01: Examining your Relationships

In this session, students will, through self-reflection questions and guided by E. J., in an open-minded environment, be introduced to both of these theoretical approaches (Queerness and Disability) and introduced to some of the wide variety of theorists they will encounter in the program.  

02: Disability theory: introduction

Students will learn the basics of disability critical theory (for example, Tom Shakesphere, Stuart Murray) and be guided in effectively integrating this critical theory into their creative writing. Students will begin to understand media and its representation of disabled individuals to gain further insight into how creating positive representation is essential.

03: Neurodiversity, sensory, and other disabilities

This session will consider the wide range of neurodiverse experiences that populate the literature on disability and understand how to create portrayals that utilise the positive aspects of individual experiences of disability, whilst understanding and not neglecting the challenges of living with additional challenges.

04: Building Disabled Characters

Building characters who are disabled second and character first is essential to effective and successful representation and to avoid tokenisation. This week, we will create a critical inquiry into how to effectively present this, give a few pointers, and start the character development process.

05: Building Disability and Queer-friendly worlds

Similarly to building characters effectively, worlds which showcase the disability effectively, with a myriad of presentations, are key to creating believable and functioning societies. (For more, see the upcoming Worldbuilding course.)

06: Supporting Minority Casts

Like many others, disabled and Queer characters inhabit and work within the world, sometimes being seen and other times hidden. Developing representation with the supporting cast to uplift and diversify is as vital as those who support them. This session will examine what makes an effective disabled and Queer-friendly cast, and how you can create your own.

07: Workshopping Disability

With the understanding of critical disability theory, students will workshop their first drafts in a supportive, critically stimulating environment. They will submit one of their creative writing pieces to edit and refine further, and submit it for final submission at the end of the course.

08 Queer Theory: An Introduction

Like with the second week, students will consider the theory lens of Queerness and how this is centred throughout their lives. Narratives of Queerness and the critical theory approaches to make sense of this are equally important here and will be covered in great depth.

09 Centering Queer narratives

Using post-colonial ideas of decentring the dominant powers, students will consider how we can move away from the heterosexual (straight) and cisgender norms to create something new, fresh and relevant.

10 Queer: celebration or protest?

This week, students will consider whether Queer narratives are ones of resistance or ones of suffering and destruction of the self through Sedgwick’s idea of the Closet - a device for secrecy. Students will consider themes of Queer joy and narratives of resistance to consider if Queer theory advocates for liberation or if it is still a protest for acknowledgement.

11: The marrying of Disabled/Queer narratives

Having considered elements and foundational theorists in both Queer and Disability studies, this session turns to the new foundation: the intersectional novel, where writers from more than one minority background create a piece of literature that blends these intersecting identities. Students will start considering how to blend these identities through the character creation process to highlight the power of intersectional representation. 

12: Workshopping Queerness, Disability, and Intersectionality 

With the understanding of critical disability theory, Queer theory and intersectionality, students will be workshopping their edited pieces in a supportive, critically stimulating environment. They will submit one of their creative writing pieces (with a critical underpinning through an artist statement) to further edit and refine, then submit for the final portfolio piece.

All assessments are coursework-based. In the rare exception where this is not coursework-based, it will be practically based. Every module we run, regardless of level, has two components: 

Component A (50%)

A portfolio of ten poems, or a single 1500-word piece of extended writing written to a publishable standard.

Component B (50%)

A 1000-word critical contextualisation using critical Queer and/or Disability theory (through an artist statement) and what this means for the writers’ creative practice for future projects.

Knowledge 

1. Students will be able to effectively develop skills in outlining a variety of forms of writing (including radio plays, novels, and course outlines).

2. Students will be able to understand the  process behind creating outlines and why outlining is important in relation to a specific form of writing which they have undertaken. 

Practice     

3. Students will systematically develop their outline through various stages and learn to iterate on their ideas.

4. Students will practically consider the reasons behind certain choices of presentation (narrative arc, curriculum sequencing, etc). 

Skills Developed 

• Critical Skills: Evaluation and justification of complex ideas; development of ideas; understanding and applying critical theory.

• Creative Skills: Idea-to-execution development; project management; editing; story development.