SPRING 2010
INTRODUCTION TO POETRY: ENGLISH 106-06/106-07
MWF 10:00-10:50/MWF11:00-11:50
BRYAN BUILDING ROOM 111
Instructor: Jeremy Aufrance
Office Hours: R 9:30-11:00 and by appt
Mailbox: 3114 MHRA
Phone: 256-8553
Office: 328 McIver
email: jjaufran@uncg.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
In this introductory course, we will study the basic elements of poetry. We will approach these
works paying specific attention to structure (including line and stanza), tone (poet’s attitude), and
speaker and use this new knowledge to further our class discussions. We will spend much of the
semester discussing how the poems we engage relate to our daily lives. This course will be broad
and foundational in nature; it will not assume extensive previous knowledge of literature.
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
J.D. McClatchy, ed., The Vintage Book of Contemporary Poetry (ISBN 1400030935) [Vintage, 2003]
Items posted to Blackboard
Paper and writing utensil brought daily
STUDENT LEARNING GOALS INCLUDE:
At the completion of English 106, the student will be able to:
 Identify and understand the varied characteristics of poetry
 Apply techniques of literary analysis
 Use literary study to develop skills in careful reading and clear writing
 Demonstrate understanding of the diverse historical and social contexts in which literary texts
have been written and interpreted
EMAIL AND BLACKBOARD:
You must have access to the internet and a UNCG email account. Even if you don’t want to use the
iSpartan system for your main email, you must have one. The reasons for this is you need to have a
user name and password to access Blackboard, since this is my method of contact with you. You
must check Blackboard (blackboard.uncg.edu) and your iSpartan daily. Through Blackboard, I will
make updates to assignments and make announcements. Some of your work will be submitted
via Blackboard’s Digital Dropbox. Do not email assignments to me. Do not expect me to reply
to emails immediately. I will make every effort to respond to your e-mail message within fortyeight hours. If I have not replied to your message after forty-eight hours, then please re-send the
message.
GENERAL COURTESY:
 At the beginning of each class, you will turn off all electronic devices; you will place your
mobile phone on the desk in front of you. A ringing telephone disrupts class and affects
your grade. Text Messaging disrupts class and affects your grade. Please remove any
Bluetooth-type items from your ears. Headphones are removed before class begins and aren’t
returned until class is completed. Failure to do this also affects your grade.
 Students must ask each day for permission to make use of computers in class; there are
days where computers will be useful and days where they will not. Laptops may be used in
class only to take notes pertaining to our class or to view documents on our Blackboard
website. Any student who uses a laptop for any non-classroom activity during class time will
not be allowed to use a laptop in class again. To be perfectly clear: one violation means no
laptop use.
 While class discussion is integral to your grade, a portion of your grade also depends upon
your ability to keep the discussion focused—if you must be reminded to stop talking in class,
your grade will be lowered.
 Expect your fellow students to have different views than you. Keep the feelings of others in
mind. If you think you shouldn’t say something, don’t say it.
ATTENDANCE:
This class relies upon your active participation. For that reason, you are excused only four days.
After this point, your participation grade will lower one-half letter grade per absence. Showing up
10 minutes late or leaving 10 minutes early is equal to an absence. If you are doing work from
another class, texting a friend, or sleeping during class, you are absent. Three tardies (meaning
after the classroom door has closed) equal an absence. Eight absences will lead to failure of the
course. In extreme cases (car accidents, hospitalization, etc.), we will work together to find a
solution. In such an event, you will need a doctor’s or university- authorized excuse. If you are
absent, you are responsible for obtaining any materials and completing any assignments prior to
the next class meeting. Do not ask me for missed assignments. Check blackboard or ask a fellow
student. If you are scheduled to make a presentation and miss class, you will fail the assignment.
LATE ASSIGNMENTS:
Assignments are to be turned in during class. You may turn it in to my mailbox by the end of the
day and lose half a letter grade. Assignments turned in a day late will lose a letter grade. Two days
late, two letter grades and so on. If you know beforehand that you will be absent the day an
assignment is due, turn it in early. Items more than one week late will not be accepted.
PLAGIARISM/ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
“Academic integrity is founded upon and encompasses the following five values: honesty, trust,
fairness, respect, and responsibility. Violations include, for example, cheating, plagiarism, misuse
of academic resources, falsification, and facilitating academic dishonesty. If knowledge is to be
gained and properly evaluated, it must be pursued under conditions free from dishonesty. Deceit
and misrepresentations are incompatible with the fundamental activity of this academic
institution and shall not be tolerated” (from UNCG’s Academic Integrity Policy). To ensure that you
understand the university’s policy on academic integrity, review the guidelines and list of
violations at <http://academicintegrity.uncg.edu>. I expect you to abide by the Academic Integrity
Policy.
On every assignment, you will write and sign the Academic Integrity Pledge, which reads: “I have
abided by the Academic Integrity Pledge on this assignment.” For assignments submitted via
blackboard, please type the pledge in the message line.
A first offense will result in a failure of the assignment. A second will result in the failure of the
class.
THE WRITING CENTER, 3211 MHRA:
This resource is available for students who want to get feedback on drafts in progress. Tutors will
teach you to develop ideas, organize, edit, compose and proofread your paper. Call 334-3125 for
an appointment or stop by.
DISABILITY SERVICES:
Students with documentation of special needs should arrange to see me about accommodations as
soon as possible. If you believe you could benefit from such accommodations, you must first
register with the Office of Disability Services on campus before such accommodations can be
made. The office is located on the second floor of the Elliott University Center (EUC) in Suite 215,
and the office is open 8am to 5pm, Monday - Friday. Telephone: 334-5440; e-mail: ods@uncg.edu.
THE LEARNING ASSISTANCE CENTER:
The Learning Assistance Center offers free services to the entire UNCG undergraduate community
and is located in McIver Hall, rooms 101-104, and 150. For help with study skills, contact Erin
Farrior, Academic Skills specialist. Telephone: 334-3878; e-mail: lac@uncg.edu.
A BRIEF OVERVIEW:
You will come to class having read the material and prepared to participate in class discussion. I
expect you to have read not only the text but the materials associated with it. I expect you to read
actively (annotating text, bringing questions, reading carefully, etc.) so you know the text before
we begin. Have your comments, responses, and questions ready. It is your responsibility to try to
decipher the poems before you come to class—use a dictionary, use your understanding of the
world, use the internet if you must. Always bring the book and/or handouts with you. Your
individual interpretation of the poem is what’s most important in the class, but please be sure
that your interpretation is grounded in the poem—that is, if the poem doesn’t mention space,
then the poem probably isn’t about space.
IN-CLASS EVALUATION:
You will have at least one short writing assignment or in-class quiz per week. This is a method of
getting you involved with the text. The point is to keep you reading and force you to read closely.
These CANNOT BE MADE UP under any circumstances. If you come to class after the assignment
has begun, you fail the quiz. You might be asked to share your writing with other members of the
class. If you feel uncomfortable with sharing material aloud, this might not be the class for you.
Occasionally, we’ll have verbal quizzes—your class participation for the day equals a quiz grade.
POETIC INVESTIGATIONS AND EXPLICATIONS:
When we explicate a poem, we discuss the various stylistic choices the poet has made. We will be
writing explications at various points throughout the semester. In addition to these, we will also
be working on other “investigations” of the poems, which will involve, for example, discussing how
changing the line length of a poem changes the poem itself, how poetry translates into other
media. These written assignments will be graded with attention paid to not only your
interpretation of the poem but also grammar and clarity.
INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATION:
You will present a poem to the class. You will consider the historical and personal significance of
the poem and bring several questions to discuss. Creativity is a bonus in this assignment. You will
email me with your plans for your poem at least one week before your presentation. You
will also write a 2-3 page paper (double-spaced) discussing the poem you have chosen.
EXAM:
There will be one exam. There will be several of the following: matching, true/false, multiple
choice, short answer, or short essay.
FINAL PAPER:
The final paper will be 5 pages long and will include research on your behalf; with this paper you
will make use of the analytical tools we are developing in the course. You will submit a first draft
that will go through workshop with at least one class member. Your second draft will be evaluated
by the instructor with attention paid to both grammar and the strength of the argument; your
research will help you prove your point. By no means is this assignment a rehashing of our
classroom discussions. You are required to look at the material from a new angle; for example, you
could compare material we never addressed together. You will be encouraged to use your
creativity on this assignment, but you must begin with a thesis—of sorts— and address that thesis
with facts. Emphasis should be placed on materials covered in the last several weeks in class, after
the exam.
EXTRA CREDIT:
To add points to your participation grade, you may attend public performances (a poetry or fiction
reading, a live performance of a play or opera) during the semester. You will then write a one-page
evaluation of the event and submit it to me within a week of the performance. A schedule of
possible events will be posted on Blackboard. Another option for extra credit is to memorize an
assigned poem and present it during class.
GRADING:
10%: Class Participation (attendance, sharing ideas and involvement in dialogue)
15%: In-Class Evaluation (Quizzes)
15% Poetic Investigations/Explications
15%: Presentation and 2- to 3-Page Response
20%: Exam
25%: Final Paper
ENGLISH 106-07 CALENDAR
-THESE DATES ARE NOT CARVED IN STONEUnless otherwise noted, readings are from McClatchy. BB denotes Blackboard.
Unless otherwise noted, read entire selection by poet.
Assignment
1/20/2010 Introduction to English 106
1/22/2010 Seagull Poems Introduction BB
1/25/2010 Literature: Rhythm BB
1/25/2010
Last day to change course or section without special permission. Last day to
drop course for tuition and fees refund.
1/27/2010 Dickinson BB
1/29/2010 Whitman BB
2/1/2010 Langston Hughes BB Day 1
2/3/2010 Langston Hughes BB Day 2; William Matthews “107th and Amsterdam” 493
2/5/2010
2/8/2010
2/10/2010
Jarrell "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" 58, "The Woman at the Washington
Zoo" 58, "Next Day" 60; Explication 1 Due
2/12/2010 Rita Dove 557
2/15/2010 Collins BB
Essay: Phillips "Associations in Poetry" BB; Phillips 586; Voigt “Winter Field” 529;
McPherson “Streamers” 513 Day 1
Essay: Phillips "Associations in Poetry" BB; Phillips 586; Voigt “Winter Field” 529;
2/19/2010
McPherson “Streamers” 513 Day 2
C.K. Williams 428; Creeley “I Know a Man” 218, “For Friendship” 220, “For Love”
2/22/2010
220
2/17/2010
2/24/2010 Maya Angelou BB
2/26/2010 Sonnets BB; Line Assignment Part 1 Due
3/1/2010
Obsessive Forms—Bishop “One Art” 37; Roethke "The Waking" 44; Others—BB;
Essay; Line Assignment Part 2 Due
3/3/2010 Other Forms BB; Review for Exam
3/5/2010 Exam
3/6-3/14 SPRING BREAK
3/15/2010 Music Day I; Essay
3/16/2010 Last day to drop course without Academic Penalty
3/17/2010 Music Day II
3/19/2010
Lowell “The Quaker Graveyard in Nantucket” 3, “Skunk Hour” 10, “For the Union
Dead” 13, “The Nihilist as Hero” 18
3/22/2010 Bishop “The Shampoo” 28, “The Armadillo” 32, “In the Waiting Room” 34
3/24/2010
3/26/2010
3/29/2010
3/31/2010
4/2/2010
Sexton: "Her Kind" 304, "The Truth the Dead Know" 306; Plath: "The Hanging
Man" 369, "Lady Lazarus" 376; Lee: "The Hour and What is Dead" 582
Wright “Autumn Begins…” 289, “Lying in a Hammock…” 290, “Beginning” 290, “In
Response to a Rumor…” 292, Essay; Explication 2 Due
O'Hara "Meditations in an Emergency" 206, “Why I Am Not a Painter” 207, "The
Day Lady Died" 208, "Having a Coke with You" 209
Meredith: "The Illiterate" 111, "Country Stars" 115; Van Duyn: "The Twins" 138;
"The Stream" 141; Explication 2 Due
Levine "They Feed They Lion" 313, "Belle Isle, 1949"; Bowers "An Afternoon at the
Beach" 188; Strand "The Prediction" 382
4/5/2010 Essay: Phillips "A Brief Stop Along the Road to the Prose Poem" BB
4/7/2010 Prose Poems BB
4/9/2010
Rich “Snapshots of a Daughter-in-Law” 345, “Planetarium” 349, “The Burning of
Paper Instead of Children” 351
4/12/2010 Komunyakaa 534
4/14/2010 Snyder "Axe Handles" ; Hirsh “My Father’s Back” 547; Justice, "Men at Forty" 199
Olds “The Promise” 499 “The Feelings” 501; Gluck “Messengers”503 “Mock
Orange” 508
McHugh “The Typewriter’s the Kind” 540, “Auto” 543; Graham “Over and Over
4/19/2010
Stitch” 549, “San Sepolcro” 550
4/16/2010
4/21/2010 Simic 431; “Most Cinematic Poem” Due
4/23/2010
4/26/2010
4/28/2010 Favorite Poem Day; Favorite Poem Response Due
4/30/2010 Bring Draft of Final Paper to Class; Favorite Poem Day II
5/3/2010 Final Paper Workshop; Favorite Poem Day III
5/4/2010 Re-Covery; Olson: "The Kingfishers" 73; Final Due
5/12/2010 8:00 a.m. Finals Returned; Class Discussion