The module aims to introduce students to a range of different research methods; develop their research skills to Master's level; and enhance their library skills. It also aims to introduce them to different ways of engaging in research cultures appropriate to the focus of their studies; enable them to develop a research profile; understand ethics approval; and gain skills in the presentation of their research. The module prepares students for the Dissertation module and aims to provide them with skills useful for disseminating the results of their dissertation after they graduate.

The module will provide exposure to a range of commercially popular writing genres in which our teaching team have experience and expertise, such as Crime Writing, Eco-Writing and Historical Fiction. Students will examine recent examples and experiment with writing in those genres themselves. Students will learn about the breadth of possibilities in each genre by reading it, writing it, and responding to the work of their fellow students.

This module looks at diverse ways that the past is preserved in contemporary literature and culture and how it is written about. This might include historical novels, memoirs, non-fiction and public-facing information and reviews. We will consider what we can learn about contemporary society from the way these topics are being written about in contemporary (post 2000) texts.

Activities include two field trips to local heritage sites, to consider how their stories have been told, and how they remain relevant to a twenty-first century public. You will be challenged to use your skills as a writer to create contemporary work inspired by a heritage site.