Writing Studies
Do you love expressing yourself in words? Enjoy a learning environment in which you could explore your creativity as a poet or fiction writer. Acquire the skills in written communication that you can apply in business environments, or learn to write for digital media or for the screen.
Writing Studies at Waikato offers a writing-intensive learning experience that will enable you to grow as a writer no matter where your interest lies. It will give you the research skills needed to write convincingly about the past, or create a vivid sense of the contemporary world. It will develop the reading and analytical skills essential for effective writing.
You can structure your Writing Studies programme to suit your interests and needs. There are papers offered in:
- Historical fiction
- Short fiction
- Poetry
- Creative writing
- Literary non-fiction, including food writing
- Life writing
- Travel writing
- Digital story-telling
- Business communication
- Professional speaking and speech writing
- Public relations writing
- The philosophy of language and communication
- Understanding the requirements of specific audiences and readers
- Theories of reading
- Academic writing and research.
Writing Studies graduates seek employment opportunities working for newspapers and magazines, central and local government, schools, the media, theatres and publishing houses. Writing Studies also lends itself to a freelance career.
Key information
| Study Locations: | Hamilton; Tauranga; Online |
|---|---|
| Faculty: |
Study Writing Studies in these qualifications
- Bachelor of Arts
- Bachelor of Communication Studies
- Bachelor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences with Honours
- Bachelor of Health, Sport and Human Performance
- Bachelor of Laws
- Bachelor of Media and Creative Technologies
- Bachelor of Music
- Bachelor of Science
- Bachelor of Science (Technology)
- Bachelor of Social Sciences
- Bachelor of Tourism
- Certificate
- Diploma
- Graduate Certificate
Writing Studies as a specialisation of
- Bachelor of Arts
- Bachelor of Communication Studies
- Bachelor of Computing and Mathematical Sciences with Honours
- Bachelor of Health, Sport and Human Performance
- Bachelor of Laws
- Bachelor of Media and Creative Technologies
- Bachelor of Music
- Bachelor of Science
- Bachelor of Science (Technology)
- Bachelor of Social Sciences
- Bachelor of Tourism
- Certificate
- Diploma
- Graduate Certificate
Career opportunities
- Copy Writer
- Digital and Broadcast Media Writer
- Journalist
- Literary Non-Fiction Writer
- Public Relations Practitioner
- Report Writer
- Speech Writer
- Teacher
Papers
Papers available within this subject
Available Writing Studies papers
Prescriptions for the GradCert(WritSt) and GradDip(WritSt)
A Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma are available to graduates who have not included Writing Studies at an advanced level in their first degree.
For further details, contact the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Office.
100 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|
| ARTSC110 | Old Worlds - New Worlds | 19A (Hamilton) & 19A (Tauranga) |
| This cross-disciplinary paper offers students with a rich background for study within the Bachelor of Arts. It is structured around metaphors of journey and cultural encounter and focuses on a variety of texts, images and sounds. | ||
| ARTSC111 | Social Science Theory and Action | 19A (Hamilton) & 19A (Tauranga) |
| This paper introduces University of Waikato social scientists as researchers. Each presenter's research will be discussed to demonstrate how it illustrates key themes of the social sciences and their specific disciplines. | ||
| ENGLI100 | Telling the Story | 19A (Hamilton) |
| This paper examines the deep stories which are at the core of the English literary tradition and the wider Western canon, with examples from the poems of Keats to Star Wars IV: A New Hope. | ||
| ENGLI113 | English.Confidence | 19B (Hamilton) |
| This paper examines the structure of the English language and, by linking structure to practical application, offers support for student writing. This is a useful paper for all Arts students. | ||
| LLTED100 | Writing for University Purposes | 19A (Hamilton), 19A (Online), 19A (Tauranga), 19B (Hamilton) & 19B (Online) |
| This paper supports students to develop an understanding of the expectations of writing at university, and to develop an awareness of what constitutes quality writing in the context of university disciplines. Students engage in analysing how effective texts are written and they analyse their own. Students are introduced to writing ... | ||
200 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|
| ENGLI201 | Genre Studies: Tropes and Techniques | 19A (Hamilton) |
| This paper is an introductory study of specific literary forms, in particular the tropes and techniques of either comedy or tragedy. The focus will vary from year to year. | ||
| LINGS202 | Exploring English: From Grammar to Discourse | 19A (Hamilton) |
| This paper presents a hands-on introduction to the grammar of English, paying special attention to the syntactic components involved, as well as their strong connection to discourse. | ||
| PUBRL204 | Contemporary Public Relations Writing | 19A (Hamilton) |
| Modern communications professionals write to represent organisations across many different audiences, purposes and contexts. PUBRL204 teaches students to select and use a range of genres from established media to emerging digital platforms. | ||
| WRITE201 | Applied Writing: Food Writing | 19A (Hamilton) |
| This paper uses writing about food, including recipes, memoirs, restaurant reviews and researched food writing, as the primary materials in a learning experience with an intensive applied writing focus. | ||
| WRITE202 | Creative Writing: Voice and Image | 19B (Hamilton) |
| This course explores the basic elements of imaginative writing - image and voice - concentrating the student's attention on the central writing practices of 'seeing' and 'saying.' | ||
| WRITE203 | Special Topic: Inspiring Work | 19T (Hamilton) |
| This paper examines the concept of inspiration as it applies to creative writing, and enables students to develop their writing skills through a range of creative exercises and workshop activities. | ||
| WRITE205 | Writing for the Screen | 19A (Hamilton) |
| This paper explores key concepts in writing for the screen and develops practical skills in the application of these concepts. The paper is organised around four main topic areas: concepts, characters, structures, and scenes/sequences. | ||
300 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|
| ENGLI301 | Genre Studies: Challenging Forms | 19B (Hamilton) |
| This paper is an intensive study of specific literary forms such as travel writing, autobiography, utopian and dystopian fiction, and crime writing. The focus will vary from year to year. | ||
| LINGS304 | Applied Linguistics | 19A (Hamilton) |
| This paper provides an introduction to areas of research and professional practice in applied linguistics, including language acquisition, second language teaching, language planning, lexicography, translation, forensic linguistics and speech language therapy. | ||
| SCIEN300 | Science Communication | 19T (Hamilton) |
| This paper discusses different ways in which science can be communicated by scientists to others. It gives students opportunities to practise verbal, written, graphical and other forms of communication. | ||
| WRITE300 | Creative Writing: Creative Non-fiction | 19A (Hamilton) |
| This course explores the key elements of creative non-fiction writing, engaging with a variety of non-fiction texts from memoir, to biography, to the personal essay and autobiographical meta-fiction. | ||
| WRITE390 | Directed Study | 19A (Hamilton) & 19B (Hamilton) |
| This independent but guided writing project is compulsory for students majoring in Writing Studies | ||
| WRITE396 | Writing Studies Work Placement | 19C (Hamilton) |
| In this paper, students work as interns in a professional workplace where excellent writing is core business. Assessment is based on a written report and on workplace performance. | ||
500 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|
| APPLN501 | Research Methods in Applied Linguistics | 19A (Hamilton) |
| The overall aim of this paper is to provide students with a critical awareness of a range of issues and skills associated with carrying out research in the area of applied linguistics. | ||
| APPLN530 | Discourse Analysis and the Language Classroom | 19B (Hamilton) |
| The overall aim of this paper is to provide students with an awareness of a range of issues associated with the analysis and interpretation of text and discourse according to a variety of approaches, as well as an ability to apply a range of analytical approaches and assess the value of these in the field of second language teachin... | ||
| CWRT594 | Creative Writing Thesis | 19C (Hamilton) |
| This paper will provide students the opportunity to devise, carry out and revise an independent and original creative writing manuscript, while receiving supervision and peer feedback within a creative workshop environment. | ||
| ENGLI546 | Creative Writing: Writing and Embodiment | 19A (Hamilton) |
| A writing-intensive course focused on the ways in which 'embodiment' is key in generating vital characters, shaping dramatic narratives, and crafting resonant sentences aware of the sensory impact of language. | ||
| MEDIA501 | Theory and Research in Action | 19A (Hamilton) |
| This paper is designed to provide an advanced understanding of screen research methods and outcomes. It identifies the constraints and freedoms of research methods, and places a strong emphasis on explaining how research can be understood as an intellectual and theoretical activity. Students are required to develop and work on thei... | ||
| MEDIA502 | Creative Practice: Development | 19C (Hamilton) |
| This individually supervised paper allows students to engage in concept development, scriptwriting, or other aspects of pre-production and planning for an advanced practice based creative project. Students are advised to also take MEDIA501 in order to develop an appropriate scholarly rationale and framework for the work that will b... | ||
| MEDIA505 | Human Interest Storytelling | 19B (Hamilton) |
| The web offers platforms to explore short non-fiction content that explore a variety of social issues. This paper examines the practice of developing human interest storytelling for online content from writing initial scripts to producing short documentaries. | ||
| MEDIA506 | Scriptwriting | 19A (Hamilton) |
| This workshop-based paper develops understanding and experience of script-construction processes and practices as well as script analysis. Students will produce second draft scripts for the format, length and genre of their choice. | ||
| WRITE501 | Writing for Publication | 19A (Hamilton) |
| Writing for Publication will focus on writing for professional publication, examining the modes, standards and practices associated with different forms of published output. Students will read examples from a variety of fields, including fiction and creative non-fiction, writing for advertising and digital media, and scholarly/acad... | ||
| WRITE503 | Professional Writing Internship | 19C (Hamilton) |
| This paper allows students to gain professional writing experience in the workplace, under the guidance of an academic supervisor and the specialist supervision of a workplace mentor. | ||
| WRITE590 | Directed Study | 19A (Hamilton) & 19B (Hamilton) |
| This paper involves an independent but guided writing project on a topic of the student's choice. | ||
| WRITE591 | Dissertation | 19Y (Hamilton) |
| This paper will provide graduate students with the opportunity to devise, carry out and revise a writing-focused dissertation, under appropriate supervision and guidance. | ||
| WRITE592 | Dissertation | 19Y (Hamilton) |
| This paper will provide students with the opportunity to devise, carry out and revise an extended writing-focused dissertation, under appropriate supervision and guidance. | ||
| WRITE593 | Professional Writing Thesis | 19Y (Hamilton) |
| This paper will provide students the opportunity to devise, carry out and revise an independent thesis focussed on a specialised field of writing studies, under appropriate supervision and guidance. | ||
| WRITE594 | Professional Writing Thesis | 19Y (Hamilton) |
| This paper will provide students the opportunity to devise, carry out and revise an extended and independent thesis focussed on a specialised field of writing studies, under appropriate supervision. | ||
900 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|
| CWRT900 | Creative Writing PhD Thesis | 19C (Hamilton) |
| No description available. | ||
I stumbled upon Catherine Chidgey's Writing Studies paper and fell in love straight away. From then on, I took as many papers as I could!
Read stories from other students
Scholarships and prizes
New to Waikato? The International Excellence Scholarship is worth up to $10,000.
Visit our Scholarship Finder for information about possible scholarships
Subject links
Subject Requirements
Writing Studies is available as a major for the BA.
Writing Studies is available as a major for the BA. Writing Studies may also be taken as a second major or as a supporting subject within other undergraduate degrees, subject to academic approval of the Faculty or School of Studies in which the student is enrolled.
To complete a major in Writing Studies, students must gain 120 points above 100 level in Writing Studies, including ENGL215, WRIT391, 20 points at 300 level from ENGL papers listed for the Writing Studies major, and at least 20 further points in Writing Studies above 200 level.
To complete a supporting subject in Writing Studies, students must gain 70 points in Writing Studies, including ENGL215 and at least 20 further points above 100 level.
Documents
Contacts
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences:
Phone: 0800 800 145 or +64 7 838 4922
General and Undergraduate Email Enquiries: engl-fass@waikato.ac.nz