Welcome to Fall 2020! #

COML 1134: Reading Poetry (FWS) #

Poems are puzzles, or are they plants? In this class, we will respond to key questions like “How does this poem work?” or “Why do I like it?” Poems are often thought of as infinite in the possibilities of perception and wonder they produce. We will grapple with the paradox of writing about poetry in a closed, concise form without domesticating it, by investigating how reading poetry can teach us how to write anew. How are lines and stanzas related to sentences and paragraphs? Can ideas “rhyme?” Are notions such as deixis, voice, metaphor, apostrophe, prosody, and the “lyric I” essential to producing a cogent and truthful argument in any discipline?

Learning Outcomes #

Requirements #

• Attendance and participation in class and online
• Two individual meetings with the instructor
• Timely completion of essay assignments

There will be five essays, four will be given a letter grade.

• Essay 0 – “First Day” – 1-2 pages (September 7)
• Essay 1 – “Line, Meter” – 3-5 pages (September 25)
• Essay 2 – “Ritual, Fiction” – 3-5 pages (October 16)
• Essay 3 – “Punctum” – 3-5 pages (October 30)
• Essay 4 – “Final” – 8-12 pages (December 17)

The final version of each assignment prompt will be available at least one week in advance of the due date. Listed page counts are useful guidelines, but you may write more if it feels important to do so. Essays should follow MLA citation and style guidelines, with Times New Roman font and 1.7 line spacing.¹ Turn in all papers as PDFs on Canvas. Submit a copy of the poem in the front matter of your paper (see template on Canvas). Separately attach a voice recording of you reading the poem. Your recitation is not going to be evaluated, but may be helpful for observing aspects of a poem that are not apparent through silent reading.

Course Materials #

All readings will be made available on Canvas or linked to the schedule at least a week in advance. If you are looking for a resource not on the syllabus that is unavailable at the library, let me know, and I will try to help.

Since many poems are digitized and access to printing is limited, you must bring electronic devices to class for the sake of viewing PDFs or ebooks.

You are encouraged to purchase one or two books in hard copy, especially from Abebooks, Powell’s, or the local Buffalo Street Books. While electronic books have their benefits, the physical book encourages casual encounters with random pages and invites rereading.

Tablets are highly recommended for marking up texts and tend to be more conducive to focused reading.

Grading #

The minimum expected grade, B- will be given to those who

1. Miss no more than three classes*
2. Participate in all class activities**
3. Complete all essays on time***

Grades above this depend on quality of essay assignments. It will be difficult to do well on the writing assignments if you are not participating regularly. Essays 1-3 count for 20% each, Essay 4 counts for 40%. Essay 0 is purely diagnostic and not graded. See individual rubrics for each essay as they are released for exact grading criteria.

Numerical scale: 98-100% (A+), 93-97% (A), 90-92% (A-), 88-89% (Β+), 83-87% (B), …

* Being more than 15 minutes late to class counts as an absence. Being more than 5 minutes late three times counts as an absence. Absences beyond three will not negatively affect your grade if they are due to a medical emergency or quarantine mandate. Otherwise, each additional absence constitutes a 1% deduction from the final grade.

** You can miss up to three slack discussion posts, but you must complete all Canvas discussion board posts. Slack posts should be in by 21:00 prior to class; Canvas discussion board posts should also be timely but you may post them as much as 24 hours late.

*** The essay must show some attempt to respond to the prompt. I cannot give credit to essays turned in more than 24 hours late. If you need an extension, contact me and we’ll work something out. Otherwise, adhering to deadlines will help you deal with even more stringent deadlines in other classes and life situations, so it is important to start following them now.

Zoom #

If you need to access class online, reference the Canvas “Zoom” tab for access. Do not share the Zoom meeting information with outside parties. Keep your camera on, as it improves the quality of conversation. Mute your microphone when not speaking.

Policy #

• Writing submitted for this course may be read and shared among other members of the class with student permission, typically for peer review exercises.
• Writing submitted for this course must have been written for this course and not another and must originate with you in form and content with all contributory sources fully and specifically acknowledged. See Cornell’s Guide to Academic Integrity. Penalty for a violation of the code is normally an ‘F’ for the term.
• This instructor respects and upholds University policies and regulations pertaining to the observation of religious holidays; assistance available to the physically handicapped, visually and/or hearing impaired student; sexual harassment; discrimination based on race, ethnicity, and gender identity. Students are advised to become familiar with the respective University regulations and are encouraged to bring any questions or concerns to the attention of the instructor.
• If you have a disability-related need for this course, provide the instructor with an accommodation notification letter from Student Disability Services. Students are expected to give two weeks’ notice for requested accommodations. If you need immediate accommodations sooner, please speak to the instructor about your need by the end of the first week.
• This webpage is subject to change at all times. Substantive edits will be announced via Canvas.