Introduction to Poetry
Spring 2015
ENGL 2380, CRN 28215
Instructor: Steven Maulden
Office:
414 Irby
Office Hours: T/TH 1:40 – 2:30pm
W 2:30 – 3:30pm, or by appointment
E-mail: stevenmaulden@gmail.com
Time: T/TH 12:15 – 1:30pm
Place: Irby 312
Course Description: No matter what creative urges flow through our veins, this is not a creative
writing class. The poets have already done that work for us. Rather, this is a class in which we
will learn how to close, or creatively, read. Another way to describe it would be to say that we
will learn the difference between active and passive reading. We will be looking at a wide range
of poems, from the Medieval era to the Modern period, so as to practice and develop our ability
to read as an active participant in the poem. The words may be locked in stone, but our
interpretations are not. That is where poetry gains a new life. That is how poetry from the 17th
century can be relevant to us in the 21st century, and we can nudge the immortality of these
writers a few more years into the future.
It is all well and good to read Thomas Wyatt’s “Whoso List to Hunt” and realize, using the close
reading skills we will develop in this class, that he is talking more about romance than he is
about deer. However, this class will not stop there. We will take a step further and connect
poems together along thematic lines. Active reading is at its most useful when we place poems
within the context of a much larger conversation that transcends dates and conflicts and specific
people, and this class will teach you how to do that. That larger conversation is important,
because once we understand what is being said, it makes it that much easier to add our own voice
to the harmonies.
Learning Outcome: This class will consider poetry as a form of communication that is eternally
viable. It will task you with reading poetry on an close level, picking up metaphors, allusions,
syntax, word flow, historical context, and any other of the number of theoretical tools I will be
arming you with, in order to develop your ability to analyze works of poetry and express these
analyses clearly, both orally in class and written in the form of tests, writing assignments, or
essays. Basically, you will practice reading poetry, developing your own interpretations, ideas,
observations, and arguments about said poetry, and telling me about what you’ve figured out.
Course Text: The Norton Anthology of Poetry, Shorter Fifth Edition
Classroom Policies
Participation: Participation will make up 10% of your final grade. I don’t want to be a talking
head in front of the class for 75 minutes every Tuesday and Thursday. I could, but I don’t want
to. So in order to incentivize discussion, you will have to be perfect on every exam and essay in
order to get an A in my class and not participate. You want that A, raise your hand and speak.
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Discussion in this class should not be too difficult. We will tackle and dissect a large swath of
poetry that spans from Geoffrey Chaucer to T.S. Eliot. There is no way that you will agree with
everything being said, either by myself or by your fellow classmates. That’s good. That means
you’re asking the right questions and you’re coming up with answers. Raise your hand and lend
your voice. I very much encourage lively debate, and it makes my heart smile when someone
disagrees with me. That means we get to talk about literature some more. No question is too
dumb or statement too small, assuming you can point to the poem and explain where you’re
coming from. This class is not about rights and wrongs as much as it is about grappling with
texts and figuring out what they mean to us.
There is one caveat. All discussion needs to be respectful. Disagree or agree all you want, but do
so in a constructive manner. You should seek to discuss these poems with other people, not shut
them down in some blaze of academic glory. I will be showing respect to everyone in the
classroom, as you should as well.
It would be natural to want to direct all comments toward me when we’re discussing poetry. That
is fine if it makes you comfortable and capable of participation, but it is not at all necessary. I
expect discussion to work its way throughout the room. Student A answers one of my questions,
Student B asks Student A to clarify, Student C finds a line in the reading that is problematic for
Student A’s interpretation and brings it up respectfully, and so on. This will, of course, require us
to learn everyone’s names. But I feel like that’s a small price to pay for helping forge a class that
we actually want to attend, as opposed to one that we have to.
Participation is not limited to discussion. In order to truly participate to the best of your abilities
you will have to do the assigned readings. You might think you can hide whether or not you’ve
read, and maybe sneak an answer in without my being any the wiser, but it is obvious when any
student hasn’t done the readings. It’s not that hard for a teacher to tell when their students
haven’t read. You get one class where I feel like no one has done the readings. After that I will
be forced to give quizzes every class to make sure you have read. I don’t want to do that.
Remember, I would have to make up and grade those things. Don’t make me do it. You read the
poetry, I lead discussion, and we’re happy.
Attendance: Attendance does not appear expressly as a part of your grade in the breakdown
below. That is because attendance feeds into many different parts of your grade, and it would be
disingenuous to assign it a single percentage value. If you intend on getting a high grade (A or
B), then you should plan on attending every class day. Your final grade will drop two percentage
points for every absence after four, except in rare circumstances. Absences caused by illness,
accident, family death, official university functions, or inclement weather will be excused and
will not count against your four allowed absences, but I will need documentation in order to
excuse them. If you miss seven or more classes, I will strongly recommend that you drop the
class.
Late arrivals/Early departures: I know they annoy and distract me. They will annoy and/or
distract the class. Please avoid these at all costs. If they are unavoidable, be as considerate as
possible. If you are on the other side of campus and simply cannot help but be a few minutes
late, speak with me and all will be forgiven.
I will take roll in the form of notecards that you will fill out on the first day of class. I will take it
within five minutes of class starting, and if you arrive after roll call it is your responsibility to
find me after class and tell me you missed roll call. If I mark you absent three minutes after class
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begins and you show ten minutes later, you need to tell me. I will be in the middle of teaching
and won’t even be thinking about attendance.
Cell Phones: No using your cell phones in class. It is fine if you sporadically use it to look up a
word or check the time, but texting, phone calls, and playing games are not allowed. I would
appreciate it if cell phones were turned off in class, but I understand that many are like me and
use them as their watches. Please keep cell phones turned to silent during class time.
Laptops: Nope. This will be a crowded class and I do not want the back of the room playing
Dota 2 on their computers while the rest of us are trying to hold a discussion.
Late Work: I do not accept late work. Assignments are due on the day listed on the syllabus at
the start of class. If you don’t turn it in then you don’t get the points. Again, no late work is
accepted.
Assignments and Grade Value:
Exam 1 (Mid-term, 2/24)
Final (Non-cumulative, 4/28)
Essay 1 (Compare and Contrast, 3/19)
Essay 2 (Comprehensive Paper, 4/23)
Writing Assignments
Participation
20%
10%
25%
25%
10%
10%
*You cannot pass the class without completing both essays.
Letter grades are based on the traditional system of 100% - 90% = A, 89% - 80% = B, so on and
so forth.
Grades: A lot of students are worried primarily about their grade, with learning a distant second
if I’m lucky. I understand. I’m still a graduate student. However, as a teacher, I am much more
worried about you actually learning something than everyone getting A’s in my class. I will go
in-depth during class about what I expect for each essay or writing assignment and what will be
covered on each test. You will get the grade that reflects the amount of effort you put into the
assignment. While I am always willing to discuss any grade with a student, and even find
potential avenues for improvement, it is rare that the grade given does not reflect the effort of the
student.
Extra credit will be offered during the semester as a way to encourage attendance to various
English department events as well as a deeper understanding of the class material or even
English academia as a profession. It is not there for the sole purpose of improving your grade, so
do not hound me in the last week of April for bonus opportunities because your grade is lower
than you would like.
University Policies
Academic Integrity: The University of Central Arkansas affirms its commitment to academic
integrity and expects all members of the university community to accept shared responsibility for
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maintaining academic integrity. Students in this course are subject to the provisions of the
university's Academic Integrity Policy, approved by the Board of Trustees as Board Policy No.
709 on February 10, 2010, and published in the Student Handbook. Penalties for academic
misconduct in this course may include a failing grade on an assignment, a failing grade in the
course, or any other course-related sanction the instructor determines to be appropriate.
Continued enrollment in this course affirms a student's acceptance of this university policy.
The Americans with Disabilities Act: The University of Central Arkansas adheres to the
requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you need an accommodation under this
Act due to a disability, please contact the UCA Office of Disability Services, 450-3613.
Student Handbook: Students should familiarize themselves with all policies included in the
Student Handbook, particularly the Sexual Harassment Policy and Academic Policies. You are
responsible for acting in accordance with these university policies. If you have any questions
about these policies and how they pertain to you, do not hesitate to ask me for clarification.
Title IX disclosure: If a student discloses an act of sexual harassment, discrimination, assault, or
other sexual misconduct to a faculty member (as it relates to “student-on-student” or “employeeon-student”), the faculty member cannot maintain complete confidentiality and is required to
report the act and may be required to reveal the names of the parties involved. Any allegations
made by a student may or may not trigger an investigation. Each situation differs and the
obligation to conduct an investigation will depend on those specific set of circumstances. The
determination to conduct an investigation will be made by the Title IX Coordinator. For further
information, please visit: https://uca.edu/titleix. *Disclosure of sexual misconduct by a third
party who is not a student and/or employee is also required if the misconduct occurs when the
third party is a participant in a university-sponsored program, event, or activity.
Emergency Procedures: Emergency Procedures Summary (EPS) for the building in which this
class is held will be discussed during the first week of this course. EPS documents for most
buildings on campus are available at http://uca.edu/mysafety/bep/. Every student should be
familiar with emergency procedures for any campus building in which he/she spends time for
classes or other purposes.
*Credit to Dr. Glenn Jellenik, against whose syllabus I have modeled a great deal of my own.
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Class Schedule
*Note – All assignments should be completed on the day they are listed. For example, you
should have the William Dunbar poems read by the time class starts on January 15.
**Double Note – I reserve the right to change the syllabus as I see fit. I will always make any
changes known to those who attend class, but I won’t necessarily remember to email the changes
to everyone. Attend class, and you will have the most up-to-date assignments.
Week 1: Syllabus Day!
Th 1/8: Syllabus, Other classroom rules, Introductions, How to Read Poetry, and Dylan
Thomas’ “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”
Writing Assignment 1 due Tuesday, January 13th
Week 2: Medieval Week!
T 1/13:
Th 1/15:
Geoffrey Chaucer
“Cantus Troili”
Anonymous
“Timor Mortis”
William Dunbar
“Lament for the Makaris”
“Done is a Battle”
Writing Assignment 2 due Tuesday, January 20th
Week 3: Renaissance Week One! (Sonnet Edition)
Monday, January 19th – Martin Luther King Jr. Day
T 1/20:
William Shakespeare Sonnet 12
Sonnet 18
Sonnet 126
Th 1/23:
John Donne
Holy Sonnets 1
Holy Sonnets 7
Holy Sonnets 14
Holy Sonnets 18 (In Class)
Writing Assignment 3 due Tuesday, January 27th
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Week 4: Renaissance Week Two! (Poems That Aren’t Sonnets Edition)
T 1/27:
John Donne
“The Canonization”
“A Valediction Forbidding Mourning”
Th 1/29:
George Herbert
“The Altar”
“Easter Wings”
“The Pulley”
Writing Assignment 4 due Tuesday, February 3rd
Week 5: Romanticism Week One! (William Blake Is Totally a Prophet Edition)
T 2/3:
Thomas Gray
“Ode (On the Death of a Favorite Cat…)”
William Blake
Songs of Innocence, “Introduction”
Songs of Experience, “Introduction”
Songs of Innocence, “Holy Thursday [I.]”
Songs of Experience, “Holy Thursday [II.]”
Th 2/5:
William Blake
Songs of Innocence, “The Lamb”
Songs of Experience, “The Tyger”
Songs of Innocence, “The Divine Image”
Songs of Experience, “A Divine Image”
Writing Assignment 5 Due Tuesday, February 10th
Week 6: Romanticism Week Two! (Humans Are Losing Their Grip on the World Edition)
T 2/10:
William Wordsworth “The Tables Turned”
“Anecdote for Fathers”
“I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud”
“The World Is Too Much With Us”
Th 2/12:
Lord Byron
“Darkness” (In Class)
Percy Shelley
“Ozymandias”
“Stanzas Written in Dejection, Near Naples”
John Keats
“When I Have Fears” (Valentine’s Day Special)
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Week 7: Romanticism Week Three! (Ageless Mariners Edition)
T 2/17
Samuel T. Coleridge “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”
Th 2/19
Samuel T. Coleridge “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”
Exam One on Tuesday, February 24th
Week 7: Victorian Week One! (The Poets Browning Edition…And An Exam)
T 2/24
Exam One (Chaucer to Keats)
Th 2/26
Elizabeth Barrett Browning Sonnets From the Portuguese, 1
Sonnets From the Portuguese, 43
Robert Browning
“Porphyria’s Lover”
Writing Assignment 6 Due Tuesday, March 3rd
Week 8: Victorian Week Two! (A Knight and a Lord Edition)
T 3/3
Robert Browning
“Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came”
Th 3/5
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
“Mariana”
“The Lady of Shallott”
Writing Assignment 7 Due Tuesday, March 10th
Week 8: Victorian Week Three! (Warriors, Priests, and Literary Nonsense Edition)
T 3/10
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
“Ulysses”
“Charge of the Light Brigade” (In Class)
Th 3/12
Lewis Carroll
“Jabberwocky”
Gerard Manley Hopkins
“Spring and Fall”
[No Worst, There Is None….]
[I Wake and Feel the Fell of Dark…]
Essay One Due Thursday, March 19th
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Week 9: 19th Century America Week One! (America Is Rather Depressing Edition)
T 3/17
Edgar Allan Poe
“The Raven”
“Annabel Lee”
Emily Dickinson
Poem 68 (89)
Poem 202 (185)
Th 3/19
PAPER ONE DUE
Emily Dickinson
Poem 314 (254)
Poem 339 (241)
Poem 409 (303)
Poem 905 (861)
Week 11: SPRING BREAK – March 22nd to March 29th
Week 10: 19th Century America Week Two! (America Is Kinda Alright Edition)
T 3/31
Walt Whitman
“Song of Myself”
Th 4/2
Walt Whitman
“When I Heard The Learn’d Astronomer”
“A Noiseless Patient Spider”
Writing Assignment 8 Due Tuesday, April 7th
Week 12: Modernism Week One! (Why We Can’t Have Nice Things Edition)
T 4/7
A.E. Housman
“Here Dead Lie We Because We Did Not Choose”
William B. Yeats
“When You Are Old”
“The Second Coming”
Th 4/9
Robert Frost
“Home Burial”
“Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”
Writing Assignment 9 Due Tuesday, April 14th
Week 13: Modernism Week Two! (We’re Terrible, Terrible People Edition)
T 4/14
D.H. Lawrence
“Piano”
“Snake”
“The English Are So Nice!”
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Th 4/16
T.S. Eliot
“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”
Final Essay Due April 23rd
Week 14: Bye Week!
T 4/21
Free Day Built Into Schedule
Th 4/23
FINAL PAPER DUE
Free Day Built Into Schedule
Friday, April 24th – Dead Day
Tuesday, April 28th, 12:15pm – Final
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