The following
is a selected list of the courses and texts I teach on a regular basis.
Often, the numbers of texts vary, and the composition of authors from the
19th and 20th centuries can change dramatically. Students can expect to
find a variety of prose works, fiction, and poetry on my syllabi. Writing
requirements for introductory courses usually include a critical analysis
of a poem and two critical essays that discuss a literary work in light
of a critical article. In addition, a mid-term and final examination allow
students to demonstrate their knowledge concerning the literary works we
have studied. Through identifying and analyzing selected passages from
texts discussed in the course, students demonstrate their ability to read
analytically and to synthesize various themes that have arisen during the
semester. Seminars generally include 3 papers--a critical analysis, a short,
interpretative paper examining a literary work in the light of a critical
article; and a final paper, combining a close reading of one or more texts
with a discussion of one of the cultural or literary issues explored in
the course. In addition, an annotated
bibliography--an evaluative summary of a minimum of ten critical works--is
expected, to be written with another student and distributed to the class
as a whole. Students are also required to present some informal oral or
written commentary--a journal,
creative writing assignment, or oral report. Usually oral reports are
assigned in seminars; in surveys and composition classes, a journal is
requested. Any student who is interested in finding out more information
on these courses is free to call my office anytime.
Lower-Division and Basic Divisional Classes
English 111:
Writing Seminar
FYS 100: Poetry
and the Arts
English 170:
Introduction to American Literature
English 175:
Studies in American Literature
FYS 100: Poetry and the Arts
The goal of this
seminar is to encourage lively debate about the relationship between poetry,
music, and the visual arts. The major objective will be to train students
in critical thinking and analysis. Exploring a variety of poetic forms,
including sonnets, ballads, elegies, narrative verse, and the lyric, students
will gain an appreciation of how sound and sight contribute to the overall
meaning of a poem. Beginning with Aristotle's Poetics, we will investigate
the merits and demerits, according to the ancients, of poetry. Examining
the classical perceptions surrounding the relationship of poetry and other
arts to society, we will then investigate how poems relate to their "sister
arts" of painting and music, create rhetorical situations, and act as vehicles
for artistic expression and social concern.
Through frequent
essays, students will be asked to state their positions clearly and provide
concrete and specific evidence in defense of their points. Subject to in-class
discussion and debate by their peers, these essays will originate as "response"
papers and then develop into analytical essays. I will act as mentor and
guide, explaining key concepts, creating a structure for informed exchange
in class, and advising students on writing style and topics. (Fall 1997;
one section)
Upper-Division Seminars and Courses in the Major
English 300: Perceiving Figures: Nature and
Perception in America: Emerson, Fuller, Thoreau, Dickinson
English 376: American Poetry before 1900
English 457: Topics in American Poetry
English 376: American Poetry before 1900
1. The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson, ed. Johnson (Little, Brown)
2. Selected Letters of Emily Dickinson, ed. Johnson (Harvard)
3. Whitman, Leaves of Grass (Norton)
4. Selected Poems by other poets (xerox packet)
Course Description and Objectives:
This course explores the rich and varied tradition
of nineteenth-century American poetry and provides an introduction to the
two greatest poets of the nineteenth century in America, Emily Dickinson
and Walt Whitman. We will explore how these poets are stylistic innovators
responding to traditional European verse forms and read their poems in
the light of intellectual and social history. Among topics to be
included are gender and authorship, changing attitudes toward sexuality
and the body, and interrelationships among poetry, material culture, and
the visual arts. Since many students may find this to be their first upper-level
poetry course, the course will examine poetic forms and traditions as part
of the semester's course material. You may find The Princeton Encyclopedia
of Poetry and Poetics to be a useful resource for unfamiliar terms
as you plan your oral reports and papers. We will read poetry closely and
learn to write literary criticism. To read critically and evaluatively,
to learn the elements of style and emphasis, will be our goal. To this
end, you will be asked to prepare three papers, an annotated bibliography,
and an oral report. I will encourage you to learn from each other by occasionally
dividing you into small groups to prepare assignments. I will be your guide
this semester, encouraging you to improve, supervising your writing projects,
advising you individually about your writing, and aiding
your discussions. Don't be afraid to see me! (Fall 1997; one section)
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