Getting Started in Nature Writing



Overview

Gain an appreciation of different forms of nature writing and produce your own texts in a supportive environment with this online course.

We shall familiarise ourselves with various forms under the Nature Writing umbrella, and share texts on the flora and fauna of different habitats and genres, from Gilbert White to today's eco-warriors.

You will write about others' work and produce your own original writing based upon your personal experience of engaging with the natural world around you, wherever that might be. 

Programme details

Courses starts: 21 Jan 2025

Week 1: Introduction: What are we doing here?

Week 2: Killers and collectors: the Victorians.

Week 3: Gilbert White's village.

Week 4: Different forms, different voices.

Week 5: The Hines brothers: fiction and memoir.

Week 6: Nature as therapy.  

Week 7: Your jungle or mine?  A wood of one's own.

Week 8: Little things are big things.  Bugs! 

Week 9: What about the future?

Week 10: Recap.  

Certification

Credit Application Transfer Scheme (CATS) points 

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee for each course you enrol on. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. If you do not register when you enrol, you have up until the course start date to register and pay the £30 fee. 

See more information on CATS point

Coursework is an integral part of all online courses and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework, but only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education, you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee. 

 

Digital credentials

All students who pass their final assignment, whether registered for credit or not, will be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so. 

Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail. 

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £295.00
Take this course for CATS points £30.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Mr Jeremy Hughes

Jeremy Hughes began his writing life with poetry. He was awarded first prize in the Poetry Wales Competition and shortlisted for an Eric Gregory Award. He has published two pamphlets breathing for all my birds, highlighted at the Aldeburgh Poetry Festival, and The Woman Opposite. He has published two novels – Wingspan (2013) and Dovetail (2011). He has been the recipient of a Literature of Wales Writer’s Bursary. His short fiction and life-writing have been widely published, and he has reviewed fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction for such publications as TLS, Poetry Wales, New Welsh Review, Acumen, and Oranges & Sardines. He was in the first cohort to study for the Master’s in Creative Writing at Oxford. He is a member of the Society of Authors.

Course aims

To allow students to gain an appreciation of different forms of nature writing and to produce their own texts in a supportive environment.  

Course objectives:

  • To read and understand a variety of nature writing.
  • To analyse the ways in which nature writing sustains the reader's interest.
  • To provide a positive atmosphere in which students can explore their reading and writing from first draft to finished piece and give constructive feedback to others.

Teaching methods

  • Reading and discussion of texts.
  • Textual analysis.
  • Directed writing tasks.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

  • respond to different forms of nature writing with growing confidence and understanding;
  • be able to write in a manner which engages and sustains the interest of the reader;
  • be able to transform their own experiences into original writing;
  • be able to modify approaches to nature writing varieties.

Assessment methods

Two pieces of work will be expected:

1. A piece of nature writing which conjures a sense of place for the reader.  (500 words)

and

2. A piece of nature writing inspired by the texts and topics on the course.  (1,500 words). This can be:

  • a nature journal
  • article
  • travel near and far
  • notions of collection
  • conservation/preservation
  • memoir

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work the required standard.

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

Application

We will close for enrolments 14 days prior to the start date to allow us to complete the course set up. We will email you at that time (14 days before the course begins) with further information and joining instructions. As always, students will want to check spam and junk folders during this period to ensure that these emails are received.

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment Form (Word) or Enrolment Form (Pdf)

Level and demands

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

 

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support