Getting Started in Nature Writing

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

To allow students to gain an appreciation of different forms of nature writing and to produce their own texts in a supportive environment.  

Course objectives:

• To read and understand a variety of nature writing.
• To analyse the ways in which nature writing sustains the reader's interest.
• To provide a positive atmosphere in which students can explore their reading and writing from first draft to finished piece and give constructive feedback to others.

Learning takes place on a weekly schedule. At the start of each weekly unit, students are provided with learning materials on our online platform, including one hour of pre-recorded video, often supplemented by guided readings and educational resources. These learning materials prepare students for a one-hour live webinar with an expert tutor at the end of each weekly unit which they attend in small groups. Webinars are held on Microsoft Teams, and provide the opportunity for students to respond to discussion prompts and ask questions. The blend of weekly learning materials that can be worked through flexibly, together with a live meeting with a tutor and their peers, maximise learning and engagement through interaction in a friendly, supportive environment.

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

• respond to different forms of nature writing with growing confidence and understanding;
• be able to write in a manner which engages and sustains the interest of the reader;
• be able to transform their own experiences into original writing;

• be able to modify approaches to nature writing varieties.

Two pieces of work will be expected:

1. A piece of nature writing which conjures a sense of place for the reader.  (500 words)

and

2. A piece of nature writing inspired by the texts and topics on the course.  (1,500 words). This can be:

• a nature journal
• article
• travel near and far
• notions of collection
• conservation/preservation
• memoir

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work the required standard.

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.