ENG2003 Introduction to Literature III: POETRY
What is poetry? What is a poem? Why should we read poetry? Why teach it? What is meant when we say something is “poetic”? Is poetry meant to be read aloud? Does poetry do anything? Is it useful? These are some of the questions we will explore in English 2003. This course will provide the foundation for the “close reading” of various types of English and American poems from different time periods. By focusing on the elements of poetry—how the parts work together—students will learn skills and terms used to support an academic argument in literary studies. Students will learn to become attentive to language and be familiar with the reasons for the writer’s particular choice of language. They will learn how the writer uses the techniques and elements of literature and the particular resources of genre to create meaning. They will learn how texts differ from one another and how they speak to each other. Through these and an analysis of basic diction, style, and poetic device, students will be able construct arguments which they will demonstrate in short written responses, essays, and presentations.
