Course
Schedule:
Week 1: Introduction to Poetry and
Multiculturalism
8/27:
How do we read poems? What is “culture”? How do we understand it? How
does it help us understand literature?
In-class reading and analysis: "The Bean Eaters"
by Gwendolyn Brooks
8/29:
Lines and Meaning
Read:
“We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks, “My Poem,” “Of Poems and Stones” “Slingshot” “A Song of Death”
“Remembering the Dead” “At the Funeral” “Immigrants” by Maria Herrera-Sobek, Read
interview with the author: http://cinema.usc.edu/assets/097/15706.pdf
Handbook of Poetic Forms, “Line” “Stanza” “Rhyme”
“Rhythm” “Allegory” “Metaphor”
Assignment:
Response
1Due
Week 2: Understanding Identities
9/3:
What is the purpose of poetry?
Read
Selections from course handout:
Rita
Dove, “After Reading Mickey in the Night
Kitchen for the Third Time Before Bed.”
Corrine
Hales, “Sunday Morning”
Handbook of Poetic Forms, “Alliteration”
“Assonance” “Word Play”
9/5:
Read Selections from course handout:
Marie Howe, “How Many Times”
Jack
Gilbert, “Finding Something,” “Michiko Dead”
Handbook of Poetic Forms,”Elegy”
Assignment:
Response
2 due
Week 3: Imagery and Metaphor
9/10:
Read Missing You, Metropolis p. 1-25
Links
to Imagery readings on course websitehttp://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/glossaryItem.do?id=8098
Assignment:
Response
3 Due
9/12:
Read Missing You, Metropolis p. 25-50
In-class screening of X-Men
How
do we relate the images to Jackson’s poetry?
Assignment:
Essay
1 Draft Due
Week 4: Cultural Contexts
9/17:
What are myths? Who are heroes? Who are villains?
Read
Missing You, Metropolis p. 50-end
9/19:
Listen: “Strange Fruit”
Continue
discussion of Missing You, Metropolis
Assignment:
Essay 1 Due
Week 5: Identities, Imagery, Form
9/24:
Read: The Business of Fancydancing, p.
1-36
Read:
Handbook of Poetic Forms, “Prose
Poem” “Free Verse”
Assignment:
Response
4 Due
9/26:
Read The Business of Fancydancing p.
39-60
Assignment:
Response 5 Due
Week 6: Regionalism, Cultural Contexts
10/1Read:
Business of Fancydancing, 63-end
Read:
Handbook of Poetic Forms, “Sestina”
Assignment:
Essay
2 Draft Due
10/3:
Continue discussion of The Business of
Fancydancing
In-class
Screening: Interview with the author
Week 7: Form Continued
10/8 Read: Evie Shockley, “improper(ty) behavior,”
“where you are planted,” “owed to shirley chisolm”
Handbook
of Poetic Forms, “Ode” “Ghazal”
Assignment:
Essay
2 Due
10/10:
Read: Marcus Wicker, “Love Letter to Ru Paul,” “Love Letter to Justin
Timberlake*,” “Love Letter to Pam Grier,” “Love Letter to Flavor Flav,” "Love Letter to Dave Chapelle*"
Handbook of Poetic Forms, “Epistle”
“Satire”
Week 8: Voice and Identity
10/15: Read: Patricia Smith,
“Skinhead”
Gloria
Anzaldúa, “We Call Them Greasers”
Handbook of Poetic Forms, “Performance
Poem”
Assignment:
Response
6 Due
10/17:
Read Gloria Anzaldúa “Cervicide*” “horse”
Pat
Mora “Sonrisas,” "Elena," "Legal Alien" https://docs.google.com/file/d/0By46uWluiwz8ekV5bzFadnlSNFk/edit?usp=sharing
Week 9: Tone, Voice, Imagery
10/22:
The U.S.-Mexico Border
Read
Pity the Drowned Horses, p. 1-35
Assignment:
Response
7 Due
10/24:
Read Pity the Drowned Horses, p. 35-50,
Assignment:
Essay 3 Draft Due
Week 10: Cultural Contexts
10/29:
Read Pity the Drowned Horses, 50-end
10/31:
Continue Discussion of Pity the Drowned
Horses
Assignment:
Essay
3 Due
Week 11: Authors informing Authors
11/5:
Read Letters to a Stranger, Introduction- p. 20,
Assignment:
Response 8 Due
11/7:
Read Letters to a Stanger, p 21-61
Week 12: Temporal and Spatial
Considerations
11/12:
Read Letters to a Stranger, 61-end
Read
Plath’s poems: “Ariel” “Lady Lazarus"
Assignment: Response 9 Due
Assignment: Response 9 Due
11/14
Read Other Fugitives and Other Strangers,1-25
Read Interview with the author http://labloga.blogspot.com/2007/11/interview-with-rigoberto-gonzlez.html
Assignment: Essay 4 Draft Due
Assignment: Essay 4 Draft Due
Week 13: Gender and Sexuality
11/19 Read
Other Fugitives and Other Strangers 25-52
11/21:
Authors informing Authors continued
Read
Other Fugitives and Other Strangers 52-end
Assignment:
Essay 4 Due
Week 14:No Class. Happy Thanksgiving!
Week 15: Review
12/3:
Review: Important information regarding final exams.
Final Exams at assigned times
