Writing Poetry (Q3204)

15 credits, Level 5

Spring teaching

This module is a seminar and workshop for aspiring poets. You will read poetry and essays in preparation for class, but the chief activity will be original creative work. Everyone will be asked to write a poem per week, and to circulate the poem online to the whole group in advance of class.

Seminars will comprise a short introductory discussion of a set text, followed by a more extended discussion of your own work and the work of other students. For the purposes of this module, lively and respectful participation in group discussion is an essential part of our work, and you will be assessed partly on the basis of your generosity of attention to other students' work. By the end of the semester, everyone on the course will have produced a short collection of poems, with the benefit of regular critical attention from fellow students and from the tutor.

The module will conclude with a public poetry reading event on campus in which all students will be invited to participate.

Contact hours and workload

This module is approximately 150 hours of work. This breaks down into about 24 hours of contact time and about 126 hours of independent study. The University may make minor variations to the contact hours for operational reasons, including timetabling requirements.

We regularly review our modules to incorporate student feedback, staff expertise, as well as the latest research and teaching methodology. We’re planning to run these modules in the academic year 2024/25. However, there may be changes to these modules in response to feedback, staff availability, student demand or updates to our curriculum.

We’ll make sure to let you know of any material changes to modules at the earliest opportunity.