We will study modern British and American Poets and Poetry, including Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman who helped set the stage for modern poetry. My main purpose is to encourage students to understand and appreciate modern poetry and hence to like it. Technical knowledge is not a prerequisite but you will want to learn poetic terms to help you analyze the poems, and as always, the more you know generally, the quicker you'll be able to pick up allusions. Look up words and facts you don't know.
Emphasis is on both content AND form.
Poems are powerful and effective because they say something complex and profound that relates to our lives AND because of of how they are said. We must have terms to describe that process. If there is any student in this class who is in need of academic accommodations and who is registered with the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities, please make an individual appointment with the course instructor to discuss accommodations. Upon individual request, this syllabus can be made available in alternative forms. If any student who is not registered with the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities has need of academic accommodations, please contact the Office directly either in person on the first floor of the Turley House or by telephone at 622-1500.