COURSE CURRICULUM

The MA Wild Writing at Essex combines creative, critical, and field-based learning to explore landscapes and the natural world through writing. The program offers students the opportunity to develop both scholarly and creative skills, focusing on environmental literature, contemporary nature writing, and psychogeography. Core modules include The New Nature Writing, which examines contemporary approaches to writing about the environment, and Memory Maps: Practices in Psychogeography, which encourages experiential engagement with landscapes and place. Students also participate in a Creative Writing Workshop to develop their craft and refine their writing techniques, alongside Dissertation Preparation, which provides guidance in research methods, academic writing, and project planning to support the production of a substantial dissertation. The dissertation itself, a key component of the program, allows students to pursue an extended, in-depth study in an area of their choice, integrating insights from field experiences, literary analysis, and creative practice. Optional modules provide flexibility to tailor the program to individual interests, whether that be further creative exploration or scholarly engagement with environmental literature. By blending academic study with hands-on experiences in diverse landscapes, the MA Wild Writing equips students with the analytical, research, and creative skills needed to produce original work that engages thoughtfully with the environment, fostering a deep understanding of the intersections between literature, place, and nature.