Group study in a field that may not coincide with that of any regular course and must be specific enough to enable students to write essays based upon their studies.

Who has the time to read extensive epics, dragging dramas, and never-ending novels? In this class we will be focusing on poems that are concise yet complex. None of our reading material will exceed one page in length. We will start in the seventh century with some Old English poems and work all the way up to the present. While there will be brief lectures about the literary period, historical context, and poetic form, this class is much like a seminar as a majority of time will be dedicated to student-led discussion. Our collaborative poetic analysis will have a focus on how brevity in both form and content creates meaning that longer forms may struggle to convey. This class is meant to be an introduction to those who are new in analyzing and appreciating poems. Current enjoyers of poetry are also encouraged to enroll as they too will learn various new forms. All are welcome regardless of major choice. For the last few weeks of instruction we will use all of our experience of close reading poems towards the more active process of writing poems with a workshopping opportunity and the chance to share our pieces with each other. By the end of the semester, students will be able to meaningfully interpret the formal choices made from poets while considering the literary complexity generated from brevity, make insightful connections between different forms of poetry across literary periods, gain a more complete understanding of the history of the literary form, and know how to write some poetry on their own.

Repeat Rules