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ENG32900

Academic Year 2026/2027

Women Poets, Embodied Subjects (ENG32900)

Subject:
English
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
English, Drama & Film
Level:
3 (Degree)
Credits:
10
Module Coordinator:
Assoc Professor Lucy Collins
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module explores the representation of the body in poetry by women from 1900 to the present, examining the impact of cultural and political change on poetic form, and situating the textual production of poetry within a larger landscape of artistic and intellectual development. Specifically, the module places work by Irish women poets in dialogue with international counterparts, considering how national traditions are enlarged by feminist thought and legislative change, as well as by formal and linguistic influences. Through poems by Eavan Boland, Carol Ann Duffy, torrin greathouse, Mina Loy, Annemarie Ní Churreáin, Lola Ridge and Warsan Shire, among others, we will engage with the poetic representation of sexual identity, family dynamics, place/space, gendered violence and migration. Dialogue with readings by critics and theorists such as Simone de Beauvoir, Betty Friedan, bell hooks, Judith Butler, Sara Ahmed, Roxane Gay, and Lola Olufemi will inform the political context of these works. There will also be opportunities to explore women’s reflection on their own creative practice as makers and performers.

This module is delivered in partnership with Dr Kate Fama's "Sexuality and American Modernism" module. Students on ENG32900 Women Poets, Embodied Subjects will work with peers studying fiction to develop a collaborative final creative project: The Book of Embodied Subjects. This collaborative book will respond creatively to essay titles (on labour, intimacy, race/culture, and mothering) through visual, material, and textual explorations. Students will work together— offering peer review and support—before generating their own individual book page (and creative reflection) for inclusion in a course book. This book will be bound and published online at the end of term. No previous experience in visual arts practice or bookbinding is necessary. Grading will be based on research, literary analysis, and work with poetic form (not artistic excellence).

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

- To analyse the role of poetry in the evolving representation of the body
- To examine the relationship between the thematic concerns and formal approaches of Irish women poets and wider currents of poetic production
- To explore the impact of feminist thought and activism on modern women poets
- To analyse the relationship between different forms of cultural production (poems, essays, performances, visual art/craft) and their contribution to the representation of the body

Indicative Module Content:

This module engages with the representation of the body in modern poetry by women and with the political and intellectual contexts in which this work is written and read. It also places women poets in a wider context of artistic production and asks students to reflect on the intersections between textual and visual creativity. Each week we will read a selection of poems from Irish, British and American women, examining how feminist thinking, writing and activism has helped to shape this work. Key themes will include: women and poetic traditions; gendered spaces; women and labour; friendship and collaboration; sexuality and intimate relationships; questions of race and migration.

All required texts - poems and essays - will be available on Brightspace.

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

 The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Competent

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Competent

Systems Thinking

 The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Advanced Beginner

Strategic

 The ability to collectively develop and implement innovative actions that further sustainability at the local level and further afield. Advanced Beginner

Integrated Problem Solving

 The overarching ability to apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex sustainability problems and develop viable, inclusive and equitable solution options that promote sustainable development, integrating the competencies in this list. Advanced Beginner

Self-awareness

 The ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires. Competent

Normative

 The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Advanced Beginner

Anticipatory

 The ability to understand and evaluate multiple scenarios for the future – possible, probable and desirable; to create one’s own visions for the future; to apply the precautionary principle; to assess the consequences of actions; and to deal with risks and changes. Advanced Beginner

Digital Literacy and Judgement

 The ability to access, evaluate, create and communicate information in digital environments; to engage critically, ethically and responsibly with digital technologies and digital information; to understand their opportunities, limitations, risks and impact on individual’s digital identities; and to exercise informed judgement in digital participation and decision-making. Competent

AI Literacy & Agency

 The ability to understand, critically evaluate and responsibly engage with artificial intelligence; to recognise how AI systems are shaped by human values; to assess their ethical, social and environmental implications; and to exercise human judgement, agency and accountability in AI-related contexts. Advanced Beginner

Wellbeing

 Wellbeing is having the resources and skills to meet life's challenges, including attributes such as personal development skills, resilience, stress management, strengths, lifestyle skills, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, alcohol/substance use, academic skills, time management, goal setting, interpersonal skills, group work, communication. Competent

The United Nations identified seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as core to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and UCD contributes in general to SDG 4 Quality Education. Further SDGs explored within this module if relevant are listed below. A scale of 1 - 5 indicates the extent to which the SDG is covered.


Goal Name Description Coverage

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages 3

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all 1

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls 2
 

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Seminar (or Webinar)

22
Specified Learning Activities

100
Autonomous Student Learning

78
Total

200

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This module is shaped by weekly discussion of poem texts and theoretical readings; online and short in-class lectures on literary and artistic contexts; and collaborative work with peers on ENG32200 Sexuality and American Modernism.

Students will work through a critical-creative workbook that offers opportunities to gather notes, generate ideas and reflect on core themes. Assessment will be in the form of three short exercises, a creative book page assignment and accompanying reflection. Cross-module collaboration will support shared exploration, peer learning, and comparisons between poetry and prose but work will be independently generated and assessed.

Weekly sessions will be maintained throughout the semester and appropriate preparation for class discussion is expected. However, students should note that 2-3 meetings with a student from the partner module is also required: by participating in a module that prioritises shared learning and creative project work, students acknowledge their willingness to engage flexibly outside timetabled sessions.

**AI is not permitted in this module
**Grading in the module is moderated and reviewed by an extern.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Quizzes/Short Exercises: Close Reading Exercise Week 4 Graded No
20
 No
Quizzes/Short Exercises: Design / Performance Evaluation Week 6 Graded No
15
 No
Quizzes/Short Exercises: Database Analysis Week 8 Graded No
15
 No
Reflective Assignment: Book Page Design + Critical Reflection Week 15 Graded No
50
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Peer review activities

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

All poem texts will be available on Brightspace.

Core Secondary Reading:
Roxane Gay, ed. The Portable Feminist Reader. Penguin, 2025.
Clara Fischer and Luna Dolezal, eds. New Feminist Perspectives on Embodiment. Palgrave Macmillan, 2018.

Name Role
Dr Katherine Fama Lecturer / Co-Lecturer

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Seminar Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Tues 14:00 - 15:50
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