LIT 2030 Syllabus

This course will introduce students to forms and techniques of poetry; major poets and movements from the Renaissance to the present; and written analysis, explication, interpretation, and evaluation of poetry.

performance standards
Students may access course performance standards by clicking on the Course Performances Standards link at: http://www.mccfl.edu/pages/docs/coupersta/LIT2030.doc.
A hard copy may be obtained from the Department Office.

texts

Poems*Poets*Poetry
2nd ed. Ed. Helen Vendler

ISBN: 0312257066

Spoon River Anthology by
Edgar Lee Masters

ISBN: 0486272753

email
As an MCC student, you have been assigned an official student email account to be used for all college-related email communication. In order to protect students' privacy rights, I will only respond to emails sent from students' MCC email accounts or the ANGEL mail facility and only send messages to students' MCC email accounts.
I prefer to respond to questions about class on the ANGEL Discussion Forum.
If you are having problems with your MCC email account, call 941-752-5357 or e-mail: helpdesk@mccfl.edu.

plagiarism
Manatee Community College defines PLAGIARISM as the use of ideas, facts, opinions, illustrative material, data, direct or indirect wording of another scholar and/or writer - professional or student - without giving proper credit. If a student is found guilty of plagiarism, s/he will receive a zero ("0") for the assignment and an "F" for the course, according to due process. If a student needs assistance in composing his/her paper, s/he should consult the instructor or seek assistance in the English Lab. Outside help in editing, rewriting, or composing shall be construed as plagiarism. If you are confused about what plagiarism is or how to cite sources, please make an appointment with me to clarify any issues you might have. If this is a last minute issue, email me, and I will try to respond promptly. Resist cutting and pasting material from the Internet - this is the quickest route to plagiarism.
PLAGIARISM WILL NOT BE TOLERATED IN THIS COURSE.
IF YOU PLAGIARIZE, YOU WILL FAIL THE COURSE.

standards of conduct
Students are expected to abide by all Lancer Student Handbook guidelines.

assignments

Assignment	Date Due	Word Requirement	Points
12 ANGEL Discussion Forum Journals: 20 pts. @	see schedule	3000 words	240 points
Class Participation: 25 pts./class	each class		150 points
21st C. Poet Casebook Oral Report Case Study	June 2	1500 words	50 points 150 points
Poetry Performance	June 9	..	50 points
Poem Portfolio	no later than June 9		60 points
Narrative Poem Analysis Oral Report Essay	June 16	1000-1500 words	50 points 150 points
Final Exam	June 23		100 points
Extra Credit	no later than June 21	500 words	25 points@

course schedule
Reading assignments should be completed before class meetings. Pages refer to Vendler's text, unless otherwise noted.

2 discussion forum journals will be posted per week. Each journal entry should be at least 250 words. Journals are due by Sunday midnight. Late journals will be penalized 5 points.

date	reading	class	ANGEL discussion forum journals
Week One: May 12-17 Class: May 12 Journals due: May 17	Vendler pp. xli-xlv pp. 1-60 "The Poem as Life" "The Poem as Arranged Life" *"Got Poetry" by Jim Holt -- a NYTimes* column on how to memorize poetry**	Be ready to recite your favorite nursery rhyme in class. If you're not sure of the exact words, here's a website to help you: http://www.rhymes.org.uk/ Poetic Rhythm and Rhyme PPT	#1 Introduce yourself to the class by posting a brief biography -- who you are, what you're majoring in, why you're taking this class, and your attitude towards poetry. *Who is your favorite poet and why?
			#2 After the first class meeting, you may choose your narrative poem and your 21st c. poet. Choose one of the poems in the first two chapters that we did not discuss in class that you particularly like. Paraphrase the poem sentence by sentence. *Discuss how the form of the poem (stanzas, rhyme, meter) enhances the effect of the poem.
Week Two: May 18-24 Class: May 19 Journals due: May 24	Vendler pp. 73-176 "Poems as Pleasure," "Describing Poems," "The Play of Language"	The Language of Poetry Florida Poetry Exercise Girl Powdering Her Neck by Utamaro	#3 Find a sonnet, sestina, or villanelle that u appeals to you. Paraphrase the poem sentence by sentence. Classify the content and speech act of the poem (see p. 111) * What emotions is the poet trying to express in the poem? * How does the outer form of the sonnet (what kind of sonnet is it?), sestina, or villanelle help the poet to express those emotions?
			#4 Choose a poem based on a painting from the PPT Ekphrastic Poetry: http://faculty.mccfl.edu/jonesj/JanesPPT/ LIT2030/EKPHRASES.ppt * How is the poet having a dialogue with the painting? * What from the painting does the poet include in the poem? What is left out? * Do you find the poet's interpretation of the painting a valid one? If for some reason you cannot open or save the PPT, most of the poems and paintings can be found on these two sites: http://www.dwpoet.com/poetassign.html and http://homepage.mac.com/mseffie/assignments/ paintings&poems/titlepage.html
Week Three: May 25-31 Class: May 26 Journals due: May 31	Spoon River Anthology Vendler pp. 177-94 pp. 213-227 "Constructing a Self" "Poetry and Social Identity"	Choose a character poem from Spoon River Anthology to analyze and read aloud in class. Be ready to read your poem in class (practice first!). Make a few intelligent remarks about the persona and the poem.
			DO NOT POST JOURNAL ENTRIES BEFORE CLASS ON MAY 26 #5 Analyze the poem from Spoon River that you have chosen. * Describe the persona in the poem * What kind of speech act does the persona perform? * What do we learn about the persona? * What kind of diction (word choice, dialect, level of formality or informality, etc.) does the persona use? * Is the poem in open or closed form? If closed, what pattern is the poet using? * If open, why did the poet choose to break the lines and stanzas as s/he did? * How does the form of the poem complement the author's purpose? * What kinds of imagery and figures of speech are used in the poem? To what effect? * What kind of sound effects are used in the poem (rhythm, rhyme, alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia)? What effect do they have on the poem?
			#6 Spoon River Discuss how your assigned poem fits into the larger Spoon River Anthology* *What kind of commentary is Edgar Lee Masters making on American society at the beginning of the 20th Century? **Who are your favorite characters in Spoon River Anthology? Why?*
Week Four: June 1-7 Class: June 2 Journals due: June 7	pp.309-57 "Writing about Poetry"	21st Century Poet Reports Ballad by Thomas Hart Benton	#7 Discuss why you chose the 21st C poet you did. Were you familiar with the poet's work before this assignment? What is the most intriguing thing you have discovered about the poet? What about the poet's work speaks to YOU specifically? What do you find appealing about this poet's work?
			#8 Find a ballad that carries a social protest or political message. Some good places to start are: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballad http://www.csufresno.edu/folklore/BalladSearch.html http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/ballads/ballads.htm Do NOT choose a poem that someone else has already analyzed. * Identify the occasion for the poem--you may need to do some research for this. * What kind of diction (word choice, dialect, level of formality or informality, etc.) is used in the ballad ? * Does the ballad use dialogue? If so, who is speaking? What is the relationship between the speakers? * Does the ballad have a refrain? Is it exact or incremental? What effect does the refrain have on the message of the ballad? * What is the message of the ballad?
Week Five: June 8-14 JUNE 8: Last day to withdraw from classes Class: June 9 Journals due: June 14	pp. 241-56 pp. 283-92 "History and Regionality" "Attitudes, Values, Judgements"	Poetry Performances Poetry Portfolio due	#9 Why did you choose the poem you did to memorize? How did you go about memorizing the poem? What did you learn about the poem by memorizing it that you hadn't discovered before? What do you most appreciate about the poem?
			#10 Discuss what kind of research you are using to find out information about your narrative poem and poet. What websites have you found most useful? What academic indexes in the Library's Electronic Resources (via LINCC) have you found valuable. List the 3 sources you will be citing in your essay and give links to them if they are online. If you have questions about MLA citations, post them on the Discussion Forum.
Week Six: June 15-21 Class: June 16 Journals due: June 21		Narrative Poem Reports Any extra credit must be turned in by June 21.	#11 What is the difference between reading a narrative tale or novel written in poetry with one written in prose? Did you find that you used different techniques for reading the poetic narrative? What were they? How did the poetic elements of the writing affect the telling of the story? *How did the poetic elements affect your perception of the story? of the characters?
			#12 COURSE EVALUATION -- I would appreciate your honest feedback to the following questions. Your opinions will NOT affect your grade for this journal or the course. 1. What did you expect when you enrolled in LIT 2030? 2. Did the course meet your expectations? If not, why not? 3. What have you learned about poetry this semester? 4. Do you think your appreciation of poetry has changed over the semester? How? 5. What was the most valuable aspect of the course for you? The least valuable? 6. Were the course texts useful? Will you keep them? 7. Any other comments?
June 23		FINAL EXAM	Grades will be posted June 24

grading: As assignments are graded, I will post grades in ANGEL.

GRADE DISTRIBUTION: 1000 points available.

A 900 - 999 Points

B 800 - 899 Points

C 700 - 799 Points

D 650 - 699 Points

F - 650 Points

late assignments will lose the equivalent of 10% --
one full grade -- for the the assignment

Class Meets:	Tuesday nights, May 12-June 23, 6-9 pm
Lakewood Ranch CIT Center:	Room 142; map and phone: Lakewood Ranch
Phone:	941-408-1499 (this is NOT a good way to reach me during the summer as I am rarely in my Venice office)
Office Hours:	one-half hour before and after class meetings
Email Address:	jonesj@mccfl.edu (preferred contact method)
Instructor’s Web Page:	http://faculty.mccfl.edu/jonesj/JAJones.html
Language and Literature Dept.:	http://www.mccfl.edu/pages/167.asp
Virtual Library:	http://www.mccfl.edu/pages/1967.asp
Academic Resource Center:	http://www.mccfl.edu/pages/144.asp
Student Services:	http://www.mccfl.edu/pages/242.asp