Course Catalogue

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This informal course introduces students to reading poetry in English. We will look at outstanding verse in English - and Scots - from Shakespeare to the present day: from Milton and Blake to Edwin Morgan and Carol Ann Duffy. No knowledge of poetry is required, although students are welcome to nominate favourite poems for class discussion.

2 hours per week for 10 weeks

Block 1: Tuesday evenings 7.00 - 9.00 pm

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No summative assessments will be undertaken.

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

This course aims to:

■ Introduce students to the study of poetry, from the Early Modern period to the present day.

■ Teach students to analyse poems in terms of structure, theme, language and genre.

■ Familiarise students with key poems and poets of the past 500 years.

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Demonstrate a sound knowledge and understanding of the progression of poetry in English and Scots from the 16th century to the present day.

■ Analyse and appreciate a poem in English or Scots.

Not applicable to a non-credit bearing course