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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