Schedule, syllabus and examination date

Course content

Today, traditional verse forms such as couplets, the sonnet, ode, and elegy are joined by newer idioms such as dub poetry and rap. Poetry of all kinds is enjoying a burgeoning of interest and involvement all over the English-speaking world. Poetry is the form of writing that most deliberately cultivates and harnesses the resources of traditional form and collective memory. It is also the literary form people seek when they attend to trauma and disorientation, to the imperatives of celebration and commemoration, and the need to bear witness to the life of the passions and the mind. This course seeks to analyze the ways in which poetry functions, focusing on a syllabus of primary as well as secondary works that will vary from term to term, reflecting the expertise and interests of the convener. Two aims will remain constant: to grasp how poems are achieved through the manipulation of form, and to understand how they reach out to be interpreted in relevant contexts, whether formal, material, historical, social, political, or biographical. The rhetorical purpose of poems will be considered, and students will be encouraged to investigate the documentary evidence of poetry’s impact and reception. The course aims to enable students to master the formal and contextual analysis of poems, and to make serious and sensitive contributions to the academic study of poetry.

Learning outcome

After completing this course, you:

  • will be able to analyse a wide range of poems in relation to the theoretical issues treated in the textbook material and the seminar discussions
  • will have an understanding of the main theoretical questions and debates underpinning the practice of academic poetry criticism
  • will be able to analyse poetic techniques in various kinds of poetic texts
  • will be able to relate literary works to their sociohistorical context in nuanced and sophisticated ways
  • will have advanced skills in scholarly writing in English.

Admission to the course

Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.

If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.

Admission to the course is required to attend seminars.

Overlapping courses

Teaching

Seminars, 2 hours per week for 14 weeks. 28 hours in all.

Obligatory activity:

The allowed absence limit will cover all absences, including illness. You will not be granted valid absences with documentation, even when the absence is due to something beyond your control.

In certain circumstances, i.e. serious or chronic illness, you could apply for special needs accomodations.

All obligatory activities must be approved for you to sit the exam. Fulfilled course requirements are only valid the semester you attend the course.

Examination

The form of assessment is a 4 hour written examination.

Examination support material

No examination support material is allowed.

Language of examination

The exam is to be written in English

Grading scale

Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.

More about examinations at UiO

You will find further guides and resources at the web page on examinations at UiO.

Last updated from FS (Felles studentsystem) Nov. 5, 2026 10:44:28 PM

Facts about this course

Level
Bachelor
Credits
10
Teaching
Spring and autumn
This course is taught irregularly.
Examination
Autumn
Teaching language
English

Contact

Department of Literature, Area Studies and European Languages