Summer 2026 - ENGL 474W D100
Seminar in North American Poetry and Poetics (4)
Class Number: 2029
Delivery Method: In Person
Overview
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Course Times + Location:
May 11 – Aug 10, 2026: Wed, 1:30–5:20 p.m.
Burnaby -
Exam Times + Location:
Aug 20, 2026
Thu, 12:00–3:00 p.m.
Burnaby
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Instructor:
Geoffrey Nilson
gna16@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:
The Documentary Long Poem: A Canadian Genre or Transnational Tradition?
Dorothy Livesay’s influential 1969 essay “The Documentary Poem: A Canadian Genre” places the documentary long poem at the center of the poetics of Canadian literature. But what is the value of “Canada” and “Canadian” to understanding the documentary long poem? How are questions of nation, nationality, and national culture posed, theorized, and answered in the composition and criticism of documentary? Is the documentary long poem a “Canadian genre” or like the nation of Canada itself, is it a product of the global circulation of people, ideas, and capital? In this course, we examine forms of documentary, traditions of the long poem, and theories of nationalism and transnationalism. We will also interrogate how documentary long poems signal the instability of language, culture, and history, exploring experiments with conceptual writing, sample-poetics, critical fabulation, and visual poetry.
COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:
Upon completing this course, students will be able it identify and analyze the overlapping genres of documentary and the long poem, and will be able to put those genres into context with theories of nation and culture within the contemporary field of Anglo North American literature. Students will have analyzed the readings verbally and in writing, and they will demonstrate their breadth and depth of knowledge and their ability to identify, analyze, and synthesize a variety of academic and creative texts. As a writing credit course, students will be actively engaged in the writing process through reading journals, peer review, and revision activities.
Grading
- Participation 10%
- Reading Journal 10%
- Oral Presentation & Moderation 20%
- Proposal & Bibliography 20%
- Term Paper (10 pages) 40%
Materials
MATERIALS + SUPPLIES:
The required poetry readings will be available at the SFU bookstore. Additional academic and theoretical readings to be available on Canvas or SFU Library.
REQUIRED READING:
Refabulations: Selected Longer Poems, Sharon Thesen - Talonbooks
ISBN: 9781772015102
Voyage of the Sable Venus and other Poems, Robin Coste Lewis - Knopf
ISBN: 9781101911204
49th Parallel Psalm, Wayde Compton - Arsenal Pulp/Advance Editions
ISBN: 1551520656
children of air india: un/authorized exhibits and interjections, Renée Sarojini Saklikar - Nightwood
ISBN: 9780889712874
the place of scraps, Jordan Abel - Talonbooks
ISBN: 9780889227880
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
At SFU, you are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all your academic work. Cheating, plagiarism, or any other form of academic dishonesty harms your own learning, undermines the efforts of your classmates who pursue their studies honestly, and goes against the core values of the university.
To learn more about the academic disciplinary process and relevant academic supports, visit:
- SFU’s Academic Integrity Policy: S10-01 Policy
- SFU’s Academic Integrity website, which includes helpful videos and tips in plain language: Academic Integrity at SFU
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.