CW308-15 Writing Out Loud: Slam, Spoken Word, and Performance Poetics
Introductory description
CW308-15 Writing Out Loud: Slam, Spoken Word, and Performance Poetics
Module aims
To engage students as writers and critics of performance poetry. The widening of the boundaries of contemporary poetics requires a re-examination of how poetry is taught in the academy. By addressing oral traditions, affect transmission, and spatiality in performance students will explore the distinctions which delineate the ‘page’ vs ‘stage’ debate. Discussions of value which have to a certain degree circumscribed the development of a robust pedagogical approach to performance poetics need to be address. Ultimately the module will seek to establish a multi-directional discourse between the students and the tutor, identifying and developing the best approaches to analysing spoken word performances. This will create a critical toolbox for assessing performances, and help students to engage with the practical element of the module. At the end of the module students will be able to compose and perform spoken word poems with increased confidence and reflect critically on the performance of poems as an element of the wider context of international contemporary performance poetry cultures.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
The following is a breakdown of material covered in each seminar – however the order of the
seminars may change. Sample suggested reading is detailed below.
1). Oral history (exploring the place of contemporary performance poetry in the context of oral
tradition and oral poetics)
2). Orality vs literacy (analysis of distinctions between spoken word and page poetry in practice,
renegotiating the relationship between author and audience)
3). Sound and rhetoric (analysing sound as a principle of poetic composition)
4). Performance and identity (the cultural politics of spoken word and presentations of identity
within the context of poetry performance)
5). Slam cultures (discussing the aesthetics of Slam as an important sub-genre of performance poetics)
6). Negotiating affect in performance (exploring how performance poetry manifests affective responses from an audience (cf. to page poetry))
7). Spatial relationships in performance (how space impacts performance and exploring how spaces can be altered through performance)
8). Intermedia collaborations (addressing the changing landscape of contemporary poetics, and how performance can participate in meaningful intermedia collaborations)
9). ‘Publishing’ in performance (addressing the status of performance poets within a contemporary page poetry market)
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- By the end of the module the student should be able to demonstrate detailed knowledge of the international contemporary performance poetry scene and of the history and development of oral poetry.
- By the end of the module the student should be able to articulate an informed perspective on the differences between writing for the page and writing for performance.
- By the end of the module students should be able to employ a variety of writing styles and techniques to compose a performance poem, demonstrating an awareness of the role of performance and voice as they relate to their own writing practices.
- By the end of the module students should be able to conduct a nuanced scholarly critique of poetry performances taking into account their composition, affective capacities, and spatial representation.
- By the end of the module students should be able to demonstrate a sense of their own position in relation to their development as writers and performers, in terms of routes towards professional engagement with various performance poetry scenes.
Indicative reading list
Reading lists can be found in Talis
Subject specific skills
To be completed
Transferable skills
To be completed
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Seminars | 9 sessions of 2 hours (12%) |
| Other activity | 1 hour (1%) |
| Private study | 131 hours (87%) |
| Total | 150 hours |
Private study description
131 hours of private study
Other activity description
Involvement with local spoken word scenes such as Shoot From the Lip in Leamington Spa or Hit the Ode in Birmingham. This element of physical engagement with live performance events is of critical importance to understanding performance practice. Students will be encouraged to visit these events and perform at open mic nights and Slam nights.
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group A
| Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment component |
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| Essay | 50% | Yes (extension) | |
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To be completed |
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Reassessment component is the same |
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Assessment component |
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| 15 page Portfolio | 30% | Yes (extension) | |
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To be completed |
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Reassessment component is the same |
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Assessment component |
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| Reflective Report | 20% | Yes (extension) | |
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Each student must select one poem of 3-5 minutes from their portfolio to perform in front of the group. Students must then submit 1 x 2,000-word report reflecting on their composition, their choice of poem from the portfolio, and their performance of the piece itself. |
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Reassessment component is the same |
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Feedback on assessment
Workshop sessions during seminars for formative assessments
Email and face-to-face meetings.
The module tutor will present written feedback responding to all three elements of the
assessment, and an additional report in response to the live performance.
There is currently no information about the courses for which this module is core or optional.