"He wants to say / His life is real, / No one can say why / It is not easy to speak / A ferocious mumbling, in public,  / Of rootless speech"

--from Of Being Numerous (1968), George Oppen

Objectives: Students in Twentieth Century American Poetry will study poetic movements from the Imagists and Harlem Renaissance poets through the L=A=N=G=U=A=G=E poets, Iowa workshop poets, and New Formalists. This course will be organized chronologically but will encourage students to make connections among the poets' themes, techniques, influences, and philosophies. A key concern of the class is the way in which various poets understand how language mediates experience, including the experience of reading. Students will engage with these poetries and actively consider stylistics, manifestos, and content in a variety of ways that will encourage critical thinking and the articulation of abstract concepts in on-line discussions, in-class discussions, in-class writing, small group discussions, and formal writing.

Required Texts:

Hoover, Paul. Postmodern American Poetry. New York: Norton, 1994.

Ramazani, Jajan, et. al. Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry: Volume I Modern Poetry. 3^rd ed. NY:Norton, 2003.

Set at least $10 aside for reserve materials.

Recommended Text:

Nicholls, Peter. Modernisms: A Literary Guide. Berkeley: U of California P, 1995.

Required Materials:

Two floppy disks to back up work

Intellectual curiosity

$10 set aside for copy and printing expenses

Papers: Paper #1 should be between 750 and 1250 words in length. (One typed page should be about 250 words, so set font size and type and margins accordingly.) The research paper should be at least 2,500 words in length. Please visit my web site for specific topics and guidelines for each paper. All papers must be typed and double-spaced, using MLA format, and including a bibliography.

On-line Group Project: This project will use SVSU's Blackboard web-based environment. A complete guide sheet and examples are available on-line. This project is in lieu of quizzes, and students are expected to post at least once each week. Posts are due on each Monday by noon; no exceptions will be made; the cut off time is firm.

Plagiarism Policy

Students who violate the University's standards of academic integrity will fail the assignment in question and, at the discretion of the Department of English, may receive further academic and Judicial Board sanctions, such as failing the course and facing charges of academic dishonesty. This class will adhere to the Academic Integrity Policy set forth by the University in the Student Code of Conduct from the SVSU Student Handbook, Section 1.8.

Tutorial Services

The Writing Center is located on the first floor of Science East (964-1661). To e-mail the Writing Center, send your message to writing-center@svsu.edu. Consult my web page for other writing resources for students, including links to Zahnow Library, the WC, Information Technology, and Disability Services. Students with disabilities, which may restrict their full participation in course activities, are encouraged to meet with me or contact the SVSU Office of Disability Services, Curtiss 112, for assistance.

For computer problems, call the Help Desk at (989) 964-4225.

Note:  Depending on the needs of the class, this syllabus is subject to change.