English 309.01
Mary Adams, Instructor
MW 2:30-4 Coulter 304
About this course
This course is designed to improve your poetry. Sometimes,
that means learning about things you're not interested in,
and always, it means reading a lot of work by other people.
We will learn to think about four levels of poetry (typographic,
sonic, sensory, ideational) and will develop a vocabulary
to talk about writing, reading, experiencing, and improving
poems.
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course, you should have developed or improved
the following skills, which will be measured by your grades
in class assignments:
- Understanding of rudimentary poetic meter and form
- Critical vocabulary for analyzing and workshopping original
work
- Ability to work in a range of structured and free forms
- Knowledge of current practices by contemporary American
poets
You will also gain resources for continuing to write, publish,
and get support beyond the classroom.
Texts:
- Purchase:
- American Sonnets for My Past and Futureby Terrance Hayes
ISBN 978-0-14-313318-6
Publisher Penguin Publishing Group
Publication Date June 19, 2018
- Be With by Forrest Gander
ISBN 978-0-8112-2605-9
Publisher New Directions Publishing Corporation
Publication Date August 28, 2018
- Sightlines by Arthur Sze
ISBN 978-1-55659-559-2
Publisher Copper Canyon Press
Publication Date April 9, 2019
- The Practice of Poetry by Robin Behn; Chase Twichell (Editor)
ISBN 978-0-06-273024-4
Publisher HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date September 1992
Assignments:
- Poems 40% 10 poems total required, workshopped and then revised for final portfolio. Due on assigned days.
Assignments with (*) next to them are required; for
other assignments, you may make substitutions.
In the final portfolio, you will have revised poems and a preface. I won't
accept any poems that haven't received either comments
from me or comments from workshop.
- Other Assignments
- Critical
Paper 20%.
- Do a critical analysis of one book of poems by any of the three authors whose books you are buying for this class.
- You must also do worksheets for the other two authors.
- Reading sheets (20%). These will be based on the poems
on the syllabus for that week or the Learning Lab or Collections on Poets.org. Don't use other poems. Make sure
to use a different poet every other week.
- Participation (in class and in online workshopping) 20%. If you don't participate regularly in online and class workshopping, you cannot pass the course. Workshopping means submitting your poems, but it also means giving thoughtful feedback to the poems of other people.
Policies:
- Computers,
cell phones, and other electronic devices
- Workshopping:
- Several times during the course of the semester, we
will have workshop periods. During these times, three students will workshop in class, but all students will workshop online. For each workshop day, we will
discuss the poems of three students in-class and three
students online. For each poem you workshop, you will
use the same
prompt.
- For in-class workshopping, all classmates must print
out each poem as well as two copies of their comments.
You will give one copy of your comments to the poet
and one copy to me. Make sure your name is on them.
- I won't accept handwritten poems without titles, and
I won't accept poems copied into the email. Each student
will probably have 4 poems workshopped during the semester.
- Peers should have a weekend to respond to the poems
online. You should use the same general vocabulary/
scriptwe use in class to talk about poems online.
- In workshopping, we follow a prescribed format. It
is important for us to help each other, but we must
always also be respectful of each other's work.
- Other Poems:
- Poems are due on Friday (usually) on Blackboard. Put an asterisk by poems that are slated for workshop. All poems must be typed. You will hand in a total of 10 poems in the course
of the semester. Only about four of these will be workshopped in class, but all poems will be read on the discussion forum.
Your portfolio should include at least five assigned poems in form. With the others, you can
choose to write on the topic or mode we discuss in class,
or you can choose to write something else. But you must
hand in a poem on the prescribed day. I will not accept
poems in your final portfolio unless I have seen them
during the semester.
- Hand in Assignments in Word on Blackboard. Don't give me links to other sources.
- A word about grammar. Poets are craftsmen; their craft is the English language. Therefore, they should write in sentences and use good grammar. It is unusual to find good poetry that is not written this way; even experimentalists like e.e. cummings had a strong grasp of grammar. Therefore, I will take off for poor grammar and spelling on your poems just as I would on an English paper.
- Grading: I use a plus/minus grading scale, but I don't
grade individual poems. Students who do all poems (5 formal,
5 other) will receive at least a B for their poetry; poems that
evince extraordinary effort or skill will receive an A (of course, all poems must be grammatically correct and original).
All other written assignments will be graded like other
English papers.
To help you get the most out of the course, I have
instituted these policies:
- Web site: You are responsible for
keeping up with the material on the web site. I do
not use a printed syllabus, and I update the syllabus
frequently, so always hit reload when you access it.
- Email: My email address is madams
[at] wcu [dot] edu. Your WCU email (the one with catamount in it) is the way I contact you. You're responsible for checking mail from that address.
- Food and Drink in class. You may
bring a beverage to class, but no food. You are responsible
for cleaning up any mess caused by your beverage.
- Bring your Books! When class starts, the books should be on your desk, opened. After the first warning, if you are in class without your book, you will get 1/2 of an absence. Note: you will need several books by the second day of class.
- Cell phones,
Laptops, and other Electronic Devices in class. I cannot tolerate these. Please do not insult me or the other taxpayers, who pay at least 70% of your tuition if you are not on financial aid (more if you are), by texting or facebooking in class. Turn them off, off, off, please.
Attendance Policy
This class meets twice a week, so I begin lowering your grade by one letter after four missed classes. That includes excused or unexcused absences; I don't care why you're absent. However, here are some good tips regarding attendance:
- Don't schedule doctor's appointments during my class.
- Don't schedule makeup classes or exams for other instructors during my class.
- Don't shedule rehearsals, trips home, family reunions, or trips to see your significant other during my class.
- Don't leave my class before it is over or arrive more than 10 minutes after it has begun. I count those as absences.
- Frequent lateness equals an absence.
- Try to save your absences for illness and emergencies.
- Above all, find out what you missed and what's required for the next class. You are responsibe for all missed material. I don't like emails asking if you missed anything.
I do excuse university absences when I am required to do so (university sponsored trips, etc.) but I expect you to find out what you missed and do the work you missed.
Digital Incivility
You may use an ebook reader in my class, but please don't use a computer, phone, or laptop for anything else. Turn your phones off and put them away (not in your lap or on your desk). If I discover that you're on Facebook, email, texting, browsing, or using any digital resources except for our textbook, I will mark you absent and ask you to leave.
If you have a disability that requires the use of certain computer tools, please let me know in advance. I reserve the right to check your computer's screen to make sure you're following my policy. If you put it away when I try to look at it, I will assume you are breaking my rules and will mark you absent and ask you to leave.
Recording
No student may record, tape, or photograph any classroom activity without the express written consent of the instructor. Students may not make audio or video recordings of course activities except students permitted to record as an approved accommodation. Recordings of class may not be posted publicly (online or otherwise) or distributed to individuals who are not students in the course without the express permission of the faculty member and of any students who are recorded
Office of Disability Services
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities: Western Carolina University is committed to providing equal educational opportunities for students with documented disabilities and/or medical conditions. Students who require reasonable accommodations must identify themselves as having a disability and/or medical condition and provide current diagnostic documentation to the Office of Disability Services. All information is confidential. Please contact the Office of Disability Services at (828) 227-3886 or come by Suite 135 Killian Annex for an appointment.
Student Support Services
Student Support Services provides support to students who are either first-generation, low-income or those who have disclosed a disability with: academic advising, mentoring, one-on-one tutorial support, and workshops focused on career, financial aid and graduate school preparation. You may contact SSS at (828) 227-7127 or email [email protected] for more information. SSS is located in the Killian Annex, room 138.
Writing and Learning Commons (WaLC)
Electronic format (with hyperlinks):
The Writing and Learning Commons (WaLC), located in BELK 207, provides free small-group course tutoring, one-on-one writing tutoring and academic skills consultations, and online writing and learning resources for all students. All tutoring sessions take place in the WaLC or in designated classrooms on campus. To schedule tutoring appointments, log in to TutorTrac from the WaLC homepage (walc.wcu.edu) or call 828-227-2274. Distance students and students taking classes at Biltmore Park are encouraged to use Smarthinking and the WaLC’s online resources. Students may also take advantage of writing tutoring offered at the Biltmore Park campus on certain days of the week; call 828-227-2274 or log in to TutorTrac and select “Biltmore Park Writing Tutoring” for availabilities.
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