ENGLISH 483: ADVANCED VERSE WORKSHOP
SYLLABUS:
A poet’s syllabus is always the same. In school or out, it amounts to reading, writing, and conversation. So, those are the elements of our syllabus, too.
Reading, of three kinds:
1. From De/Compositions, details below.
2. Reading for pleasure, daily, following your own nose. Strictly speaking, the assignment is to read something—at least one poem—every day. Liking it is the best part of the assignment, so find poems that elicit that effect. Keep a record of this self-directed reading on a page titled “Reading Log,” in your Portfolio.
3. Memorization: this is the most intense way to know a poem. You should have one ready for recitation every other week, amounting to at least seventy lines by the end of the term. We’ll decorate each session with a few of these.
Writing, of three kinds:
- Pitches: that is, verses and sketches written to elastic prompt.
- Commonplace Book: a writer’s scrapbook and literary butterfly collection. Here you hand-copy quotes, excerpts, whole poems that snag your attention; also interesting etymologies. You should make at least one entry each week of the term.
- Observatory Log: here, the assignment is simply to notice something every day, and jot it down.
Conversation:
Our class meetings. Rules of engagement per common sense and courtesy: punctuality, generosity, good humor, pluck. Everybody contributes to discussion, every time. Scrupulous work as a First Critic, following protocols we’ll discuss.
“Shotgun Method” for discussion of assigned readings. That means the discussion leader is chosen by lot. Everyone shows up with notes, thoughts and questions, prepared to kick things off. Not required, but you may wish to keep an informal reading journal, in this interest.
1. OPERATIONS
Books:
Required: De/Compositions, by D. W. Snodgrass.
A blank book, a Moleskine, or something like that, ideally small enough to carry.
Google Drive:
Our online site, which we'll use instead of Canvas, for reasons I'll explain when we meet. You'll see folders titled Library (see above), Class (class operations, syllabus, correspondence, etc.), Portfolios (all your work over the course of the term, compiled into a single GoogleDoc), and Pitches (sequential GoogleDocs, labeled for respective class sessions).
Mission:
My job is to engage you in a lively conversation about poetry, and be as useful to your own practice as I can.
Your job is to trust the plan, and throw yourself into this work, learning all you can. If you have thoughts, problems, unmet needs—please take them up with me. I’ll respond to e-mail, and I’ll keep office hours by appointment.
Grading
Grades will be assigned on the basis of your performance in class, the quality of your Portfolio, and your responses to the questions posed in the Affidavit. The Affidavit is this syllabus recast in interrogatory form, to be signed on your word of honor and posted in your Portfolio at the end of term.