Start writing poetry
On this page
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| 2 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| No examination | No residential school |
Register for the course
| Start | End | Fee | Register |
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No current presentation - see Future availability |
| This course is expected to run until October 2009. | |||
Summary
Have you ever wanted to write poetry but felt mystified about how to go about it? This 12-week online course, suitable for beginners, introduces you in a gradual and accessible way to the basic 'tools of the trade'. Through examples, exercises, and games, you will practise poetic devices and methods, get ideas for subject matter, and learn how to edit your work. You will eventually write in a variety of forms from the haiku to the sonnet and in a range of styles including satire and parody. The course will also enhance your reading skills and increase your ability to appreciate contemporary poetry.
Course content
The course consists of five blocks:
The introduction discusses what poetry is and what it's for and introduces poetic terms and 'tricks'. You will be shown the building blocks of poems including line, rhyme, stanza, metre, as well as a variety of verse forms and 'free verse'. Through a balance of reading and writing you will practise the ways in which these poetic elements can be used to shape ideas and convey feeling and mood.
Form and the sonnet will familiarise you with some longer forms, traditional and non-traditional, concentrating on the sonnet form and getting you to write one yourself. You will learn and practise editing techniques.
The concrete and the abstract/Beginnings and endings will explore ways of finding original imagery and language and of sharpening your powers of observation and description. You will also learn strategies for capturing and holding your readers' interest.
Small poems will demonstrate the methods and scope of a range of small poems including haiku and limericks. You will also study some 'found poetry' to discover the effects of reusing and reframing words taken from existing texts before experimenting with your own 'found poems'.
Response poems will explore poetry written in response to real events, news items, or other poems and will encourage you to write parodies and narrative or character-based poems inspired by existing poetry.
These five blocks are taught online via the course website, where you can access most of the course materials, and supplemented by an audio CD and a printed course guide. You are encouraged to participate in an online forum through which you can interact with other students and with your tutor.
For further information visit the Start Writing website.
Entry
There are no entry requirements for this course.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Qualifications
A175 is a optional course in our
- BA (Honours) Humanities (B03)
- BA (Honours) Literature (B02)
- Certificate of Higher Education in Humanities (C98)
It can also count towards most of our other degrees at bachelors level, where it is suitable for a BA. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this course can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
If you use special hardware or software, you should find out, well before the beginning of the course, whether it is compatible with the course software. The course materials are available on audio cassette and written transcripts are available for the audio-visual material. You will need to spend considerable amounts of time using a personal computer and the internet. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our booklet Meeting your needs which you can download or request from our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
You can also find information about accessible course materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Course materials
What's included
Course website, online forum, online library access, audio CD, and printed course guide.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new computer since 2002 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
Your tutor will mark and comment on your written assignments. You can contact your tutor through email and the online forum. If you are new to the OU, you will find that your tutor will be particularly concerned to help you with your study methods.
Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You can choose whether to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) on paper or online through the eTMA system. You may want to use the eTMA system for some of your assignments but submit on paper for others. This is entirely your choice.
The second TMA builds on the skills developed in the first one.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in May and October 2009 when it will be available for the last time. A replacement course is not planned.
How to register
We regret that we are currently unable to accept registrations for this course. Where the course is to be presented again in the future, relevant registration information will be displayed on this page as soon as it becomes available.
About this page
An undergraduate course.
Study explained
- Course
- - a module of study that can count towards a qualification.
- Credit points
- - show how much study is required to complete a course or qualification. One credit point represents roughly 10 hours of study.
- Level
- - indicates how difficult a course is. Undergraduate study starts at Level 1.
- Financial support
- - find out if you qualify for support with your fees with our eligibility checker.
- Study explained
- - all you need to know about studying with the OU.
Student Reviews
This is an excellent course for anyone who wants an insight into poetry. I had an excellent tutor and the ...
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I thoroughly enjoyed the Start Writing Poetry course! The tutor was helpful, enthusiastic and inspirational. I had always wanted to ...
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