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    Overview

    A study of a range of twentieth and twenty-first-century poetry.

    In ENGL 319, you will learn how modern and contemporary poetry has engaged and responded to a century of dramatic change in society, technology, politics, art, culture and language. You will examine how these changes are reflected in last century's most radical innovations in verbal art and in poetry that continues to push the boundaries of language today. You will also have the opportunity to link theory and practice by producing your own creative work that responds to a century of poetic innovation and to the place of language and art in our rapidly changing world.

    About this paper

    Paper title Modern and Contemporary Poetry
    Subject English
    EFTS 0.15
    Points 18 points
    Teaching period Not offered in 2023, expected to be offered in 2025 (On campus)
    Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) $955.05
    International Tuition Fees Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website.
    Prerequisite
    18 200-level ENGL points
    Schedule C
    Arts and Music
    Notes
    Students who have not passed the normal prerequisite may be admitted with approval from the Head of Department.
    Eligibility
    Usually a 200-level English course is required to enrol in a 300-level English paper. Alternative arrangements may be possible in some cases. If in doubt, please contact the course co-ordinator.
    Contact

    english@otago.ac.nz

    Teaching staff

    To be confirmed when paper is next offered.

    Paper Structure

    Each week begins by introducing a poet - such as T. S. Eliot, Gertrude Stein, Frank O'Hara or Langston Hughes - whose work both responds to the rapid changes of the modern world and shapes the subsequent course of modern and contemporary poetry.

    The second class compares the work of this influential poet with that of a twenty-first-century writer whose work in some way engages the earlier poet's example, while responding to our contemporary social, political and technological world.

    Each week you will have the opportunity to write critical and/or creative responses to poetic works and to discuss these responses in class.

    You will also have opportunities to meet local and visiting poets, to attend live readings and to explore the material culture of modern and contemporary poetry - from rare books and manuscripts to online poetic culture.

    Assessment

    • In-class responses to workshop sessions: 10%
    • Prepared group reading response and blog post: 10%
    • Research project (this may be presented as an essay, but other forms of research, including creative, collaborative, and multimedia work, are also possible): 40%
    • Exam: 40%

    Please note that the outline above is indicative only and may be subject to change.

    Teaching Arrangements

    One 1-hour and one 2-hour class per week, with a mixture of lecturing, discussion-based teaching, and workshop sessions in which students are encouraged to engage actively and creatively with poetic and critical texts.

    Textbooks
    Modern and Contemporary Poetry Anthology (available from the Print Shop and online), supplemented by readings available for download.
    Graduate Attributes Emphasised
    Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Information literacy, Research, Self-motivation, Teamwork.
    View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.
    Learning Outcomes

    Students who successfully complete this paper should be able to:

    • Analyse a poem with confidence
    • Present a coherent argument about a poem based on their analysis
    • Independently research a topic in modern and contemporary poetry
    • Compare and critically evaluate major moments and movements in twentieth-century English-language poetry
    • Experiment individually and collaboratively with creative methods for analysing and responding to modern and contemporary poetry
    • Theorise about the relationship between poetry and the rapid social, political, economic and technological developments of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries
    • Reflect on the relationship between developments in poetry and the other arts
    • Critically evaluate major aesthetic, philosophical and political issues that have shaped and continue to shape the production and reception of modern and contemporary poetry

    Timetable

    Not offered in 2023, expected to be offered in 2025

    Location
    Dunedin
    Teaching method
    This paper is taught On Campus
    Learning management system
    None

    Overview

    Explores how twentieth and twenty-first-century writers have challenged the boundaries of poetry, literature, and the arts and how this poetic revolt relates to wider social, cultural, and technological change.

    ENGL319: Poetic Revolt from Soho to Social Media explores the place of language, literature, and art in our rapidly changing world. You will investigate how writers over the past century have created radically new forms of literature in response to dramatic changes in society, technology, politics, art, culture, and language. You will study how contemporary writers build on this tradition of poetic revolt as they continue to push the boundaries of language and literature today. You will also have the option of linking theory to practice by producing your own creative work.

    ENGL319 is not offered in 2024 but is expected to be offered in 2025.

    About this paper

    Paper title Poetic Revolt from Soho to Social Media
    Subject English
    EFTS 0.15
    Points 18 points
    Teaching period Not offered in 2024, expected to be offered in 2025 (On campus)
    Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) $981.75
    International Tuition Fees Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website.
    Prerequisite
    18 200-level ENGL points
    Schedule C
    Arts and Music
    Notes
    Students who have not passed the normal prerequisite may be admitted with approval from the Head of Programme.
    Eligibility
    Usually a 200-level English course is required to enrol in a 300-level English paper. Alternative arrangements may be possible in some cases. If in doubt, please contact the course co-ordinator.
    Contact

    jacob.edmond@otago.ac.nz

    Teaching staff

    Professor Jacob Edmond

    Paper Structure

    Each week begins by introducing a poet - such as T. S. Eliot, Gertrude Stein, Frank O'Hara or Langston Hughes - whose work both responds to the rapid changes of the modern world and shapes the subsequent course of modern and contemporary poetry.

    The second class compares the work of this influential poet with that of a twenty-first-century writer whose work in some way engages the earlier poet's example, while responding to our contemporary social, political and technological world.

    Each week you will have the opportunity to write critical and/or creative responses to poetic works and to discuss these responses in class.

    You will also have opportunities to meet local and visiting poets, to attend live readings and to explore the material culture of modern and contemporary poetry - from rare books and manuscripts to online poetic culture.

    Assessment

    • In-class responses to workshop sessions: 10%
    • Prepared group reading response and blog post: 10%
    • Research project (this may be presented as an essay, but other forms of research, including creative, collaborative, and multimedia work, are also possible): 40%
    • Exam: 40%

    Please note that the outline above is indicative only and may be subject to change.

    Teaching Arrangements

    One 1-hour and one 2-hour class per week, with a mixture of lecturing, discussion-based teaching, and workshop sessions in which students are encouraged to engage actively and creatively with poetic and critical texts.

    Textbooks

    All readings will be made available electronically.

    Graduate Attributes Emphasised
    Global perspective, Interdisciplinary perspective, Lifelong learning, Scholarship, Communication, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Ethics, Information literacy, Research, Self-motivation, Teamwork.
    View more information about Otago's graduate attributes.
    Learning Outcomes

    Students who successfully complete this paper should be able to:

    • Analyse a poem with confidence
    • Present a coherent argument about a poem based on their analysis
    • Independently research a topic in modern and contemporary poetry
    • Compare and critically evaluate major moments and movements in twentieth-century English-language poetry
    • Experiment individually and collaboratively with creative methods for analysing and responding to modern and contemporary poetry
    • Theorise about the relationship between poetry and the rapid social, political, economic and technological developments of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries
    • Reflect on the relationship between developments in poetry and the other arts
    • Critically evaluate major aesthetic, philosophical and political issues that have shaped and continue to shape the production and reception of modern and contemporary poetry

    Timetable

    Not offered in 2024, expected to be offered in 2025

    Location
    Dunedin
    Teaching method
    This paper is taught On Campus
    Learning management system
    Blackboard
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