Required Text: Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry. Vol 2. 3rd edition.
Course Goals and Description
In these five weeks will explore the conceptual and aesthetic past, present and future of American Poetry. In addition to the survey aspect to this course, we will be reading form the poetics section in order to understand the underlying concerns of each group that we will study.
In this course we will examine the poetic fallout of one of the most profound changes in the genre of Poetry, the shift from rhymed poetry to free verse. This change marks the beginning of modern American poetry. We will explore, via the poetics section in the anthology, the current state of American poetry and poetics. To begin, I will lecture briefly on the aesthetic history of modernism in relation to a few specific movements such as futurism, vorticism, and Dadaism. With this context established, we will read a rich selection from individual poets such as Amy Clampitt and from poets, such as Allen Ginsberg, who was a key figure in the beat movement. Our discussions of poetry will be far-ranging, but I have organized each week around a set of concepts that will help us understand and enjoy each poet. Furthermore, I have assigned a specific essay that will add to the week’s selections. For example, we will read Amiri Baraka’s essay, “The Myth of a Negro Literature” alongside poems by Baraka, Komunyakaa and Moss. Furthermore, each essay will coincide with selections from that particular poet. We will address the concept of Postmodernism in Poetry.
A note on reading poetry—reading poetry is fun, but it is not easy at first. Poetry is essentially communal and performative and thus is meant to be read out loud. Reading poetry is a more deliberate practice than reading fiction. You will also find that the aesthetic experience will vary from poet to poet. We will read a lot of poems out loud in class.
Course Requirements
I will expect you to be prepared to discuss all the assigned reading for that class period. For each missed class your final grade drops by a letter. Your grade will consist of five items: three four page papers, a final and class participation. Each assignment is worth 20%. You will be responsible for all the poems in each book (except for those I designate otherwise), all lecture material, and all class discussion. You must obtain the required text. We will read one essay per week from the Poetics section in the anthology. Writing: all papers must be written in MLA format.
Course Policies:
· Late Papers will be drop one letter grade for each class late. If you are sick or have other problems, let me know. .
· Plagiarism will result in a failing grade on the paper and a possible failing grade in the course.
· Attendance: Be On Time. Come to class. You have two unexcused absences. After the third absence, your final grade will drop by a letter.
· If you have concerns about the course in general or your grades, please meet with me during my office hours or set up an appointment with me to discuss your concerns.
· Students with Special Needs: I would like to hear from anyone who has a disability which may require seating modifications or testing accommodations or accommodations of other class requirements, so that appropriate arrangements may be made. Please contact me during my office hours.
Non-Discrimination Policy
Hiram College is committed to equality of opportunity and does not discriminate in its educational and admission policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability. The College will not tolerate harassment, prejudice, abuse, or discrimination by or of any of its students, faculty, or staff.
Academic Dishonesty
There are many forms of academic dishonesty, including plagiarism, the giving or receiving of help in any form on an examination, the sale or purchase of papers and test materials, the abuse of computer privileges and regulations, the misuse or abuse of online or library resources, and any other action which debases the soundness of the educational process. Any student who violates the integrity of the academic process will be subject to punishment.
The development of intellectual honesty is at the heart of a college education. The process of education is severely compromised if we cannot depend on the academic integrity of each member of the community. Moreover, the principles of academic honesty are aligned closely with the principles of good scholarship and research, principles of critical thinking and reasoning, and the standards of professional ethics. Thus, students who fail to practice academic honesty not only risk losing the trust of the academic community, they also fail to develop the most essential skills and abilities that characterize a college graduate.
This syllabus is meant to be a schedule and plan for the course, not a contract. All information--especially readings and assignment due dates—is subject to change. Any and all changes will be announced to the class and presented on the course website.
Tentative Schedule of Events
Week One—When Verse did not run completely free. What is Poetry? What is Aesthetics? What is/was Modernism? (Essay: Projective Verse by Charles Olson)
5/23—Olson, Bishop, Hayden
5/24—Rukeyser, Stafford, Jarrell, Berryman
5/25—Bennett, Lowell, Brooks, Ferlinghetti
5/26—Nemerov, Clampitt, Wilbur, Hecht
Week Two—Free Verse of the beats, confessionals and feminists.
(Essay: Where Mirrors are Windows: Toward an Anthology of Reflections by A.K. Ramanujan) (Essay: Personism: A Manifesto by Frank O’Hara)
5/30—Hecht, Dickey, Hugo, Koch
5/31—Justice, Merrill, Creeley, Ginsberg
6/1—O’Hara, Bly, Ashbery, Merwin
6/2—Wright, Ramanujan, Rich, Sexton
Week Three—the beginnings of Postmodernism—Mass Culture and the Americas. (Essay: The Antilles: Fragments of Epic Memory by Derek Walcott)
6/6—Walcott, Snyder, Plath, Lorde
6/7—Strand, Baraka, Wright, Oliver
6/8—Clifton, Simic, Atwood, Pinsky
6/9—Hass, Olds, Tate
Week Four--Identity Politics and American Cosmopolitanism
(Essay: The Myth of a “Negro Literature” by Amiri Baraka)
6/13—Komunyakaa, Goodison, Silko
6/14—Forche, Graham
6/15—Harjo, Soto, Dove,
6/16—Rios, Doty, Moss
Week Five—Poetry at the beginning of the digital/Avant-Garde
(Essay: Semblance by Charles Bernstein)
6/21—Song, Martinez, Bernstein
6/20—Erdrich, Cervantes, Chin
6/22—Cole, Li-Young Lee, Sherman Alexie
6/23—Final Exam