Text:
Ramazani, Ellmann and O'Clair. The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry, Volume 1, Third Edition, Norton, 2003.
Course objectives:
1. Students will familiarize themselves with important Modern English-language poetry written before World War II in an
historical, political, and cultural context. We will concentrate on major figures
with attention to the expanded modernist canon.
2.Students will get advanced practice
in analyzing and writing about literary
texts.
3. Students will get
adavnced practice developing reading skills, critical skills, and mature writing skills.
4. Students will have the opportunity to develop discussion techniques and engage in literary
conversation and argumentation.
5.Students will be encouraged to better understand the modern age through the insights
of its poets.
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Requirements:
Attentive and active reading of assigned texts.
Regular attendance and participation in class discussion.
2 essays, one a 5-6 page close reading of a particular poem, and one a longer (approximately 8-10
pages), more wide-ranging analysis of a poet's work or of poetic trends in a cultural context in
which you will use secondary sources.
Conscientious and substantial discussion on WebCT Discussion Boards.
A midterm exam and a final exam with essay questions.
Graduate students will write a longer second paper (15-20 pages) and will give a seminar report
which will consist of preparing and leading class discussion on a collection of poems
such as Williams's Spring and All or Patterson, Stein's Tender
Buttons or Stanzas in Meditation or alternatively a report on a well-know little magazine, such as
early issues of Poetry or The Dial or Blast. The aim is for
graduate students to provide context for work that we necessarily read somewhat
out of context in our anthology.
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Academic Honesty:
Cheating, including but not limited to plagiarism, will result in an F for the course, and the filing
of charges with the Office of Judicial Affairs, at the very least.
Please familiarize yourself with and sign the Campus Honor Pledge
and the student code of conduct regarding academic honesty.
Here is a good site to help you recognize and avoid plagiarism.
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Attendance Policy
No more than 3 absences
(equivalent to a week and a half of class)are permitted; more than
three will affect your participation grade adversely; more
than 6 absences(equivalent to 3 weeks of class)
will result in your failing the course.
For documented instances of major illness or for documented travel
on official University business, I may grant excused absences at my discretion.
Absence for religious holidays will be excused. Please see the policy in
the University Catalogue.
The portion of your final grade based on
participation and preparation is based on just that. If you come to every
class, but do not talk or never do the reading on time, do not expect to
get 100% just for being in class. The University Catalogue states that
Georgia Southern professors are responsible for setting specific
attendance policies.
ATTENTION:You are expected to be on time for
class and to stay for the duration of
class and to bring your text to class
. You must refrain from engaging in distracting activities, such
as reading
newspapers, eating meals, getting up in the middle of class to use
the facilities, and other forms of rude and distracting behavior, including but not limited to text-messaging
in class, making or recieving cell phone calls, etc. Let me
reiterate: you must buy your book right away and bring it to
every class meeting. You are to behave like an adult. If
you engage in distracting activites or come to class without
the required text, I will not allow
you remain in class nor will you be allowed to return to
class until you can demonstrate that you are willing and able
to follow the rules. Sorry to sound so authoritarian, but in
the past I have too often seen rude behavior, as
well as students who think they can pass without buying their books.
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Grading Policy
Grades will be calculated according to the following percentages:
Participation and preparation 15%
Paper 1 15%
Midterm 20%
Paper 2 30%
Final exam 20%
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Tentative Syllabus:
I reserve the right to make changes and
additions, and indeed, you should expect me to. I will at times provide you with handouts of
poems not included in your anthologies, for which you will be responsible.
While you are responsible for reading all the work of the poets assigned, I will
make specific suggestions about what to concentrate on each week.
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Week 1
8/18 Intro. Reading and writing about poetry.
A brief intro to Modernism from poets.org
8/20 Read Introduction (xxxvii-lxiii) Yeats (90-117)
Yeats Society Sligo
Week 2
8/25 Yeats (118-143)
8/27 Frost (all)
Frost page at the Academy of American Poets
Week 2
9/1 World War I Poets: Rosenberg, Sassoon, Owen (all)
Rosenberg exhibit
9/3 High Modernism: Pound
Pound page at Modern American Poetry
The Modernist Revolution: Make it New--exhibit at Academy of American Poets site (Archived version from the Wayback Machine--links will be inactive)
Week 3
9/8 Eliot
TSE: The Web Site
Audio of T.S. Eliot reading his poems
What the Thunder Said
9/10 Eliot
Week 4
9/15 H.D.
H.D. page at Modern American Poetry
H.D. page at Academy of American Poets
9/17 Stein
Complete Text of Tender Buttons. Please copy "Rooms," so that you can read the entire work.
Week 5
9/22 Stein, Mina Loy
Another Loy Page
9/24 Williams
The Context of Spring and All
Week 6
9/29 Williams
Take-home test assigned by today. Due October
6th
10/1 Marianne Moore
Week 7
10/6 Hart Crane
10/8 McKay, Toomer
Week 8
October 12: last day to withdraw without academic penalty
Look here for Paper Overview and Preliminary Guidelines
10/13 Tolson
10/15 Cullen,
Brown
and Hughes
Week 9
10/20 Brown and Hughes continued [First paper due]
10/22 cummings
Cummings Page at Academy of American Poets Site
Week 10
Click here for the next step in the Library Paper project!
10/27 Objectivists: Reznikoff
10/29 Zukofsky
Week 11
11/3 Oppen
Oppen Site at Modern American Poetry
Oppen Site at Academy of American Poets
11/5 Auden
Auden Site at Academy of American Poets
Week 13
11/10
Stevens
Al Filreis's Stevens Page
11/12 Stevens
Week 14
11/17Rexroth
Rexroth Page at Modern American Poetry
11/20 open for syllabus adjustment [Second paper due]
Week 15
THANKSGIVING BREAK
Week 16
12/1 Open for syllabus adjustment
12/3
Review for final.
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