Unit Synopsis
The study of poetry, from the Romantics to contemporary slam poetry, offers a rich exploration of how human expression has evolved through language, form, and performance across centuries. This journey takes you from classic love sonnets to modern spoken word, showing how society and culture shape the way we express ourselves through verse. The aim of this unit is to introduce you to practical skills in understanding poetry and communicating your understanding to others. You'll learn to analyse poetry and appreciate its history and various forms while developing valuable skills in critical thinking and creative expression that you can use in any career path.
Details
| Level | Undergraduate |
|---|---|
| Unit Level | 2 |
| Credit Points | 6 |
| Student Contribution Band | SCA Band 1 |
| Fraction of Full-Time Student Load | 0.125 |
| Pre-requisites or Co-requisites |
Students need to have completed 18 credit points prior to enrolling in this unit. Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework). |
| Class Timetable | View Unit Timetable |
| Residential School | No Residential School |
Unit Availabilities from Term 2 - 2026
Term 1 - 2027 Profile
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Assessment Tasks
| Assessment Task | Weighting |
|---|---|
| 1. Reflective Practice Assignment | 20% |
| 2. Written Assessment | 35% |
| 3. Essay | 45% |
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).
Past Exams
All University policies are available on the Policy web site, however you may wish to directly view the following policies below.
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of policies are available on the Policy web site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Source: UC reflection and student performance data
Clarity of assessment expectations and scaffolding
Continue refining the scaffolding of assessments and ensure expectations are clearly communicated by the Unit Coordinator to students and any external markers. This will support consistency in marking and help maintain strong student outcomes.
Weekly readings were streamlined and tutorial activities focused on close reading of a smaller number of poems, while several unit topics were redistributed to reduce content density across the term.
Source: Student Unit Evaluation data
Volume of weekly content
Review the volume of content provided each week to ensure it remains accessible and manageable. While the unit’s scope is intentionally ambitious, care should be taken to present expansive topics in a way that supports student engagement and avoids cognitive overload.
The weekly reading load was reduced and refined to focus on a smaller selection of poems each week, with tutorials concentrating on close reading and analysis of key texts. Additional poems and supporting materials were moved to an optional "Additional Resources" section, and unit topics were reviewed and redistributed across the term to support a more manageable learning progression.
Source: UC Reflection / Student Unit Evaluation Data
Focus and sequencing of unit content
Review the balance between breadth and depth within the curriculum. A stronger focus on the poetic movements and traditions most relevant to literary studies and secondary English teaching may provide greater opportunities for sustained engagement with key concepts while maintaining an overview of the broader history of poetry.
In Progress
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Identify and analyse different poetic forms and techniques, and how they shape meaning in a range of poetry
- Evaluate critical debates and theories surrounding the reception of different types of poetry
- Formulate responses to issues raised and ideas about poetry, and convey those ideas through cogent arguments
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Reflective Practice Assignment | • | ||
| 2 - Written Assessment | • | • | • |
| 3 - Essay | • | • | • |
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 1 - Communication | • | ||
| 2 - Problem Solving | • | ||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | • | • | |
| 4 - Information Literacy | • | ||
| 5 - Team Work | • | ||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | • | • | |
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | • | ||
| 8 - Ethical practice | • | ||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | • | ||
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 10 | |