Spring 2015 - ENGL 102W D100

Introduction to Poetry (3)

Class Number: 3298

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Jan 6 – Apr 13, 2015: Mon, Wed, 2:30–3:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Apr 15, 2015
    Wed, 12:00–3:00 p.m.
    Burnaby

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Examines selected works of literature in order to develop a critical awareness of literary techniques and contexts in the representation of experience. May include the comparative study of works in related literary and artistic genres, and will pay some attention to literature of the Twentieth century. Includes attention to writing skills. Writing/Breadth-Humanities. Equivalent Courses: ENGL102 Writing/Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

Introduction to Poetry: Slow Reading  

In 1917, Amy Lowell, the imagist poet and literary critic, wrote, “concentration is of the essence of poetry.” Lowell was writing about how a poem—through acts of marvelous awareness and precise craft—distilled and clarified some understanding and how we might know it. The physical sounds and shapes of a poem, the imaginative complexities of figural language, the richness and depth of words’ long histories, and the sweet angst and angry affection mapped into each text by literary tradition require sustained and keen attention. This kind of imaginative and deep reading with concentration and care has been called by Sven Birkerts “the slow, painful, delicious excavation of the self.”  

This class will focus on the sustained and concentrated reading of poetry, which demands the kind of reflection on and interpretation of complicated human expression that is central to the humanities and thus a crucial element in a university education. We will read a wide range of poetry and build a critical vocabulary of its features: diction, metaphor, symbol, form, etc. These terms, in turn, will become analytic tools as we approach critical thinking and clear writing. Both in lecture and in tutorial, we will work on how we understand and know something in language, as well as how to formulate an idea and communicate it effectively.

Grading

  • Argument Summary 5%
  • Slow Reading 1 15%
  • Slow Reading 2 15%
  • Term paper (with revision) 30%
  • Final Exam 20%
  • Attendance, participation, in-class work 15%

Materials

MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:

Required textbooks for class below. Please feel free to look for used copies of the books in bookshops or online. The main text "Understanding Poetry" is a good one, but it is especially overpriced and much cheaper used copies are out there.

REQUIRED READING:

  • Walter Kalaidjian, Understanding Poetry (Houghton and Mifflin, 2005)

ISBN: 9780618386291

  • Allen Ginsberg, Howl and Other Poems (New Directions Pocket Poets, 2001)

ISBN: 9780872860179

  • Anne Carson, Autobiography of Red (Vintage, 1999)

ISBN: 9780676972658

  • plus other readings handed out in class or posted to Canvas

Department Undergraduate Notes:

To receive credit for this course, students must complete all requirements.

TUTORIALS/SEMINARS WILL BE HELD THE FIRST WEEK OF CLASSES

When choosing your schedule, REMEMBER TO CHECK "Show lab/tutorial sections" to see all Lecture/Seminar/Tutorial times required.

Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS