Description:

This course emphasizes close reading and analysis of poetry by writers from different time periods, countries, and ethnic backgrounds. Students will study terms, patterns, and forms that are useful for an understanding and appreciation of poetic verse. The course will cover major literary, historical, and cultural movements as they relate to poetry. Students will be introduced to major classical and contemporary American and English poets, along with contemporary foreign-language poetry in translation. 3 hrs. lecture/wk.

Supplies: Refer to the instructor's course syllabus for details about any supplies that may be required.

Textbook(s): For information see - http://bookstore.jccc.net

Course Fees: NONE

Course Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course the student should be able to:

1. Discuss poetry as a major literary genre.
2. Identify and describe major patterns and forms related to poetry
3. Define appropriate literary and poetic terminology.
4. Examine major literary and historical movements as they relate to British and American poetry.
5. Interpret, analyze, and evaluate poems to demonstrate an understanding and appreciation of poetry as a literary genre.
6. Identify, discuss, and assess major contemporary world poets to broaden an understanding of the relationship between literature and the culture, politics, and geography of specific countries.

Content Outline & Competencies:

I. Poetry as a Major Literary Genre.
   A. Distinguish poetry from other major literary genres.
   B. Compare and contrast literary verse with musical lyrics. 

II. Major Patterns and Forms Related to Poetry
   A. Identify and explain the importance of a poem’s sound as it
pertains to the meaning and value of poetry by defining and applying the
following terms: rhyme, rhythm, meter, assonance, alliteration,
consonance, euphony, cacophony, and onomatopoeia.
   B. Identify and explain the importance of various major poetic verse
forms such as open form, closed form, blank verse, stanza, couplet,
sonnet, villanelle, sestina, ballad, elegy, ode, pastoral, epic, haiku,
limerick, and concrete poetry.

III. Literary Terminology
   A. Define and apply terms related to meter such as sprung rhythm,
caesura, end-stopped, enjambment, prosody, and scansion.
   B. Define and apply terms related to rhyme such as exact rhyme, slant
rhyme, near rhyme, off rhyme, imperfect rhyme, eye rhyme, end rhyme,
internal rhyme, masculine rhyme, and feminine rhyme.
   C. Define and apply terms related to words such as denotation,
connotation, concrete, abstract, allusion, colloquial, general English,
formal English, and dialect.
   D. Define and apply terms related to voice such as tone, persona,
dramatic monologue, sarcasm, satire, and irony.
   E. Define and apply terms related to figures of speech such as symbol,
metaphor, simile, pun, personification, apostrophe, hyperbole, metonymy,
synecdoche, and paradox.

IV. Major Literary and Historical Movements of British and American
Poetry.
   A. Describe the following major literary movements as they pertain to
poetry. Examples:
      1. Metaphysical movement
      2. Romanticism
      3. Harlem Renaissance
      4. Modernism
      5. Contemporary poetry
   B. Describe major poetic theories and the uses of poetic theory:
      1. Mimetic theories
      2. Pragmatic theories
      3. Expressive theories
      4. Objective theories 
   C. Analyze the significance of major historical and cultural events as
they pertain to specific poems.

V. Understanding and Appreciating Poetry as a Literary Genre.  
   A. Explain the importance of sound and form as they relate to the
poem’s message and poem’s affect on readers.
   B. Explain the meaning of poems through close reading and the
application of relevant literary terminology.
   C. Critically evaluate poems by applying information regarding sound,
form, and word choice as appropriate criteria.

VI. The Role of Contemporary World Poetry 
   A. Explain the relevance of a region’s culture, politics, and
geography upon specific poems. 
   B. Explain the relationship between a country’s poetry and history. 
   C. Assess the role of specific poets and poems in culture and society.

Methods of Evaluation of Competencies:

Evaluation of student mastery of course competencies will be accomplished using the following methods:

Activities

1. Frequent quizzes over poems throughout the semester.  (5 to 15% of
grade)                            
2. Cumulative and midterm and final examinations.     (20 to 35% of grade)
                          
3. Weekly journal entries or electronic discussion posts over specific
poems.  (5 to 20% of grade)
4. Two major essays to fulfill objective V and VI from the course outline.
(20 to 35% of grade)        
5. One group project or oral presentation over a group of poets or a major
literary movement.   (5 to 15% of grade)                                   
                 6. In-class attendance and participation.    (5 to 15% of
grade)                                  

All work is graded on a point system and computed into percentages.
The final grade is based on the percentage of total points earned at
semester's end.

      90%-100% = A
      80%- 89% = B
      70%- 79% = C
      60%- 69% = D
      59% and below = F

Caveats: NONE

Disabilities:

If you are a student with a disability, and if you will be requesting accommodations, it is your responsibility to contact Access Services. Access Services will recommend any appropriate accommodations to your professor and his/her director. The professor and director will identify for you which accommodations will be arranged.

JCCC provides a range of services to allow persons with disabilities to participate in educational programs and activities. If you desire support services, contact the office of Access Services for Students With Disabilities (913) 469-8500, ext. 3521 or TDD (913) 469-3885. The Access Services office is located in the Success Center on the second floor of the Student Center.