SEL3451 : Keats and Romantic Epic
- Offered for Year: 2024/25
- Module Leader(s): Dr Meiko O'Halloran
- Owning School: English Lit, Language & Linguistics
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
- Capacity limit: 48 student places
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
This module explores John Keats’s ambitions to revolutionise the highest literary form: epic poetry. We examine the personal motivations and broader cultural forces driving Keats’s and his contemporaries’ desire to write an epic poem for the Romantic age and for posterity—and the work they produced as part of their epic projects.
How did Keats negotiate the educational and professional class barriers that determined who could create great literature? In what ways does he respond to poetic forefathers who include Homer, Dante, and Milton? How and to what end did Keats and other poets of his day—like Wordsworth, Byron, and Shelley—rethink the role of the poet in society?
Outline Of Syllabus
The focus of the module will be on Keats’s poetry and selected letters—examined in relation to the work of other writers. Primary texts may include ‘On First Looking into Chapman’s Homer’, ‘When I have fears that I may cease to be’, ‘Sleep and Poetry’, ‘Endymion’, the Odes, ‘Hyperion’ and ‘The Fall of Hyperion’.
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 40:00 | 40:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 10 | 1:00 | 10:00 | Lectures |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 1 | 80:00 | 80:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 1 | 1:00 | 1:00 | Tutorial in preparation for final assessment |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 10 | 2:00 | 20:00 | Seminars |
| Guided Independent Study | Student-led group activity | 9 | 1:00 | 9:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 37:00 | 37:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Module talk | 2 | 1:30 | 3:00 | Introduction to the module and Essay preparation advice |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
The lectures introduce students to the knowledge outcomes. The seminars allow for the development of knowledge outcomes through close reading of specified texts and the practice of skills, especially oral presentation and interpersonal communication. Throughout the module, students will be assessed for constructive seminar and study group participation; this will encourage students to engage consistently with all aspects of the module. Students are required to attend a small group tutorial to discuss their ideas and receive feedback on their proposed essay question and approach before preparing for the final assessment.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 2 | A | 85 | Students write an essay of 3500 words. |
| Prof skill assessmnt | 2 | A | 15 | Participation in seminar and study group discussions plus 250 word self-reflective log. |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 2 | M | A 1,000-word mid-semester practice essay |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
Formative work: Students will be invited to submit a 1,000-word mid-semester essay. This formative work will be returned with feedback before the final assessment.
For the final assessment, students will write a 3,500-word essay based on a self-set question. The essay assesses students' skills in close critical analysis of primary texts, research, presentation of an argument, and engagement with critical sources. Essays must demonstrate detailed knowledge of a primary text/selection of primary texts studied on the module.
The assessment of seminar and study group participation encourages students to engage with all aspects of the module and practise their skills in presenting ideas orally and responding constructively to their peers.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- SEL3451's Timetable