Short course
Why Study Poetry?
Course status:
Applications being accepted
Dates:
30/09/2026 - 28/10/2026
Study format:
In-person weekly
Fees:
£190.00
Have you ever wondered why people study poetry? Have you ever read a poem and thought, 'Is there a way I should be reading this?' Have you ever been intimidated by poetry? If the answer is 'yes' to any of these questions, then this course is for you.
In this lively and engaging 5-week short course in Oxford, we will bust the myths surrounding poetry, asking questions like 'Is this the right way to read?', 'What is this poem really about?', and 'What does poetry have to do with me?'
All views are welcome, and no questions are unwelcome.
The course will enable you to explore some of the questions around, and barriers to, studying poetry – and will hopefully whet your appetite for more!
Aside from the preparatory reading, all course materials will be produced by the tutor for discussion in the class and beyond.
Book this course
Book your place online using the button below.
Level and demands
No previous knowledge required, just a keenness to learn.
The Department’s Weekly Classes are taught at first year undergraduate level.
Course aims
The aims of this this course are:
- To familiarise or re-familiarise students with poetry, so that they can appreciate its aesthetic and formal qualities while considering its wider uses and functions
- To bust the myths around poetry, particularly in terms of poetry and difficulty and the idea that there is one ‘right’ way to read a poem (there isn’t).
Course objectives
By the end of this course, you will have been given the opportunity to be able to approach reading poetry with confidence, and to close read a range of poems in some detail. You will hopefully have learned to enjoy reading and studying poetry.
Programme details
Course starts Wednesday 30 September 2026
This is an in-person course which requires your attendance at the weekly meetings in Oxford on Wednesdays, 4.30-6.30pm.
Week 1: Poetry and form – (why) does form matter?
Week 2: Poetry and genre – (why) does genre matter?
Week 3: Poetry and the academy – (why) does difficulty matter?
Week 4: Contemporary trends in poetry 1 – performance poetry
Week 5: Contemporary trends in poetry 2 – poetry and wellbeing.
Teaching methods
Each week, the tutor will introduce the topic of the week through some brief quotations, before introducing two or three poems to discuss in relation to that topic.
In weeks 2–5, students will be encouraged to prepare short 5-minute presentations on one of the set topics – but please note that these are not compulsory.
Group discussion and pair work will be central to the learning process.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students will have been given the opportunity to learn how to:
- approach a new poem with confidence and care;
- understand the formal and generic qualities of a range of poems; and
- speak with confidence and pleasure about the poetry they’re reading.
Assessment methods
This course is not accredited, so there are no assessments or coursework.
Prof Tara Stubbs
Professor Tara Stubbs is a Professor of Modern and Contemporary Literature at OUDCE, and a Fellow of Kellogg College Oxford. Her first book was American Literature and Irish Culture, 1910–1955 (2013), which was re-issued in paperback in 2017. Her interests include American and Irish literature, modernism and poetry, and she has published widely in these fields. In 2017 she co-edited the essay collection Navigating the Transnational in Modern American Literature and Culture (2017), and her second monograph, published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2020, was The Modern Irish Sonnet: Revision and Rebellion. She is now working on a project on poetry and the reading public, and is the host of the ‘Demystifying Poetry’ podcast.
Certification
Digital badge
Upon successful completion of this course, you will be issued with an official digital badge from the Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford. In order to be issued with your badge, you will need to have attended at least 80% of the course.
After the course, you will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to download your digital badge. You will be able to add this badge to your email signature and share it on social media if you choose to do so.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course fee | £190.00 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, or are a care-leaver in the UK, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Concessionary fees for short courses
Recommended reading
All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Continuing Education Library for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are welcome to use the Library for reference. More information can be found on the Library website.
There is a Guide for Weekly Class students which will give you further information.
Availability of titles on the reading list (below) can be checked on SOLO, the library catalogue.
Preparatory reading
- Demystifying Poetry: podcast / Stubbs, Tara