Course Details in 2026/27 Session

Module Title	LI Reading the Renaissance
School	Eng, Drama, & Creative Studies
Department	English Literature
Module Code	09 39840
Module Lead	Emily Buffey
Level	Intermediate Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 1
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-20 hours Seminar-10 hours Guided independent study-170 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	This module offers the opportunity to explore the work of some of England's most celebrated poets, focussing upon their distinctive formal qualities as well as their precise literary, cultural, theatrical and political contexts. Particular emphasis will be placed upon developments in form and genre, the translation and adaptation of classical and later European writers, the transmission and reception of literary works, especially in the intersections of manuscript and print culture, and upon the treatment of gender, history, politics and religious belief. Authors to be studied will span the period 1520-1620 and may include some of the following: Thomas Wyatt, Henry Howard, Thomas Sackville, Isabella Whitney, Philip Sidney, Mary Sidney, Edmund Spenser, Thomas Kyd, Christopher Marlowe, William Shakespeare, Aemelia Lanyer, Ben Jonson, John Marston and John Donne.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Demonstrate skills in close reading of poetry from 1520-1620, and ability to comment on the characteristic styles, genres and discourses employed by writers in the period; Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of Renaissance English writing (c. 1520-1620) within the appropriate social, material and cultural contexts; Identify and evaluate appropriate critical approaches to the texts studied. Demonstrate understanding of Renaissance literary forms and language use, and the ways in which Renaissance authors are influenced by, respond to, and adapt the work of earlier and contemporary writers.
Assessment
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: Assessment: Portfolio of close readings 1,500 words (40%) Essay 2,000 words (60%) Reassessment: Failed component only Portfolio of close readings 1,500 words (40%) Essay 2,000 words (60%)
Other
Reading List