Dr. Yoder
English 7369.01 How to Read a Poem
Fall 2011 T 6:00-8:40pm Stabler Hall 401
Office: Stabler Hall 501-V Office Hrs.: M 3:00-4:00pm; TTh 11:00am-12:00pm; T 4-5pm; also by appt.
Office Phone: 569-8321 email: rpyoder@ualr.edu webpage: www.ualr.edu/rpyoder
Texts:
Hunter, J. Paul, et al (eds.). Norton Introduction to Poetry, 9th ed. (ISBN 978-0-393-92857-0; W.W. Norton, 2006; paper)Goals:
The only real goal in this class is for students to improve their skills in reading poetry. This includes close reading and paraphrasing (heresy or not). Students will also deepen their understanding of commonly used poetical devices, such as meter, alliteration, parallelism, chiasmus, metaphor, simile, metonymy, synecdoche, etc., and how these devices contribute to the "experience" of poetry. Moreover, we shall first study poems in isolation, as stand alone pieces. Then we shall consider how poems are affected by their inclusion with other poems, either in their original publication context, or in later teaching anthologies.Objectives:
In order to achieve this goal, students will
- Read and discuss in detail a wide range of poems;
- Paraphrase passages from poems;
- Read poems aloud;
- Write both formally and informally about poems;
- Discuss and write about the relationship between a poem and its publishing context.
Course Assessment:
My course will also include an ongoing assessment of my teaching in the form of weekly
journals. These journals consist of a 250 word (minimum requirement) written response to the
class readings or discussion. These journals allow me to assess how well students are
understanding what I think I am teaching them, and I make adjustments to my class
presentations and assignments accordingly. Taken as a whole, the journals count for 15% of
the student's final grade, thus insuring that the students take this assessment seriously.
The journals also serve other classroom purposes outlined on the "House Rules" page.
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