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mares@sbc.edu
Office Hours: TTh 3-4(and by appt.)
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Our primary goal in this course will be to become keen and subtle readers of poetry by studying a wide range of major poets writing in English during the first half of the twentieth century. We will focus on what is distinctive about these poets' voices and visions, how they rebel against and build on what other artists have done, and how their artistic responses to the social and cultural crises of their times have shaped our sense of what it means to be modern.
TEXTS
• Jahan Ramazani, ed. Norton Anthology of Modern Poetry (3rd edition)
• Additional poems and critical essays (to be distributed in class, as needed)
- A brief (two to three TYPED pages) assignment on Yeats; three 300-500 word TYPED commentaries on the poems, to be e-mailed to everyone in the class, including the instructor, at least 1 hour before the class session in which they will be discussed, and to be submitted in a portfolio at term's end; two student-led discussion sessions (SLEDDS); a 7-9 pp. research paper; and, instead of a final examination, a final presentation, based on your research paper for the course.
These presentations will be given to the group as a whole and will take place during exam week. Click here for details on commentaries, SLEDDS, research papers, and final presentations. Please be sure to read the syllabus in its entirety and to take note of the stated guidelines and deadlines. Keep up with any changes in the assigned readings so that you can actively participate in class discussions even on days when you do not have a SLEDD scheduled or a commentary due.
- This course may be used to fulfill an oral skills requirement. You are expected to prepare the readings assigned for each session (including any assigned critical materials) and to take an active role in class discussion. Active participation includes introducing ideas, raising questions, and building upon or helping to clarify the responses of others. You will often be called on to read your commentaries aloud and to read aloud from the poems assigned for the day. If you find it difficult to speak up in class, please come and talk with me as soon as possible. You and a partner will also be responsible for leading 30-40 minutes of discussion for two class sessions. We will periodically review guidelines for evaluating oral communication skills to make sure that the objectives for these activities are clear. Class members will evaluate one another's SLEDDS and final presentations.
- Approximate breakdown of final grade: 10% written assignment on Yeats; 20% SLEDDS; 15% ongoing contributions to class discussion, other than SLEDDS and commentaries; 20% portfolio of commentaries (only completed portfolios, not individual commentaries, will be graded); 35% research paper (including 10% for the final presentation).
- In keeping with College policy, you are expected to attend all of our class sessions. Normally, paper deadlines will be extended and absences excused only in the case of a verifiable personal or medical emergency. Late papers for which no extension has been granted will receive an "F." The portfolio and the research paper must be submitted, and the final presentation must be delivered, in order for you to qualify for a passing grade in the course. Because absences will limit what you gain from and give to this class, they are likely to affect your final grade. Please note that commentaries, quizzes, and other activities completed in class may not be made up. You may earn extra credit by writing up 500-word commentaries on any poetry readings you attend this term (here or elsewhere). Submissions for extra credit will not substitute for any of the requirements, but they may be decisive if your final grade is on a borderline between, for example, a "B" and a "B+."
- Please bear in mind that plagiarism, even when unintentional, is a serious offense and a violation of the honor policy. Any student found guilty of plagiarism will most likely fail the course, in addition to other penalties imposed by the student judicial system. If you are not sure what plagiarism is, ask me.