This is an archived handbook for a previous year. The current undergraduate and postgraduate handbooks can be viewed using the links above.
Postgraduate Handbook 2015-2016 (archived)
Module ENGL40830: THE WRITING OF POETRY
Department: English Studies
ENGL40830: THE WRITING OF POETRY
| Type | Level | Credits | Availability | Module Cap | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | 4 | 30 | Available in 2015/2016 | Durham |
Pre-requisites
- Students must hold a good BA degree in English or a related subject to be eligible for entry onto the MA in English Literary Studies.
Corequisites
- None.
Excluded Combinations
- None.
Aims
- To familiarize students with the formal, generic and technical conventions and properties of poetry, in their historical context.
- To enable students to relate these conventions and properties to issues of poetic composition, such as poetic 'voice', originality, imagination, and expressiveness.
- To enable students to enter into and understand the technical / formal choices made by poets as they write.
Content
- Seminars covering the forms, genres and conventions of poetry, in their historical context.
- Seminars covering the technical properties of poetry, such as imagery, rhythm, rhyme, diction, syntax; and related issues such as 'formal' versus 'free' verse, and poetic 'voice'.
- These seminars will be based on an anthology, such as The Making of a Poem: A Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms, eds. Mark Strand and Eavan Boland (New York: Norton, 2000
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge
- The student will be expected to demonstrate specialised and advanced knowledge of forms, techniques and methods involved in writing poetry.
Subject-specific Skills
- An advanced ability to analyse poetry critically.
Key Skills
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- Seminars covering the formal, generic and technical conventions and properties of poetry will enable students to develop critical skills in the close reading and analysis of poetic texts in preparation for the production of their summative essays.
- Two 3,000 word summative essays will assess the students' ability to think critically about poetic texts, in relation to such matters as formal conventions and imaginative expressiveness, and entering into and understanding the technical / formal choices made by poets as they write.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total Hours | Attendance Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seminars | 9 | Fortnightly | 2 | 18 | Yes |
| Independent student research supervised by the Module Convenor | 10 | ||||
| Preparation and Reading | 272 | ||||
| Total | 300 |
Summative Assessment
| Component | Component Weighting | Element | Length/Duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two Essays | 100% | Essay 1 | 3000 words | 50% | |
| Essay 2 | 3000 words | 50% |
Formative Assessment
An essay related to the module’s concern with poetic form and expressiveness.(maximum 1500-2000 words). The essay could be, but would not have to be, the basis of work submitted in the summative components.
Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods
and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative
assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress
procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be
required to leave the University.