Graduate Certificate in Food Writing - The University of Adelaide

Graduate Certificate in Food Writing
Food writing, from restaurant reviews and cookbooks to memoir and
social history, is a dimension of both professional and creative writing,
recognised in its own right and in conjunction with other kinds of writing,
from travel articles to fiction and poetry. This program, building on the
expertise developed in the creative writing and gastronomy postgraduate
programs currently offered by the University, is the first in Australia.
The Program aims to develop professional expertise and encourage
creative experiment in food writing; to promote an awareness of the
various forms of contemporary food writing; to promote appreciation
of the craft of writing; and to produce graduates with skills that are
directly transferable to the workplace.
The Penny’s Hill/Adelaide Review Food Writing Prize is awarded
annually to the top student. For an example of a past winner, see
http://www.hss.adelaide.edu.au/creativewriting/program/postgrad/
MooreLastLunch.pdf.
Program Structure
The Graduate Certificate in Food Writing is designed to introduce students
to the varieties, contexts and issues of food writing and, through
discussions, workshops and writing exercises, to develop food writing
skills in a range of styles and approaches. It is based on one week’s
intensive face-to-face study on campus at the University, with workshops
and presentations by both University staff and specialist lecturers.
During this week students will also be introduced to the University of
Adelaide library, which has the largest and most up-to-date collection
of culinary and gastronomic literature of any university library in
Australia, and to online resources and research strategies. They will
visit Adelaide’s famous Central Market on assignment, encounter local
gastronomic traditions and engage with some of Australia’s leading
literary and culinary figures.
The second stage of the Program will be delivered by the University’s
online service, MyUni. During the residential week students will have
the opportunity to become familiar with online learning, including the
‘Virtual Classroom’ which allows students and instructors to interact
with one another as if in a ‘real’ classroom setting. In the semester of
online study students will be required to submit written assignments,
both free-choice and in response to set topics, for different purposes
and readers, and of varying lengths. Students’ work will be assessed
by a variety of assessors, both academic (within the Faculty) and
professional (practising food writers and editors).
On successful completion of this course students are eligible for the
award of Graduate Certificate in Food Writing. They can also apply for
admission to the Graduate Program in Creative Writing at the University
of Adelaide.
Resources
Students will read and examine a variety of examples of different styles
and genres of food writing, selected from anthologies such as Banquet
of the Mind and In the Land of the Magic Pudding, from memoirs such
as Madhur Jaffrey’s Climbing the Mango Tree: A Memoir of a Childhood
in India, and from non-fiction such as Best Food Writing, Marion Halligan’s
A Taste of Memory and Barbara Santich’s Looking for Flavour. Examples of
contemporary journalism and poetry will also be chosen for critical study.
Entry Requirements
Students should apply for admission through the South Australian
Tertiary Admissions Centre. Applicants should have a bachelors
degree or equivalent, or relevant professional experience, and an
excellent portfolio of creative or journalistic writing. The portfolio
should contain a representative selection of work, published and/or
unpublished, and should be 10-20 pages in length.
The University will assess all applications and make recommendations
on the basis of merit within the constraints of the number of places
available. Students will be notified of the result of their application by
early January.
Australian residents may apply for a FEE-HELP loan (for further
information, go to http://www.adelaide.edu.au/faq/view.pl?
qid=319).
Students are responsible for travel, accommodation and incidental
expenses for the residential week. Single room accommodation at
the nearby Residential Wing can be arranged for approximately $13
per night.
Gay Bilson
Gay Bilson’s name is synonymous with the
revolution in Australian cooking and restaurant
life that began in the 1970s. From 1977 - 1995 she
owned, and cooked at Berowra Waters Inn, one of
Australia’s most influential and acclaimed restaurants.
She has written extensively about food and gastronomy
over many years. In 2004 her book, Plenty: Digressions
on Food was awarded the Nita B Kibble Prize for women
writers in the field of memoir and also won the 2005
Age Book of the Year Prize. Her recent book, On Digestion
(2008) is one of a series of extended essays published by Melbourne
University Press.
Dr Kerryn Goldsworthy
Dr Goldsworthy is a former lecturer in literature,
now a writer, reviewer, essayist, columnist and
blogger. She has written a collection of short
stories and a critical study of the Australian writer
Helen Garner, has edited four anthologies of
Australian writing, and is a Section Editor of the
Macquarie PEN Anthology of Australian Literature,
due for publication in 2009. She is currently a
regular weekly reviewer of fiction for the Sydney
Morning Herald.
Marion Halligan
Marion has published ten novels, including Lovers’
Knots, The Golden Dress, The Fog Garden, The Point,
and the Apricot Colonel mysteries, as well as collections
of short stories, books of autobiography, travel and
food, and a children’s book. The Taste of Memory, an
autobiography in food and gardens, was published in
September 2004. Her most recent novel is Valley of
Grace (Allen and Unwin, March 2009). She has
been shortlisted for most of the prizes on offer, and has
won some.
David Sly
Guest Lecturers
After more than 25 years in print journalism,
David Sly is presently food and wine editor of SA
Life magazine. As a former food and wine editor of
the Advertiser and having written for national and
international magazines, he has focused intently on
the specialised regional produce and wines of South
Australia. He has also written extensively about many of
his other consuming passions: music, theatre, comedy,
snow skiing and travel.