INTRODUCTION TO POETRY: ENG 270.7500 Fall 2 2019
Dr. Tom Fink, E-103-I, 718-482-5672, finkto@lagcc.cuny.edu Office Hours: Mon. & Tues. & Thurs. 3:15 – 4:45 and by appointment some Wednesdays Course Blog: “Poetry Intro Fink”
Dr. Tom Fink, E-103-I, 718-482-5672, finkto@lagcc.cuny.edu Office Hours: Mon. & Tues. & Thurs. 3:15 – 4:45 and by appointment some Wednesdays Course Blog: “Poetry Intro Fink”
Required Texts: the Course Supplement (after the syllabus and Writing and Literature Textbook)
Course Description, Requirements, and Grading Standards:
From the College Catalog: This course introduces students to the formal conventions of poetry as well as the basic elements that work to create a poem. Poems from different countries and different historical periods will be explored, at times from different critical perspectives. Works by such poets as William Shakespeare, John Donne, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, W.B. Yeats, Langston Hughes, e.e. cummings, Federico Garcia Lorca, Adrienne Rich, Audre Lorde, Leslie Marmon Silko, and Gary Soto.
Prerequisite: ENG 101
In ENG 270, you will learn to appreciate and analyze poems of a variety of authors from various geographical locations and racial/ethnic backgrounds. Appreciation and analysis of poetry will involve the following:
1) identification of poetic modes (lyric, epic, narrative poetry, dramatic poetry, parody, satire);
2) understanding of forms of imagery and their effects;
3) identification of varieties of tropes (metaphor, simile, metonymy, hyperbole, etc.) and their effects, and some reflection about the development of tropes in a literary historical context;
4) the application of historical background to the interpretation of poetry;
5) some attention to rhyme, meter, free-verse, and other effects of sound;
6) ways in which poetry can be interpreted as raising political (including feminist), social, psychological, and philosophical issues;
7) awareness of how the insights/blindnesses of critics can be used in students’ written and oral interpretations of poetry.
2) understanding of forms of imagery and their effects;
3) identification of varieties of tropes (metaphor, simile, metonymy, hyperbole, etc.) and their effects, and some reflection about the development of tropes in a literary historical context;
4) the application of historical background to the interpretation of poetry;
5) some attention to rhyme, meter, free-verse, and other effects of sound;
6) ways in which poetry can be interpreted as raising political (including feminist), social, psychological, and philosophical issues;
7) awareness of how the insights/blindnesses of critics can be used in students’ written and oral interpretations of poetry.
To earn credit for the course, a student must achieve all of the following (with percentage of the final grade given for each piece of writing):
1. Essay on a single poem [8 paragraphs, 900-1,000 words] 30%
2. Comparison/Contrast Essay [12 paragraphs, 1,300 words] 30%
3. Comparison/Contrast or Analysis of 2-3 poems by one poet
[14 paragraphs, 1,500 words] 30%
4. Class Participation 10%
2. Fulfill the attendance requirement: You may have 6 hoursof unexcused absences for the term. Excused absences require written documentation. If a student is not in class on a particular day, s/he is still responsible for getting essential information from the class missed—for example, notes, from another student or from the course blog or in a brief conference from the professor during office hours and notvia email—and for fulfilling reading and writing assignments.
3. This course is taught in compliance with LaGuardia's Academic Integrity Policy: you must not submit plagiarized work, in part or in full, or commit other acts of academic dishonesty. (Copies of the Policy are available in the Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Office, the Student Government Office, Student Life and Development Office, and the Library.)
You are responsible for knowing what plagiarism is (on the basis of the ENG 101 class that you passed and what I say and include in this syllabus) and not to commit it because of carelessness. Depending on the extent of plagiarism, a student may receive about a 20% reduction in a paper’s grade or a failing grade on the essay. Once a failing paper is revised, it can receive no higher than a 2.0. If there is a second case of plagiarism, the student will either have to withdraw from the course or, if it is past the withdrawal date, s/he will fail the course. If I deem it necessary, I can fill out an Academic Integrity Complaint Form, which will be on file with the College’s Academic Standing Committee. Also, essays including patchwriting (copying text but changing grammatical forms) will be returned ungraded so that the patchwriting can be eliminated before the student gets a grade.
4. Engage in respectful and thoughtful participation in small group work and class discussion.
The College has a strong commitment to understanding and appreciating diversity.
5. Deposit your Oral Skills/Inquiry and Problem Solving artifact in your ePortfolio.
Course Rules:
1. Leave the classroom to use your phone, if there is an emergency. You must not use your electronic devices in class; however, at specific points when we are doing research, I will ask students to use these devices to find particular information. Anyone who breaks this rule will be called to give a response or perform a task.
2. Check your email every other day, so that you can respond to my email within 2 days. (I only emails students if there is a serious issue to discuss.)
3. If you do not hand in a paper on the due date, email me about when you will have the paper. If you miss more than one class in a row, email me about the situation and when you will return.
4. When someone is speaking during class discussion, please wait your turn to speak. (Brief conversations helping other students find pages in a text or understand what we are doing are allowed.)
5. A bathroom break should be 10 minutes or less.
6. Deposit a reading/brief analysis of a poem for LaGuardia’s Inquiry and Problem Solving/Oral Skills Assessment.
Grading:
The grading sheet includes the various components on which a paper grade is based.
Final grade: A (3.76 to 4.0); A- (3.5-3.75); B+ (3.2-3.49); B (2.86-3.19); B- (2.55-2.85); C+ (2.16-2.54); C (1.8-2.15); C- (1.2-1.79) D (.7-1.1); F (0-.6)
If a paper is 1 class-day late, the mark will be lowered by 3/10 (.3). If a paper is 2 class-days late, the mark will be lowered by 6/10 (.6). An essay that is 3 class days late will not be accepted; the student is advised to drop the course or, if unable, s/he will receive an F. The student may receive an Incomplete if s/he has passed the first 2 essays and misses the final, which can be made up after the term is over.
For a paper to count as being on time, you must give it to me as a printed copy directly in class. (Using a printer at the College may require getting to LaGuardia a few hours before a paper is due. There are lines for printers.) Essays done outside of class must be typed. Please double-space, have 1-inch margins on top, bottom, left, and right, and write your name, the date, and “original” or “revision” near the top.
Evaluation of Class Participation
A- to A (3.5 - 4.0): Upon my request, a student has sent me notes on class discussion for inclusion on the course blog at least twice, and s/he either contributed regularly to class discussion and/or accepted responsibilities during group work. Multiple visits to office hours also constitute effective class participation. The student has not broken course rules. (Please understand that taking notes during class discussion greatly increases your chances of success in the course.)
B – to B+ (2.6-3.4) The student either contributed with some frequency to class discussion and/or accepted responsibilities during group work and/or made multiple visits to office hours. The student has not broken course rules.
C to C+ (1.9-2.5) The student has contributed to class discussion on infrequent occasions, does not accept responsibilities during group work, and does not attend office hours. S/he may have broken course rules, but not a great deal.
F to C- (0-1.8) The student has repeatedly broken the course rules and has not contributed sufficiently in any of the categories listed above.
This course is taught in compliance with LaGuardia’s Academic Integrity Policy. Students who submit plagiarized work, in part or in full, or commit other acts of academic dishonesty, will receive a failing grade and may face more serious penalties as articulated by the Academic Standing Committee. Copies of the Academic Integrity Policy are available in the Vice President of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management Office, the Student Government Office, the Student Life and Development Office, and the Library.
On the basis of the plagiarism section in the Writing and Literature Textbook, you are expected to understand what plagiarism is and not to commit it because of carelessness. If a paper exhibits more than 2 sentences of plagiarism, I have the option to fill out an Academic Integrity Complaint Form, which will be on file with the College’s Academic Standing Committee and will note the nature of the plagiarism and state the penalty. I will direct the student to eliminate the plagiarism. If there is a second case of plagiarism, the student will either have to withdraw from the course or, if it is past the withdrawal date, s/he will fail ENG 270. If the student has plagiarized 2 sentences or fewer, I will direct the student to eliminate the problem. Also, essays including patchwriting (copying text but changing grammatical forms) will be returned ungraded so that the patchwriting can be eliminated before the student gets a grade.
Policy on Late Papers and Sequence of Assignments: To receive credit for the course, you must fulfill all assignments. If an essay is one class day late, it will lose .3 of a grade. If it is 2 class days late, it will lose .6 of a grade. If either of the first 2 essay assignments are more than 2 class days late, you will fail the course and should withdraw. The final assignment must be handed in on time. However, an Incomplete can be granted if you are unable to complete the final essay by the due date yet have done the other assignments and have a good, well documented reason for not handing in the paper on time.
All work must be typed. Always double space (skip lines); leave at least one-inch margins on each side—preferably 1 ½ inches on the left side. Please write your name, the date, and a title near the top. Each paper should be proofread 5 to 10 times, slowly and carefully. If either of the first 2 papers receives an F, it must be rewritten within two class sessions of my returning the draft; the highest grade for the revision is 2.7.
POSSIBLE REVISION OF THE FIRST AND/OR SECOND ESSAY
You may revise each of the first 2 essays one time—only if you fulfill all of the following conditions. The two grades will be averaged. These are the conditions:
1. The original draft of the paper must have been handed in on time, unless there is written documentation of a medical reason for lateness (and then 1 class-day late is the maximum).
2. The student must underline, italicize, or boldface all changes in the paper, whether they are grammatical changes, or modifications in content, organization, or style. S/he must also hand in the original paper with my comments on it. The thesis must be identified in some way.
3. If a paper is failing on the first and second draft, there can only be one more revision.
4. The revision for both papers must be turned in by 2 class sessions after I have returned the graded original essay.
POINTS THAT WILL HELP YOU SUCCEED IN THIS COURSE
In math, there is often one right answer. In poetry, language can mean in multiple ways. Sometimes you can claim that more than one meaning exists at the same time or that determining meaning is impossible and the reader can barely approximate. 10 interpretations might fit a poem, but there could also be 20 wrong answers—illogically constructed arguments, assertions without much support, faulty definitions of words/phrases, ideas based solely on a reader’s life-experience with no real connection to the poet’s cultural milieu, and historically inaccurate conclusions.
.When students learn to interpret poetry by hearing/reading others’ analyses and then using these techniques in writing essays with a strong, specific, coherent argument, it is helpful for them to take careful notes. Don’t expect to remember what anyone said.
Office hours are an excellent time for me to give you extra help, especially with the writing
process. When in doubt about an assignment, don’t just guess; see me in my office.
Final grade: A (3.76 to 4.0); A- (3.5-3.75); B+ (3.2-3.49); B (2.86-3.19); B- (2.55-2.85); C+ (2.19-2.54); C (1.8-2.18); C- (1.2-1.79); D (.5-1.19); F (0-.4)
COURSE SCHEDULE(SUBJECT TO REVISION)
Please do all readings before coming to class. It’s a good idea to read each poem at least 3 times. Also, please bring the syllabus to class every day. [G] signifies group work.
Thurs. Jan. 3- Introduction to Course; discussion of Basho, “Haiku”; partial discussion of Gwendolyn Brooks, “Malcolm X.”
Mon. 1/7- HOMEWORK: Read Emily Dickinson, 209 (520); Megan Hall, “Real”; William Shakespeare, speech from King Lear; A.K. Ramanujan, “As Eichman Said, My Brother Said”; Robert Browning, “The Bishop Orders His Tomb at St. Praxed’s Church.”
Completion of Brooks analysis; low-stakes writing and [G] on Dickinson, Hall, Shakespeare, and Ramanujan poems; discussion of Dickinson poem; strategies for thesis development, close reading, transition, & possible use of a critic in essay 1.
Tues. 1/8– Analysis of Hall, Shakespeare, and Ramanujan poems.
Thurs. 1/10– HOMEWORK: Read Jose Emilio Pacheco, “The Hour of the Children”; Adelia Prado, “Pieces for a Stained Glass Window”; John Ashbery, “Night Life”; Gail Tremblay, “After the Invasion”; Kim Hyesoon, “My Free Market.”
Analysis of Browning poem; low-stakes writing & [G] on the 5 poems; analysis of Pacheco poem; in-class work on essay 1.
* Mon. 1/14- FIRST ESSAY: 900-1,000 words—7-8 paragraphs, (not counting block quotations) Interpret only oneof the 6 poems that we read between the beginning of the term and Jan. 8.
To make sure this paper isn’t too long, it’s best not to analyze everything in a poem that is over 20 lines, but both the beginning and end of each poem, as well as a substantial or representative part of the middle, should be fully covered. It is extremely important to perform specific interpretation of all major tropes (for example: metaphor, simile, metonymy, or hyperbole) and images in the passages that you quote. When tell your reader that a word or phrase in the poem suggests or signifies some other word or phrase, you need to explain specifically why you think this is so.
In the introductory paragraph, name the poet and poem and indicate some general ideas (whether political, philosophical, psychological, or aesthetic) that your essay will explore. The body paragraphs will concentrate on each important part of the poem—and, if the poem is short enough—each stanza or strophe. Using block quotes, followed by analysis, is best, and in your analysis, you should not repeat whole lines that were in the block quote. The conclusion presents your thesis, wraps up your general ideas, and can also propose questions for further study.
You may choose to quote from a secondary source (which can be an analysis of the poem, a treatment of the poet in general, or a historical source that you have obtained from either a book or Academic Search Complete or a web source that I have approved). Use parenthetical citation, and provide a Works Cited for the poem and secondary source.
Peer-critiquing; reading/discussion of parts of essays; analysis of Prado and Ashbery poems.
Tues. 1/15- HOMEWORK: Rupi Kaur, Poem; (student pick)
Analysis of Tremblay, Hyesoon, and Thomas poems.
Thurs. 1/17- HOMEWORK: Read Read Dylan Thomas, "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" H.E.R., "Against Me"; Walt Whitman, "O Captain, My Captain"; Neil Gaiman, "Sonnet." (student picks)
Discussion of 4 student picks.
Tues. 1/22- HOMEWORK: Read Wole Soyinka, “Dedication from Moremi.”
Analysis of Soyinka poem; low-stakes writing & [G] on comparison/contrast; strategies for thesis development, close reading, transition, & possible use of a critic in essay 2.
Wed. 1/23 (irregular day): HOMEWORK: Read Audre Lorde, “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost”; Burt Kimmelman, “Arctic Terns”; Linton Kwesi Johnson, “Inglan Is a Bitch.”
Low-stakes writing & [G] on the 3 poems; in-class work & conferencing on essay 2.
Thurs. 1/24- Analysis of Lorde and Kimmelman poems; in-class work & conferencing on essay 2.
Mon. 1/28- COMPARISON/CONTRAST OF TWO POEMS (ESSAY 2) (10-11 paragraphs, not including block quotes; 1,300 words)
You will choose which poems from the ones we have studied in class to compare/contrast, but you must not select the poem you wrote about for essay 1. Compare/contrast the poems on the basis of thematic issues but also include aesthetic similarities and/or differences in either the beginning or end of the paper. In the introduction, name the poems & poets and indicate general areas for comparison/ contrast. The next 4-5 paragraphs will concentrate on the first poem; then you will spend 4-5 paragraphs interpreting the second poem, but presenting sentences that refer (in a comparative or contrastive way) to the first. Your 1 or 2-paragraph conclusion will detail all important elements of comparison/ contrast between the 2 poems, which is your thesis.
You may choose to quote from a secondary source (which can be an analysis of the poem, a treatment of the poet in general, or a historical source that you have obtained from either a book or Academic Search Complete or a web source that I have approved); use parenthetical citation. Provide a Works Cited for the 2 poems and the secondary source.
Peer-critiquing; reading/discussion of parts of essays; analysis of Johnson poem.
Tues. 1/29- HOMEWORK: Read W.B. Yeats, “The Gyres”; Andree Chedid, “The One Who Endures”; Arlene Ang, “Toward a State of Symbiosis”; Allen Ginsberg, “Howl.”
Low-stakes writing & [G] on the 4 poems; analysis of Yeats and Chedid poems.
Thurs. 1/31- Analysis of Ang and Ginsberg poems; practice for Oral Skills/Inquiry and Problem Solving sample; some depositing.
Mon. Feb. 4- HOMEWORK: Sandy McIntosh, “For A Man Who Lost His Wife”; “Alejandra Pizarnik, “On Silence”; Timothy Liu, “Romance”; Harryette Mullen, “Any Lit”; Pablo Neruda, “A Dog Has Died.”
Analysis of McIntosh poem; low-stakes writing & [G] on the other 4 poems; analysis of Pizarnik poem.
Tues. Feb. 5 is the last day to withdraw officially from a course.
Tues. 2/5- Analysis of Liu, Mullen, and Neruda poems.
Thurs. 2/7- HOMEWORK: Read Natsuko Hirata, “The Final Place”; Amiri Baraka, “Short Speech to My Friends.”
Strategies for thesis development, comparison/contrast elements, use of critic, and organization for Essay 3; low-stakes writing & [G] on Hirata and Baraka poems; analysis of Baraka poem.
Mon. 2/11- Analysis of Hirata poem; in-class work and conferencing on essay 3.
* Thurs. 2/14- ESSAY 3 DUE (12 paragraphs, not including block-quotation, 1,500-1,700 words)
As with essay 2, you will choose which poems from the ones we have studied in class to compare/contrast, but you must not select any poem you wrote about for essays 1 and 2. (See me if you wish to write about 2 or 3 poems by a single poet we have studied.) Compare/contrast the poems on the basis of thematic issues but also include aesthetic similarities and/or differences in either the beginning or end of the paper. In the introduction, name the poems & poets and indicate general areas for comparison/ contrast. The next 4-5 paragraphs will concentrate on the first poem; then you will spend 4-5 paragraphs interpreting the second poem, but presenting sentences that refer (in a comparative or contrastive way) to the first. Your 1 or 2-paragraph conclusion will detail all important elements of comparison/ contrast between the 2 poems, which is your thesis.
If you did not choose to do so in either essay 1 or essay 2, you should quote from a secondary source (which can be an analysis of the poem, a treatment of the poet in general, or a historical source that you have obtained from either a book or Academic Search Complete or a web source that I have approved); use parenthetical citation. Provide a Works Cited for the 2 or 3 poems and the secondary source.
Peer-critiquing; reading/discussion of parts of essays.
Tues. 2/19- Conferences (in my office, E-103-I) during the usual class-time.
