Unit name | Approaches to Poetry |
---|---|
Unit code | ENGL10039 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | C/4 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
Unit director | Dr. Wootten |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | Department of English |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
This course will introduce students to the rich diversity of poetry in English, and equip them with the skills and knowledge to better understand, and better enjoy that poetry. The poetry studied will range throughout the history of English Literature, and tutorial work will generally focus on the close reading of poetic texts. Weekly lectures and tutorials will study matters including: rhyme and metre; poetic imagery; a number of poetic forms such as the sonnet; a number of poetic genres such as epic or pastoral. There will also be space for students to look at poetry in aesthetic, political or historical context, to read poetry in the light of questions of individual identity such as race, nation, gender or sexuality, and to consider poetry from diverse authorships.
Students will practice their close reading skills in small groups, and will work together on a group presentation.
At the end of the unit a successful student will be able to:
Teaching will involve asynchronous and synchronous elements, including long- and short-form lectures, group discussion, research and writing activities, and peer dialogue. Students are expected to engage with the reading and participate fully with the weekly tasks and topics. Learning will be further supported through the opportunity for individual consultation.
Michael D. Hurley and Michael O'Neill, Poetic Form: An Introduction (OUP, 2012)
John Lennard, The Poetry Handbook: A Guide to Reading Poetry for Pleasure and Practical Criticism (OUP, 2006)
The Norton Anthology of English Literature, gen. ed. Stephen Greenblatt, 9th edn (W. W. Norton, 2012)