English 113 Instructor: Sydney C. Dietrich

Introduction to Poetry Office: Room R 230, Office O

Spring 2013 Office Hours: 11:30-12:00 MW, 11:00-11:30 Th

12:30-2:40 T/Th …and by appointment

Room C 168 Phone: 564-2109 (office, voice mail) 564-2341 (A & H Office)

Email: sydney.dietrich@bellevuecollege.edu

Fax: 564-2690

Mailbox: Arts & Humanities, R 230

Textbook: Poetry: An Introduction, by Michael Meyer (7th Edition)

Ink runs from the corners of my mouth.

There is no happiness like mine.

I have been eating poetry.

.....Mark Strand

Course Description:

English 113 is a course in critical response and interpretation of poetry. Together, we will address a central question: What does poetry (and all literature) have to tell us about our lives and ourselves? That is, in what ways do poems speak to us about the common feelings, experiences, and perspectives that we all share? We will read a variety of poems, both classical and contemporary, to see how we connect to them and how our connections help to define the work for us. This course shares the belief that “the best reading [of poetry] creates some kind of change in us: we see more clearly; we’re alert to nuances; we ask questions that previously didn’t occur to us." It helps us “understand the value of pursuing hunches and exercising [our] imaginations” (Michael Meyer).

We will use the traditional elements of literature (theme, character, point of view, irony, form, imagery, symbolism) as tools to understanding the links between a variety of literary works and their connections to us. In the second half of the quarter, we will use these elements to compare literary works written by a single author or around a single theme to see how works of literature are changed by our reading of them. As Meyer suggests, “Readers are sometimes changed by literature, but it is also worth noting that the life of a literary work can also be affected by its readers. Clearly, literary reputations and what is valued as great literature change over time and in the eyes of readers.” (6)

Course Outcomes:

Students completing English 113 should be able to:

· Demonstrate an increased level of comfort with interpretation of poetry

· Identify and use terminology specific to poetry

· Recognize some major authors.

· Read, analyze, and explicate complex poetry at both the literal and inferential levels.

· Develop a process of analyzing works of literature.

· Use evidence from text to support a thesis.

· Enjoy poetry and appreciate unique characteristics of poetry genre.

· Apply writing skills to analyzing literature.

Values Conflicts

Essential to a liberal arts education is an open-minded tolerance for ideas and modes of expression that might conflict with one’s personal values. By being exposed to such ideas or expressions, students are not expected to endorse or adopt them but rather to understand that they are part of the free flow of information upon which higher education depends.

Requirements:

Reading/Class Discussion

The work in this class requires critical thinking and reading of poems, and informed discussion of your responses. This requires a substantial amount of close, textual reading, because you will be asked to discuss, not only what the poem says, but how each poem works.

You will be responding to your reading each week in written responses, small group and full class discussions.

When reading the selections, consider what is stated (denotation), what is implied (connotation), and the human experience connections that you find in the work. Discover any common ground that you might share with the work (events, feelings, situations, perspectives, family and friends, or ideas) or questions and disagreements you may have about it.

You should have all assigned reading completed by class time and be ready to discuss it. Small group and class discussions are crucial in this course because analysis of meaning and response to poetry largely depends on what each of you bring to the work as a reader. Discussion in this class will be more informative for all of us because it is collaborative.

Writing

Written Responses to Readings:

You will be writing three (3) short Critical Responses to assigned readings and questions. Your responses will be posted on the Canvas course site and discussed in class. We will discuss the guidelines for writing responses to poems and study student samples of critical response.

Seminar Papers:

You will be writing three (3) analytical seminar papers in this course:

1. Critical Analysis of a Poem [3-4 pages]

2. Comparison/Contrast of Poems on Same Topic [3-4 pages]

3. Comparison/Contrast Analysis of Poems (Theme and Craft) [4-5 pages]

You may receive feedback on rough drafts of your Analysis Papers by seeing me during my office hours, or by emailing your draft to me for comments any time during the week preceding its due date (the earlier the better!).

Many English 113 students find it helpful to meet routinely with a Writing Lab tutor to discuss revision/editing of their papers before submitting the final draft. If you have persistent problems with editing, or if you are a non-native speaker of English and would like additional feedback on your writing, the tutors in the Writing Lab can help you improve your papers from rough to final drafts.

All papers should be typed, double-spaced, in appropriate form. (I will provide samples)

Reading Annotations/Notes:

You are strongly urged to annotate your textbook with highlighting and notes to aid in your analysis. You may, instead, keep reading notes in your notebook on the works you read but, personally, I believe that direct annotation is more helpful. Include in your notes any ideas or questions you discover as you read (and reread) the poems. These notes will help you to follow and understand the works, to collect your ideas for class discussions and responses, to discover ideas for your analytical papers, and to review for exams.

Exams

You will have a Midterm and Final Exam in this course. I will give you a Study Guide for each, and we may do some reviewing in class, if time allows. The format for these exams will be matching/identification questions, completion questions, and short essay questions.

Small Group Work

You will work in small groups to discuss assigned questions on the readings, and to evaluate each other’s Reading Responses and rough drafts for Papers 1-3 (Peer Reviewing).

Due Dates:

All assignments are due on the due dates listed in the Course Schedule (unless otherwise stated). If you fall behind in your work because of illness or other emergencies, please talk to me about due dates.

You may, however, take a “one day late” option for Analysis Papers 2 & 3; please notify me on or before the due dates that you will be taking an extra day.

Please note: I do not accept assignments from students who attend class sporadically, and this includes students who routinely arrive late or leave early. Also, if you are turning an assignment in late because of illness, you must first notify me.

Grading:

This is not a class that you can pass simply by attending. Class participation is also a part of your course grade. Your grade in English 113 is calculated in the following way:

Critical Responses to Readings 15%

Paper 1: Analysis of a Poem 10%

Paper 2: Comparison/Contrast of Poems (Topic) 10%

Paper 3: Comparison/Contrast of Poems (Craft) 15%

Exams 30%

Participation, Discussion, Attendance 20% _______

100%

Ø Please Note: All assignments must be completed in order to PASS the course.

Grades on assignments are calculated using a 100 point scale:

A+	A	A-	B+	B	B-	C+	C	C-	D+	D	D-	F
100- 99	98- 93	92- 90	89- 87	86- 83	82- 80	79- 77	76- 73	72- 70	69- 67	66- 63	62- 60	0- 59

Attendance:

Attendance is required in this course. Much of the class information is generated by the discussions and group work.

Students who routinely arrive late for class or who leave early seriously jeopardize their grades and their standing in the class. This also applies to students who come to class unprepared for class discussions or who disrupt the class in any way.

A student who misses five class meetings (five or more unexcused absences), is at risk of failing the course.

Unexcused absences affect your participation grade in the following way:

0-1 absences = A

2 absences = B

3 absences = C

4 absences = D

5 absences = F

Please read the section on “Attendance” in the Arts & Humanities Division Student Procedures and Expectations for the stated requirements that I use in my course design.

If you are absent for medical reasons or emergencies, please let me know via email as soon as you can. If you know you will have to miss class(es) in the future, let me know so that I can make a note of it for the date(s) in question.

Saving Your Work:

Be sure to back up your English 113 work from your hard drive to a flash drive or other device. Keep your rough drafts until after your paper is graded. All assignments should be saved until the end of the quarter as proof of work completed. This will save you from having to rewrite a paper that is destroyed or lost.

Inappropriate Classroom Behavior:

All students are expected to behave in a mature and appropriate manner for a college class. Students who ignore the rights of others in class by talking, doing work for other classes, or disrupting the class in any way, will be asked to leave. Lack of respect for cultural, physical, or philosophical differences of students in class will not be tolerated. Those who continue to disrupt the class will be referred to the BC Discipline Officer and the Dean of Student Services.

Lack of respect involves “professional behavior toward the instructor, colleagues, and the class itself.  Disruptive behavior is disrespectful behavior.  The Arts and Humanities Division honors the right of its faculty to define "disruptive behavior," which often involves such things as arriving late, leaving early, leaving class and then returning, talking while others are trying to hear the instructor or their group members, doing other homework in class, wearing earphones in class, bringing activated beepers, alarm watches, or cellular phones into class, inappropriate comments or gestures, etc.  In on-line courses, “flaming’ anyone in the class is also considered disruptive behavior.  Such behavior interrupts the educational process.  When you are in doubt about any behavior, consult your instructor during office hours:  we recognize the judgment of the instructor as the final authority in these matters.” (A & H web site)

The BC Student Code also prohibits any inappropriate or disruptive conduct in the classroom. Disruptive conduct is defined as “disorderly, abusive or bothersome behavior that interferes with the rights of others or which obstructs or disrupts teaching, research, or administrative functions.” Violations of this code are reported to the BC Discipline Officer and Dean of Student Services.

Plagiarism:

Use of literary criticism or any material written by others without proper documentation of source(s) is plagiarism. The Arts & Humanities Division feels strongly that “the principle of academic honesty underlies all that we do and applies to all courses at Bellevue College.  One kind of academic dishonesty is plagiarism, which may take many forms, including, but not limited to, using a paper written by someone else, using printed sources word-for-word without proper documentation, and paraphrasing or summarizing the ideas of others without acknowledging the source.  Plagiarism can also occur when non-written ideas are taken without documentation--using someone else's design or performance idea, for example.  In short, plagiarism is passing off someone else's ideas, words, or images as your own; it amounts to intellectual theft--whether or not it was your intention to steal.” (A & H web site)

Please note that your assignments posted to Canvas are reviewed by turnitin.com. I usually grant your access to these reports after the assignment has been graded. Papers in which plagiarism is confirmed, will be given an “F,” and the incident will be reported to the Dean of Student Services.

The BC Student Code is also very clear about the seriousness of cheating and the actions that faculty members are required to take in cases of plagiarizing:

The BC Student Code prohibits cheating, stealing, plagiarizing, knowingly furnishing false information to the college, or submitting to a faculty member any work product that the student fraudulently represents as his or her own work for the purpose of fulfilling or partially fulfilling any assignment or task required as part of a program of instruction. All forms of cheating, stealing, and plagiarizing will be reported to the BCC Discipline Officer and the Dean of Student Services.

Please read the section on “Academic Honesty” in the Arts & Humanities Division Student Procedures and Expectations document on the Arts & Humanities Division website.