ENG-233 Poetry Writing

This course focuses on the writing of Poetry. Various forms and styles of poetry such as the sonnet, sestina, free verse, and ekphrastic will be composed. Students will learn and practice strategies for brainstorming, drafting, critiquing, and revising their work, as well as refining the critical expertise and technical language to help them better discuss works-in-progress. Previous experience in poetry is not required, but the student is expected to be proficient in the mechanics of writing. This course carries SUNY General Education The Arts credit.

Credits

3

Prerequisite

ENG-101

Lecture Contact Hours

3

Lab Contact Hours

0

Other Contact Hours

0

Department

• Humanities

Grading Scheme

• Letter

SUNY Gen Ed Credit

• Yes

Semesters Course Will Be Offered

• Spring

Course Learning Outcomes

1. Write poetry in a variety of the forms in order to practice the elements of the craft.
2. Use generative strategies to craft original poetry to be critiqued by their peers and professors.
3. Revise drafts by integrating feedback from classmates and professors received through workshops, conferences, and written comments.
4. Read, explicate, and respond in writing to at least one piece of published poetry in order to analyze craft.

View Course Outline

ENG 233: Poetry Writing

Department

Humanities

Course Description

This course focuses on the writing of Poetry. Various forms and styles of poetry such as the sonnet, sestina, free verse, and ekphrastic will be composed. Students will learn and practice strategies for brainstorming, drafting, critiquing, and revising their work, as well as refining the critical expertise and technical language to help them better discuss works-in-progress. Previous experience in poetry is not required, but the student is expected to be proficient in the mechanics of writing. This course carries SUNY General Education The Arts credit.

Credit Hours

3

Contact Hours

Lecture	3
Lab	0
Other	0

Grading Scheme

Letter

Semester(s) Course Will Be Offered

Spring

Prerequisites

ENG-101

SUNY General Education Course

• The Arts

Course Learning Outcomes

1. Write poetry in a variety of the forms in order to practice the elements of the craft.
2. Use generative strategies to craft original poetry to be critiqued by their peers and professors.
3. Revise drafts by integrating feedback from classmates and professors received through workshops, conferences, and written comments.
4. Read, explicate, and respond in writing to at least one piece of published poetry in order to analyze craft.

Topic Outline

1. General Trajectory:
   1. Definitions and history of poetry
   2. Features and characteristics of the genre
   3. Craft Elements and Considerations (style, voice, figures of speech, etc)
   4. Strategies for Reading-for-the-Craft
   5. Strategies for Generating
   6. Strategies for Drafting
   7. Strategies for Revising
   8. Research Strategies, including incorporating sources
2. Elements of Poetic Craft:
   1. Voice: the impact of narrative and perspective as defined by individual, idiosyncratic observation and expression
   2. Theme: the guiding meaning(s) or intent of the poem
   3. Symbolism: how specific items, actions, repetitions, and images reveal themes or preoccupations of the poem
   4. Metaphor, simile, and conceit: the application of non-literal, figurative representation to words or phrases
   5. Tone: the general character or attitude of the writing
   6. Imagery: vivid and vibrant description that appeals to readers' senses
   7. Sound & rhythm: the fluidity, musicality, and meter of the language
   8. Line composition and economy: attentiveness to line length and line-breaks for specific effect
   9. Stanza coordination: the organization of lines relating to a similar thought or topic serving its own concept and unique purpose
3. Forms and styles of Poetry (including such things as but not limited to):
   1. Free Verse
   2. The sonnet (both metered and free verse)
   3. Sestina
   4. Villanelle
   5. Haiku and tanka
   6. The Golden Shovel
   7. Short lyric
   8. Narrative
   9. Persona
   10. Emphasis
4. Reading in the Genre:
   1. Origins and evolution of form and style through history with a focus on contemporary poetry
   2. Analysis of aesthetic choices and craft in established literature
   3. Examination of historical trends within genre practice as well as the contemporary transformation of the written arts
   4. The ways the historical moment informs rhetorical motivation and intent
5. Workshop Skills:
   1. Identification and discussion of the various aesthetic elements practiced within the genres
   2. Oral presentation of key observations of craft
   3. Discussion of strategies for invention and revision beyond the drafting stage
   4. Ethics: the privacy of people to whom you refer within the poetry, responsibility to the factual truth vs. poetic license when complex issues can be compromised by invention, whether or not one's personal opinion or insight leads to defamation or perceived cruelty