Introduction to English Drama and Poetry

Course Coordinator: Dr Garfield Lau, BA, MPhil (CUHK); PhD (HKBU)

Course Developer: Prof. Andrew Parkin, Emeritus Professor of English (CUHK)

This course requires the reading of certain key texts in the history of drama and poetry in English. The course thus serves as an introduction to the study of both genres. Through this course, students learn to read, understand and appreciate different forms of drama and poetry and to gain knowledge in the following corresponding areas: dramatic structure, tragedy and comedy in drama, drama of ideas, the sonnet form, Romantic lyric poetry and some later modern poems.

Aims
The course aims to introduce students to the critical approaches used for textual analysis of drama and of poetry.

Contents

• The genres of drama and poetry
• Greek tragedy: Sophocles' Oedipus the King
• Shakespearean comedy: A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Drama of ideas: George Bernard Shaw’s Arms and the Man
• Shakespearean sonnets
• Romantic poetry
• Modern poetry
• Post-colonial poetry

Learning support
There will be regular two-hour tutorials and a day school.

Assessment
There are two assignments, one oral presentation and a final examination. Students are required to submit assignments via the Online Learning Environment (OLE).

Equipment
You will need access to a computer with a broadband connection to the Internet and a microphone for recording your own voice. Besides the microphone, please note that you may also be required to download some free software to your computer for recording your oral presentation to be submitted via the OLE.

Set book(s)
There is no set textbook for this course. Students are required to obtain and read all of the set texts studied in the course. The full list of texts will be provided to students in the course materials. Online versions of some of these texts can be downloaded from the World Wide Web.

Students with disabilities or special educational needs
The audio and verbal components of the materials and assessment for the course may cause difficulties for students with impaired hearing or speech. You should seek advice from the Course Coordinator before enrolling on the course.