American poet Elizabeth Bishop described poetry as “hundreds of things coming together at the right moment.” But what exactly are those “hundreds of things” and how do they make a successful poem? In this class we will examine a broad range of primarily English and American poetry and explore the literary techniques that make certain poems memorable and meaningful. Throughout the semester you will be introduced to tools that will help you become more attune to the subtleties and complexities of language through close reading and active discussion. Searching for meaning in certain poems can be a struggle, but this course will provide many tools to demystify the process and encourage you to find relevance and pleasure in the pursuit of understanding.
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) for the GLT marker:
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Describe, interpret, and evaluate the ideas, events, and expressive traditions that have shaped collective and individual human experience through inquiry and analysis in the diverse disciplines of the humanities, religions, languages, histories, and the arts.”
“Think critically, communicate effectively, and develop appropriate fundamental skills in quantitative and information literacies.”
(http://web.uncg.edu/reg/Bulletin/Current/UnivReq/GECProgram.aspx)
1.
Kennedy, X J, and Dana Gioia. An Introduction to Poetry. Boston: Longman, 2010. Print.
(ISBN-13: 978-0205686124)

2.
Hamilton, Sharon. Essential Literary Terms: A Brief Norton Guide with Exercises. New York:
W.W. Norton, 2007. Print. (ISBN-13: 978-0-393-92837-2)
3.
A printed copy of all assigned readings on Blackboard.
NOTE: You are required to bring both An Introduction to Poetry and Essential Literary Terms to all class meetings. Additionally, you must print out and bring any Blackboard readings with you to class. If you don’t have your books with you, points will be deducted from your participation grade and you may be asked to leave the classroom (which will result in an absence)—this is because it is impossible to participate fully without the text in front of you.
 College-ruled paper (a spiral-bound notebook, a binder, a folder, etc.) and a writing utensil; come prepared to take notes every class!
 Make sure to budget about $10.00 for printing.
You will need regular access to your UNCG email. Email will be the primary avenue by which I will communicate with you outside of class. You are responsible for checking your UNCG email account daily.
I strongly encourage you to email me any questions as they arise. I will do my best to respond as soon as possible and you should expect a reply within 24 hours. If you do not receive a response within this time period, you should assume I did not receive your email and try again. In the spirit of courtesy, you should also acknowledge via email that you received my reply. I may be reached at: kmsterli@uncg.edu.
Regular access to Blackboard is a requirement. You must print out and bring any posted poems or readings.
If you don't know how to use Blackboard, just ask one of your classmates, or ask me.
Laptops may be used in class only by students having a special need for purposes of note-taking or other classroom activities. Students with such a need should make specific arrangements with me. No student may
use a laptop in class without a prior arrangement with me.
Cell phones should be OFF and AWAY for the entire class period. Texting during class is not permitted. If
I see your cell phone during class I may ask you to leave, which will result in an absence.
Attendance: It is essential that you arrive for every class meeting and that you arrive on time. Your first four absences will not have an effect on your grade. More than four absences will only be excused in extreme circumstances (death in the family or severe illness, for example). In these cases, I will need proof or documentation (e.g., a doctor’s note—notes from parents or roommates are not sufficient). If documentation is not applicable to your situation, set up a brief conference with me within one week of the absence
(notifying me by email does not count). For each unexcused absence after your fourth absence, you will lose one-third of your final letter grade (e.g, a B+ would turn into a B). In accordance with department policy, students who accumulate eight absences will automatically fail this course.
*You are, by state law, allowed two excused absences due to religious holidays, which do not count toward your total allowed absences. If you plan to miss class because of religious holidays, you must notify me in advance of your absence. This means that you are still responsible for any work scheduled for the day you

plan to miss and you must let me know prior to missing class. Because you plan to miss the class you will be expected to make up the work before the date, rather than after.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to inform me of any serious illness or emergency as soon as possible. I want each of you to succeed in this class and I understand that there are certain circumstances that are not planned for and are out of your control. However, it is imperative that you are proactive about communicating with me so that, when possible, we can resolve the situation in a fair and manageable way. By remaining in this class you are agreeing to the policies set forth in this syllabus; it is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with the rules and policies in this
document.
Tardiness: Please do your best to be on time for class. If you are more than ten minutes late, you will be counted as tardy. Three tardies equal one absence. Frequently leaving the classroom or departing class early will be considered in the same fashion as tardiness. Remember, it is your responsibility to plan a head— traffic or lack of parking spaces are not excuses for tardiness!
Food and Drink: Please don’t bring any food or snacks to class. We only meet for 50 minutes, so this shouldn’t be an issue. Beverages are fine so long as they don’t become a distraction.
Participation: Your participation grade rests on your contributions to class discussions, quality comments on your classmates’ ideas and essays, and demonstrated familiarity of readings. Interpreting poetry can be intimidating, but even if you struggled with a particular poem, you should be prepared to offer some observations or questions. Often, I will ask for volunteers to share their thoughts or read aloud, but I will also select students at random, so be prepared to be an active participant in the classroom. Please keep in mind that participation grades are based on respect for others in discussions, and on the quality (not the quantity) of your comments and questions. Participation points may also be awarded for in-class writing assignments, quizzes, and other work that demonstrates your active engagement with the texts.
It should go without saying, but respect is a large part of the classroom. I do not tolerate any language that is sexist, racist, or homophobic. Everyone is entitled to her or his own view, but we will not discuss issues using discriminatory language. Learning to respond thoughtfully to views that you do not agree with is important.
I reserve the right to ask anyone being disrespectful to leave the classroom (which will result in an absence and possible deduction from their participation grade).
“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
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I expect you to abide by the Academic Integrity Policy. Should you violate this policy, your work (exams or other assignments) will be returned to you as a zero and you may face further penalties and sanctions. (Note:
The most common violation of the Academic Integrity Policy is plagiarism—if I find evidence of plagiarism you will receive no credit for the assignment. Repeat plagiarism can result in a failing grade for the course.)

In addition to daily readings and occasional quizzes, assignments include:
Letter to the Instructor: This letter is due the second day of class and asks you to explore your definition of poetry and introduce yourself to me. Although the content of this letter is not graded, this assignment is a required component of your participation grade. More details will be discussed in class.
Daily Observations: Each day you are responsible for writing a brief reflection on the specific poems that we will be discussing. These observations should be at least three sentences long and can include personal reactions, questions, or insights about the poem. They are due on the day that we discuss each particular poem and must be printed and brought with you to class. Keep in mind that you should be reading ALL the poems in each chapter; however, you only need to prepare observations for the specific poems listed on the syllabus.
Revised Observations: At the end of the semester, you will submit five revised observations. These should be substantially longer than your daily observations and in them you will discuss the literary techniques used in the poem and how your initial reaction to the poem has evolved over the course of the semester. More information on this assignment will be handed out in class.
Recitation: You will select a poem of at least 14 lines to memorize and recite at the end of the semester. I’ll give you more information about this assignment in class.
Exams: There will be two exams this semester, one at midterm and one at the end of the semester. We will have a review day before each exam, but it is important to note that anything discussed throughout the semester can be included on the exam. The exams will include both objective and essay sections.
Work is due in paper form at the beginning of class. I do not accept late work. If you are absent, you may not make up any in-class work you missed, and if an assignment is due the day you are absent, you must still turn that work in by class time. No exceptions, unless, of course, you have an emergency, in which case it is your responsibility to contact me as soon as possible. To reiterate: if you are not in class, work must be turned in early for credit.
Breakdown of Grade:
Daily Observations: 20%
Revised Observations Paper: 15%
1 st Exam: 20%
2 nd Exam: 20%
Recitation: 5%
Participation & Quizzes 20%
The purpose of the Writing Center is to enhance the confidence and competence of student writers by providing free, individual assistance at any stage of any writing project. No matter what your proficiency level is, or what stage of the writing process you’re in, getting a new perspective on your work is always helpful.
Though this course has few writing assignments, you may wish to visit the Writing Center to prepare for the essay portions of the examinations.

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 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday-
Friday. Telephone: 334.5440; email: ods@uncg.edu.

This schedule is subject to change. Many important activities (such as quizzes, in-class writing assignments, and other language exercises) do not appear on the below calendar but will be discussed and/or administered in class. Any changes in reading assignments or paper due dates will be posted on Blackboard and e-mailed to you.
Check your UNCG e-mail every day, and read every word of every e-mail I send.
IP—An Introduction to Poetry
ELT—Essential Literary Terms
Bb: Blackboard (posted online—print and bring to class)
Monday, August 22st
First Day: Welcome!
 Introductions
 Review of Syllabus
Wednesday, August 24th
Defining Poetry
 IP: “Preface”
 IP: “Chapter 18: What Is Poetry?” pp. 327-330
 Writing Due: Letter to the Instructor
Friday, August 26th
Reading a Poem
 IP: “Chapter 1: Reading a Poem” pp. 5-10
 Hayden, “Those Winter Sundays”; Rich, “Aunt Jennifer’s
Tigers”
 ELT: “Poetry” pp. 13-14
Monday, August 29 th
Reading a Poem
 IP: “Chapter 1: Reading a Poem” pp. 10-18
 Frost, “Out, Out—”; Browning, “My Last Duchess”; Stafford,
“Ask Me”
Wednesday, August 31 st
Listening to a Voice: Tone
 IP: “Chapter 2: Listening to A Voice” pp. 19-32
 Roethke, “My Papa’s Waltz”; Hughes, “Hawk Roosting”;
Sexton, “Her Kind”
 Bb: “Pyro” Dana Levin
Friday, September 2 nd
Listening to a Voice: Irony
 IP: “Chapter 2: Listening to a Voice” pp. 32-47
 Olds, “Rite of Passage”; Hardy, “The Workbox”; Owen,

“Dulce et Decorum Est”
 ELT: “Irony” pp. 44-47
Monday, September 5 th
Wednesday, September 7 th
Words: Diction
 IP: “Chapter 3: Words” pp 48-55
 Williams, “This is Just to Say”; Donne, “Batter my heart, threepersoned God, for You”; Sandburg, “Grass”; Anonymous,
“Dog Haiku”
 ELT: “Diction” and “Allusions” pp. 68-76
Friday, September 9 th
Words: Word Choice and Word Order
 IP: “Chapter 3: Words” pp. 55-71
 Herrick, “Upon Julia’s Clothes”; Cummings, “anyone lived in a pretty how town”; Valdés, “English con Salsa”; Carrol,
“Jabberwocky”
Monday, September 12 th
Saying and Suggesting
 IP: “Chapter 4: Saying and Suggesting” pp. 72-83
 Stevens, “Disillusionment of Ten O’Clock”; Wilber, “Love
Calls Us to the Things of This World”
 Bb: “Filibuster to Delay a Kiss” Courtney Queeney
Wednesday, September 14 th
Imagery
 IP: “Chapter 5: Imagery” pp. 84-91
 Roethke, “Root Cellar”; Bishop, “The Fish”; Simic, “Fork”
 Bb: Hirschfield, “”
 ELT: “Imagery” pp 83-86
Friday, September 16 th
Imagery
 IP: “Chapter 5: Imagery” pp. 91-103
 Keats, “Bright Star! would I were steadfast as thou art”; Prufer,
“Pause, Pause”
 Bb: “Hollywood Jazz” Lynda Hull
Monday, September 19 th
Figures of Speech: Metaphor and Simile
 IP: “Chapter 6: Figures of Speech” pp 104-113
 Dickinson, “My Life has stood – a Loaded Gun”; Plath,
“Meaphors”; Raine, “A Martian Sends a Postcard Home”

 ELT: “Simile” and “Metaphor” pp. 32-36
Wednesday, September 21 nd
Figures of Speech
 IP: “Chapter 6: Figures of Speech” pp. 113-123
 Atwood, “You fit into me”; Sandburg, “Fog”; Simic, “My
Shoes, Stevenson, “The Demolition”
 ELT: “Personification,” “Synecdoche and Metonymy” pp. 39-41;
“Tropes Dependent on Contrasting Levels of Meaning” pp. 54-60
Friday, September 23 th
Song: Singing and Saying
 IP: “Chapter 7: Song” pp. 124-140
 Robinson, “Richard Cory”; Simon, “Richard Cory”
 Bring in song lyrics to discuss
 ELT: Look at “Ballad Meter” and “Refrain” pp. 229-230
Monday, September 26 th
Sound: Sound as Meaning
 IP: “Chapter 8: Sound” pp. 144-152
 Updike, “Recital”; “Behn, “When maidens are young”
 Bb: Matthea Harvey
Wednesday, September 28 th
Sound: Rime
 IP: Chapter 8: Sound” pp. 152-162
 Yeats, “Leda and the Swan”; Frost, “Dessert Places”
 ELT: “Sound and Sound Patterns” pp 217-223; “Rhyme” 210-215
 Bb: Berryman, “Dream Song 45”
Friday, September 30 st
Rhythm
 IP: “Chapter 9: Rhythm” pp. 163-182
 Brooks, “We Real Cool”; Tennyson, “Break, Break, Break”;
Millay, “Counting-out Rhyme”
 ELT: “Meter” pp. 198-207
Monday, October 3 rd
Closed Form
 IP: “Chapter 10: Closed Form” pp. 183-195
 Shakespeare, “Let me not to the marriage of true minds”;
Millay, “What lips my lips have kissed, and where, and why”;
Addonizio, “First Poem for You”; Stallings, “Sine Qua Non”
 ELT: “Poetic Forms” 226-239
Wednesday, October 5 th
Closed Form
 IP: “Chapter 10: Closed Form” pp. 195-203
 Thomas, “Do not go gentle into that good night”; Bishop,
“Sestina”
 Bb: “She Put on Her Lipstick in the Dark” Stuart Dischell (and reading

on Pantoum)
Friday, October 7 th
A Look at Some Other Forms
 Bb: Look at Old English Alliterative Verse, Richard Wilbur
“Junk”, Joanie Mackowski “Lullaby”
Monday, October 10 th
Wednesday, October 12 th
Review Day
 Bring all materials for Exam Review!
Friday, October 14 th (NOTE: Last day to drop classes without academic penalty!)
Exam 1
 In class exam
Monday, October 17 th
Open Form
 IP: “Chapter 11: Open Form” pp. 204-214
 Cummings, “Buffalo Bill’s”; Whitman, “Cavalry Crossing a
Ford”; Stevens, “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird”
 ELT: “Free Verse” pp. 239-242
Wednesday, October 19 th
Open Form
 IP: “Chapter 11: Open Form” pp. 214-225
 Forché, “The Colonel”
 Bb: Komunyakaa, “Nude Interrogations”, Tate, “Rapture”; Edson,
“The Taxi”
Friday, October 21 st
Symbol
 IP: “Chapter 12: Symbol” pp. 226-239
 Hardy, “Neutral Tones”; Rossetti, “Uphill”; Oliver, “Wild
Geese”
 ELT: “Symbolism” pp. 86-89
Monday, October 24 th
Myth & Narrative
 IP: “Chapter 13: Myth and Narrative” pp. 240-260
 H.D., “Helen”; Yeats, “The Second Coming”; Orr, “Two
Lines from the Brothers Grimm”
 Atwood, “Siren Song” (pp. 394)
 Bb: “Gretel in Darkness” Louise Glück
Wednesday, October 26 th
Poetry & Personal Identity

 IP: “Chapter 14: Poetry and Personal Identity” pp. 261-265
 Plath, “Lady Lazarus”
 Bb: Further reading on Confessional Poetry, “Man and Wife” Lowell;
“Daddy” Plath
Friday, October 28 th
Poetry & Personal Identity: Culture, Race & Ethnicity
 IP: “Chapter 14: Poetry and Personal Identity” pp. 266-271
 McKay, “America”; Alarcón, “The X in My Name”; Cofer,
“Quinceañera”; Komunyakaa, “Facing It”
Monday, October 31st
Scary Poems!
 Bb: Poe… etc
Wednesday, November 2 rd
Poetry & Personal Identity: Gender
 IP: “Chapter 14: Poetry and Personal Identity” pp. 271-278
 Stevenson, “Sous-entendu”; Sellers, “In the Counselor’s
Waiting Room”; Justice, “Men at Fourty”; Rich, “Women”
Friday, November 4 th
Recognizing Excellence
 IP: “Chapter 17: Recognizing Excellence” pp 305-326
 Stafford, “Traveling Through the Dark”; Yeats, “Sailing to
Byzantium”; Whitman, “O Captain! My Captain!”; Poe,
“Annabel Lee”
Monday, November 7 th
A Closer Look at Romanticism
 IP: Coleridge, “Kubla Khan” (pp. 406-407); Keats, “To Autumn” (pp.
434); Shelly, “Ozymandias” (pp. 314)
 Bb: Reading on Romanticism
Wednesday, November 9 th
A Closer Look at Imagists/Modernist
 Elliot, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”
 Bb: Pound, “In a Station of the Metro”; Williams, “To Elsie”; H.D.
Oread; Lowell, “September, 1918”
Friday, November 11 th
A Closer Look the Beat Poets
 Bb: Reading on the Beat Poets; Ginsburg, Ferlinghetti, etc.
Monday, November 14 th
Emily Dickinson
 IP: “Chapter 19: Two Critical Casebooks” pp. 331-348
Wednesday, November 16 th

Langston Hughes
 IP: “Chapter 19: Two Critical Casebooks” pp. 348-366
Friday, November 18 th
Contemporary Poetry Day
 Bring in a poem written within the last ten years (note, this poem should not be from our textbook!)
Monday, November 21 st
A Closer Look at Place
 Bb: Pastoral Poems, Marlowe, “The Passionate Shepherd to His Love”
 Bb: Brock-Broido “Magnum Mysterium”; Kuipers “The Light Behind her Head, the Bright Honeycomb of the Sky”
Wednesday, November 23 rd
Thanksgiving break!
Friday, November 25 th
Thanksgiving break!
Monday, November 28 th
Recitations
 Be prepared to recite your poem!
Wednesday, November 30 th
Review for Exam/Recitations
 Finish recitations and start exam review
Friday, December 2nd
Review/Evaluations
 More class time for review and evaluations
Monday, December 5th
Exam 2
Friday, December 9 th
Exam Period: Pick up your exam between 8:00am- 11:00am