This course develops students' understanding of, and ability to analyse, poetic and poetic-dramatic texts at University level. Covering a substantial range of poets and texts from different literary periods, it fosters wide and varied reading, introduces students to theories of and about poetry ('poetics') and helps students to understand, appreciate and employ the expressive resources of language.

Lectures: Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday 11am or 12 noon;

9 x 1 hour seminars as scheduled on MyCampus

None

n/a

The standard assessments for this course are:

■ Essay (1,000 words) - 30%

■ Seminar contribution - 10%

■ Essay (2500 words) - 60%

If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available:

■ Written self-evaluation reflecting on seminar contribution.   Written response to seminar material in advance or after seminar as an alternative to seminar contribution.

■ There is no alternative to the essays, but a flexible deadline can be offered as reasonable adjustments (students should follow the usual process for extensions)

Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.

This course will provide the opportunity to:

■ introduce students to a substantial range of poets and poetic texts from different periods of literary history

■ introduce students to generic conventions (epic, ballad, tale, lyric, love poetry, elegy, religious poetry, sonnets, dramatic monologue) and literary features (form, prosody, metre, voice, rhyme, stanzas, word play, trope, scheme) of poetic and poetic-dramatic texts

■ enable students to reflect critically upon textual production and reception both in history and in their own practice

■ develop students' capacity for sensitive and detailed close-reading of poetic and poetic-dramatic texts

■ develop students' ability to articulate knowledge and understanding of poetic and poetic-dramatic texts through writing and in group discussion.

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

• identify distinctive generic conventions and literary features in critical and imaginative engagement with a substantial range of poetic and poetic-dramatic texts

• apply theories relating to the study of poetry and English studies more broadly to the material encountered on the course

• use precise critical terminology and, where appropriate, linguistic and stylistic terminology related to the study of poetry and English studies more broadly

• undertake close reading of poetic and poetic-dramatic texts by critical engagement with formal aspects in relation to matters of context, theory, compositional practice and performative procedures.

•construct viable written arguments about texts or aspects of texts, showing an awareness of alternative points of view, express themselves with clarity and economy in tutorial discussion and written assessment.