Student and tutor module reviews

The ideal module to progress with after Discovering the arts and humanities (A111) for anyone pursuing the Creative Writing aspect of their degree.

With a focus on place, art, power, literary classics, and journeys, this module delves into the power these disciplines have and their influences.

As with A111, I was surprised again at how much I enjoyed chapters that didn't necessarily appeal to me in the first place. Learning about Picasso's political art, and how The Grand Tour influenced art and literature.

Grace McGowan

Course starting: October 2022

Review posted: March 2024

This module has a more traditional feel to it than 'Discovering the arts and humanities' (A111) – in some ways a step back to my school days – Shakespeare, Bronte, the Romans. I wouldn't have chosen A112 except for the creative writing and also it's a compulsory module for English literature and creative writing degrees and I want to keep these options open.

That said, I really enjoyed the protest art section and most of the teaching was excellent, particularly the Classical Studies day school. I was disappointed there wasn't anything face-to-face for the other subjects. My tutor was very helpful and the tutor group was friendly and supportive.

Sarah Elizabeth Turnill

Course starting: October 2022

Review posted: September 2023

I studied A112 as part of my degree in English Literature and Creative Writing. From the start of this module, my tutor was very supportive and helpful. The module itself was interesting. For the most part, I enjoyed it and I feel I've really developed my skills and essay writing. Again the tutors for A112 were really helpful and I attended a lot of online tutorials where talking with other students and tutors was really beneficial to learning about the various topics and gaining ideas for the tutor-marked assignments. There was one part of the module that I really did not enjoy and that was the Art History module. Nevertheless, I persevered with it so I could move on to the literature and creative writing units. The workload is manageable if you are organised. I worked full time and studied full time (two modules) and managed to stay ahead. Completing this module has made me excited for my second year!

Course starting: October 2022

Review posted: August 2023

I am aiming for BA English Literature and Creative Writing and I did Discovering the arts and humanities (A111) before Cultures (A112). I also like Classical Studies so that part of A112 was interesting for me too. And I enjoy Art History and the sections on Art and Power were great.

In general, I really liked the approach in comparing different cultures and their interactions and power.

Towards the end of this module, you will get the chance to focus in on your prefered subject and mine is creative Writing. This autumn I will be studying nothing but Creative Writing (A215) and so the two chosen blocks on Creative Writing at the end of A112 was perfect for me. It has already made me change and improve my writing.

The cleverest thing about the design of this course is that all blocks of study will be relevant to the final blocks you choose. For example, for me, as primarily a Creative Writing student, it was all about narrative, narrative journeys and the stories we tell ourselves and others.

You will find yourself being well lead through the materials and the ideas and how you question yourself and the world. I enjoyed all the tutorials and had a great personal tutor.

There was good peer group critique in the Creative Writing forum. Don't be shy when you get in there. It's a very supportive environment.

Alison Chakir

Course starting: October 2020

Review posted: July 2021