Endicott College
Beverly, Massachusetts
School of Arts and Sciences
Course Syllabus
Course No: ENG 208 01
Course Title: Creative Writing: Poetry
Class Location: AC004
Credits: 3
Pre-requisites: None
Semester and Year: Spring 2012
Class Time: Tues/Thurs`12:30PM to 1:45PM
Faculty: Doug Holder
E-Mail: dougholder@post.harvard.edu
Telephone:617-710-0163 617-628-2313
Office hours: Tues/Thurs 7A.M. to 9AM 11AM to 12:15PM Center for the Arts110
Catalog Description: "A course designed to give students practice in writing poetry. Its aim is to develop students’ skill and confidence in writing by studying selected examples of good writing. Satisfies the Arts and Humanities and Writing Designated core requirements."
Course Objectives:
At the completion of this course the student should be able to:
1. Express themselves in clear and compelling poetry and prose
2. Learn to make sense of the world through creative writing
3. Read, interpret, and analyze models of creative writing that will help them reflect on their own culture and their own writing.
4. Understand and employ the tools of self-editing and peer review
5. Use the tools of brainstorming, pre-writing and re-writing
6. Reflect on their own lives in carefully crafted memoirs and short autobiographies.
7. Interpret other people’s work through the lens of the creative writer.
8. Understand the literary traditions, genres, and artistic dimensions of creative writing.
9. Explore and question the aesthetic concepts and cultural assumptions of creative writing
10. Understand the art of revising and re-seeing
11. Engage with an audience
12. Explore and undertake the necessary challenges of imaginative writing
Evaluation Methods:
Participation (Includes attendance!!) 35%
Poetry Chapbook 25%
Final Paper 25%
In class writing, quizzes, etc... 15%
The Poetry Chapbook will have 20 or more poems--with a style, subject matter, etc... of one of the poets studied.
Final paper will be be 1250 word thesis paper that will discuss a poet we studied through her work, life, influences, etc...
Students must have both projects completed by the next to last class.
Required Texts.
Kaufman, Alan. Outlaw Bible of American Poetry. Emeryville, Ca: 1999
Negri, Paul 101. Great American Poems. Mineola, NY: Dover Press 1998.
.
Suggested Text.
Greinke, Eric. The Potential of Poetry. Rockford, MI.: Presa:S:Press, 2011.
Attendance Policy and Other Key Info.
Your participation in class is most necessary to get a good grade. Absence from class will result in the lowering of your grade. All assignments must be completed to pass the course. You cannot receive a grade of A if you have missed more than 3 classes, and more than three absences may lower your grade further.
Academic Honesty
Plagiarism is the appropriation of someone else’s language and/or ideas without proper citation and will not be tolerated in this class. As a college student, it’s your responsibility to understand what plagiarism is and how to avoid doing it. Familiarize yourself with Endicott’s policy on academic honesty. We’ll talk a lot about how to cite sources further into the course; you can also find this information in the Diana Hacker guide, or online at: http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/
If you have any questions about the policy or how to avoid academic dishonesty, please let me know. If you attempt to plagiarize, you will receive an F for the assignment, and possibly the course, and may face further action by the college.
Formatting
Please use the following format for submitting written assignments unless instructed
otherwise or unless you’re following specific genre conventions:
• Provide a basic head in the upper left hand corner of Page 1:
Your Name
Course Section and Number
Date
Assignment Title
• Double space the text
• Use one-inch margins
• STAPLE! I will not accept unstapled papers.
• Use a standard 12-point font, such as Times New Roman.
• Number all pages.
• Use a works cited page as needed.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact me for a confidential discussion of their individual needs for academic accommodation. Endicott College is committed to ensuring full participation of all students in its programs. If you have a documented disability, or think you may have a disability of any nature, and, as a result, need reasonable accommodation to participate in this class, complete course requirements, or benefit from the College’s programs and services, then you should speak with me directly and/or contact Student Disability Services, for a confidential discussion of your needs and creation of any appropriate academic accommodation plan. This should be done at the earliest possible time in the semester.
Please note that academic accommodations will not be provided unless appropriate documentation is submitted to the SDS office to support the need.
Academic Resources
There are several peer tutors at the Writing Center who are Creative Writers themselves; feel free to use the Writing Center as an additional source for feedback, help with brainstorming, revision, reading journals, etc... The Writing Center is located in Room 126, Halle Library. To make an appointment, call or email: 978-232-2490 writingcenter@endicott.edu
CLASS SCHEDULE
Class 1-- Jan. 24, 2012--
Introduction to Poetry
--Discussion of Syllabus.
ASSIGNMENT:
Read Edwin Arlington Robinson in Great American Poems.
Class 2-- Jan 26, 2012--
Discussion of Robinson.
Imagery, Metaphor, Repititon, Music, Line, Stanza.
In class writing.
ASSIGNMENT:
Edgar Allen Poe in Great American Poems.
Class 3-- Jan 31, 2012--
Discussion of reading.
Speaker, Symbol, Irony, etc...
ASSIGNMENT:
Write a poem where yoy take the voice of a favorite actor.
Read T.S. Eliot in Great American poems.
Class 4-- Feb 2, 2012--
Discussion of Eliot.
Quiz.
In class writing.
ASSIGNMENT:
Read Whitman in Great American Poems.
Take a walk--take in everything you see- understand how they are all connected-write a poem.
Class 5-- Feb 7, 2012--
Discussion of Whitman
Discussion of journaling
ASSIGNMENT:
Read Carl Sandburg in Great American Poems.
Write a poem for your city--one that you love-and or one that you live in.
Class 6-- Feb 9, 2012--
Discussion of Sandburg.
IMAGERY
In class writing.
ASSIGNMENT: Read Claude McKay in Great American Poems.
Focus paper ( 250 words)--Focus on McKay's imagery-and how it works in the poem.
Class 7 -- Feb 14, 2012
Discussion of McKay.
Discussion of Metaphor.
In class writing.
ASSIGNMENT:
Read Auden in Great American Poets.
Class 8-- Feb 16, 2012
Discussion of W. H. Auden
Write a poem to Auden's face,
ASSIGNMENT:
Read Gertrude Stein in Great American Poems.
Class 9-- Feb 21, 2012
Discussion of Stein.
In class writing.
ASSIGNMENT:
Read Jean Toomer
Class 10-- Feb 23, 2012
Discussion of Toomer.
Discussion of Persona poems.
ASSIGNMENT:
Write a poem taking on someone's identity
Read Edna Vincent Millay in Great American Poems.
Class 11-- Feb 28, 2012
Discussion of Millay
Sound in poetry discussion
ASSIGNMENT:
Read in OUTLAW BIBLE: Bob Dylan 48-53.
Class 12-- March 1, 2012
Discussion of Dylan.
Reading/Repetition
ASSIGNMENT:
Read Jack Micheline
Class 13-- March 6, 2011
Discussion of reading.
In class writing.
Read Patricia Smith in Outlaw Bible.
Class 14-- March 8, 2011
Discussion of reading.
Discussion of performance poetry.
ASSIGNMENT:
Over vacation read William Carlos Williams.
Focus Paper: Show how the concept in Williams' essay plays out in the 'Outlaw" poets we have read so far. (250 words)
SCHOOL VACATION
Class 15-- March 20, 2012
Discussion of William Carlos Williams.
List poems.
In class writing.
Write a poem in the idiom of your peers.
Class 16-- March 22, 2012
Poetry reading.
ASSIGNMENT:
Read Sapphire in Outlaw Bible.
Class 17-- March 27, 2012
Discussion of Sapphire.
Love poems.
Writing exercise
ASSIGNMENT:
Read Bob Kaufman 63-74.
Class 18-- March 29, 2012
Discussion of Bob Kaufman.
Letter Poems
ASSIGNMENT:
Read Henry Miller and Norman Mailer 113 to 16 in Outlaw Bible.
Class 19-- April 3, 2012
Discussion of Miller and Mailer.
In class writing: A response to Miller's advice to a young write.
ASSIGNMENT:
Read William Borroughs in Outlaw Bible.
Class 20-- April 5, 2012
Discussion of Borroughs.
ASSIGNMENT:
Research on Beat Poets for class discussion. Pick a favorite poem to read.
Class 21-- April 10, 2012
Discussion of Beat poets.
Read poem you selected.
ASSIGNMENT:
Look up guest speaker.
Class 22-- April 12, 2012
Guest Speaker.
ASSIGNMENT:
Focus paper-- 250 word focus paper on guest speaker.
Class 23-- April 17, 2012
Discussion of Guest Speaker.
Discussion of final projects.
ASSIGNMENT:
Read Lenny Bruce in the Outlaw Bible
Class 24-- April 19, 2012
Discussion of Lenny Bruce.
Assignment:
Take a word and dissect like Bruce did.
Class 25-- April 24, 2012
Lenny Bruce poetry reading.
Class 26-- April 26, 2012
Movie
ASSIGNMENT:
Read David Lerner's " This is the Barbarians" (467) Bruce Issacson in Outlaw Bible.
Class 27-- May 1, 2012
Discussion of reading.
ASSIGNMENT:
Read Harold Norse in Outlaw Bible. 129-42.
Class 28-- May 3, 2012
Discussion of Harold Norse.
ASSIGNMENT:
Prepare to read two select poems from your chapbook.
Final Projects due.
MAY 8-- FINAL CLASS.
Poetry Reading.
