Poetry Mothers: Queer Poems, Queer Poetics ENGLIT4129

  • Academic Session: 2024-25
  • School: School of Critical Studies
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 4 (SCQF level 10)
  • Typically Offered: Either Semester 1 or Semester 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: Yes
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No

Short Description

This course investigates alternative ways of thinking and reading and writing back through queer poetic mother(text)s (which are key influential works of avant-garde poetry of modern sexualities three of which will be set reading on the course: they are understood to 'mother' new work in numerous ways). Seminars will closely examine mother works by three influential poets, inviting creative-critical responses to each.

Timetable

Ten x 2-hour weekly classes which will take the form of five 2-hour seminars and five 2-hour workshops over ten weeks as scheduled on MyCampus.

This is one of the Honours options in English Literature and may not run every year. The options that are running this session are available on MyCampus.

Requirements of Entry

Successful completion of Junior Honours English Literature, and by arrangement to visiting students or students of other Honours programmes who qualify under the University's 25% regulation.

Excluded Courses

None.

Co-requisites

None.

Assessment

Portfolio (4000 words): 90%

Seminar and workshop contribution: 10%

Main Assessment In: April/May

Are reassessment opportunities available for all summative assessments? Not applicable for Honours courses

Reassessments are normally available for all courses, except those which contribute to the Honours classification. For non-Honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions for this course are described below. 

Course Aims

This course aims to:

■ foster understanding and evaluation of contemporary queer poetics in relation to influential queer mother texts 



■ enable the production of original creative-critical texts informed by and engaging with a poetics of queer mothering

■ provide students with the analytical and linguistic tools to be involved collaboratively and individually in assessment and criticism of their own work.

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ articulate a sophisticated knowledge of queer mother poetics and the work of key practitioners and theorists

■ evaluate the cultural significance of queer mother poetics in relation to, creative and critical literary forms

■ produce a portfolio of their own queer mother writing

■ assess their own creative-critical processes while putting them in a larger and relevant context of creative practice

■ reflect constructively on the work of self and others in a collaborative workshop and seminar context.  

■ communicate responses to the material studied on the course both orally and in written form through coherent and sustained argument

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.