This course invites you to explore the art of storytelling across media, focusing on creating compelling and believable characters. We explore how our situatedness (the idea that “perspective” is shaped by social position and personal experiences) affects how stories are told, perceived, and interpreted. You will learn the basic principles of narrative structure, character development and POV through lectures and analysis of contemporary novels, films, or theatre plays. Through creative writing exercises and peer feedback, you will develop your own characters and projects. This could be a film script or podcast episode, writing a poem, launching a social media campaign, or working on any project where dramaturgy and language are important. We also tackle contemporary issues such as the role of AI in editing and the importance of sensitivity reading.

Course Objectives:

• Introduce core principles of storytelling across various media with an emphasis on character-building

• Explore how situated knowledge shapes the stories we tell and how audiences perceive them

• Develop and refine individual writing projects that reflect personal and social identities.

• Learn key techniques in creative writing, character building, and narrative structure.

• Introduce theoretical key concepts

• Practice giving and receiving constructive feedback.

• Understand the role of AI in writing and editing.

• Address the challenges of writing about sensitive topics while maintaining inclusivity and authenticity

Language of Instruction: English (texts can be written in German or English, depending on personal preference. The examples of the text / film / play to be analysed will be available in English and German.)