Writing has nothing to do with signifying. It has to do with surveying, mapping, even realms that are yet to come. —Deleuze and Guattari, A Thousand Plateaus

How can the written component of your master project represent and enrich your art-based research? As you begin to reflect on your artistic practice and your chosen topic through writing, you might ask yourself how you can incorporate the different materialities, and how you can select and arrange the elements. You may wish to create a flexible, situated space that allows for unconventional thinking, diversity, and juxtaposition. The result could be a pinboard or an assemblage, incorporating an essayistic style of writing. Alternatively, you may decide that, in your specific situation, a clearly structured academic inquiry or a well-curated documentation of your practice in a more formal style is the best way to communicate your approach and findings.

The aim of this course is to support you in the initial stages of writing your master thesis in the transdisciplinary Art & Science programme. Here, it is usually necessary to develop your own unique textual form to complement your artistic practice and chosen topic. Starting with the conceptualisation, the course will guide you through all the necessary steps to create a basic thesis outline by the middle of the semester. Throughout the course, we will discuss various academic writing tools and our own writing practices, building up to the submission of a first draft chapter for joint feedback towards the end of the semester. Teaching will combine theoretical input, group discussions, and exercises. You will also be given tasks to work on independently, and you will share your experiences with the other participants in the subsequent session. Active participation in the course should help you to get into the process of writing, and keep you on track while finalising your thesis according to your own timetable. Writing should become less stressful and more of an interesting place for experimentation.

80% attendance and active participation, including discussion, completion of tasks (submission of draft chapter!) and participation in the feedback sessions.

The course is taught in English. Meetings take place on Wednesdays from 14:30 to 16:00. Meetings on 9 and 16 December and 13, 20 and 27 January are scheduled from 14:30 to 17:00 to allow sufficient time for the feedback rounds. The schedule will be updated according to the number of participants.

The course is primarily aimed at Art & Science students preparing for their master exams in the upcoming semester. If you are coming from a related study programme, please send me a short email before the start of the semester describing your writing project, and I will let you know whether participation is advisable.