UNDERSTANDING POETRY - 2021/2

Module Overview

This module is designed to give students the confidence to read, study, and enjoy poetry. Over the course of the module students will learn to read and think critically about poems in English from a range of genres and historical periods, about the formal elements of verse (such as rhyme, lineation, stanza structure, and metre), and about the social and intellectual contexts that shape poetic writing. The module will introduce and examine the technical features of poetry as a form, and offer an in-depth consideration of some of the most important poetic genres: epic, lyric, dramatic, and free verse. In the final week of the module, a lecture given by one of Surrey University’s professional poets will introduce students to the most recent trends in contemporary poetry. By enabling students to acquire the knowledge and critical skills needed to appreciate and analyse poems, this module will provide a foundation for the study of poetry at degree level.

Module provider

School of Literature and Languages

Module Leader

SANDHU Karenjit (Lit & Langs)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 4

Module cap (Maximum number of students): 60

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None.  

Module content

Indicative module structure:

 





1


What is Poetry?




2


Epic




3


Epic




4


Lyric




5


EMPLOYABILITY WEEK




6


Lyric




7


Dramatic




8


Dramatic




9


Free Verse




10


Free Verse




11


Conclusion




12


Revision week





 

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate achieve-ment of the module learning outcomes.

Seminar discussion with ongoing tutor feedback is designed mainly to assess transferable skills in communicating ideas orally and in working individually and as part of a group. It also assesses subject knowledge of the formal elements of poetry in English, and of the historical, social and intellectual contexts of poetic writing. Seminars also assess cognitive and analytical skills in critical thinking and in analysis of literary form.

The close reading exercise takes place mid-semester and is designed to tests the extent to which students have grasped the subject knowledge to which they have been introduced over the first three weeks, specifically prosody and poetic diction, and to test more general critical, analytical and writing skills at the very beginning of their degree. The feedback provided is detailed, designed to identify problems at the outset with a view to imporoving the student’s performance in the essay assessment at the end of the semester.

The essay assesses subject knowledge relating to formal elements of poetry in English considered right across the module, together with the historical, the social and the intellectual contexts of poetic writing. The essay also assess cognitive/analytical skills in critical thinking and in analysis of literary form, and transferable skills in communicating ideas in writing. The essay further assesses professional/practical skills, specifically the ability to plan and implement timetables for essay deadlines.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

·         2000-word essay

Formative assessment and feedback

Formative ‘feed forward’ is provided through seminar discussions and tutor feedback in seminars. In addition, students will submit for Formative Assessment an Essay Plan for feedback.

Module aims

• To equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to understand, analyse, and enjoy poetry;
• To introduce a range of critical and theoretical approaches to reading and studying poetry;
• To examine the key issues, terminologies, and contexts involved in the academic study of poetry;
• To develop skills in the close reading and critical analysis of poetic language, imagery, and form;
• To help students to think and learn independently, and to manage and organise their time efficiently;
• To train students to research and evaluate sources, debates, and ideas, and to communicate their conclusions clearly and accurately in writing;
• To enable students to discuss, debate, and exchange complex ideas as part of a group.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to deliver subject knowledge, to develop cognitive and analytical skills, and to develop in-depth transferable, practical, and professional skills. Specifically, the lectures deliver the knowledge and skills needed to understand, analyse, and enjoy poetry, critical and theoretical approaches to reading and studying poetry, key issues, terminologies, and contexts involved in studying poetry, with detailed knowledge of the formal elements of poetry in English, and detailed knowledge of the historical, social, and intellectual contexts of poetic writing. The weekly seminars involve student-led discussions that develop skills in communication and in working individually and as part of a group. The seminars also provide students with instruction on planning and implementing timetables for work and on presenting ideas coherently under time constraints.

 

At FHEQ Level 4, each module is taught in a one-hour lecture and a one-hour seminar, every week. Students are introduced to subject knowledge through the lectures. Further subject knowledge (e.g. web-links, critical reading, podcasts) is made available through SurreyLearn, which enables students to develop IT skills in accessing and utilising resources. Seminars, in which students are expected to have done core reading and to discuss this in class, serve to ground this subject knowledge further and to give students a reasonable level of attainment in the programme’s cognitive, practical and transferable skills. Discussions in seminars and workshops aim to give students further practical and transferable skills in working with others and in using rhetorical skills for argument. These are backed up by the formative assessment of class discussion, and the summative assessment of oral presentations.

 

The learning and teaching methods include a combination of lecture materials, seminars, captured content, guided learning and independent learning.

 

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: ELI1021

Other information

This module has a capped number and may not be available to ERASMUS and other international exchange students. Please check with the International Engagement Office email: ieo.incoming@surrey.ac.uk

Programmes this module appears in

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2021/2 academic year.