Lit & CW (Contemporary American Poetry)

This
course will introduce you to poetry and poetic craft, and prepare you for
future poetry classes. Although this is an introductory course, it is rigorous
and will focus on poetic terminology, the foundations of form, and elements of
versification that will allow you to engage in the writing and discussion of
poetry and its possibilities. You will read and write a variety of poems
throughout the semester. In addition to a portfolio of poems and revisions, you
will write three response papers, a 4-5 page critical introduction to your
work, and give a 30 minute presentation on a formal element and poet of your
choice. This is a course for serious-minded students who are interested in writing
and reading poetry.