ENG 270.0909:  Can Poetry Matter?
Spring I 2009
Mondays:  10:30-11:30 a.m.
Wednesdays:  10:00-12:30 p.m.

Professor: J. Elizabeth Clark, Ph.D.
Office: E-103 H / E-mail: lclark@lagcc.cuny.edu / Phone: 718.482.5665
Office Hours: 
Mondays, 11:45-12:45 p.m.
Wednesdays, 9:00-10:00 a.m.
Thursdays, 12:00-3:00 p.m.

Catalog Description for ENG 270:  Introduction to Poetry

This course introduces students to the formal conventions of poetry as well as the basic elements that work to create a poem. Poems from different countries and different historical periods will be explored, at times from different critical perspectives. Works by such poets as William Shakespeare, John Donne, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, W.B. Yeats, Langston Hughes, e.e. cummings, Federico Garcia Lorca, Adrienne Rich, Audre Lorde, Leslie Marmon Silko, and Gary Soto will be discussed. 

Section Description for ENG 270.0909
Can Poetry Matter?

In an age of blogs, wikis, texting, Facebook, virtual worlds, movies, television, music, and New York Times bestsellers, how many people read poetry anymore?  Is poetry a dying genre consigned to college classrooms as something you should “know” in order to be “educated”?  In short, who cares about poetry?

In 1991, in The Atlantic Monthly, poet Dana Gioia asked “Can Poetry Matter?”  Gioia analyzes why poetry has disappeared from the American cultural landscape.  In this class, we will take on Gioia’s question and seek to determine the influence of poetry, particularly in the 20th and 21st centuries. We will examine the literary genre of poetry to consider whether poetry provides a powerful social commentary on the world around it.  

This course will introduce you to a wide range of poetry as we explore historic and contemporary interpretations of the poem.  We will examine the form and content of poems, asking what a poem is saying and examining how the poem says it.  Along the way, you will become fluent in the language of poetry, its formal presentations, and the way it differs from other literary forms.  Finally, through the works of four poets -- Walt Whitman, Cornelius Eady, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Tory Dent -- we will experience four very different poetic projects, each vitally convinced that poetry is the perfect medium for its message.

At the end of this course, you should feel confident about discussing the form and content of poetry.  You will have a wide overview of the history of poetry and poetic forms.  You will be able to write about poetry and poetic language in a way that will prepare you for additional, upper level courses in literature.  And finally, I hope you will be encouraged to arrive at your own understanding of how and why poetry can matter in our society.

Student Learning Objectives

1. To introduce the student to the study of poetry;
2. To familiarize the student with the basic tools of analysis so that he/she can apply this knowledge in oral and written investigation of poetry;
3. To introduce the student to the major historical factors that have shaped poetry;
4. To familiarize the student with major literary currents and movements that have influenced poetic forms of expression;
5. To enable the student to investigate, compare and contrast the recurring themes of poetry and discover how an individual poem explores an unusual or a familiar theme in a unique way;
6. To enable the student to analyze and discuss major poets and their significant works;
7. To encourage students to develop an appreciation of poetry and to write their own poetry.

Required Course Materials (Available in the College Bookstore)
**Books are listed in the order in which we will be reading them.

Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass
Mark Strand & Eavan Boland, The Making of a Poem
Naomi Shihab Nye, 19 Varieties of Gazelle
Cornelius Eady, Brutal Imagination
Tory Dent, Black Milk

Grading

I will provide you with a handout detailing each assignment after our class discussion about these papers and projects. Please refer to both the assignment explanation (provided to you as a handout) and the grading rubric (provided to you as a handout) as you write each assignment. Please use my office hours to discuss your work and share drafts with me. I look forward to meeting with you about your works-in-progress.  Your final grade will be configured as follows:

1. 10 pop quizzes (10%)
2. Poetry Explication Paper (20%)
3. Life of a Poem Paper (20%)
4. Poetry Project Paper (20%)
5. Poetry Presentation (10%)
6. Final Exam (20%)

**Your final grade will be significantly penalized by absences, lateness, the submission of late work, and failure to adhere to academic etiquette.

Academic Etiquette

I want to make sure that our class is a productive environment for everyone.  I am serious about this class and about students who want to be in class and who want to do the work.  Come to class prepared and engaged and you won’t need to worry about losing points here.  Conversely, if you consistently engage in distracting, immature, and negative academic etiquette, your final grade will be penalized significantly depending on the degree and frequency of the infraction.  If your classroom behavior becomes disruptive to other students’ learning, you will be asked to leave the classroom.  Students who are unable to comply with the academic etiquette requirements are not eligible to participate in extra credit activities.

PLEASE DO:

1. Be in class on time, every time, ready to go.
2. Have your books, notes, & handouts in class.
3. Buy the books for class.  This is non-negotiable. Buy them; open them; read them; write in them; take notes on them; and bring them to class.
4. Be ready to talk about the texts and ideas we are discussing.
5. Be ready to engage in class and contribute your ideas!
6. Study for class and take your education seriously.
7.  Check BlackBoard for course materials, discussion board prompts, and other class-related materials & announcements.
8. Abide by the college’s Declaration of Pluralism.  Find productive ways to engage in conversations about difference.  You can read that declaration on page 230 in the college catalog.
9.  Abide by the university’s Policy Against Sexual Harassment.  You can read that policy on page 229 of the college catalog.
10.  Abide by the college’s Academic Integrity Policy. You can read more about that policy here: http://www.lagcc.cuny.edu/library/academicintegritypolicy.pdf.
11. Let me know if you are registered with the office for students with disabilities, and I will make any accommodations you need.
12. Get notes from a classmate when you are absent.
13.  Hand work in on time.
14.  Stow your cell phones and other electronic devices safely in bags and purses.  Out of sight=out of mind!
15. Ask questions!  In class!  After class!  During breaks!  When you see me in the halls!  Over e-mail! 
16. Visit my office hours!
17. Use the writing center, E-111.
18. Stay in touch via e-mail, phone, and office hours.  Please let me know what you need and how I can help you.

PLEASE DO NOT:

19.  Talk while others are talking.
20.  Use any kind of hate speech.
21.  Use cell phones, pagers, or other communication devices.
22.  Take a cell phone call during class. 
23.  Text during class.
24.  IM, e-mail, or use the computers for non-class related work when we are in the computer lab.
25.  Be rude to me or to other classmates.
26.  Be late.
27.  Miss class.
28.  Ask me if you missed anything when you are absent from class.  Yes, you did.  Always.
29.  Plagiarize.
30.  Cheat.

No Cell Phones Cell phones and other distractions= NO!

Creativity & Critical Thinking = YES!

Policies

1. You have 3 hours of absence in this course (that’s 1 week).  Use those absences at your discretion:  for illness, for appointments, for court dates, etc.  After 3 hours, I will penalize your final grade by 1/3 of a letter grade for each hour you miss for the following 3 hours.  After 6 hours of absence, you will automatically fail the course.  I do not make distinctions between excused and unexcused absences.  Are you in class?  No?  Then you’re absent.
2. 3 lates=1 hour of absence.  Late=coming to class after we have started.
3. Work is due on the day, date, and time indicated on the course calendar.  Late work will be penalized by 1/3 of a letter grade for each day it is late.
4. If you miss class, the due date does not change for you.  Work is due when it’s due.
5. Please submit all work in paper form.
6.  In order to have a paper counted as “on time,” you may e-mail the paper to me. However, in the next class session, please bring me a hard copy of the paper to grade. 
7.  Students with ePortfolios may submit their papers on ePortfolio.  Please enable your ePortfolio to give me permission to view it and send me an e-mail with a link to the paper.
8.  Students may rewrite any of the three papers in this course.  In order to be eligible for a rewrite, please meet with me within 1 week of receiving your graded paper.  Together, we will develop a revision plan for your paper.
9. Except in the case of emergencies, there will be no make-up exams.
10. There are no make-up quizzes or make-up presentations.
11. Work that is plagiarized is grounds for automatic failure in the course;  cheating on exams or quizzes is also grounds for automatic failure in the course.  You can review the college’s academic integrity policy here: http://www.lagcc.cuny.edu/library/academicintegritypolicy.pdf

Please refer to the course calendar for assignments, due dates, and the daily class overview.

Image Credits:
Course Banner:  [http://www.wordle.net];  Brain: [http://www.morphonix. com/software/education/science/brain/game/specimens/images/wet_brain.gif]; Cell Phone:  [http://library.csus.edu/images/news/no-cell-phones.jpg]