Introduction to Poetry – 106-04 M/W/F 12:00 – 12:50; HEHP 351 Fall 2009 Christine Tobin [email protected] or [email protected] Office: McIver 328; 256-8553 Mailbox: MHRA 3114 Office Hours M/Th 3:00-4:30 or by appointment
I. Course
A. Learning Goals At the completion of this course, the student will be able to Identify and understand varied characteristics of literature; Apply techniques of literary analysis to texts; Use literary study to develop skills in careful reading and clear writing; Demonstrate understanding of the diverse social and historical contexts in which literary texts have been written and interpreted.
B. Description Introduction to Poetry is a broad foundational course designed to instill a love for poetry while introducing you to the ways and means of conversing about poetry. By the end of the semester, you will be able to indentify and understand characteristics of poetry, analyze a literary text and explicate your analysis in written form.
C. Materials Vendler, Helen. Poems, Poets, Poetry. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2002. (ISBN-13: 978-0-312-25706-4) E-Reserve readings on Blackboard, as assigned.
D. Other Requirements Access to Blackboard, UNCG email, and a printer. A folder to keep handouts, drafts, and readings.
II. Class Policies
A. Decorum Be respectful of yourself, your peers, me, and our learning environment. This means 1) active participation in class 2) arriving on time 3) having course materials in hand and read/written and 4) not introducing distractions during class time.
B. Electronics
Laptops may be used in class only by students having a special need for purposes of note-taking or other classroom activities. Students with such a need should make specific arrangements with the instructor. No student may use a laptop in class without a prior arrangement with the instructor.
Turn off all electronic devices and store them away during class; don’t just put them on vibrate. Please, no texting or checking messages during class ever.
C. Attendance
Students are allowed a maximum of four absences without a grade penalty. For every absence beyond those allowed, students will be penalized one-half letter grade. Students who miss eight classes will fail the course.
D. Email policy
An email is probably the most efficient way to get in touch with me; be aware, however, that I do not check mail after 9:00 pm. I will return emails within 24 hours, except on weekends. If you do not hear back from me, please resend the original email. Also, please sign emails with your name and section number.
III. Assignments
A. Grading
1) Recitation of poems 10% 2) Lead discussion 5 % 3) Daily sentences/participation 15% 4) Exam 1 10 % 5) Paper 20 % 6) Group presentation 20 %
2 7) Exam 2 20 %
1) Recitation of poems Hearing poetry aloud is vital to our understanding because poetry has a strong aural component to its composition. You will be responsible for reading 2-3 poems aloud for the class on assigned days. For your recitation, you do not have to memorize the poem, but you should have practiced out loud prior to class and thought about how the poem should be presented. We’ll have a sign up sheet so you can pick days and/or poems.
2) Lead discussion Once during the semester, you will be responsible for leading the class discussion on a particular poem. You do not have to turn in anything written, though you may wish to make notes about your talking points.
3) Daily sentences/participation Twice a week (usually Wednesday and Friday) you will write and turn in sentences about the poems assigned. You may be asked to read or share these sentences during class. These will be graded with a check plus, check, check minus, or zero. On a given day, there may be up to six poems assigned to read and study. You will choose three poems and write one sentence about each. The sentence should demonstrate your understanding of the poem; you might choose to comment on what the poem is about, what the poem does (its goals), what you like about it, how the poet is using language, or what you notice about the way it’s written.
4) Exam 1 A short exam will be given during the first third of the semester. This exam, consisting of identification and short answer, is designed to evaluate your understanding of key concepts and terms.
5) Paper A short (3-5 pages) paper will evaluate your ability to analyze a text and use written language to both draw conclusions and make an argument. A more detailed outline of the assignment will be available closer to the due date.
6) Group presentation Working in pairs or groups of three (depending on class size), you will give a ten-minute presentation on a poet from our anthology. You will (briefly) discuss
3 relevant biographical information, major contributions to poetry, key characteristics of the poet’s work, and a more in-depth look at two or three poems. Your group should prepare a handout for the class that highlights your key talking points.
7) Exam 2 A final exam, in short answer and essay form, will evaluate the culmination of your knowledge throughout the semester.
B. Guidelines
1) Late assignments will not be accepted. If you are absent on a due date, the assignment still needs to be turned in. Please make arrangements with me beforehand.
2) Assignments are accepted as hard copy only. Papers should be formatted according to MLA guidelines. Important things to remember before turning in papers:
Titled Stapled! Double spaced One inch ruled margins Size 12 New Roman or similar font Pages numbered Your name, course #, assignment, and date in upper left hand corner
C. Plagiarism
“Academic integrity is founded upon and encompasses the following five values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. Violations include, for example, cheating, plagiarism, misuse of academic resources, falsification, and facilitating academic dishonesty. If knowledge is to be gained and properly evaluated, it must be pursued under conditions free from dishonesty. Deceit and misrepresentations are incompatible with the fundamental activity of this academic institution and shall not be tolerated” (from UNCG’s Academic Integrity Policy). To ensure that you understand the university’s policy on academic integrity, review the guidelines and list of violations at http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu. I expect you to abide by the Academic
4 Integrity Policy. Violations of academic integrity will be reported to university officials and may result in consequences for the course ranging in severity from re-doing an assignment to failing the course.
D. MLA Style
You are asked to follow the MLA format for style and citations. The Writing Center and library have helpful links for information about MLA. The UNCG datebook also has a brief overview of MLA style in the back as a quick reference.
http://www.uncg.edu/eng/writingcenter/citations.html http://library.uncg.edu/depts/ref/qil/styles.asp
IV. Resources
A. Student Services
Students with documentation of special needs should arrange to see me about accommodations as soon as possible. If you believe you could benefit from such accommodations, you must first register with the Office of Disability Services on campus before such accommodations can be made. The office is located on the second floor of the Elliott University Center (EUC) in Suite 215, and the office is open 8am to 5pm, Monday - Friday. Telephone: 334-5440; e-mail: [email protected]. http://ods.dept.uncg.edu/.
B. The Writing Center
The Writing Center is located in 3211 of the MHRA building. They can help you at any stage of the writing process, from prewriting to polishing. Please schedule an appointment with them at any point during the semester if you need outside help with your writing. For more information visit www.uncg.edu/eng/writingcenter/.
Each visit to the Writing Center will be counted as an extra credit point added to your final grade.
C. The Speaking Center
5 The Speaking Center is located in 3211 of the MHRA building. They can help you at any stage of an oral presentation, from preparation to delivery. For more information visit http://speakingcenter.uncg.edu/.
Each visit to the Speaking Center will be counted as an extra credit point added to your final grade.
D. The Learning Assistance Center The Learning Assistance Center offers free services to the entire UNCG undergraduate community and is located in McIver Hall, rooms 101-104, and 150. For help with study skills, contact Erin Farrior, Academic Skills specialist. Telephone: 334-3878; e-mail: [email protected]
6 Calendar is subject to change. Assignments are listed on the day they are due. BB = Blackboard; 3S = Three sentences are due
Reading Assignments Written Assignments Week 1: Introduction M Aug. 24 Syllabus, overview W Aug. 26 “Poetry is Dead;” “Poetry is Alive and Well” & “Reasons for Poetry” (BB) F Aug. 28 Unpacking a poem (BB)
Week 2: What is poetry? M Aug. 31 Introduction & Ch. 1: xli – 14 W Sep. 2 Plath, Hayden, Milton, 3S Komunyakaa: 14-26 F Sep. 4 Jonson, Keats, Dickinson, 3S Thomas, Hayden: 14-26
Week 3: Arranged life M Sep. 7: Labor Day, No Class W Sep. 9 Ch 2; Herrick, Donne, Atwood, 3S Hardy: 27-72 F Sep. 11 Frost, Tichborne, Whitman, 3S Nelson: 61-72
Week 4: Language choices and patterns M Sep. 14 Ch 3 & selections from Ch 5: 73- 95 W Sep. 16 Shakespeare, Herrick, Hopkins, 3S Hardy, Williams, Roethke: 95- 106 F Sep. 18 Donne, cummings, Bishop, 3S Harjo, Cervantes: 165-175
Week 5: Language continued + Lyric vs. narrative M Sep. 21 Poems on BB 3S 7 W Sep. 23 Ch. 4: 107-134 F Sep. 25 Herbert, Milton, Keats, Frost, 3S Strand, Graham: 135-150
Week 6 M Sep. 28 Poems on BB 3S W Sep. 30 Review F Oct. 2 Exam 1
Week 7: Writing about poetry + Speaker / Identity M Oct. 5 Ch. 10: 311-313, 319-327 W Oct. 7 Practice paragraph F Oct. 9 Ch. 6: 177-194
Week 8: Identity cont. M Oct. 12 No Class, Fall Break W Oct. 14 Whitman, Dickinson, Eliot, 3S Williams: 194-212; Atwood: 369 F Oct. 16 Cullen, Sexton, Wright, Kenyon, 3S Phillips: 194-212
Week 9: Social identity M Oct. 19 Ch. 7: 213-227 W Oct. 21 Southwell, Nashe, Plath, Mura, 3S Taylor: 227-238 F Oct. 23 Alexie (359), Allen (359), 3S Alvarez (360), Brooks (402), Ginsberg (476)
Week 10: History and region M Oct. 26 Ch. 8: 241-255 W Oct. 28 Wordsworth, Yeats, Lowell, Paper due Hayden: 256-282 F Oct. 30 Merwin, Walcott, Soto, 3S Martinez: 256-282
Week 11: Poetry’s place in
8 the modern world M Nov. 2 Ch. 9: 283-292; Inaugural poems (BB) W Nov. 4 Johnson, Lovelace, Wheatley, 3S Dove: 292-308 F Nov. 6 Whitman (631); Williams (642); 3S Wright (649-650); Yeats (654)
Week 12: Reading groups of poems together
M Nov. 9 Ch. 11: 329-343 W Nov. 11 Selections by Laux on BB In-class assignment F Nov. 13 Selections by Hass on BB In-class assignment
Week 13 M Nov. 16 Self-selected from anthology 3S W Nov. 18 Self-selected from anthology 3S F Nov. 20 Group Presentations
Week 14 M Nov. 23 Group Presentations W Nov. 25 No Class, Thanksgiving F Nov. 27 No Class, Thanksgiving
Week 15 M Nov. 30 Poem as performance (video) W Dec. 2 Group Presentations F Dec. 4 Group Presentations
Week 16 M Dec. 7 Exam review, wrap-up T Dec. Reading day F Dec. 11 Exam, 8am
9 How To Eat a Poem by Eve Merriam
Don't be polite. Bite in. Pick it up with your fingers and lick the juice that may run down your chin. It is ready and ripe now, whenever you are.
You do not need a knife or fork or spoon or plate or napkin or tablecloth.
For there is no core or stem or rind or pit or seed or skin to throw away.
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