Affective and Cognitive Responses to Poetry in the University Classroom

TY - JOUR

T1 - Affective and Cognitive Responses to Poetry in the University Classroom

AU - Rumbold, Kate

AU - Simecek, Karen

PY - 2016/10/13

Y1 - 2016/10/13

N2 - In universities, as in mainstream education more widely, cognitive approaches to poetry are often dominant. Far from being irrelevant to the serious study of literature, we argue that eliciting students’ affective responses to poetry can deepen their cognitive understanding and analytical skills. Drawing on recent research in psychology on the relationship between cognition and affect, we show that poetry has particular potential to make us aware of the crucial interrelation of our cognitive and affective processes; and that bringing those responses into balance can deepen our understanding of poetry. Building on recent educational studies of typical student (and teacher) anxieties and assumptions about working with poetry, and on our observations from our own initial, exploratory seminars, we explore some of the obstacles to rebalancing the cognitive and affective dimensions of poetry in higher education, and point to the potential value of such an approach if such obstacles are overcome.

AB - In universities, as in mainstream education more widely, cognitive approaches to poetry are often dominant. Far from being irrelevant to the serious study of literature, we argue that eliciting students’ affective responses to poetry can deepen their cognitive understanding and analytical skills. Drawing on recent research in psychology on the relationship between cognition and affect, we show that poetry has particular potential to make us aware of the crucial interrelation of our cognitive and affective processes; and that bringing those responses into balance can deepen our understanding of poetry. Building on recent educational studies of typical student (and teacher) anxieties and assumptions about working with poetry, and on our observations from our own initial, exploratory seminars, we explore some of the obstacles to rebalancing the cognitive and affective dimensions of poetry in higher education, and point to the potential value of such an approach if such obstacles are overcome.

KW - teaching poetry

KW - cognition and affect

KW - poetry seminar

KW - poetry and emotion

KW - higher education

U2 - 10.1080/1358684X.2016.1230468

DO - 10.1080/1358684X.2016.1230468

M3 - Article

VL - 23

SP - 335

EP - 350

JO - Changing English

JF - Changing English

SN - 1358-684X

IS - 4

ER -