module specification

This module will provide students with a wide-ranging introduction to reading poetry and to the great variety of poetic forms and genres, from sonnets to free verse and performance poetry. It will introduce students to poetic literary history through major poets such as Chaucer, Shakespeare, Wordsworth and Eliot, and equally explore contemporary poetry and poetics. Throughout the module, students will be provided with skills and opportunities to read published poetry, write their own poetry, and discuss poetry in a supportive environment facilitated by their tutor. The module is taught primarily by three-hour weekly classes typically comprising a lecture and a writing workshop. The module is assessed by written coursework and an oral presentation.

The module aims to introduce a range of critical and technical skills required to read, write and discuss poetry; to examine poetic forms and genres in the context of both the historical development of (mostly British) poetry and also the diversity of contemporary poetic practice; and to explore different ideas about the function of poetry.

Available for Study Abroad? YES

Students will be introduced to a range of key poetic concepts for close-reading poetry, such as voice, image, line, musicality, and poetic form. (LO3)

The module will also provide students with an overview of poetic history and the key genres and poets of specific periods, such as the Renaissance, Neo-Classical, Romantic and Modernist periods. Forms and genres introduced will include fixed forms such as the sonnet, genres such as the epic and dramatic monologue, and the various uses of free verse in modernist and contemporary poetry. (LO1)

Throughout the module, students will be provided with opportunities to both read and write poetry so as to strengthen their knowledge of the connection between creative and critical practice. Students will be encouraged to develop and articulate their own sense of the value of poetry as a form of literature, and to begin developing their own poetic voice. (LO1, LO2, LO4)

The module will also provide opportunities for students to develop their sense of themselves as reflective learners. (LO5)

Scheduled teaching ensures that independent study is effective and addresses the learning outcomes and assessment tasks. Students are expected to, and have the opportunity to, continue with their studies outside of scheduled classes. There will be a range of learning strategies deployed and individual learning styles will be accommodated. The module’s learning outcomes, its contents and delivery, have been scrutinised and will be regularly reviewed to ensure an inclusive approach to pedagogic practice.

The module and course utilise the University’s blended learning platform to support and reinforce learning, to foster peer-to-peer communication and to facilitate tutorial support for students. Reflective learning is promoted through assessment items and interim formative feedback points that ask students to reflect on their progress, seek help where they identify the opportunity for improvement in learning strategies and outcomes, and make recommendations to themselves for future development. Throughout the module, students build a body of work, including reflections on progress and achievement.

The School’s programme of employability events and embedded work-related learning within the curriculum supports students’ personal development planning. Through these initiatives, students are increasingly able, as they progress from year to year, to understand the professional environment of their disciplines, the various opportunities available to them, and how to shape their learning according to their ambitions.

On successful completion of Poetic Form and Genre, students will be able to:

Knowledge and understanding
LO1 show understanding of the history of British poetry and of contemporary poetic practice;

Cognitive intellectual abilities
LO2 reflect on the value of poetry as a form of literature;

Subject-specific skills
LO3 analyse poetry through application of key terminology and critical concepts;

Transferable skills
LO4 engage in oral presentation of their ideas;

LO5 reflect on and respond to feedback on written work in order to develop and improve learning.

Students will submit written coursework during the middle and at the end of the module and overall will require students to engage with at least two of the syllabus blocks. These assignments will allow students to specialise in creative or critical practice. Typically the written coursework will take the form of an essay, short story with commentary, memoir or set of reviews.

Presentations will require students to introduce a popular fiction text to the class and analyse it with reference to academic concepts and comparative texts studied in the main syllabus. Presentations may be individual or group (typically 5 minutes per student) or in poster form. A schedule for presentations will be arranged during the module, to be completed by week 27.

https://rl.talis.com/3/londonmet/lists/AC7C5C64-1187-118A-B6DA-4303C0FF2A74.html?lang=en&login=1