Memoir: New Techniques, New Approaches



Overview

This course is for people who would like to write about themselves. We shall concentrate on memoirs by contemporary men and women and the experiences which have shaped them, with a view to prompt our own writing. We shall explore elements of our lives which we can present to others. No experience is necessary, just the desire to write.

This course considers innovative ways of approaching writing about our lives. Memoir: New Techniques, New Approaches is a standalone course and complements Memoir: Begin Writing Your Life.  

Programme details

Course starts: 19 Jan 2026

Week 1: On your marks. Starting places.

Week 2: Dip the toe or jump in the deep end?

Week 3: Scuba diving or flying? Perspective.

Week 4: Tabloid and broadsheet - style issues.

Week 5: Historicisation and narrative.

Week 6: Variety is the spice of ... Textual variation.

Week 7: Last orders, please. Let's talk about time.

Week 8: Ha! Very funny!

Week 9: You say 'ether' and I say 'eye the'.

Week 10: Springboards and high boards.

Digital Certification

Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme (CATS) Points

Only those who have registered for assessment and accreditation will be awarded CATS points for completing work to the required standard. Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail. Please follow this link for more information on Credit Accumulation Transfer Scheme (CATS) points

Digital Certificate of Completion 

Students who are registered for assessment and accreditation and pass their final assignment will also be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Information on how to access the 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 attended. You will be able to download the certificate and share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Please note students who do not register for assessment and accreditation during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun.

Fees

Description Costs
Course fee (with no assessment) £300.00
Assessment and Accreditation fee £60.00

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 has published two novels – Wingspan (2013) and Dovetail (2011). He was awarded first prize in the Poetry Wales competition and was short-listed for an Eric Gregory Award. He also publishes short fiction, life-writing and reviews. He studied for the Master’s in Creative Writing at Oxford.

Course aims

To provide students with an insight into how to approach writing memoir by exploring the writing of others so that they can embark on writing about their own lives.

This course will enable students to:

  • be able to recognise the constituents of which memoirs are made;
  • demonstrate techniques by which these constituents can be utilised individually or in combination;
  • encourage the production of life writing through exercises designed to further students’ ability to hone their skills progressively.

Teaching methods

Discussions, Group work, Pair work and Individual study.

Feedback from the tutor AND from the group.

Analysis of exemplars.

Learning outcomes

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

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

Assessment methods

Students will submit two pieces of work:

1. 500 words of own memoir in preparation for the final piece.

2. 1,500 words of own memoir.

Only those students who have registered for assessment and accreditation will submit coursework.

 

 

Application

To be able to submit coursework and to earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £60 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 now' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment form for short courses | Oxford University Department for Continuing Education

Students who do not register for assessment and credit during the enrolment process will not be able to do so after the course has begun. 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.

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.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support