syllabus
English 4446/5446 Modern Poetry, Spring 2015
TR 3:30-4:45PM, Arts & Sciences 368
Dr. Alex E. Blazer 478.445.0964 |
Office Hours: MW 2:00-3:15PM Arts & Sciences 330 and by appointment
|
The course catalog describes our course as "A study of selected modern poetry in English." This section will focus on American poetry from 1945-1985 and study such groups and movements as the San Francisco Renaissance, the Beat Generation, the Black Mountain poets, Projective Verse, Confessionalism, and the Black Arts Movement.
This course's Academic Assessment page, amended by unanimous departmental vote on 9 March 2012 and awaiting electronic update, describes our topics:
- Key texts of modern, postmodern, and/or contemporary poets, British and/or American;
- The principles and practice of poetry explication, in both the process and the written analysis;
- The social, political, and historical background of modern, postmodern, and/or contemporary poetry;
- The key aesthetic, social, and political movements of the times, such as imagism, vorticism, new criticism, minimalism, the lyric revival.
as well as course outcomes:
- Distinguish the aesthetic, social, and political backgrounds of poetry of this time period;
- Understand the aesthetic and philosophical reasons for innovation and experimentation in modernist poetry;
- Understand the scope of modernism and/or postmodernism in all of the arts, especially in music and painting as they reflect the experimentation and innovation of literary modernism and/or postmodernism;
- Approach any new poem with a set of critical habits that enable understanding of both content and form.
Note that this course's prerequisite is English 2110, IDST 2305, or permission of the instructor.
required (GCSU Bookstore or Amazon)
Bishop, Poems — North & South (1946) in Poems (2011)
Bukowski, Burning in Water, Drowning in Flame (1974)
Ginsberg, Reality Sandwiches (1963)
Kinnell, Body Rags (1968) in Three Books (2002)
Lowell, Life Studies (1959)
Rich, The Dream of a Common Language (1978)
Sanchez, Homegirls and Handgrenades (1984)
required (American Poetry 2 in GALILEO, Amazon, or Course Packet)
Ferlinghetti, A Coney Island of the Mind (1958)
Dorn, Gunslinger (1974)
Harper, Dear John, Dear Coltrane (1970)
Olson, The Maximus Poems (1956)
Sexton, Live or Die (1966) in The Complete Poems (1981)
Wright, The Green Wall (1957) in Above the River: Collected Poems (1990)
recommended (GCSU Bookstore or Amazon)
Gibaldi, MLA Handbook, 7th ed.
recommended websites
Assignments and Grade Distribution
4446 Undergraduate Students
response, 5%
In the 3-4 page response paper, you will react to a poem, read the poem aloud in class, and broach questions for class discussion.
close reading, 10%
You will pair up to write a 5-6 page close reading paper and to give a 5-7 minute presentation analyzing a short poem.
exam, 25%
In the in class exam, you will answer two or three essay questions.
wild card, 25%
In the 6-8 page wild card paper, you will either interpret the theme of a book of poetry, analyze how a postwar poet is influenced by a modernist poet, analyze how a postwar poet influences a poet writing today, or examine how two postwar poets respond to one another.
research paper, 35%
In the 8-10 page research paper, you will research a poem, poet, or poetic issue. Here's how to calculate your final grade.
5446 Graduate Students
annotated bibliography and presentation, 15%
You will sign up to compile an annotated bibliography of an assigned poet/book and teach the class the best scholarly article found.
book review, 25%
In an 8-10 page paper, you will summarize and evaluate, appreciate and interrogate, a critical book on postwar poetry.
wild card, 25%
In the 8-10 page wild card paper, you will either closely read a poem, interpret the theme of a book of poetry, analyze how a postwar poet is influenced by a modernist poet, analyze how a postwar poet influences a poet writing today, or examine how two postwar poets respond to one another.
research paper, 35%
You will write a 12-15 page research paper exploring a key issue or theme in a work of postwar poetry and present your work-in-progress to the class. Here's how to calculate your final grade.
Technology
We will use the course site for the syllabus schedule and assignment prompts; supporting documents include an attendance record, a course grade calculation spreadsheet, FAQ, a GeorgiaVIEW walkthrough, a guide to literary analysis, a research methods guide, and paper templates. We will use GeorgiaVIEW for assignment submission and electronic course reserves. Check your university email for course-related messages. Use an online backup or cloud storage service such as Dropbox or Spideroak to not only save but also archive versions of your work in case of personal computer calamities.
Attendance
Because this liberal arts course values contemporaneous discussion over fixed lecture, regular attendance is required. Any student who misses seven or more classes for any reason (excused or unexcused) will fail the course. There will be a one letter final grade deduction for every unexcused absence beyond three. I suggest you use your three days both cautiously and wisely; and make sure you sign the attendance sheets. Habitual tardies, consistently leaving class early, texting, and surfing the internet will be treated as absences. Unexcused absences include work, family obligations, and scheduled doctor's appointments. Excused absences include family emergency, medical emergency, religious observance, and participation in a college-sponsored activity. If you have a medical condition or an extracurricular activity that you anticipate will cause you to miss more than four days of class, I suggest you drop this section or risk failure. The university class attendance policy can be found here. You can check your attendance here.
MLA Style and Length Requirements
Part of writing in a discipline is adhering to the field's style guide. While other disciplines use APA or Chicago style, literature and composition follows MLA style. In-class exams, discussion board responses, informal/journal writing, and peer review may be informally formatted; however, formal assignments and take-home exams must employ MLA style. One-third of a letter grade will be deducted from a formal paper or take-home exam for problems in each of the following three categories, for a possible one letter grade deduction total: 1) margins, header, and heading, 2) font, font size, and line-spacing, and 3) quotation and citation format. A formal paper or take-home exam will be penalized one-third of a letter grade if it does not end at least halfway down on the minimum page length (not including Works Cited page) while implementing 12 pt Times New Roman font, double-spacing, and 1" margins. Each additional page short of the minimum requirement will result in an a additional one-third letter grade penalty. It is your responsibility to learn how to control your word-processing program. Before you turn in a formal paper, make sure your work follows MLA style by referring to the FAQ handout and using the MLA style checklist. Feel free to use these templates that are preformatted to MLA style.
Late Assignments
We're all busy with multiple classes and commitments, and adhering to deadlines is critical for the smooth running of the course. There will be a one letter assignment grade deduction per day (not class period) for any assignment that is turned in late. I give short extensions if you request one for a valid need at least one day before the assignment is due. I will inform you via email if I cannot open an electronically submitted assignment; however, your assignment will be considered late until you submit it in a file I can open. Because your completion of this course's major learning outcomes depends on the completion of pertinent assignments, failing to submit an assignment that is worth 15% or more of the course grade within a five days of its due date will result in failure of the course. Failing to submit a final exam or final paper within two days of its due date will result in failure of the course.
Academic Honesty
The integrity of students and their written and oral work is a critical component of the academic process. The Honor Code defines plagiarism as "presenting as one's own work the words or ideas of an author or fellow student. Students should document quotes through quotation marks and footnotes or other accepted citation methods. Ignorance of these rules concerning plagiarism is not an excuse. When in doubt, students should seek clarification from the professor who made the assignment." The submission of another's work as one's own is plagiarism and will be dealt with using the procedures outlined in the Undergraduate Catalog. Allowing another student to copy one’s own work is considered cheating; and submitting the same paper in two classes (recycling or double-dipping) is dishonest. As plagiarism is not tolerated at GCSU, any student found guilty of substantial, willful plagiarism or dishonesty will fail the assignment and the course. Here is how I have dealt with plagiarists in the past. This course uses plagiarism prevention technology from TurnItIn. The papers may be retained by the service for the sole purpose of checking for plagiarized content in future student submissions.
Passing or Failing of the Course
There are three ways to fail the course: failing to regularly attend class, plagiarizing, failing an assignment that is worth 15% or more of the course grade, be it from poor quality, lateness of submission, or a combination of poor quality and lateness. By contrast, students who regularly attend class, complete their work with academic integrity, and submit assignments on time will pass the course.
The Writing Center
The Writing Center is a free service available to all members of the university community. Consultants assist writers in the writing process, from conception and organization of compositions to revision to documentation of research. Located in Library 228, the Center is open Monday through Friday. Call 445-3370 or email writingcr@gcsu.edu for more information.
Additional Policies
Additional statements regarding the Religious Observance Policy, Assistance for Student Needs Related to Disability, Student Rating of Instruction Survey, Academic Honesty, and Fire Drills can be found here.
- Required readings without links are available as physical books; required readings with links are available in the GeorgiaVIEW course packet.
- Recommended readings, such as the poet's biography and audio performances, link to resources such as the Poetry Foundation and PennSound.
- This schedule is subject to change, so check back in class and online for possible revisions.