Spring 2003 Mon. & Wed. 3:00-4:15pm
Dr. Braden J. Hosch • 202/884-9205 • hoschb@trinitydc.edu • 167 Main
Office Hours: Mon. & Wed. 4:15pm-5:15pm and by appointment

This course teaches students both the appreciation and analysis of the rich and diverse tradition of poetry written in English, with attention to form, theme, major figures, and historical contexts and influences. It fulfills the requirements for the Foundation of Leadership Curriculum Area II Literature Cluster requirements.

Readings will focus on six major poets, with additional readings of narrative and lyric poetry from their respective historical periods. The course will begin with Shakespeare's Rape of Lucrece (1594) and a study of the sonnet form and move into the seventeenth century with an examination of John Milton's Maske at Ludlow Castle (1633) and various other forms of Renaissance lyric poetry. We will then jump ahead to the late eighteenth century and study Samuel Taylor Coleridge's Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798) and Christabel (1797) with some other poets from the Romantic Period, followed by an examination of Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market (1862) and other poems. We will be finishing up the semester by examining two American lyric poets: Emily Dickinson and Maya Angelou, accompanied by a variety of 19th and 20th century lyric poetry.

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In this FLC Area II course, students must achieve the following learning goals; objectives specific to the course appear beneath each goal:

1. Read with understanding and critical analysis.

• Students will analyze and interpret poems from various genres by means of informal (in-class) and formal (written) "close readings."
• Students will identify significant poetic elements in works -- such as theme, voice, genre, rhyme scheme, metrical patterns, and literary devices -- and describe how they generate meaning within the poem.
• Students will formulate their responses to poetry in a thoughtful and persuasive fashion, constructing written and oral arguments, within disciplinarily acceptable guidelines, about specific poems and sets of poems.
• Students will write argumentative papers that demonstrate:
  • Use of a clear thesis to convey the student's major argument.
  • Use of textual evidence to back up claims about the text(s).
  • Logical and creative interpretations of textual evidence and language.
  • Sound organization to convey ideas in an ordered fashion.
  • Use of an impartial and "scholarly" writing voice, within acceptable disciplinary guidelines, including the use of standard written English.

2. Explore various modes of creative expression.

• Students will explore the literary tradition of poetry by reading various genres of English and American poetry from the 16th to 20th centuries.
• Students will describe and analyze the structure and meaning of poems and their historical context using accepted literary terminology.
• Students will explain how the mode of expression contributes to how meaning is conveyed and constructed.

3. Understand the societal forces that have shaped - and continue to shape - our world.

• Students will describe the historical and material conditions in which poems were created.
• Students will analyze and offer explanations for how these material conditions may have affected written texts.
• Students will evaluate how contemporary interpretations of historical texts and their own personal understandings of poems interact with historicist interpretations.

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• Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Other Poems. New York: Dover Thrift, 1992.
• Ferguson, Margaret, Mary Jo Salter, and Jon Stallworthy, Eds. The Norton Anthology of Poetry. Shorter Fourth Edition. New York: Norton, 1996.
• Milton, John. Selected Poems by John Milton. New York: Dover Thrift, 1993.
• Rattiner, Susan, Ed. Great Poems by American Women: An Anthology. New York: Dover Thrift, 1998.
• Rossetti, Christina. Goblin Market and Other Poems. New York: Dover Thrift, 1994.
• Sherman, Joan, Ed. African-American Poetry: An Anthology: 1773-1927. Dover Thrift, 1997.

These books are available in the Trinity College Bookstore. You may also purchase them online from a vendor of your choice such as Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com. The Norton Anthology is absolutely required, and you must bring this book with you each time we meet for class. You will also need copies of the Rattiner and the Sherman because they contain a specific set of poems -- for the Coleridge, Milton, and Rossetti, you may use any annotated edition (n.b. the books I have selected tend to be the lowest-cost options). You must bring a printed copy of all daily readings to class.

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Students will be graded on the basis of 2 papers, a final examination, the completion of their "Commonplace Book," and their participation in class discussion. All written assignments must be typed on a word processor (the sole exception to this policy is the Commonplace Book, although it is recommended that you type this too); you are required to save an electronic copy of any material you turn in - this copy is your guarantee that you can demonstrate you did the work. A substantial amount of the learning you will accomplish in this class comes through active participation in class discussion. Always come to class with something to say or questions to ask.

All written assignments are due at the beginning of class -- assignments turned in after this time are considered a day late. Late work is penalized one letter grade per day. Failure to complete or turn in one of the assignments may result in failure of the course.

Plagiarism or any other form of academic dishonesty will incur severe penalties. Please review and understand the Trinity College Policy on Academic Honesty. Remember that if you can find a source on the internet, I can find it too.

Everyone in the class receives two "free" absences - an entire week of class - which should be saved for emergencies (or until the end of the semester when you have the itch to cut class and play). Coming to class more than 5 minutes late constitutes one half of an absence because late entry into the classroom is disruptive to your classmates -- it is your responsibility to sign the attendance sheet if you are late. Athletes who will miss more than two classes because of competitions must make up any class time missed with special projects and other assignments to ensure the learning objectives of the course are achieved. Missing more than two classes will result in a lower FINAL GRADE; missing one-third of the classes will result in a grade of "F."