Summer 2017 - ENGL 212 J100
Metrics and Prosody (3)
Class Number: 4531
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
May 8 – Aug 4, 2017: Wed, 5:30–8:20 p.m.
Vancouver -
Exam Times + Location:
Aug 16, 2017
Wed, 7:00–10:00 p.m.
Vancouver
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Instructor:
Antone Minard
aminard@sfu.ca
Office Hours: W 2.30–4.20
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Prerequisites:
Two 100 division English courses.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
A study of different historical methods of measuring poetry in English, with practice in scanning and analyzing poems using different methods of quantitative analysis (e.g. Syllabic, rhythmic, alliterative). Quantitative.
COURSE DETAILS:
Poetry is more than just images and ideas. Well-crafted poetry is built on patterns arranged with mathematical precision. A good poet is a master of form as well as content, knowing what variations in metre are permissible and what variations are not. This is a course on the tools of wordsmithing, of taking ideas and refining and tempering them until they are expressed in such a way that meaning is conveyed through sounds and sound patterns as well as through the denotations, connotations, and juxtapositions of the words themselves.
In this course, you will learn the terminology and tools of scansion. You will come to understand the sonnet as more than just a rote alternation of stressed and unstressed syllables; you will experience the contrast between the gently flowing iamb and the choppy trochee, and what a difference the extra foot make in the pentameter line. Though this course concentrates on the conventions of Early Modern and Modern English, we will also look at Anglo-Saxon syllable-count alliterative verse and other alternative poetic systems.
COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will have a deep understanding of the craft of poetry, especially the relationship between patterns of sound (rhyme, stress, pacing) and sense. Students will also be aware of the historical development of the forms of poetry in English and aspects of other traditions that have influenced English poetry.
Grading
- Poem: analysis and critique I 16%
- Poem: analysis and critique II 16%
- Sonnet (creative writing) 16%
- Poem recitation from memory (office hours) 5%
- Midterm Exam #1 15%
- Final Exam 20%
- Participation 12%
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
Mark Strand and Eavan Boland, The Making of a Poem: A Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms (W.W. Norton, 2001).
ISBN: 978-0393321789
Rhian Williams, The Poetry Toolkit: The Essential Guide to Studying Poetry: 2nd Edition (Bloomsbury Academic, 2013).
ISBN: 978-1441182784
Charles O. Hartman, Verse: An Introduction to Prosody. (Wiley-Blackwell, 2015). The complete book is available as an e-text through the SFU library.
ISBN: 978-0470656013
- There will be additional short readings available online, through the SFU library website and / or through Canvas.
Department Undergraduate Notes:
IMPORTANT NOTE Re 300 and 400 level courses: 75% of spaces in 300 level English courses, and 100% of spaces in 400 level English courses, are reserved for declared English Major, Minor, Extended Minor, Joint Major, and Honours students only, until open enrollment begins.
For all On-Campus Courses, please note the following:
- To receive credit for the 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