Course content

This course concentrates on the production of texts and the writing process itself. The course is targeted to individuals who are interested in writing across scientific fields at NTNU, and for teachers, journalists, and other writers at the university. Participants explore the use of writing groups and of the workshop as a literary and pedagogical tool as well as academic writing. The course provides the experience of writing often and extensively for people who respond, and the opportunity to write something other than academic texts, an experience that improves both the scientific texts themselves and the writer's own enthusiasm for writing. Teaching will vary between personal writing and theory, a writing course, lectures and a writer´s workshop. There will be opportunity to writing a log, personal essays, memoirs, fiction and academic texts. Instruction will begin with an introductory course in process-oriented writing, which requires an attendance of the four first gatherings as this will be the basis for the following course.

Learning outcome

Students should have knowledge of how a process-oriented approach to writing can help improve one´s own writing. The course will explore the following questions: What may writers of science learn from the literary writers? What consequenses does theories of text and literature have for writing? We will try to answer some of the questions during the course, and this focus will make the parallel work with theory and personal writing central during the course as a whole. Participants will rely on insights from the science of literature, linguistics, the finding from writing research in the last decade and experiences with process-oriented writing.

Learning methods and activities

Teaching: Lectures, writing groups and a writer´s workshop. Obligatory activity: Approved reading list, obligatory attendance at 3 of the 4 first gatherings. Attendance in a writing group between lectures. Approved portfolio assessment of two texts belonging to different genres written by the student. Active participation in writing groups between lectures is expected. Response to texts to the portfolio assessment will be offered by the other participants in the writing group, and at workshops at plenary sessions. Also, the written works in the portfolio must have been discussed in the writing group and/or the writer´s workshop in one of the plenary sessions. Assessment: Portfolio of two texts of different genres. More information of the portfolio texts will be presented first day of class.

Compulsory assignments

• Participation in at least three of the first four class sessions
• Group report from the writing group to teacher
• Approved reading list
• Participation in writing group between lectures

Recommended previous knowledge

Basic level couses in Scandinavian studies of 45-60 ECTS, or equivalent.

Required previous knowledge

None.

Course materials

The reading list shall consist of 500 pages, whereas at least 400 shall consist of texts of a theoretical nature. The reast can consist of for example essays, fiction, and articles that discusses or in other ways themeatizes writing. Also, an approved selection of self produced texts can be put on the reading list. A list of suggested readings will be available when the course starts.

Credit reductions