Courses

HL6205 Forms of Narrative

The Graduate Seminar in Creative Writing: Forms of Narrative is designed to develop students’ awareness of, and technical facility with the employment of varying forms of narrative in literature, in addition to developing a contextual awareness of their own creative work in relation to past and contemporary literature and theory.

HL6206 Voice

The Graduate Seminar in Creative Writing: Voice is designed to develop students’ awareness of, and technical facility with the employment of speech-like forms in literature, in addition to developing a contextual awareness of their own creative work in relation to past and contemporary literature and theory. 

HL6207 Place and Time

The Graduate Seminar in Creative Writing: Place and Time is designed to develop students’ technical facility with setting, world-building and temporality, and to develop their awareness of how their creative work is situated in contemporary geographies of literature and theory.

HL6208 Writing South-East Asia

This course will develop student’s ability to write about South-East Asia by reference to literary examples and in the context of influential debates on community, multiculturalism, transnationalism, culture and the poetics of place. Key contemporary and classic South-East Asian texts will be used as a reference point and inspiration for students to produce their own creative project in response to South-East Asia.

HL6209 Directed Study

In this course students will have the opportunity to engage in independent research related to their proposed dissertation/thesis and to produce an appropriate example of written work arising from this. The content and requirements of each Directed Study module are to be determined by the student in conjunction with the appointed supervisor/ thesis committee and the Head of Division.

HL6210 Special Topic

The course will vary greatly according to the instructor’s research interests but might consist of an in-depth study of a single author, genre or theme. Every time it is offered, the course will be tailor-made to the specific interests of the individual staff teaching and / or students who enrol for it. The specific topic offered for any semester will be clearly signalled in advance.

The course will comprise the study of both published writers and students in the class. Students will be expected to contribute to weekly workshops. In a supportive and critical environment, students will critique one-another’s work and discuss the progress of their writing projects, as well as their developing working practices.

HL6211 Writing & Editing for Digital Media

This course considers issues and current thinking in web-based and digital communications. Students will study the major channels and platforms used in this field, develop an understanding of online forms and genres and writing and editing skills for online contexts. Students will learn how to publish their work using digital writing and editing software.

HL6212 Technology, Artificial Intelligence & Electronic Publishing

The course provides students with a basic understanding of the planning, development and management of digital content. A consideration of the theory, principles, traditions and current trends in publication design is applied to electronic publishing. We examine technological resources in relation to the social, cultural, legal, economic and political implications of the evolving publishing industry, and the opportunities for technological developments in a Singaporean, SE Asian, and international publishing landscape.

HL6213 Literary Publishing

This course is an overview of issues and concerns seminal to ventures in the world of literary publishing, in particular the three writing genres of fiction, memoir, and poetry. This course approaches publishing from an author’s perspective, in regard to understanding each literary genre’s particularities, studying established voices, developing strategies for achieving personal publication goals, and surveying available markets and opportunities.

HL6214 Editorial Theory & Practice, Functions & Strategies

This course first addresses the underlying concepts and theories of current editorial theory before progressing on to detailed study, modelling, and practice of the various disciplines of editorial control. Students approach the publishing and the marketplace from the perspective of the editor, with the aim of more fully comprehending how fundamental to the reception of an individual work in any given genre the editor’s theoretical bases. The course takes a broad historical view, aligning theory and practice across genres, continents and centuries.  

HL6215 Book & Magazine Editing

This course examines the lifespan of a full-length book, from acquisitions, development, author relationships, design, typesetting, production, and printing to its eventual distribution. This  course is an introduction to the strategic roles editors play in the publishing process—in terms of content delivery and workflow—and the knowledge and skills required for the development of new projects in both print and digital form. The course may also introduce students to copy editing and the elements of proofreading, stylistic editing, and structural editing. Students will be given the opportunity to understand the ethical issues and rhetorical standards that guide editorial conduct. The course examines practical applications, allowing students to demonstrate theoretical knowledge and hands-on editing skills.

This course also offers an understanding of the contours of the magazine market from the perspectives of both writers and editors. It explores the similarities and differences between general interest magazines and more focused magazines and how magazines compete against each other and other media for audience and revenue. Topics include how magazines carve out niches, the relationship between the business and editorial departments, and the editorial operations of magazines. The course may also look at the history of the magazine industry. 

HL6216 Professional Communication 

In a trans-national industry such as publishing, it is essential to know how to communicate effectively, and to do so in diverse cultures. This course focuses on the essentials of professional communication; students will learn what is needed to connect people in the global workplace. The aim is to establish what it means to be an effective communicator, and how to write and speak in different professional contexts for different audiences and for different purposes.