Professor: Dr. Roberts
Office: Eder Hall 222G
Phone: 816-271-5810
E-mail: robertsi@missouriwestern.edu
Office Hours: 9:30-11:00, 1:00-2:00 TTh

Course Description and Philosophy:
The focus of this course is on poetry as a distinct genre (and its many sub-genres). The number of pages assigned for each class is less than in some survey courses, so that you will have time to read each work a minimum of two times—v-e-r-y  s-l-o-w-l-y and closely. You should heavily mark the pages; constantly use a dictionary for etymologies and varieties of meaning; analyze meter, form, lineation, diction, syntax, and other elements; write down questions, connections, and observations; interpret; evaluate; compare/contrast; synthesize; consider alternatives; and read aloud (the same things, significantly, that poets do when they write poetry). Hence, this class is designed to teach explication de texte and genre competency. You needn't have ambitions as a poet for the awareness of language that the close reading of poetry develops to improve your writing skills. However, if you want to be a poet yourself, you can't hope to write anything of real value unless you have a command of the elements of poetry we'll discuss.

"No poet, no artist of any art has his complete meaning alone." --T. S. Eliot

Required Materials:

• The Norton Anthology of American Poetry. Shorter 5th ed. New York: Norton, 2005.
• Lennard, John. The Poetry Handbook. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1996.
• An up-to-date and unabridged college dictionary.
• A college handbook (guide to style, grammar and usage).
• Computer disks/flash drives for revising, saving, and backing up your work.
• Stamina and good humor. 

Recommended:

• Holman, C. Hugh and William Harmon. A Handbook to Literature. 9th ed. New York: Macmillan, 2003.

 

Instructor's Attendance Policy:

Regular attendance is an essential part of the student's educational experience and a requirement for an adequate evaluation of student academic progress. For this and other reasons, attendance is mandatory. If you have more than one unexcused absence during the semester, your final grade will be seriously affected. Excessive absences will result in failure of the course. Chronic lateness and/or leaving early will count toward absences. Excused absences involve acting as an official representative of the university after prior notification from the faculty/staff supervisor of the event. At the instructor's discretion, an absence may be excused in the case of a documented and unforeseen emergency. All other absences will be deemed unexcused.

 

You are responsible for material covered or assignments given during your absence, so ask another student to inform you of what happened while you were gone. Note that not all in-class activities and assignments can fairly and adequately be "made up," even in the case of an excused absence. For example, unless you have a time machine, you cannot go back and participate in carefully scheduled and directed classroom discussions or group activities after the fact. Moreover, such context dependent and interpersonal participation is central to the course.

 

If I should be unable to meet class, you will be notified by the secretary, a fellow instructor, or by an officially stamped and dated note on the classroom door.

"Poetry is the opening and closing of a door, leaving those who look through
to guess what was seen during a moment." --Carl Sandburg

 

Policy on Late Work:

All out of class assignments are due at the beginning of the hour on the due date. Learning is a cumulative process, and each assignment is designed to build on the previous one. As late work disrupts this important aspect of the learning process, late work will not be accepted without prior notification and approval. When reasonably possible, however, missed assignments will be accepted after the due date in the case of an excused absence (see above).

 

Preparation and Participation:

You are required to make significant contributions to class in the form of preparation and participation. Preparation includes completing the readings and daily assignments, as well as bringing your assignments, textbook, and other materials with you on the appropriate days. If you come unprepared, you will receive a zero for any work due that day.

 

Participation includes the help you give to fellow writers and the contributions you make to class discussion. Active and insightful contributions to class discussion are therefore not "extra credit." Like the written assignments, your tactful and substantive comments are part of the minimal requirements for successful completion of the course. If you are a naturally quiet person, force yourself to be more vocal; do not assume that if I do not call on you that you need not participate, as it is your responsibility to voice your observations at appropriate and relevant times. Conversely, if you are a naturally talkative person, you may have to restrain yourself so that everyone has the opportunity to contribute.

 

Why is discussion so important? Because live classroom discussion:  

• gives me an additional indication of how closely and thoughtfully you have read, enabling me to evaluate your knowledge and abilities more fairly and accurately.
• helps you think in terms of the subject matter by giving you practice in thinking.
• helps you learn to evaluate the logic of and evidence for your own and others' positions.
• helps you learn what counts as evidence and how to evaluate knowledge claims.
• helps you understand how knowledge is arrived at in the discipline.
• gives you practice arguing with others respectfully and professionally.
• gives you opportunities to formulate applications of principles.
• helps you construct knowledge you can recall and apply when needed.
• gives you prompt feedback on difficult or confusing issues and material.
• increases your retention of material through explaining, summarizing, and questioning.
• stimulates new ideas, approaches, questions, reading and research.

 

"If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry." --Emily Dickinson

 

Student Conduct:  

As a condition of remaining at MWSU, the college expects all students to conduct themselves so as to maintain an effective environment for learning, to act responsibly in accordance with good taste, and to respect fully the rights of others. Behavior that disrupts the classroom environment or interferes with other students' learning will result in dismissal from the classroom. Passionate and forceful language is sometimes appropriate. Intolerance, intimidation, and dogmatism are not.

 

Assignment Requirements:

All out of class written assignments for this course must be word processed unless otherwise specified. Non-word processed submissions will be returned with no credit. Assignments should follow MLA format, using no larger than twelve point type and one inch margins. Pages should be stapled together before you come to class. Do not throw away any work you do for this class, from notes to drafts to final papers, and keep back-up copies of all papers you turn in.

 

Grading:

The standards for college English classes are higher than those used in high schools. All the guidelines and standards for classes at MWSU are similar to those used by other colleges and universities throughout the country. You, as a serious student, will appreciate the fact that we hold high standards for your work. Your grade will be determined by the quality of your daily work, writings, and exams, as well as by your preparation and participation. Assignments will be evaluated according to how well they meet the requirements and the following general scale.

 

A = Superior

B = Above Average

C = Average

D = Minimum = passing below average

F = Failing

In-Class Exercises and Weekly Analyses = 60%
Mid-Term Exam = 20%
Final Exam = 20%

Instructor's Policy on Academic Honesty:

Plagiarism is a most serious offense and, therefore, will incur harsh punishment. Don't think you won't get caught; writing style is distinctive and verifiable. It is the student's responsibility to prove to the instructor's satisfaction that all work is their own.

 

Institutional Policy on Academic Honesty and Due Process:

Academic honesty is required in all academic endeavors. Violations of academic honesty include any instance of plagiarism, cheating, seeking credit for another's work, falsifying

documents or academic records, or any other fraudulent activity. Violations of academic honesty may result in a failing grade on the assignment, failure in the course, or expulsion from the University. When a student's grade has been affected, violations of academic honesty will be reported to the Provost or designated representative on the Academic Honesty Violation Report forms. Please see the Student Handbook and calendar for specific activities identified as violations of this policy and the student due process procedure. This handbook is also available online at http://www.missouriwestern.edu/handbook/index.pdf.

 

Disabilities:

Any student who has a disability that prevents the fullest expression of abilities should contact me immediately so that we can discuss class requirements.

 

General:

This syllabus is of a contractual nature, and by remaining in the course you acknowledge your acceptance of its stipulations in their entirety. If the goals, policies, procedures, standards, expectations, or obligations are unclear, then you should speak with me immediately. If they are clear but unacceptable to you, then you should drop the course.

 

If you choose to remain in the course, be sure to keep a copy of this syllabus with you and to refer to it regularly. Policies are enforced without exception to ensure uniformity and predictability, to avoid confusion and anxiety, and to facilitate fairness and objectivity for all students. In the interest of efficiency, however, I reserve the right to make necessary alterations to this syllabus and to make announced changes in daily plans. Any announcements made in class automatically supersede this syllabus. It is your responsibility to find out about announced changes.

 

Final Thoughts:

For further explanations, comments, and advice, I am available during office hours. For additional help outside of class, I strongly recommend the Center for Academic Support.

 

I genuinely want you to succeed in this class and at MWSU generally. I therefore urge you to keep in mind that what you gain from this course, and from your education generally, is proportional to the amount of productive time and careful attention you devote to it. In the words of Abigail Adams (1744-1818), "Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence."

 

Course Outline:
This outline shows major readings and assignments, but additional readings and assignments will be given in class throughout the semester.

 

Jan. 16                        Lennard Ch 1: Meter; Norton 1252-1260. Caedmon's "Hymn" 1, Donne "The Good-Morrow" 191, Ralegh, "The Lie" 122, Milton "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity" 252, Graves "Warning to Children" 899, Montagu "The Lover: A Ballad" 392, Hardy "The Voice" 750, Moore "What Are Years?" 859, Campion "Rose-cheeked Laura" 185.

 

In-Class Analysis 1 Choices: John Donne "The Canonization" 194, "A Valediction Forbidding Morning" 198, "The Flea" 202, Holy Sonnets #10 and 14.

 

Jan. 23                        Lennard Ch. 2: Form; Norton 1263-1275. Shakespeare Sonnet 55 172, Sidney "What Length of Verse?" 157, Wordsworth "Scorn Not the Sonnet" 486, Keats "On the Sonnet" 579, D. G. Rossetti "A Sonnet" 715, cummings "next to of course god america i" 894, Lear "There Was an Old Man with a Beard" 666, Bishop "One Art" 966, Bishop "Sestina" 963, Keats "Ode on a Grecian Urn" 585, Gray "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard" 410, Wright from Haiku 958.

 

Analysis 2 Due. Choices: Shakespeare sonnets #18, 29, 94, 116, 130.

 

Jan. 30                        Lennard Ch. 3: Layout. Herbert "Easter Wings" 237, Crane from Black Riders and Other Lines 792, Hardy "The Convergence of the Twain" 748, Swenson "Cardinal Ideograms" 972, Hollander "Swan and Shadow" 1104, Mahon "The Window" 1196, Blake "The Lamb" 441.

 

Analysis 3 Due. Choices: Wordsworth "Lines Composed ..." 458, "She Dwelt Among ..." 471, ""A Slumber ..." 472, "Ode: Intimations ..." 478, "I Wandered ..." 483, "The World Is Too Much with Us" 484, "Mutability" 485.

 

Feb. 6              Lennard Ch. 4: Punctuation. Dickinson #124, 202, 260, 269, 320, 339, 340, 359, 409, 479, 591, 764, 905, 1096, 1263.

 

Analysis 4 Due. Choices: Shelley "Ozymandias" 541, "Ode to the West Wind" 543.

 

Feb. 13            Lennard Ch. 5: Lineation. Williams "Asphodel, That Greeny Flower" 831, Moore "The Fish" 855, Browning "My Last Duchess" 643, Zarin "The Ant Hill" 1246, Boland "That the Science of Cartography is Limited" 1206, Dickinson #782 (745) 729, Whitman section 6 of "Song of Myself" 680.

 

Analysis 5 Due. Choices: Keats "La Belle Dame sans Merci" 579, "Ode to a Nightengale" 582

 

Feb. 20            Lennard Ch. 6: Rhyme; Norton 1260-1263. Jonson "A Fit of Rhyme against Rhyme" 215, Nashe "Spring, the sweet spring" 185, Hopkins "As kingfishers catch fire" 756, Jeffers "Birds and Fishes" 854, Pope Canto I from "The Rape of the Lock" 357, Gilbert "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major-General" 738, Tennyson "The Lady of Shalott" 621.

 

Analysis 6 Due. Choices: Yeats "The Stolen Child" 767, "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" 768, "The Second Coming" 774.

 

Feb. 27            Lennard Ch. 7: Diction. Burns "To a Mouse" 452, Carroll "Jabberwocky" 736, Hopkins "Thou art indeed just, Lord" 759, Hopkins "The Windhover" 755, Lowry "Strange Type" 959, Skelton "Mannerly Margery Milk and Ale" 81, Mew "The Farmer's Bride" 790.

 

Analysis 7 Due. Choices: Robinson "Richard Cory" 787, "Miniver Cheevy" 788, "Mr. Flood's Party" 789.

 

Mar. 5             Midterm Exam

 

Mar. 10-14     Spring Break

 

Mar. 19           Film     

 

Mar. 26           Lennard Ch. 8: Syntax; Norton 1277-1297. Dickinson #359 and 740 p. 724 and 728, Keats "Ode on a Grecian Urn" 585, Gray "Ode (On the Death ...)" 409, Blake "The Lamb" 441, Frost "The Silken Tent" 806.

 

Analysis 8 Due. Choices: Frost "Mending Wall" 759, "After Apple-Picking" 799, "The Road Not Taken" 801, "Birches" 802, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" 803, "Acquainted with the Night" 804, "Design" 805.

 

Apr. 2              Lennard Ch. 9: History. Eliot "The Waste Land" 866, Tennyson "Ulysses" 629, Tennyson "Tithonus" 639, Yeats "Leda and the Swan" 776, Wright "Eve to Her Daughters" 992, Lowell "For the Union Dead" 1007, Hecht "The Book of Yolek" 1042, Yeats "Easter 1916" 772.

 

Analysis 9 Due. Choices: Williams "The Red Wheelbarrow" 829, "This Is Just to Say" 830.

 

Apr. 9              Lennard Ch. 10: Biography. Bradstreet "Here Follows Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House July 10^th, 1666" 287, Roethke "My Papa's Waltz" 955, Byron "On This Day I Complete My Thirty-sixth Year" 537, Milton "When I Consider How My Light is Spent" 274, Smart from "Jubilate Agno" 417.

 

Analysis 10 Due. Choices: Eliot "The Love Song of J. Alfred Proofrock" 862, "The Hollow Men" 879; Thomas "The Force that Through ..." 986, "In My Craft or Sullen Art" 990, "Do Not Go Gentle ..." 991.

 

Apr. 16            Lennard Ch. 11: Gender. Justice "Men at Forty" 1046, Bogan "Man Alone" 901, Wright "Woman to Man" 992, Rich "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" 1114, Hardy "The Ruined Maid" 747, Bradstreet "The Prologue" 282, Montagu "A Receipt to Cure the Vapors" 393, Heaney "The Skunk" 1182.

 

Analysis 11 Due. Choices: Cummings "since feeling is first" 894, "anyone lived in a pretty how town" 896; Any Plath poem from 1143-1150.

 

Apr. 23            Lennard Ch. 12: Exams, Prepare for Final.

 

In-Class Analysis 12 Choices: Hughes "The Weary Blues" 912, "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" 913, "Harlem" 915, "Theme for English B" 915.

 

May 5             Final Exam 2:00-3:50 p.m.