Description
Course Description:
This course introduces students to the art of poetry, exploring its various forms, techniques, and themes. Through reading, discussing, and analyzing a diverse range of poems, students will develop a deeper appreciation for poetic expression. The course will also engage students in writing their own poetry, helping them experiment with language and structure.
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, students will:
- Understand key poetic forms, devices, and techniques.
- Analyze and interpret poetry critically.
- Recognize the historical and cultural contexts of poetry.
- Write original poetry using various forms and techniques.
- Develop an appreciation for the diversity of voices and traditions in poetry.
Week 1: Introduction to Poetry – What is Poetry?
- Overview: Definition of poetry, its unique qualities compared to other literary forms.
- Discussion: Why do people write poetry? What makes poetry distinct from prose?
- Key Concepts: Sound, rhythm, meter, line, and stanza.
- Readings: Introduction to selected short poems from different eras and cultures.
- Activity: In-class reading and discussion of various poetic styles.
- Assignment: Write a reflection on what poetry means to you.
Week 2: Rhythm, Meter, and Sound
- Overview: Exploration of sound in poetry—rhyme, meter, rhythm, and repetition.
- Key Terms: Iambic pentameter, free verse, alliteration, assonance, consonance.
- Readings: Examples of formal verse (Shakespeare, Robert Frost) and free verse (Walt Whitman, Langston Hughes).
- Activity: Analyzing sound patterns in selected poems.
- Assignment: Write a short poem focusing on sound and rhythm.
Week 3: Imagery and Sensory Language
- Overview: The importance of imagery in poetry and how poets use language to evoke sensory experiences.
- Key Concepts: Visual, auditory, tactile, gustatory, and olfactory imagery.
- Readings: Poems by Emily Dickinson, William Carlos Williams, and Sylvia Plath.
- Activity: Create vivid imagery through descriptive language in a poetry writing exercise.
- Assignment: Write a poem using at least three types of imagery.
Week 4: Metaphor, Simile, and Symbolism
- Overview: How poets use metaphor, simile, and symbolism to convey meaning beyond the literal.
- Key Concepts: Extended metaphor, symbol, simile.
- Readings: Poems by T.S. Eliot, Pablo Neruda, and Adrienne Rich.
- Activity: Identify and analyze metaphors and symbols in selected poems.
- Assignment: Write a poem using metaphor and/or symbolism.
Week 5: Form and Structure – Sonnets, Haiku, and Villanelle
- Overview: Study of traditional poetic forms and their rules.
- Key Forms: Sonnet (Petrarchan, Shakespearean), haiku, villanelle, and sestina.
- Readings: Sonnet examples (Shakespeare, Elizabeth Barrett Browning), villanelle (Dylan Thomas), haiku (Matsuo Bashō).
- Activity: Write a sonnet or villanelle using the appropriate structure.
- Assignment: Compose a formal poem in one of the studied forms.
Week 6: Free Verse and Open Forms
- Overview: Exploration of free verse and the freedom it allows poets.
- Key Concepts: Line breaks, enjambment, organic form.
- Readings: Poems by Walt Whitman, Allen Ginsberg, and Anne Sexton.
- Activity: Analyze the role of structure (or lack thereof) in free verse.
- Assignment: Write a free verse poem focusing on line breaks and enjambment.
Week 7: Voice and Persona in Poetry
- Overview: Exploring voice, tone, and persona in poetry.
- Key Concepts: Speaker vs. poet, tone, mood, and persona.
- Readings: Dramatic monologues by Robert Browning, Louise Glück, and Carol Ann Duffy.
- Activity: Identify different voices in poetry and discuss how tone shapes meaning.
- Assignment: Write a poem adopting a persona different from your own.
Week 8: Themes in Poetry – Love, Death, and Nature
- Overview: Major recurring themes in poetry—love, death, nature, and their variations.
- Readings: Love poems (Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Pablo Neruda), nature poems (Mary Oliver, William Wordsworth), poems on mortality (John Donne, Dylan Thomas).
- Activity: Group discussion on how different poets approach similar themes.
- Assignment: Write a poem on one of the key themes discussed (love, death, or nature).
Week 9: Political and Social Commentary in Poetry
- Overview: The role of poetry in addressing social, political, and cultural issues.
- Readings: Poems by Langston Hughes, Audre Lorde, and Seamus Heaney.
- Activity: Discuss how poets use their work to comment on society and politics.
- Assignment: Write a poem addressing a current social or political issue.
Week 10: Poetry from Diverse Traditions
- Overview: Examining poetry from different cultures and traditions.
- Readings: Indigenous poetry, African-American poetry, Latin American poetry.
- Activity: Comparative analysis of poems from diverse cultural backgrounds.
- Assignment: Write a poem inspired by a non-Western tradition or a poem in response to one of the readings.
Week 11: Contemporary Poetry and Experimentation
- Overview: Exploration of contemporary poetry and its experimentation with form, language, and subject matter.
- Readings: Poems by contemporary poets such as Claudia Rankine, Ocean Vuong, and Joy Harjo.
- Activity: Discussion of how contemporary poets challenge traditional poetic norms.
- Assignment: Write an experimental poem, playing with form, voice, or theme.
Week 12: Workshop and Final Project
- Overview: Poetry workshop where students share and critique each other’s work.
- Activity: Peer feedback and discussion on final projects.
- Final Project: Students submit a portfolio of 3-5 original poems that showcase a range of techniques, forms, and themes learned throughout the course.
- Wrap-Up Discussion: Reflection on what students have learned and how their understanding of poetry has evolved.
Assessment Methods:
- Weekly written assignments (poems, reflections, and analyses).
- Participation in class discussions and peer review sessions.
- A mid-term poetry analysis essay.
- A final poetry portfolio, consisting of revised versions of poems written during the course.
Required Texts and Resources:
- Anthology: “The Norton Anthology of Poetry” (for a diverse range of poems).
- Supplemental readings from contemporary poets and online poetry platforms.
This course outline offers a comprehensive introduction to poetry, balancing analysis and creative practice while covering both classical forms and contemporary approaches. It provides students with the skills to appreciate, analyze, and create poetry.
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