COURSE SYLLABUS

Click HERE to download a hard copy of the syllabus as a Word document.

ENGLISH 469: CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN POETRY - AUTOBIOGRAPHY AND POETRY

Professor Lee Ann Roripaugh
Fall Semester, 2006
Section #015, Tuesdays, 4:00-6:45 p.m., Old Main 202
Office Hours: Tuesdays, 12:00-1:45 p.m.; Thursdays, 12:00-1:45 p.m. and 3:30-5:30 p.m.
(Office Hours Also Anytime by Appointment)
Office: Dakota Hall #207
Office Phone: 677-5979
E-mail: lroripau@usd.edu
Mailbox: Dakota Hall #212

ENGL 469 is a literature course in post-1950 contemporary American poetry. The course will focus on an examination of the transformative process by which "raw autobiographical materials" contained in the journals, letters, and memoirs of contemporary American poets are distilled and transformed into poetry. Beginning with the hugely influential poetic developments of the “Middle Generation” poets in the 1950’s, the course will attempt to trace the contemporary development of several strands of autobiographical poetry emerging from the work of Middle Generation poets – in particular, the confessionalism of Robert Lowell, Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton leading up to the "post-confessionalism" of poets such as Sharon Olds and Kim Addonizio; the “journal poem” genre of Robert Lowell and Frank O'Hara continuing on through poets such as David Lehman; and autobiographical discourses of otherness and displacement found in the poems of Elizabeth Bishop and leading up to poets such as Mark Doty and Li Young Lee. The course will seek to analyze and problematize notions of memoir, persona, masking, exhibitionism and "confessionalism" in contemporary American poetry; examine aspects of Modernism and Post-Modernism within the poets under discussion; apply critical/theoretical concepts and analyses to the works under study; and engage in close stylistic analyses and readings of poems.

Prerequisites: Junior standing and six hours of survey.

REQUIREMENTS:

Blogging (Maintenance of On-line Journal):

2 entries per week – 1 entry will be either a response to the assigned readings and/or issues raised in class discussions (250-word minimum); 1 entry will be written in response to memoir-generating prompts from The Autobiography Box (250-word minimum).

Blogging requirements will commence after the second class meeting, and will continue for ten weeks throughout the last week of classes. (Please note that blogging will not be required over Thanksgiving break, or on weeks set aside for student presentations). Each entry is worth 10 points apiece (at 2 entries per week this adds up to 20 entries worth 200 points total during the semester). You can make up to 6 missed entries by writing extra credit blog entries during non-blogging weeks (i.e., Thanksgiving break, non-assigned blogging weeks, etc.). Each week’s 2 blog entries must be posted no later than midnight on Monday night of each week to receive credit.

Three Modeled Poems:

Using the “raw autobiographical material” from your blog generated in response to the memoir-generating prompts, you will write three poems modeled after autobiographical poets we have discussed in class. Your model should attempt to mimic the techniques by which a given poet transforms his/her raw autobiographical material into poetry, as well as mimic certain aspects of the poet’s style as discussed in class. Your model should also include a short write-up (500 words minimum) that identifies the poet whose work you’re modeling, and the specific stylistic traits of this poet that you’ve incorporated into your model. In many respects, your grasp of the stylistic traits of the poet/poem you're modeling, and the "argument" you make for how your modeled poem reflects these stylistic traits will determine your level of success with this assignment. (This exercise will also be very helpful in building the skills necessary to writing your final paper.) Please post your modeled poems on your blog on the assigned due dates. Each poem is worth up to 100 points, and you will be given credit for your poems on the Check Plus (100 points), Check (85 points), and Check Minus (70 points) system based on the effort you’ve made to understand and represent each modeled poet’s style (and not necessarily the aesthetic quality of your model).

Two Oral Presentations:

Selecting a contemporary American (post-1950) poet of your choice not covered in the course’s assigned reading, you will be asked to give two presentations (one during the first half of the semester, and the other during the second half of the semester) of approximately 15 minutes in length. Your presentation should provide a discussion of the poet’s style and attempt to contextualize the poet in terms of issues pertaining to our various investigations of autobiographical poetry. You should begin browsing these books early on in the semester so that you can identify the poets on whom you wish to present. Sign-up sheets will be made available, and I will ask that we avoid duplicate presentations. Each presentation will be worth 50 points.

Final Course Paper:

There will be a final course paper due at the end of the semester. Undergraduate students will be required to write a 10-12 page final paper, while graduate students will be asked to write an 18-20 page final paper. You will be given a choice of paper topics covering various poets, themes, issues, and critical approaches discussed over the course of the semester from which to select your paper topic. A rough draft of your paper (worth 100 points) will be due on November 28, 2006, and then a final, revised version of your paper (worth 300 points) will be due during finals week on Thursday, December 14, 2006, by 5:00 p.m.

GRADING:

40% Final 10-12 Page Paper (400 points total – 100 points rough draft; 300 points final draft)
20% Blogging/On-Line Writing Journal Entries (200 points total – 10 points per entry)
30% Three Modeled Poems (300 points total - 100 points apiece)
10% Two Oral Presentations (100 points total - 50 points apiece)

Your final grade will be based on a scale of 1,000 points possible.

TEXTS:

Elizabeth Bishop, The Complete Poems, 1927-1979 (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1985),
ISBN: 0374518173

Robert Lowell, Selected Poems: Revised Edition (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1977),
ISBN: 0374515003

Sylvia Plath, Collected Poems (Reissue) (Perennial, 1981), ISBN 0060909005

Anne Sexton, The Complete Poems (Mariner Books, 1999), ISBN 0395957761

Frank O’Hara, Lunch Poems (Pocket Poets Series: No. 19) (City Lights Books, 1964),
ISBN: 0872860353

Li-Young Lee, Book of My Nights (BOA Editions, 2001), ISBN: 1929918089

David Lehman, The Evening Sun: A Journal in Poetry (Scribner, 2002),
ISBN: 074322552X

Sharon Olds, Strike Sparks: Selected Poems, 1980-2002 (Knopf, 2004),
ISBN: 0375710760

Kim Addonizio, Tell Me (BOA Editions, 2000), ISBN: 1880238918

Mark Doty, My Alexandria (University of Illinois Press, 1993), ISBN: 0252063171

Additional materials will be made available either on-line or via Xerox handouts as needed.

ABSENCES AND MAKEUPS:

You will be allowed two absences during the course of the semester. For each absence beyond these two there will be a 50-point deduction in your final grade. If you happen to go beyond the three allowed absences, you will be allowed to make up one (and no more than one absence) by attending an outside poetry reading and writing a 500-word review of the event, or writing a 500-word review of a contemporary volume(s) of poetry not discussed in class.

Students who must miss class due to an official University event must let the instructor know in advance (with appropriate documentation) in order to make up missed work. In the event of unexpected serious illness or if commuting students must miss class due to severely inclement weather, students must contact the instructor and provide appropriate documentation to make arrangements for makeups, etc.

Please note that I DO NOT make distinctions between excused and unexcused absences, and an absence always counts as an absence. Instead, you’ve been given a reasonable number of absences and a reasonable number of makeup opportunities to work with, and I will expect you each to manage your own attendance accordingly. Please let me know ASAP if you have specific concerns or questions.

PLAGIARISM:

The College of Arts and Sciences considers plagiarism, cheating, and other forms of academic dishonesty inimical to the objectives of higher education. The College supports the imposition of penalties on students who engage in academic dishonesty, as defined in the “Conduct” section of the University of South Dakota Student Handbook.

No credit can be given for a dishonest assignment. At the discretion of the instructor, a student caught engaging in any form of academic dishonesty may be:

(a) Given a zero for that assignment.
(b) Allowed to rewrite and resubmit the assignment for credit.
(c) Assigned a reduced grade for the course.
(d) Dropped from the course.
(e) Failed in the course.

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT POLICY ON FAIR EVALUATION:

Rights and Responsibilities: The English Department believes that each student is entitled to earn and receive a fair grade in each course for which he or she enrolls. The department believes equally that it is the right and the responsibility of an instructor to establish criteria for evaluation for each course which he or she teaches and to determine the degree to which an individual student has fulfilled the standards set for the course.

Resolving Complaints: Students making a complaint about a grade should first attempt to resolve the problem directly with the course instructor. If that attempt is unsuccessful, the Director of Writing will review complaints regarding grades in ENGL 101 and 210. The Chair will consider other student complaints regarding grades as well as complaints from 101 and 210 not resolved by the Director of Writing. However, the burden of proof will lie with the student registering the complaint; he or she must demonstrate that an instructor has made an error in computation or that the instructor has violated the criteria set down in the printed syllabus for the course.

Syllabus Policy: To assist the Director and the Chair in determining whether grade changes are needed, individual faculty will be responsible for providing evaluation criteria for each course on the syllabus for that course, and for providing a copy of each syllabus to the Department Secretary by the second week of each semester.

Other Factors: Students should be apprised that extraneous factors, such as the eligibility of a student for sorority or fraternity membership, for scholarship and fellowship awards, or for admission to graduate schools, have no bearing on the determination of the fairness of a grade or grades received. The quality of the student’s overall performance with respect to evaluation standards will be the only criterion for judgment.

NOTICE REGARDING DISABILITIES:

Any student who feels s/he may need academic accommodations or access accommodations based on the impact of a documented disability should contact and register with Disability Services during the first week of class. Disability Services is the official office to assist students through the process of disability verification and coordination of appropriate and reasonable accommodations. Students currently registered with Disability Services must obtain a new accommodation memo each semester.

Ernetta L. Fox, Director
Disability Services, Room 119 Service Center
Phone: (605) 677-6389
Web Site: http://www.usd.edu/ds
E-mail: dservices@usd.edu

ASSESSMENT:

Any written work submitted for this course may be used for purposes of program review and/or faculty development.

FREEDOM IN LEARNING:

Students are responsible for learning the content of any course of study in which they are enrolled. Under Board of Regents and University policy, student academic performance shall be evaluated solely on an academic basis and students should be free to take reasoned exception to the data or views offered in any course of study. Students who believe that an academic evaluation is unrelated to academic standards but is related instead to judgment of their personal opinion or conduct should contact the dean of the college which offers the class to initiate a review of the evaluation.

TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE


Important!! Don’t forget to blog!! Weekly deadline for posting the two required blog posts is no later than Monday night at midnight!! Blogging will officially commence after the second class meeting, and the first round of blog posts will be due by midnight on Monday, September 11, 2006.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006 - Introduction to Course
Go over syllabus and course policies; introduce course materials; go over blog set ups.

Tuesday, September 5, 2006 – Introduction to Course (cont.)
Modernism and Post-Modernism, Confessionalism, and the Middle Generation of Poets
URLs for your blogs will be due in class today!!

Tuesday, September 12, 2006 – Confessionalism Past and Present
Sylvia Plath

Tuesday, September 19, 2006 – Confessionalism Past and Present (cont.)
Sylvia Plath

Tuesday, September 26, 2006 – Confessionalism Past and Present (cont.)
Anne Sexton

Tuesday, October 3, 2006 – Confessionalism Past and Present (cont.)
Sharon Olds and Kim Addonizio
Modeling Poem #1 Due!!

Tuesday, October 10, 2006 – Presentations
Oral Presentation #1 Due (15 minutes apiece)

Tuesday, October 17, 2006 – Journal Poetry
Robert Lowell

Tuesday, October 24, 2006 – Journal Poetry (cont.)
Frank O’Hara and David Lehman
Modeling Poem #2 Due!!

Tuesday, October 31, 2006 – Discourses of Otherness and Displacement
Elizabeth Bishop

Tuesday, November 7, 2006 – Discourses of Otherness and Displacement (cont.)
Elizabeth Bishop

Tuesday, November 14, 2006 – Discourses of Otherness and Displacement (cont.)
Mark Doty and Li-Young Lee
Modeling Poem #3 Due!!

Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Class Canceled – Instructor Giving Out-of-Town Reading

Tuesday, November 28, 2006 – TBA
Rough Draft of Final Paper Due Today!!!

Tuesday, December 5, 2006 – Presentations
Oral Presentation #2 (15 minutes apiece)


Final Paper Due Thursday, December 14, 2006, by 5:00 p.m.!!!!!