Laura T. Smith: Teaching

E314L Reading Poetry (35005)
Fall 2007
Instructor: Laura T. Smith
T/Th 3:30-5:00 FAC 7
Computer-assisted instruction
Office Hours: Tues/Thurs 2-3:30 @ Cactus Cafe and by appt.
contact: laura.smith@mail.utexas.edu

Texts:

The Penguin Book of the Sonnet: 500 Years of a Classic Tradition in English. Ed. Phillis Levin. Penguin, 2001. ISBN: 0140589295

Anne Carson, Autobiography of Red: A Novel in Verse. New York: Random House, 1998. ISBN: 037570129X

Coursepack available at Speedway Copy in Dobie Mall

Course Website: http://instructors.cwrl.utexas.edu/smith


Goals:
While this course offers a range of readings in English-language poetry from the 16th century to the present, its primary goal is to introduce you to methods of inquiry in the field of English. To this end, you will:

• Read and analyze poetry,
• Write critically about literature,
• Conduct library research,
• Practice critical techniques and analytical methodologies used in the English major, including formalist, historicist, cultural, and theoretical approaches to reading literature,
• Edit and proofread your own writing as well as that of your peers.

Coursework and Grading:

Late papers will be penalized 5% per business day. Position papers will not be accepted late. There will be no make-up for the Prosody Test unless you have a prearranged absence. In-class work missed because of absence, such as a quiz, recitation, or presentation, cannot be made up. I do not accept papers by email, except in exceedingly rare circumstances, such as your having been quarantined or stranded in West Texas. You are welcome to turn papers in at my office, PAR 406, on non-class days. If you do so, send me an email so I know it’s there and can confirm receipt.

Attendance: Attendance, preparation, and participation are a required component of this course. If you must miss, let me know ahead of time, if possible. You may miss two classes during the semester without penalty. Additional absences may result in deductions from your participation grade, and more than four absences (that’s two weeks of class!) will result in failure of the course. Quizzes will generally not be administered unless attendance, preparation, and participation flag, as I’d far rather spend our time discussing texts than taking quizzes.

Formal Writing: You will write two formal papers this term of four to six pages each, based on either an assigned topic or topic of your own devising (which you have discussed with me ahead of time). These papers will require multiple drafts and substantial revision. To complete each final draft, you must significantly rethink and rework your argument in order to improve your draft substantially. You are required to turn in all drafts (including peer review drafts) with your graded submissions, so do not discard any drafts, notes, papers or research materials. No papers will be accepted without accompanying materials.

Alternative Assignments: As an advocate of innovative or “experimental” writing practices, I am a believer in the development of new forms, including new forms of critical analysis. Therefore, for either paper 1 OR paper 2 (not both), you may complete an alternative writing assignment. In the past, students have composed delinearized, hypertext essays using wiki software (which is free, easy to learn, and available online) and collaborative essays with two authors. These approaches usually take longer than the traditional essay, but they present new challenges and possibilities, particularly for the student who has been successful with traditional essays. If you are interested in trying an alternative assignment, speak to me well ahead of the paper due date.

Informal Writing: You must submit seven informal writing assignments, in the style of one-page position papers, throughout the semester. Topics will be posted each week under “Forum Topics” on the course website, and you may select which weeks you would like to respond. Each week, position papers are due by Thursday at noon. You must complete seven throughout the semester. Informal writing is your surest route to fabulous and original paper topics, so engage with it seriously.

Presentation: Each student will, with a partner, be responsible for starting off one day’s class discussion. With your partner, you will prepare a short (250-300) analytical statement about issues in the day’s reading. What is an important theme that two or more poems raise? How do the poems engage with questions of form, representationality, history, culture, or identity? How do the poems achieve their aims similarly or differently? What else strikes you about the poems? What techniques or ideas stand out as most significant or interesting? How do these poems interact or compare with others we’ve read in the course? Your statement should not be a summary of the day’s reading, but rather an interpretative, analytical engagement with it. You most likely won’t comment on every poem from the day’s reading, and I suggest that you focus on just two or three. After your analytical statement, please offer three to four questions to get discussion started. Please give me a typewritten copy of your statement and questions at the beginning of your presentation. While partners usually receive the same presentation grade, they may not necessarily receive the same grade, as partners are graded not only on their prepared statement and questions, but also on the ability of each to extemporaneously engage with the comments, interpretations, objections, silences, or blank stares that occur in the ensuing discussion.

Recitation: Each student will memorize 14 or more lines of poetry and give a recitation of the poem in class. You will sign up for recitation days later in the term.

Original Poem: You will compose an original poem, based on either a given prompt or a prompt of your own devising (which you have discussed with me ahead of time).

Research: Along with critical reading practices, you will be expected to use sources and basic research tools in at least one of your papers. We will discuss the best methods for locating and making use of secondary sources in English papers. You must provide full MLA-style documentation for all sources you cite, and in some cases, you may also need to provide photocopies or printouts from cited materials.

Format of Papers: All papers must be word-processed. Please double space your papers, use a standard font (such as Times New Roman), and standard (one-inch) margins. Use MLA format and documentation style. (See me if you want to practice another style, such as APA.) Always include a title; always include page numbers. For papers with multiple drafts, please staple your final draft on top of any required accompanying materials. Don’t include a cover sheet, but on the first page, please note the date, the course title, my name, and the assignment title (e.g., Paper 1). DO NOT PUT YOUR NAME ON THE FRONT PAGE. Instead, just hand-write it on the back of the packet. This ensures greater anonymity when I’m grading papers.

Computer Use and Availability: Please familiarize yourself with the class website and check your email regularly. I will send out class emails through Blackboard. (Make sure you have a current email address registered with Blackboard; it is your responsibility to receive communications I send.) I will post assignment information, helpful links, and other resources on the course website.

Technology Policy: We will use technology frequently in this class. Although I am assuming that you have some basic knowledge of computers, such as how to use the keyboard and mouse, and how to use the web and check e-mail, most things will be explained in class. If you don’t understand what we are doing, please ask for help. You are free to use the computers prior to class, but please log off the computer when class begins.

Warning about personal technologies, i.e. cell phones, Blackberries, texting, i-pods: This is a discussion- and participation-driven class. If you are distracted by personal technologies during class, you will be marked absent, which, after all, you basically are.

Office hours: Please come to office hours. Introduce yourself, tell me about your prior experience with poetry, your experience in the class, your thoughts about the readings, or any problems you are having with the coursework. Feel free to come by to bounce around paper ideas even if you haven’t started writing yet.

Religious holy days: A student who misses classes or other required activities, including examinations, for the observance of a religious holy day should inform the instructor as far in advance of the absence as possible, so that arrangements can be made to complete assignments.

Scholastic Honesty: Turning in work that is not your own, or any other form of scholastic dishonesty, will result in a major course penalty, possibly failure for the course. A report of the incident will also be made to the Office of the Dean of Students, and filed in your permanent UT record. For complete information about plagiarism and collusion, see the link to “Statement about Scholastic Responsibility” at the top right of the course website.

Writing Center: I strongly encourage you to use services offered by the Undergraduate Writing Center, FAC 211, 471-6222: uwc.fac.utexas.edu and the Learning Center, JES A332A, 471-3614: www.utexas.edu/student/utlc.

Students With Disabilities: The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic adjustments for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-4641 TDD.