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CRWT40260

Academic Year 2026/2027

Reading Like A Writer (CRWT40260)

Subject:
Creative Writing
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
English, Drama & Film
Level:
4 (Masters)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Mr Declan Hughes
Trimester:
Autumn
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

Over the course of the module we will read between six and eight books from the reading list. A student will give a presentation on significant aspects of the work in question, and then the module leader will lead a discussion based on the presentation. In this way you will explore discuss particular technical components of fiction – point of view, dialogue, setting, structure etc. You will also develop an immersive sense of contemporary Irish fiction. Writing assignments, inspired by the books you read, will be workshopped to complement the readings.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of the course you will:

1. Understand the ways a writer works to produce texts.
2. Develop the skills to identify and analyse the work of specific authors with regard to creative intention and technical strategies.
3. Apply the insights gained to the production of your own writing.

Indicative Module Content:

Indicative Reading List

A Swim in a Pond in the Rain – George Saunders
Dance Move - Wendy Erskine
Trespasses - Louise Kennedy
The Colony - Audrey Magee
Prophet Song - Paul Lynch
Intermezzo - Sally Rooney
Wild Houses – Colin Barrett
The Amendments – Niamh Mulvey
The Bee Sting – Paul Murray


The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

100
Autonomous Student Learning

80
Small Group

22
Total

202

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Peer and group work; reflective learning; student presentations; writing workshops.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade Component repeat (in-module) Offered
Portfolio: 5,000 word portfolio submission (fiction), to reflect work undertaken during term Week 12 Graded No
100
 Yes

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Summer No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Peer review activities
• Self-assessment activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Autumn Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - Autumn: All Weeks Mon 10:00 - 11:50
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