ENGL 4/5106-01W—Studies in Genre/Poetry

Dr. Gregory Fraser
MW 2:00-3:15, Humanities 225

Office Location: 2242 TLC

Office Phone: 678-839-4856

Office Hours: MW 3:30-5:30 p.m. and by appointment

Required for Certification in Secondary English Education.

May be taken for 3 hours of WAC requirement.

Course Description

This class will proceed under the assumption that the very notion of a literary “genre” is an unstable category whose definitions shift under historical, ideological, and aesthetic pressures. Consequently, we will begin not with the question, “What is poetry?” but instead try to articulate, “What is poetry at these specific periods of time, in these particular cultural circumstances, under these conflicting ideological pressures, in the light of these specific artistic practices?” In short, we will study the ways in which poets have produced texts that both reflect and refract the dominant assumptions of their literary and social contexts. To facilitate our study of this flexible genre, we will closely examine the historical conditions and power relations under which given texts were written, review the manifestos of several poets, and apply the contemporary reading practices of various textual theorists—including but not be limited to Stephen Greenblatt, bell hooks, Roland Barthes, and Elizabeth Grosz.

Text

Reading Poetry, Tom Furniss and Michael Bath, Prentice Hall/Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1996.

Strongly Recommended Texts

Webster's New Universal Unabridged Dictionary (or comparable).

Roget's International Thesaurus (or comparable).

Required Materials

2-inch three-ring binder

Three-hole punch

Learning Outcomes

• Students will learn about the distinguishing characteristics of poetry and develop an appreciation of how the genre evolves into many diverse forms.
• Students will develop an advanced critical facility in the formal analysis of poetry.
• Students will be able to identify and use some of the most significant theories and methods that shape the contemporary study of poetry.
• Students will read and analyze works of poetry written during different historical eras and from different national or cultural perspectives.
• Students will demonstrate in both oral and written work a discipline-specific critical facility through convincing and well-supported analysis of related material.
• Students will demonstrate their command of academic English and the tenets of sound composition by means of thesis-driven analytical prose.
• Students will learn to use discipline-specific computer technologies related to the study of language such as listservs, word processing, and internet research.

Requirements and Grading

Periodic quests (a quest is a cross between a quiz and a test); two formal essays of at least five pages in length; one formal essay of at least eight pages in length; a midterm and a final exam. I will determine grades by the following criteria:

* Class participation and miscellaneous 10%

* Homework and quests 15%

* Paper #1 10%

* Paper #2 15%

* Paper #3 20%

* Midterm 15%

* Final exam 15%

Grading Chart for Exams, Essays, and In-Class Assignments

A+ = 98

A = 95

A- = 92

B+ = 88

B = 85

B- = 82

C+ = 78

C = 75

C- = 72

D+ = 68

D = 65

D- = 62

F = No credit.

NOTE: At times, I will assign “split” grades to indicate work that falls between two standard grading categories. For example, a student might receive a B+/A- grade, which translates mathematically to a 90.

Penalties for Late Papers and Assignments

Turned in late on due date = docked 1/3 of grade (e.g., B to B-)

One class period late = docked 2/3 of grade (e.g., B to C+)

Two class periods late = docked one grade (e.g., B to C)

Three class periods late = docked 1 1/3 grade (e.g., B to C-)

More than three periods late = no credit

Attendance

Your regular presence and participation in this class is a vital part of its success. The policy on absences is as follows: you are allotted five absences before your final grade begins to suffer. If you suspect that outside responsibilities might cause you to miss more than five classes, then you should probably consider dropping the course and taking it at another time. The penalties for missing more than five classes are as follows: six absences—drops one final grade (e.g., from B to C); seven absences—drops two final grades (e.g., from B to D); eight absences—automatic failure of the class.

Academic Honesty

At West Georgia, the student is expected to achieve and maintain the highest standards of academic honesty and excellence. Not only does academic honesty preserve the integrity of both the student and the institution, but it is also essential in gaining a true education. The West Georgia student, therefore, pledges not to lie, cheat, steal or engage in plagiarism in the pursuit of his or her studies and is encouraged to report those who do.

In this class, we will function as a community of writers and thinkers, sharing ideas and commenting on each other’s work. Plagiarism (broadly defined as passing off someone else’s work as your own) constitutes grounds for failure of the assignment in question, possible failure of the course, and the potential for further reprimands by the university.

Schedule (Open to change at my discretion.)

Jan 10

Question blitzes; practical vs. theoretical questions; LOS in questions; observation vs. analysis; significant form; Elizabeth Bishop’s “One Art” and “In the Waiting Room”; formal vs. free verse.

Jan 12

Blake’s “The Lamb” and “The Tyger”; read study guide for these poems and come to class with three driving theoretical questions (DTQs). Discussion, question switch and in-class writing. Three-Eyed Monster writing strategy.

Jan 17

No class. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

Jan 19

Homework due: mini interpretation of some significant element in Sylvia Plath’s “Hardcastle Crags” (see student model); discussion of Plath’s poem; T. S. Eliot’s “Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” and student writing model using Three-Eyed Monster writing strategy.

Jan 24

Homework due: mini interpretation of some significant element in T. S. Eliot’s “Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”; discussion of Eliot’s poem and Tennyson’s “Ulysses”; historical awareness: Romantic, Victorian, Modern, Postmodern periods.

Jan 26

Come to class having read “What is Poetry,” from Furniss and Bath (e-mailed); discussion of chapter; bring three (DTQs) about Keats’s “Ode to a Nightingale”; question switch and in-class writing

Jan 31

Come to class having read “The Semiotic Method” (e-mailed); discussion of signification, interpretation, meaning as relation and historically contingent.

Feb 2

Read pp. 25-102 in RP; Quest #1 and discussion.

Feb 7

Donne’s valediction poems. Bring three (DTQs) to class; question switch and in-class writing.

Feb 9

Read pp. 105-158 in RP; Quest #2 and discussion.

Feb 14

First paper due. Discussion of analytical writing and revision process.

Feb 16

Read pp. 159-229 in RP; Quest #3 and discussion.

Feb 21

Read pp. 233-304 in RP; Quest #4 and discussion.

Feb 23

Read pp. 305-353 in RP; Quest #5 and discussion.

Feb 28

Midterm Exam.

Mar 2

Read pp. 354-408 in RP; Quest #6 and discussion.

March 3

LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW WITH GRADE OF W.

Mar 7

Analytical writing workshop.

Mar 9

Analytical writing workshop.

Mar 14

Analytical writing workshop.

Mar 16

Second paper due. Discussion of analytical writing and revision process.

Mar 20-25

Spring break.

Mar 28

Pope’s Essay on Man (e-mailed); bring three (DTQs) to class; question switch and in-class writing.

Mar 30

No class. (I’ll be attending the Associated Writing Programs conference in Vancouver.)

Apr 4

The epic. Come to class having read John Milton’s Paradise Lost. Discussion of epic conventions.

Apr 6

Discussion of epic continued.

Apr 11

Come to class having read William Wordsworth’s The Prelude. Discussion of epic continued.

Apr 13

Discussion of epic continued.

Apr 18

Come to class having read Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. Discussion of epic continued.

Apr 20

Discussion of epic continued.

Apr 25

Critical writing workshop for final papers.

Apr 27

Critical writing workshop for final papers.

May 2

Last day of class. Review for final.

May 4, 2-4 p.m., same room

Final exam. Final paper due.