| Unit name | Poetry |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ENGL10101 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Mr. Savage |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
none |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
none |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
none |
| School/department | Department of English |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
This unit encourages students to read and appreciate a wide range of poetry written in English. It introduces students to rhyme and metre; poetic imagery; and a number of poetic forms such as the sonnet, epic and pastoral. It also considers the use of historical context in literary readings and ideas from critical theory. There is a particular emphasis on poetic form and voice; through this approach, students are encouraged to consider both particular authors and the development of certain forms across time and space. There is an opportunity to study poetry in draft as well as in published forms, and through this to think about the process of composition.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This is an essential unit that introduces students to poetry as a form and tradition, equipping them with the core disciplinary competency to critically analyse poems through the close reading of their technical elements, as well as embedding an appreciation of literary ideas and historical, social and cultural contexts. The competencies learned on this module feed forward and are developed across all further modules on the programme.
An overview of content
This unit provides a broad overview of poetry written in English, exploring a wide range of texts in close detail, while also engaging with rhyme and metre; poetic imagery; and a number of poetic forms, such as the sonnet, epic and pastoral. There is a particular emphasis on poetic form and voice, together with an exploration of social and cultural contexts and literary ideas from critical theory.
How will students personally, be different as a result of the unit
On completion of the unit, students will have had the opportunity to engage with an historic range of poetry in English, as well its technical aspects, such as meter, rhyme and genre, and gain an increased understanding of how we might productively close read and analyse poems in relation both to their constituent parts and to each other. Students will be able to refine their understanding in ways which not only connect to the context of this unit, but also serve as a valuable frame of reference for progress into their following years of study. Moreover, engagement with this unit offers vital transferrable skills in close reading, analysis and synthesis of relevant sources, and lateral thinking.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:
Teaching will involve asynchronous and synchronous elements. This includes a mini-lecture element, 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 further be supported through individual consultation.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
The unit involves weekly, formative, writing exercises (max. 500 words) relating to the content of that week to emphasise progressive and incremental learning. This is particularly beneficial for students in the ELCE programme, who do not always have much experience of academic writing, and for whom written analysis of poetry may be less familiar. The unit tutor will provide light-touch feedback each week on these exercises, which will then be developed into the final critical commentary essay.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
2,500-word critical commentary essay (100%) [ILOs 1-4].
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the format or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are confirmed by the School/Centre shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. ENGL10101).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
