Professor: Lizzy LeRud
4 credits
Can poems really make a difference in the world? Do they shape laws, change minds, start a protest movement? Who writes that kind of poem, who’s reading it, and why? What circumstances call for free verse, say, rather than a sonnet, a haiku, or a villanelle? In short, how do poems help us think, express ourselves, and feel inspired, energized, or ready to act, here in the United States, right now?
To explore these questions, we will start with three poetry collections that speak to what’s happening in politics today: Whereas by Layli Long Soldier, American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin by Terrance Hayes, and An Optimism by Cameron Awkward-Rich. Then you’ll take the lead. Working with a team, you’ll look through recent issues of well-known poetry magazines and journals, choose selections for our class, and lead us in discussion and analysis.
Success in this class depends on active participation. Two formal oral presentations require student-led discussions. Frequent short writing assignments (400-600 words) will help you develop skills of literary and cultural analysis. No background in poetry is required.
Graduation Requirement: This class will fulfill an Arts and Letters Colloquium and US: Difference, Inequality, and Agency (US) cultural literacy requirement. If a student already has completed an Arts and Letters Colloquium, this course will fulfill both of the following requirements: an Elective Colloquium and the US: Difference, Inequality, and Agency (US) cultural literacy requirement.