UCJAJNP031 Creative Reading and Writing

Faculty of Philosophy and Science in Opava
Summer 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/1/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
M.Sc. Gary Rostock (seminar tutor)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Michaela Weiss, Ph.D.
Institute of Foreign Languages – Faculty of Philosophy and Science in Opava
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
The course provides an introduction to creative writing that emphasizes the crucial aspects of creative reading in recognizing the structures, patterns and tools of fiction. Through a close reading of various texts of different genres, the students will become aware of the potential and challenges of each form that will be later applied in their own adaptations and original texts. Students will learn the basis of literary canons and the possibilities of innovation and reshaping of the existing forms. The course will be based on the combination of theoretical background, practice of close reading and individual creative activities that will result in acknowledgement of text structure, the relations between setting and character, the role and effective uses of intertextuality, and the importance of self-editing process.
Learning outcomes
Students will learn: the basis of literary canons
the grammar of reading
how to structure their own texts
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction to the course
  • 2. How do we read?
  • 3. Creative Reading: major principles
  • 4. Discussing structure
  • 5. Points of view and narrative
  • 6. Characters
  • 7. Character types
  • 8. Creating a beliavable character
  • 9. Symbols and metaphors
  • 10. Creating original comparisons
  • 11. Project assignment
  • 12. Opening and closing a story
  • 13. Final Project Presentation
Literature
  • Bishop, Wendy, David Starkey. Keywords in Creative Writing. Logan: Utah State University Press, 2006. info
Teaching methods
seminar
Assessment methods
text portfolio
Language of instruction
English
The course is also listed under the following terms Summer 2022, Summer 2023, Summer 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Summer 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.slu.cz/course/fpf/summer2025/UCJAJNP031