Honors 350: Poetry and the Psyche David Southward
Spring 2014 Office: HON 166A
M W 5:30-6:45 Hours: MTWR 3:30-5:00
HON 155 Email:
Texts available at UWM Bookstore:
William Wordsworth, The Prelude [978-0140433692]
Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass [978-0486456768]
Emily Dickinson, Final Harvest: Poems [978-0316184151]
Wallace Stevens, The Palm at the End of the Mind [978-0679724452]
Langston Hughes, Selected Poems [978-0679728184]
Sylvia Plath, Ariel [978-0060732608]
Jan 22 W Introductions
27 M The Prelude (1805 version) Book I
29 W The Prelude Book II and Book III, ll. 1-194
Feb 3 M The Prelude Book VII
5 W The Prelude Book X, ll. 1-656
10 M The Prelude Book X, ll. 657-940 and Book XIII
12 W Leaves of Grass pp. 21-40
17 M Leaves of Grass pp. 40-68
19 W Leaves of Grass pp. 69-97
24 M Leaves of Grass pp. 98-113 and 3-20
26 W Dickinson I: The Soul’s Society
28 F Paper #1 due in my box by 12:00 p.m.
Mar 3 M Dickinson II: Over the Border
5 W Dickinson III: Objects of Worship
10 M Dickinson IV: Pain as Perception
12 W Dickinson V: Poetic Power
S P R I N G B R E A K
24 M Stevens I: Early Meditations
26 W Stevens II: Modern Poet
31 M Stevens III: Inner Landscapes
Apr 2 W Stevens IV: The Bride
7 M Stevens V: Supreme Fiction
9 W Hughes I: “Afro-American Fragments” and “Shadow of the Blues”
11 F Paper #2 due in my box by 12:00 p.m.
14 M Hughes II: “Sea and Land”
16 W Hughes III: “Lament over Love” and “Madam to You”
21 M Hughes IV: “Distance Nowhere”
23 W Plath, Ariel through p. 24
28 M Ariel pp. 25-48
30 W Ariel pp. 49-70
May 5 M Ariel 71-90
7 W Plath’s final poems
12 M Final paper due in my box by 4:00 p.m.
Policies
The format of this course will be seminar discussion—which means the less talking done by the instructor, the better!
Class preparation will entail: careful reading of assigned texts for each class, looking up any words you don’t know; submitting weekly discussion starters on D2L; preparing to lead 3-4 class discussions of poems selected by you; and coming to class on time with your notes, texts, and assignments—ready to share your views and ideas. As in life, so in the seminar: you only get what you give.
Participation in discussion is mandatory and will be evaluated on the following scale for each class meeting, the final participation grade being an average for the term:
A = insightful comments that actively build on and promote discussion
B = relevant comments that show some insight or engagement
C = few comments of relevance to the discussion
D = silence or an irrelevant remark
F = absence from class
Writing assignments include:
1) Three papers of increasing length (from 4 to 7 pages) on topics of your choosing. These papers will be evaluated on the originality of their arguments, depth of textual analysis, and style (in that order). The first paper may be revised for a higher grade.
2) Weekly postings on D2L.
Grades will be based on class participation (including attendance and timeliness, degree and quality of involvement in discussion, thoughtfulness of D2L posts = 25%) and writing assignments (each paper = 25%). Only two absences are permitted; each subsequent absence will lower your final grade by one third (e.g., from A- to B+). Absences cannot be “excused,” though they can be made up by an extra assignment at the instructor’s discretion. Late papers will be penalized one third grade for each weekday they are late. Extensions on papers will be granted to those in hardship, but see me in advance. Please note: Any instance of plagiarism will result in failure of this course.
About my office hours: Use them! They are for you to try out your ideas, work on your writing, or express any concerns you may have about the class or your performance in it.
“There can be no doubt that from the beginning of the nineteenth century—ever since the time of the French Revolution—the psyche has moved more and more into the foreground of man's interest, and with a steadily increasing power of attraction.”
C. G. Jung, “The Spiritual Problem of Modern Man”
“Poetry . . . purges from our inward sight the film of familiarity which obscures from us the wonder of our being.”
Percy Bysshe Shelley, “A Defence of Poetry”