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Understanding Poetry (10 credit points)
Course Times & Enrolment
This course is currently unavailable.
Course Summary
This course is an introduction to the theory of poetry. It provides an overview of the key features of poetry, aiming to give students a theoretical and critical toolkit necessary in the analysis of poems. The course uses selected examples and seeks to provide a combination of theoretical principles and close reading.
Course Details
Content of Course
1. Introduction. What is poetry? Poets on poetry; poems about poetry; some characteristics of the genre.
2. Line (1): Metre and Rhyme
3. Line (2): Free Verse and Syllabics
4. Metaphor
5. Poetry and the Visual Arts
6. Poetry and the News
7. Poetry and Prayer
8. Poetic Address: the ‘you’ of poems
9. Poetry and community
10. Conclusions and directions
Learning outcomes
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
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Master the theoretical vocabulary necessary to the understanding of poetry.
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Acquire close reading skills.
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Gauge the relationship between poetics and a poet’s textual practice.
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Gain an insight into personal taste and criteria of evaluating poetic texts.
Sources
Core Readings
Essential:
Class handouts with texts for close reading will be made available on a week to week basis.
Recommended:
- Vendler, Helen. Poems, Poets, Poetry: An Introduction and Anthology.
- Fry, Stephen. The Ode Less Travelled: Unlocking the Poet Within.
- Longenbach, James. The Resistance to Poetry.
Web Sources
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/
Class Handouts
Class handouts with texts for close reading will be made available on a week to week basis.
Assessments
10 credit courses have one assessment. Normally, the assessment is a 2000 word essay, worth 100% of the total mark, submitted by week 12. To pass, students must achieve a minimum of 40%. There are a small number of exceptions to this model which are identified in the Studying for Credit Guide.
Studying for Credit
If you choose to study for credit you will need to allocate significant time outwith classes for coursework and assessment preparation. Credit points gained from this course can count towards the Certificate of Higher Education.
Queries
If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.
Student support
If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.