ENGL2641: Poetry and Poetics

• Any Single or Joint Honours finalist student wishing to take this Special Topic module must have satisfactorily completed the required number of core modules. Combined Honours and Outside Honours students must have satisfactorily completed either two Level 1 core introductory modules, or at least one Level 1 core module and one further lecture based module in English at Level 2.

• None.

• None.

• To study the work of poetry and poetics and to combine an understanding of the theory and practice of poetry.
• To understand the relation between critical and creative writing.

• This module will focus on the theory and criticism of poetry, including close reading and the writing of poetry.
• Seminars will foreground the close-reading of poems, as well as work that theorizes or criticizes poetry.
• A close examination of the poetry will help students to understand the relation between reading and writing, theory and practice.
• We shall see how poems are made and how they are conceived, received and made part of culture and literature theoretically and practically.
• The syllabus may vary from year to year, and is subject to availability of texts, but shall look at critical and theoretical works on poetry, poetics and related topics from Plato through Sidney to Pound and others.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Students will be expected to:
• Gain knowledge of selected poets and their writing and reading of poetry and how others examine their work.
• Gain knowledge of creative writing and the making of poetry.

Subject-specific Skills:

• Students studying this module will develop:
• Skills in creative writing, especially in poetry
• Critical skills in the close reading and analysis of texts
• An ability to demonstrate knowledge of a range of texts and critical approaches
• An ability to make connections between poets
• Awareness of formal and aesthetic dimensions of literature and analysis of specific texts
• Knowledge of genre, literary conventions and of language
• An ability to articulate and substantiate an imaginative response to literature
• An ability to articulate knowledge and understanding of concepts and theories relating to literary studies
• Command of a broad range of vocabulary and an appropriate critical terminology
• Awareness of literature as a medium through which values are affirmed and debated

Key Skills:

• Students studying this module will develop:
• Practice of writing poetry and understanding its relation to poetics
• A capacity to analyse critically
• Skills of effective communication and argument
• An ability to acquire complex information of diverse kinds in a structured and systematic way involving the use of distinctive interpretative skills derived from the subject
• Competence in the planning and execution of essays
• Awareness of conventions of scholarly presentation, and bibliographical skills including accurate citation of sources and consistent use of scholarly conventions of presentation
• A capacity for independent thought and judgement, and ability to assess the critical ideas of others
• Skills in critical reasoning
• An ability to handle information and argument in a critical manner
• Information-technology skills such as word-processing and electronic data access information
• Organisation and time-management skills

• Seminars: encourage peer-group discussion, enable students to develop critical skills in the close reading and analysis of texts, and skills of effective communication and presentation; promote awareness of diversity of interpretation and methodology
• Consultation session: encourages students to reflect critically and independently on their work
• Independent but directed reading in preparation for seminars provides an opportunity for students to enrich subject-specific knowledge and enhances their ability to develop appropriate subject-specific skills.
• Typically, directed learning may include assigning student(s) an issue, theme or topic that can be independently or collectively explored within a framework and/or with additional materials provided by the tutor. This may function as preparatory work for presenting their ideas or findings (sometimes electronically) to their peers and tutor in the context of a seminar.
• Coursework:
• Assessed essay: the assessed essay tests the student's ability to argue, respond and interpret, and to demonstrate subject-specific knowledge and skills such as appreciation of the power of imagination in literary creation and the close reading and analysis of texts. It also tests the ability to present work that observes scholarly conventions.
• Portfolio: the portfolio will be assessed according to the following criteria: control of form, tone, and style; originality of theme, voice and formal strategy; sophistication of conception and excecution; expressiveness and imagination; ability to put the theoretical knowledge gained from the course into practice; ability to establish and achieve artistic goals. The self-critique offers the student an opportunity to express their poetics in the larger context of poetics as discussed in the course.
• Feedback:
• Assessed essay: the written feedback that is provided after the first assessed essay gives students the opportunity to improve their future work, and to reflect on their poetics and practice in the light of the examiners' comments.
• Portfolio: the written feedback that is provided after the assessed portfolio and self-critique will allow the students to reflect on their creative work and gain a more objective sense of its value, potential, theoretical assumptions, and how successful it was in fulfilling its goals.

If you have a question about Durham's modular degree programmes, please visit our FAQ webpages, Help page or our glossary of terms. If you have a question about modular programmes that is not covered by the FAQ, or a query about the on-line Undergraduate Module Handbook, please contact us.

Prospective Students: If you have a query about a specific module or degree programme, please Ask Us.

Current Students: Please contact your department.