English 190: from the Page to the Screen

English 106.04/106.05Instructor: Cheryl Marsh

T/R 8:00-9:15/9:30-10:45Office: MHRA 3112 B

Place: MHRA

Office Hours: T/R 11-12:00Dept. Mailbox: MHRA 3310

and by appointment

Introduction to Poetry

Poetry tests the boundaries of our language—it both pushes against and subsumes elements of tradition and the status quo. Poetry preserves. Poetry reimagines. Poetry protests. Poetry inspires. Poetry comforts. And most importantly, poetry creates—the arcs between poet, poem, and reader all work in tandem to shape the content of our individual and collective realities. With these ideas in mind, this course is designed to introduce students to a variety of poems, poets, and poetic devices. Our reading selections will pull from both sides of the Atlantic and will represent multi-generic forms so that students can experience poetry from a wide range of texts. During our exploration of these poems, we will constantly return to questions such as why do we read poetry and what kinds of knowledge can be gained from writing and studying poems? The answers that we generate, hopefully, will inform and perhaps even surprise us all.

Student Learning Goals:

At the completion of this course, the student will be able to:

--Identify and understand varied characteristics of literature;

--Apply techniques of literary analysis to texts;

--Use literary study to develop skills in careful reading and clear writing;

--Demonstrate understanding of the diverse social and historical contexts in which literary texts have been written and interpreted.

Required Texts: Mary Oliver’s A Poetry Handbook, ISBN: 0156724006; Helen Vendler’s Poems, Poets, Poetry, Third Edition. ISBN: 0312463197

Throughout the course you will need to both read and download several articles, stories, and other written reading assignments put on e-reserve through the library or on blackboard. These writings are just as much a part of the course material as your textbooks, so you’ll need to set aside some time and resources to make sure that you can access them as necessary. You will need to bring printed copies of the articles to class on the days that we are to discuss them. Failure to bring your copies to class may affect your grade adversely.

Participation: Our class is structured so that every person’s opinions and feelings are integral to the learning environment. Because much of our class activities depend upon guided discussions, it is essential that all class members participate actively and freely. Of course, everyone in the class is expected to act in a respectful manner at all times—no exceptions. Disagreements are inevitable and often fruitful, so we will approach disagreements as opportunities to broaden our limited perspectives.

Though the following conduct guidelines should go without saying, keep in mind that You ARE NOT allowed to text in class. If I see you texting, I will count you absent. I may or may not inform you of this absence. Please do not make me act in the manner of a middle school teacher. Also, make sure to turn off all cell phones, pagers, I-pods or MP3 players, and anything else that beeps or sings before class begins. Laptops can only be used in special circumstances, such as presentations, groupwork, etc, and only with prior permission.

Attendance: Students are allowed three absences without a grade penalty. For every absence beyond those allowed, students will be penalized one-half letter grade. Students who miss six classes on a two-day schedule will fail the course. Please understand that I do not make any distinction between excused and unexcused absences . . . so make sure that you have no court dates, doctor’s appointments, etc. before you decide to skip for some reason or another. In essence, use your absences judiciously (like when you are legitimately sick).

Also, because tardiness is inconsiderate to your classmates, your instructor, and the learning environment, if you are more than ten minutes late to two classes, you can expect a final grade reduction. Perpetual tardiness is Not Acceptable; if you regularly come to class late, your grade will reflect this behavior and you may be asked to leave the class. And finally, because a responsible college student not only shows up but shows up prepared, if you come to class and are grossly unprepared for the day’s agenda, you may be asked to leave and will accumulate an absence.

Basically, if you show up, do your work, and participate, you will have few problems in terms of these policies. If you do have to miss a class, you are responsible for all the material covered that day. Contact a fellow classmate in order to find out any missed information or changes to the schedule (do not contact me about make-up work unless it is absolutely necessary).

Requirements: For this course, you can expect to actively participate in daily discussions as well as several in-class individual and group presentations. At various points of the semester, students will compose a poem of their own and write a short analysis/explication for their composition. This class will include a mid-term and a final exam as well. Daily reading quizzes and short in-class writings may also supplement our class discussions.

Assignments: All assignments including readings and written compositions are due in class on the day specified. There is really no reason to turn in your assignments late, as you will know about them from the beginning of the course. If you must turn in an assignment after the due date (because of an emergency), then you should place it in my departmental mailbox. You should expect to lose a letter grade for every day that the assignment is late. Emailed assignments are generally unacceptable and I require extenuating circumstances and prior arrangements before I will accept them. Note: even if you do make prior arrangements with me, I will still expect you to bring a hard copy of the assignment to your next class meeting.

Please double-space your typed final drafts and use 12 point Times New Roman font. Use MLA when documenting sources.

Academic Integrity: Academic integrity is founded upon and encompasses the following five values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility. Violations include, for example, cheating, plagiarism, misuse of academic resources, falsification, and facilitating academic dishonesty. If knowledge is to be gained and properly evaluated, it must be pursued under conditions free from dishonesty. Deceit and misrepresentations are incompatible with the fundamental activity of this academic institution and shall not be tolerated” (from UNCG’s Academic Integrity Policy). To ensure that you understand the university’s policy on academic integrity, review the guidelines and list of violations at < I expect you to abide by the Academic Integrity Policy.

Part of your work and responsibility as a scholar requires that you accept the rules and ethics that guide academic writing. Do not download a paper off of the Internet or get someone else to write an assignment for you. Even when you feel at your most desperate, this option generally equals academic suicide. I cannot stress the importance of this matter enough.

Make sure to credit the original author of any words or ideas other than your own within your paper, including summarized or paraphrased material.

If I suspect you of plagiarism, I will report the infraction to the proper authorities. Any student found guilty of intentional plagiarism will fail the course and/or be subject to other disciplinary action from the college—no exceptions. Please do not test me on this policy. If at any time you have a question concerning plagiarism, please contact me. I will always help you in any way that I can.

Writing and SpeakingCenters: The University Writing and SpeakingCenters are a wonderful resource open to all UNCG students. They are located in room 3211 of MHRA and are open for appointments and walk-ins. For more information about these services, please visit < or <

Disability Policy: Students with documentation of special needs should arrange to see me about accommodations as soon as possible. If you believe you could benefit from such accommodations, you must first register with the Office of Disability Services on campus before such accommodations can be made. The office is located on the second floor of the Elliott University Center (EUC) in Suite 215, and the office is open 8am to 5pm, Monday - Friday. Telephone: 334-5440; e-mail: .

Evaluation:

Daily Participation (including discussions, quizzes, in-class exercises):25%

Midterm Exam:25%

Final Exam:25%

Poem Composition/Analysis:25%

Grading standards reflect a 10 pt. scale: (100-90 = A+/A/A-; 89-80 = B+/B/B-; etc)

General Course Calendar (subject to change)

T 1/19Course Introduction/Syllabus

R 1/21Oliver 1-12; Moore’s “Poetry”; Harper’s “Songs for

the People” (BB)

T 1/26SoundOliver 12-28; Vendler Sound Units, Words,

Sentences; Dickinson “The Heart asks Pleasure” (V);

Herbert “Prayer” (V)

R 1/28Sound (cont.)Oliver 29-34; Keats “To Autumn” (V); Yeats “The

LakeIsle of Innisfree” (V); Browning “My Last

Duchess” (V); Shakespeare Sonnet 66 (V)

T 2/2Meter/The LineOliver 35-57; Vendler Rhythm, Rhyme; Jonson “On

Gut” (V); Brooks “We Real Cool” (V); Poe “Annabel Lee” (V); Frost “After Apple

Picking” (V) Shakespeare Sonnet 116 (V)

R 2/4Meter/The Line (cont)Pope The Rape of the Lock Cantos 1 and 2 (BB);

Dickinson “There’s a certain slant of light” (V)

T 2/9Structure/Free VerseOliver 58-75; Vendler Poetic Kinds; Milton “On His

Blindness” (BB); Shakespeare Sonnet 18 (V);

Shelley “Ozymandias” (V); Yeats “Leda and the

Swan” (V); Thomas “Do Not go Gentle” (BB)

R 2/11 (cont)Whitman “Song of Myself” (V); Williams “Spring

and All” (V); TBA

T 2/16Diction/Tone/VoiceOliver 76-91; Vendler Narrative verses Lyric and

Narrative as Lyric; Tennyson “The Lady of Shallot” (BB); Adrienne Rich “Necessities of Life”

R 2/18(cont) Coleridge “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” (V);

Keats “La Belle Dam Sans Merci” (V); Larkin “High

Windows” (V)

T 2/23Imagery/Figurative LangOliver 91-109; Vendler Images; Blake “London” (V);

Marianne Moore “A Grave” (V); Pound “In a Station

of the Metro” (V)

R 2/25(cont)Frost “Design” (V); H. D. “Oread” (BB”); Levertov

“The Ache of Marriage” (V); Hughes“Pike” (BB);

T 3/2Mid-Term Review

T 3/4**Mid-Term Exam**

**Spring Break 3/6-3/14**

T 3/16Persona(s)Vendler Multiple Aspects; Space and Time, Tone

as Marker of Self-hood; T. S. Eliot “The Love Song

J. Alfred Prufrock (V); S. Piatt “The Funeral of a

Doll” (BB)

T 3/18(cont)Hardy “The Ruined Maid” (V); Phillips “Africa

Says” (V); Sexton “Her Kind” (V)

T 3/23HistoryVendler History; Owen “Dulce Et Decorum Est” (V);

Lowell “For the Union Dead” (V); Yeats “Easter

1916” (V); Merwin “The Asians Dying”

R 3/25(cont)Sigourney “Niagara” (BB); Piatt “A Grave at

Frankfurt” (BB); Lazarus “A New Colossus” (BB);

Housman “With Rue my Heart is Laden” (V)

T 3/30ErosShakespeare Sonnet 130 (BB); Marvell “To His Coy

Mistress” (V); Dickinson “I started early” (BB);

Barrett Browning from “Sonnets from the

Portuguese” (BB).

R 4/1(cont)Stevens “Peter Quince at the Clavier” (BB)

T 4/6 ThanatosTennyson selections from In Memoriam (V); Frost

“Home Burial” (BB); Poe “The Raven” (BB)

R 4/8(cont)Keats “When I have fears” (V); Bradstreet “Before

The Birth of one of One of her Children” (BB);

Auden “In Memory of W. B. Yeats” (BB)

**Due: Poem Composition and Analysis**

T 4/13ProtestHughes “At the Waldorf Astoria” (V); Sigourney “In

The Name of our Pilgrim Fathers” (BB); Larkin

“This be the Verse” (V); Dunbar “We Wear the

Mask” (V)

R 4/15(cont)Ginsburg “America” (V); Alexie “Reservation Love

Song” (V); Plath “Lady Lazarus” (V); Rich “Aunt

Jennifer’s Tigers (V)

T 4/20Meditation/InspirationBishop “At the Fishhouses” (V); Stevens “Sunday

Morning” (V); Coleridge “Kubla Kahn” (V) Larkin

“Church Going” (BB) Hughes “Thought-Fox” (BB)

R 4/22CelebrationTennyson “Ulysses” (V); Yeats “A Dialogue

Between Self and Soul” (V); Whitman “I Hear

America Singing” (BB); Hughes “Gant-Psalm” (BB)

T 4/27Practice/SynthesisT. S. Eliot The WasteLand

R 4/29Final Exam Review

Final Exam106.04Tuesday 5/11 8:00-11am

106:05Tuesday 5/1112:00-3pm