Spring 2024 - ENGL 474W D100
Seminar in North American Poetry and Poetics (4)
Class Number: 5042
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
Jan 8 – Apr 12, 2024: Fri, 12:30–4:20 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Stephen Collis
scollis@sfu.ca
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Prerequisites:
45 units or two 300-division English courses.
Description
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:
Advanced seminar on selected works of North American poets and/or poetry theorists. May be organized by author, genre, or critical approach. This course may be repeated for credit if a different topic is taught. Writing.
COURSE DETAILS:
What makes a long poem long might be a question which seems to have an obvious answer (umm, the length?). Rachel Blau DuPlessis, in her book on long poems, focuses instead on longing: that is, something in the poet—some feeling, some desire, some aspiration—requires the room a long poem provides in order to explore their longing. For American poet Robert Duncan, what he had to say had, as he wrote, “no beginning and no end.” Thus long poems have something to do with process, and with a resistance to ending or finishing: long poems long to outlast time itself.
In this course we will read examples of contemporary long poems that exemplify the various ways (forms, modes) long poems are made long, as outlined in DuPlessis’s long essay. But at one level, this course is simply an opportunity to read a number of exciting long poems: a contemporary speculative (and fantastical) climate change epic, attempts to redress the legacy of the Atlantic slave trade and the colonization of North America via the re-appropriation of colonial documents, and the collected poems of Canadian poet Phyllis Webb, which both includes long poems and perhaps itself forms one meta-long poem. Several of our poets will visit our class, and class members will be invited to the second annual Phyllis Webb Memorial Reading, at the end of the semester.
Grading
- Participation 10%
- Presentation (approx. 15 minutes) 15%
- Presentation paper (based on feedback; 5-7 pages 25%
- Short critical or creative response (500 words x 2) 10%
- Final Essay (10-12 pages) 40%
Materials
REQUIRED READING:
Rachel Blau DuPlessis, A Long Essay on the Long Poem
ISBN: 9780817360689
Phyllis Webb, Peacock Blue: Collected Poems
ISBN: 9780889229143
Renee Sarojini Saklikar, Bramah's Quest
ISBN: 9780889714304
Jordan Abel, The PLace of Scraps
ISBN: 9780889227880
M. NourbeSe Philip, Zong!
ISBN: 9780819571694
REQUIRED READING NOTES:
Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.
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:
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS
SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/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
RELIGIOUS ACCOMMODATION
Students with a faith background who may need accommodations during the term are encouraged to assess their needs as soon as possible and review the Multifaith religious accommodations website. The page outlines ways they begin working toward an accommodation and ensure solutions can be reached in a timely fashion.