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SoSe 21: Creative Writing

Gregor Wolfgang Hens

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Topic: Living and studying in a foreign country can be an exciting time in your personal and intellectual development. One productive way of dealing with the onslaught of impressions, especially in a time of crisis, is to write about it. This course is designed to help you transform your ideas into a well-considered piece of literary writing. The resulting text, which should relate to your study-abroad experience in the widest sense, may be fictional or non-fictional. It could take the form of a short story set in Berlin, a literary reportage, a creative essay, a series of poems or even the beginning chapter of a novel. Program: The course will be conducted workshop-style. You will work on your own text throughout the semester, and share and discuss it with your fellow students and the instructor. In addition, we will conduct short writing exercises and discuss assigned texts about the process of writing. Can I take this course? Yes – if you are interested in literature and wish to try your hand at creative writing. You should be open-minded toward your fellow students, and willing to share and discuss your work with them. You should be prepared to accept and dispense constructive criticism, and to establish a regular daily writing practice: a few minutes of notetaking after breakfast or a half hour of writing before you go to sleep. – Your English may not be perfect, but you are willing to own your mistakes and work on your grammar, vocabulary and style. Requirements and Grading: In order to earn 5 ECTS credits you will have to: attend classes/meetings regularly (at least 80% of the time); engage with the reading materials and respond to a selection of them; post all writing assignments by the indicated due dates; respond to your fellow students' work online and in discussion. The final project, due on the last day of class, will be about ten pages in length. close