies or Creative Writing.
Entry requirements
Grade Requirements
A Level ABB
IELTS 6.5 overall with at least 5.5 in each component. For other English language qualifications we accept, please see our English language requirements webpages.
Other Qualifications
International Baccalaureate 32 points overall with 16 points from the best 3 Higher Level subjects
BTEC Distinction, Distinction, Merit considered
We welcome applications from students with a range of alternative UK and international qualifications, including combinations of qualification. Further guidance on admission to the University, including other qualifications that we accept, frequently asked questions and information on applying, can be found on our general admissions webpages.
Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored foundation pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.
Contextual admissions
Contextual admissions could help you gain a place at university if you have faced additional challenges during your education which might have impacted your results. Visit our contextual admissions page to find out about how this works and whether you could be eligible.
Course structure
Lancaster University offers a range of programmes, some of which follow a structured study programme, and some which offer the chance for you to devise a more flexible programme to complement your main specialism.
Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, and the University will make every reasonable effort to offer modules as advertised. In some cases changes may be necessary and may result in some combinations being unavailable, for example as a result of student feedback, timetabling, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.
This module will introduce you to key methods, tools and critical concepts used by academics to understand a broad range of creative work, its discussion and practice historically and today. Through a combination of lectures and seminars, you are encouraged to think of yourself as a "creative critic" who uses intelligent observations about the creative world to inform your own practice of writing and making.
This module introduces you to university-level study of the arts, and their contexts and interrelations. In this first block, during the first term, students on the Film, Art, Design, and Theatre programmes will work together in mixed seminar groups to explore the different ways in which creative practitioners respond to the world around them. You will be introduced to key critical concepts used by academics to understand the role of creative work historically and today.
This module is designed to supplement and enhance the essential knowledge and skills covered in “Introduction to Film Studies”, and develops the study skills that you will require as you progress through the course. It will be taught through lectures, seminars and weekly screenings of case study films, including themes such as Hitchcock and silent cinema in Britain, the Ealing comedies of the 1950’s, the James Bond Franchise, and contemporary Asian British cinema.
This year-long module is focused on the development of your own writing. You will be encouraged to experiment with various forms and genres, to explore new approaches in drafting and editing your own work, and to develop the gentle art of responding to the work of fellow students. The lectures will introduce you to a range of exciting texts and helpful terminology, and offer insight from published authors. The follow-up workshops allow you to practice technique, mature your voice, and nurture your writerly instincts.
This module is intended to provide you with the essential knowledge and competencies to undertake the academic study of film at university level. The first term provides you with an understanding of the formal and technical composition of films to allow you to undertake detailed analysis of films, from the level of close scrutiny of individual images, and their interrelation with the soundtrack, to the narrative assembly of shots and scenes. Through the analysis of a range of examples, you will be given the opportunity to become familiar with the key formal and semantic conventions of cinema. The second term aims to provide you with a framework knowledge of world film history. By focusing on a selection of key films and filmmakers, this section of the module will explore historically significant movements and themes within international cinema from the 1960s to the present day. This term is thematically organized around issues of ideology and realism, and explores the shifting social and political status of cinema during the last century. In the third term you will undertake a practical project, working with a small group to produce a short film.
Core
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This core module has two main objectives. Firstly, it is designed to develop further your analytical skills in order to examine individual films in greater detail. Secondly, it is intended to encourage you to understand world cinema in relation to a variety of social, cultural, political and industrial contexts.
The module will explore such issues as the relationship between film form and modes of production (from industrial film-making through to low-budget art film), theories of film style and aesthetics, and the political function of cinema.
The module consists of two interwoven strands, one strand focusing on various modes of American film production, the other exploring films from a number of different national traditions. Across the whole module, you will gain a thorough grasp not only of the historical factors shaping various national and international cinemas, but also of some key critical and theoretical concepts within the field of film studies.
This year-long module is the gate-way to the second and third year experience of Creative Writing. You will be able to write in any literary genre, drawing on the accompanying half-units or exploring new areas of creative work. You will develop a portfolio of creative writing, supported by peer and tutor feedback. A lecture series will increase the professionalisation of your writing.
Optional
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This module enables you to explore topics, techniques, and methods involved in memoir and life writing, as well as the risks and opportunities – technical, ethical and personal – inherent in this form. Through a series of seminars and workshops we will explore set texts, generative writing prompts, and give and receive feedback on works in progress. You will work towards the creation of your own memoir text – either a short stand-alone work or works, or a chapter / section from a proposed longer work. In addition, you will be supported in developing independent research to set your own work in its context in your reflective essay.
Critical Reflections explores a number of key interdisciplinary philosophical and cultural theories and concepts such as: Aesthetics, Formalism, Phenomenology, Semiotics, Structuralism, Deconstruction, Class, Society, Feminism, Queer Theory and Gender, Difference and Postcolonialism. This will enable you to analyse, engage with, and reflect upon artworks in your own discipline. It also allows you to establish a common set of concepts which can be shared by students from different LICA subjects including Design, Film, Fine Art and Theatre; with ideas and examples specifically tailored towards these disciplines.
This module explores different approaches to both the analysis and the production of documentary film. As well as considering a range of styles of documentary film, typically including expository, poetic, observational, reflexive, political, and personal modes of documentary film, you will also examine key debates concerning the ethics of documentary filmmaking. An indicative list of film screenings includes Nanook of the North, Grey Gardens, Dont Look Back [sic], The Arbor, Sans Soleil, Fahrenheit 9/11, The Gleaners and I, and The Act of Killing.
The module aims to develop an understanding of historically important European films from the 1950s to the 1980s and the stylistic and historical significance of these films. It will explore the thematic importance of these films and consider the critical debates relating to this period of filmmaking enabling students to develop a critical understanding of the conditions of production, reception and distribution of these films.
This module examines a historical genre that now occupies the economic centre of Hollywood film production. The module focuses centrally on film and comic book aesthetics; on questions of narration and visual depiction in these two related media; on the shifting norms of this film genre in relation to technological change across history; and on the significance and uses of the comic-book film in society. The module develops ideas and skills introduced in the core Film Studies modules taken as part of the film studies and combined degrees.
This third-year course will add to the theoretical, historical and cultural aspects of film investigated in Years 1 and 2, while focusing more closely on the challenging aesthetic and critical debates surrounding the concept of modernity. It will look at films made in the silent era, in post-war Europe and in Britain and the US. Writings on film will be considered in conjunction with viewings of particular films, close analysis of specific filmic techniques and methods, and historical and theoretical approaches to film. The course will also pay attention to the debates of classical and contemporary film theory, feminist approaches and other critical traditions (semiotics, structuralism, formalism, cognitivism). Students will be introduced to key debates in classical and contemporary film theory, with topics exploring the relations between film and art, cinema and politics, cinema and psychoanalysis, and, above all, the question of how films produce meaning(s).
How does our lived experience translate into poetry? And how does poetry crystallize or transform experience through language and form? These and many other questions are explored in this module as we read as well as write poetry; for the writing of poetry is dependent not only your experience but also your abilities as a reader and interpreter of poems. We will look at the base structures of poetry – from the line-ending to more complex forms like sonnets and sestinas; and you will be encouraged to seek out new reading as a result of seminar discussion. Finally, you are expected to keep a journal of your poems and thoughts throughout the course, the contents of which will be used to create the reflective essay for your portfolio.
This scriptwriting course is a dynamic and comprehensive exploration of the art and craft of writing for the screen. The module spans one term, delving into fundamental screenwriting skills, character development, effective storytelling, dialogue construction, and an understanding of the screenwriting industry.
Through a combination of theoretical lectures and practical workshops, students will develop original ideas and refine their scripts through a process of writing groups, "table reads," and peer feedback. By the end of the course each student will produce a short screenplay of 15-20 pages.
The course places a strong emphasis on industry awareness, offering insights into short film development funding opportunities, networking strategies, and the role of the screenwriter in film production. With a focus on continuous improvement, students not only hone their creative abilities but also cultivate professionalism in script submission, critical analysis, and effective verbal communication, preparing them for success in the ever-evolving landscape of the film industry.
What is short fiction as a literary form? The module approaches this question by exploring its unique opportunities and challenges. We will look at examples of modern and contemporary short stories from around the world (including work by Katherine Mansfield, Herve le Tellier and Walter Mosely) to see how the form can be manifested, pushed, pulled, and made malleable.
Critical and creative engagement with these set texts will allow you to see how key techniques of narrative, voice, imagery, and dialogue can be tailored for short fiction. You will put these techniques into practice through a series of writing exercises and in your own submissions for tutor and peer feedback, as you build towards a portfolio of original short fiction; this will be accompanied by a critical reflection where you can explore your strategies for writing in this form.
In the Short Film Production module you will develop, produce and complete a short dramatic film. You will be taught and given the opportunity to follow industry standard practices throughout your project. You’ll participate in at least two class productions as both a key role member (roles like Writer/Director, Producer, Cinematographer, Art Director, and Sound Designer/Editor) and a minor role member (roles like Assistant Director, Script Supervisor, Assistant Camera, Gaffer, Grip, Sound Recordist, Boom Operator, and etc.). You’ll keep a production diary outlining your individual contributions, and be given the opportunity to gain real world experience of what working on a film production is like in the various roles. You’ll write up your experiences in an essay critically analysing the production process and outcomes.
You will need to have completed Introduction to Film Studies to take this module.
This module aims to give students a grounding in “the contemporary” as a key critical concept used in artistic discourses, and provide a number of ways that students can explore and articulate their own contemporaneity. In conversation with cutting edge ideas from art, science, technology and popular culture, the module will enable participants to discuss and identify what they are contemporaries of, how they relate to their own time as artists, citizens and critical writers and what this necessitates in their own practices.
Students will engage in critical discussion of key terms used to define the current moment, such as Anthropocene, Singularity, Post-Truth, and Globalisation, as well as understanding how particular technologies and phenomena, such as distributed and decentralised networks, virtual reality, artificial intelligence and genetic engineering are reshaping the contexts in which the arts are made. These topics are explored through lectures and seminar discussions in which students are encouraged to produce and define their own position and modes for articulating what makes them contemporary.
The module is designed for creative students who wish to use writing and material practice to explore their own relationship to the ecologies, politics, trends, technologies, and aesthetics that typify our experience of the world today.
This module will explore the work of some of the most historically important female film-makers from the 1890s through to the present, considering films from around the globe. The module will examine the significant but often marginalized and obscured roles that women have played in industrial, experimental and avant-garde film production across a spectrum of roles from costume and production designers through to screen-writers, editors and directors. You will be invited to reflect upon the fact that, despite playing key roles in the development of the medium, women continue to be excluded at all levels of film production. The decision by Hollywood star and activist Geena Davis to establish a campaigning ‘Institute on Gender in Media’ is a measure of the urgency of this subject.
The module will engage with revisionist film histories concerned with interrogating the dominant bias of academic and popular histories of the medium; it will also draw on feminist film theory concerned both with a critical understanding of mainstream cinema and the development of politicized women’s cinemas. The module will examine a series of female directors and their work, and each week will be oriented around the screening of a case study film that will be the focus for the seminar. An example of directors included is Alice Guy-Blaché, Dorothy Arzner, Leni Riefenstahl, Ida Lupino, Laura Mulvey, Mira Nair, Kathryn Bigelow, Marziyeh Meshkini, Lynne Ramsay.
Assessment is by a combination of coursework essay and exam.
The module aims to enable you to write for the theatre and develop your awareness of the processes by which a written script makes its way to performance. You will be taught through weekly seminars/workshops in which you will explore the effects that different staging approaches and performance strategies have on your scripts.
The module usually ends with a performance showcase at the Dukes Theatre, Lancaster, in which you will be actively involved; the showcase will allow you to reflect upon your work in the light of audience feedback.
Over the course of the module, you will develop your own writing styles and gain an awareness of the professional requirements of playwriting.
This module seeks to helps you write imaginatively about places and/or landscapes. You will be able to write poetry, prose fiction, or non-fiction as we explore the broad field of nature, environmental, and place-writing. You will study major texts that engage with different kinds of place and landscape – from fields and forests to rivers and urban edgelands – and explore your own emergent interests in place-writing. You will be encouraged to consider your own work as part of a larger, ongoing literary conversation about place, and to explore those places and landscapes that interest and excite you. The module also contains an element of fieldwork, linking the act of physically walking through a landscape to the practice of reading and writing about it.
Core
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You will spend this year working in a graduate-level placement role. This is an opportunity to gain experience in an industry or sector that you might be considering working in once you graduate.
Our Careers and Placements Team will support you during your placement with online contact and learning resources.
You will undertake a work-based learning module during your placement year which will enable you to reflect on the value of the placement experience and to consider what impact it has on your future career plans.
Core
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This module allows you to undertake a major independent research project on a topic of your choice, presented in the form of a dissertation or a practice-based project and an essay. The module is taught through lectures focused on research skills and one-to-one supervision. Upon completion, you will be able to demonstrate your ability to undertake a major project that includes conducting research, engaging in a sustained critical analysis of relevant texts, building an argument and applying this to practice.
Optional
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This year-long module forms the core Creative Writing offering in your final year, and allows you to write in any literary genre. You will be encouraged to draw on the other creative writing modules you are taking and to explore new areas of creative work as you develop your portfolio. Throughout, you will be supported by feedback from both your tutor and fellow students.
This module develops the key techniques studied in the second-year module, ‘Short Fiction: Genre and Practice.’ It explores endings that use misdirection and ‘the reveal,’ as well various forms/genres of short stories, such as flash fiction, the ghost story, and rewriting fairy tales. As we go, we will be discussing several contemporary short stories, experimenting through writing exercises, and workshopping student drafts. You will thus develop a portfolio of your own original short stories, which is accompanied by a critical reflection on your use of form and technique. The module ends with tips on sending work for publication.
This module centres on the artistically and politically adventurous phase of American filmmaking circa 1967-1979. Typically topics studied include:
Introduction – Hollywood breakdown (Easy Rider, Medium Cool)
The future of allusion: New Hollywood’s nostalgic mode (The Godfather)
Popular feminism (Klute, Woman Under the Influence)
Politics and conspiracy (The Parallax View, All The President’s Men)
Exploitation cinema II: horror/body genres (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
Blockbuster cinema and the franchise film (Star Wars)
The end of the New (Apocalypse Now)
This module explores Hong Kong cinema from the mid-1980s up to the present – an era whose beginning witnesses the international breakthrough of a new wave of local filmmakers, and which goes on to encompass the early 1990s’ production surge, the 1997 handover to mainland China, the crippling economic crisis, and the outbreak of the SARS virus. The module will give you the opportunity to develop an understanding of a number of basic industrial, aesthetic, social and cultural trends marking Hong Kong films in the contemporary era. These include the emergence and impact of independent production; the rise of ‘high-concept’ filmmaking; the movement toward pan-Asian co-productions; the importance and cross-marketing of star performers and local musical traditions such as Cantopop; the popularity of genres like the swordplay film; and aesthetic tendencies such as episodic plotting and the narrative ‘thematisation’ of politics and identity. Emphasis will be placed not only on representative mainstream product, but also on the emergence of a distinct Hong Kong art cinema, whose presence and success on the international festival circuit has brought artistic credibility to a predominantly popular cinema, and which has heralded the arrival of a fresh wave of local ‘auteur’ filmmakers.
This module covers topics such as: the infrastructures and locations of cinema; the evolution of film exhibition and distribution; film festivals in a global context; the role of film archives and cinematheques; film criticism; digital film cultures and networks of informal distribution.
Students develop a comprehensive understanding of cinema as a socio-cultural institution, by considering film in terms of circulation, reception, and heritage. This approach entails a focus on the role of mediators (i.e. programmers, distributors, critics) and locations (i.e movie theatres, film festivals, archives) in shaping the consumption and preservation of film.
The module provides historical and analytical skills to understand the evolution of film cultures from modernity to the contemporary digital age. This holistic perspective is achieved by combining theoretical components with the discussion of case studies from a variety of cultural contexts and locations (e.g. the introduction of cinema theatres in colonial Nigeria, the multiplex in India, the birth of film festivals in Europe and their contemporary role in the promotion of Latin American and Middle Eastern cinema).
Students develop skills throughout the module by collectively managing and producing content for a blog expanding on the topics discussed in class. The weekly updates will be developed and discussed at seminars, and peer-assessed on a routine basis. In order to articulate their personal contribution to the blog, each student writes a short reflective piece on their experience, as well as an individual essay on a case study of their choice.
In this module you will examine, through both set reading and writing prompts, the unique features of long fiction. Through tutor presentations and discussion of set texts, the workshopping of creative writing in progress, and the writing of synopses and other planning documents, you will develop competence in approaching a long fiction project. You will thus learn to: find strategies for planning and structuring; choose point of view and tense; develop plot; work with setting; address themes and characterisation; experiment with form; and write an ending. You may work in any adult genre you wish, but we will focus on literary, historical and science fiction, as well as both speculative and crime genres
This module offers a broad overview of the history of the musical genre in cinema. It begins by examining the use of sound in silent cinema before focusing on the original success of musicals with the arrival of synchronised sound in 1927. The module then tracks the success of movie musicals from the 1930s-1950s, with particular focus on Hollywood successes of MGM, Busby Berkeley, the Astaire-Rogers cycle and the emergence of the self-reflexive musical. Elements of the Hollywood musical in the 1960s and beyond are then studied, with a focus on the importance of the musical soundtrack in Saturday Night Fever (1977) and other films. The module will also examine other traditions where the Musical has been significant, such as India and France. In addition to this, aspects of race, gender and sexuality in the movie musical will be discussed. Some recent Hollywood successes (such as La La Land [2016] or The Greatest Showman [2017]) are studied towards the end of the module in the light of the Musical tradition
This module aims to challenge received structures of poetic language through a close reading of poets who opened up new frontiers of 20th/21st century literature through their approaches to language. In each seminar, there will first be a close reading of work by a published poet, from Alice Oswald to Ezra Pound, looking at how they stretch or break the lyric formula; and then your own poetic experiments are workshopped.
In week two, there is a basic introduction to Ludwig Wittgenstein's famous theory of language games, with each subsequent poet examined in the light of how they try to break the rules of the game. Your own experiments will be very much encouraged, as either continuations of the radical departures first implemented by the poets in question, or your own attempts to break from comfortable notions of confessional or lyric poetry.
This module offers an introduction to the broad area of silent cinema and to a range of critical approaches to this rich area of study. You will have the opportunity to view and analyse a number of important films. We will also explore a number of critical questions raised by this material with regard to the writing and study of histories of cinema (and popular culture in general). We will examine the relationships between technology and form, the economics of film production, distribution and reception, the relationship between cinema and national identity, the social and cultural impact of new (entertainment) media and the study of cinema audiences.
‘Transgressive Cinema’ is a practice-based module that aims to broaden students’ understanding of film as a form of political enquiry. The module introduces students to critical practices in film, video and expanded cinema that favour process over the end-product. Among the key questions the module addresses are the following: How can film go beyond describing and critiquing the world “as is” and constitute the critique formally? What are the political implications of a film’s formal construction? How do we identify legacies of colonialism in filmic construction and how do we challenge them through creatives devices that transgressive cinema offers? How do we problematise the dominant forms of spectatorship in film practice?
So, while these questions involve rigorous thinking, in practice the module offers a platform where playful experimentations are encouraged. Bringing critical thinking and making into focus, the module invites students to re-examine the dominant aesthetic and narrative conventions of the film/video medium and explore formal elements and their political implications in theory and by practice.
Over the course of this module, students will engage in topics such as: - What is "transgressive cinema" (historically and in recent practices) - Materialist film practices in Britain and the wider European context (1965-1985) - Challenging the perception of language: use of voice, narration, and text as image - Identity politics and video - Queer practices - Performing to camera - Camera-less films - Expanded Cinema - Multiple screens - Abstract film and video. These topics will be explored by students via watching the assigned films, discussing the relevant texts in relation to films and responding to series of practical briefs/tasks to experiment with those ideas.
This year-long course offers an in-depth exploration of the Gothic mode from the vantage point of the early twenty-first century. It is split into five sections: Defining, Localising, Salvaging, Haunting and Transforming. These themes have been chosen to enable the combination of traditional Gothic concepts (ghosts, monsters) with new theoretical ideas addressing a range of topics including gender, sexuality, decolonisation, and environmental crisis. A small selection of nineteenth- and twentieth-century texts, incorporating both canonical and less familiar works, introduce key concepts and establish a foundation for approaching a diverse and challenging collection of contemporary works. These will cover anglophone writing in a variety of literary forms, including long and short-form fiction, drama, and the graphic novel. Asking the question of what Gothic *does*, rather than what Gothic *is*, the module aims to challenge preconceived opinions, boldly enter difficult territories, and show how Gothic may be used as a critical tool to address some of the most pressing questions facing contemporary Western culture.
What are the constraints and opportunities of writing for children and young adults? By reading, analysing, and responding creatively to a range of texts, you will become more familiar with: contemporary practitioners of writing for young people; the expectations of the audience; and the opportunities for innovation.
The module begins with picture-books, and concludes with young adult novels. You will come to appreciate the complexities of writing fiction for young people, exploring everything from the constraints of paper engineering to the opportunities of a multi-modal narrative in picture books; and from the constraints of coming-of-age tropes to the opportunities for fresh, inventive language in YA fiction.
You will be asked to engage in a close reading of the texts studied and to respond creatively to them.
This module will introduce students to writing for games of all kinds, both digital and pen-and-paper. We will explore the basic principles of collaborative narrative experience as we seek to engage both critically and creatively with this new and extremely popular branch of contemporary writing. text currently is as follows could you kindly adapt new text please The weekly workshops are currently supplemented by a weekly, evening Games Study Night in the University Library to explore existing games, play-test your own, and enjoy the Library’s rich collection of board games.
This module will build on the second-year module ‘Writing Poetry,’ thus deepening your engagement with both writing and reading process. We will explore poetic form through a wide-ranging selection of poems, and consider form as a tradition that has been questioned, adapted, subverted, upcycled, reaffirmed. We will focus, in particular, on forms regularly employed or reimagined in the twentieth century and more recently.
Fees and funding
We set our fees on an annual basis and the 2025/26
entry fees have not yet been set.
You will be able to borrow many books free of charge from the university library, however most students prefer to buy their own copies of at least some of the texts. Costs vary depending on whether these are bought new or second hand.
There may be extra costs related to your course for items such as books, stationery, printing, photocopying, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits. Following graduation, you may need to pay a subscription to a professional body for some chosen careers.
Specific additional costs for studying at Lancaster are listed below.
College fees
Lancaster is proud to be one of only a handful of UK universities to have a collegiate system. Every student belongs to a college, and all students pay a small college membership fee which supports the running of college events and activities. Students on some distance-learning courses are not liable to pay a college fee.
For students starting in 2024, the fee is £40 for undergraduates and research students and £15 for students on one-year courses. Fees for students starting in 2025 have not yet been set.
Computer equipment and internet access
To support your studies, you will also require access to a computer, along with reliable internet access. You will be able to access a range of software and services from a Windows, Mac, Chromebook or Linux device. For certain degree programmes, you may need a specific device, or we may provide you with a laptop and appropriate software - details of which will be available on relevant programme pages. A dedicated IT support helpdesk is available in the event of any problems.
The University provides limited financial support to assist students who do not have the required IT equipment or broadband support in place.
Study abroad courses
In addition to travel and accommodation costs, while you are studying abroad, you will need to have a passport and, depending on the country, there may be other costs such as travel documents (e.g. VISA or work permit) and any tests and vaccines that are required at the time of travel. Some countries may require proof of funds.
Placement and industry year courses
In addition to possible commuting costs during your placement, you may need to buy clothing that is suitable for your workplace and you may have accommodation costs. Depending on the employer and your job, you may have other costs such as copies of personal documents required by your employer for example.
The fee that you pay will depend on whether you are considered to be a home or international student. Read more about how we assign your fee status.
Home fees are subject to annual review, and may be liable to rise each year in line with UK government policy. International fees (including EU) are reviewed annually and are not fixed for the duration of your studies. Read more about fees in subsequent years.
We will charge tuition fees to Home undergraduate students on full-year study abroad/work placements in line with the maximum amounts permitted by the Department for Education. The current maximum levels are:
Students studying abroad for a year: 15% of the standard tuition fee
Students taking a work placement for a year: 20% of the standard tuition fee
International students on full-year study abroad/work placements will be charged the same percentages as the standard International fee.
Please note that the maximum levels chargeable in future years may be subject to changes in Government policy.
Scholarships and bursaries
Details of our scholarships and bursaries for students starting in 2025 are not yet available. You can use our scholarships for 2024-entry applicants as guidance.
Creative Arts Facilities at Lancaster University
As a student within LICA, you will have access to a range of state-of-the-art facilities and equipment to catalyse your studies.
Download the course booklet to find out more about Lancaster University, how we teach Creative Writing and what you'll study as a Creative Writing student.
The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.
The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.
More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.
Our Students’ Charter
We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.
Undergraduate open days 2024
Our summer and autumn open days will give you Lancaster University in a day. Visit campus and put yourself in the picture.
Our historic city is student-friendly and home to a diverse and welcoming community. Beyond the city you'll find a stunning coastline and the picturesque Lake District.