English and Creative Writing at Murdoch University

Course Description

Creative writing can make people laugh, cry, think from a new perspective and even shape the world. In this course you’ll explore literary forms from the short story to the sonnet, from the blog to the bildungsroman, and from pastoral to performance poetry.

Learn from scholars and established writers, ranging from short story writers and novelists who have published major works, to drama practitioners and performance theorists, and experts in English and Comparative Literature.

Develop your skills in becoming an insightful thinker, an observant reader and an imaginative writer. Explore a wide range of literary, theoretical, dramatic, and other texts, from the Renaissance to the present day, and develop your capacity for reflection and analysis.

You’ll learn to write in a range of literary and related genres and learn to think critically and creatively, apply knowledge and information, and communicate effectively.

8 reasons to study English and Creative Writing at Murdoch

• Work with real organisations on real projects, and complete internships through our work integrated learning program. Some of our students have worked with the Blue Room, WA Fringe Festival and the Heath Ledger Theatre.
• Get more real-world experience in our on-campus student creative consultancy MESH and work on real projects with real companies.
• Future job growth for authors, book and script editors is very strong.
  Source: joboutlook.wa.gov 2018
• At Murdoch, you’ll develop an entrepreneurial attitude, client consultation skills, critical thinking and the ability to adapt - so you can action your ideas.
• Showcase your creative work through local, national or even global competitions. Our students have had their writing published and won film awards that have landed them jobs with global film and music producers.
• You’ll learn to be adaptive and agile in a fast changing working world. Learn to write in different contexts and styles making you a critical and creative thinker who will be able to work across a range of industries.
• Study two majors in 3 years and graduate with two specialisations, further enhancing your career prospects.
• Study an Asian language alongside your degree and take your career global. We offer Japanese and Indonesian.

What you’ll learn

Build the knowledge and skills you need to meet your career or study goals. Here are some of the things you’ll learn:

• professional writing and editing
• reading and writing in the online world
• poetry: sonnet to slam
• literature, imagination and politics
• the short story: approaches to reading and writing..

Your future career

When you graduate you could become an author or editor and will be well prepared for employment in advertising, design, teaching, public administration, journalism, publishing, computer arts, and many fields of business.

Careers could include:

• Copywriter
• Editor
• Journalist
• Arts Administrator
• Professional Writer.