English 202: Creative WritingPoetry

Time: T & Th 10:10-12:00

Room: H333 & H405
Instructor: Professor Childers
Office: H455
Office Hours: M 10-12; T 9:30-10; Th
9:30-10
Phone: X5447
Email: jchilders@qcc.cuny.edu
A True Poem
Im working on a poem thats so true,
I cant show it to anyone.
I could never show it to anyone.
Because it says exactly what I think,
and what I think scares me.
Usually it brings misery.
And this poem says exactly what I think.
What I think of myself, what I think of my friend,
what I think about my lover.
Exactly.
Parts of it might please them, some of it might
scare them.
Some of it might bring misery.
And I dont want to hurt them, I dont want to hurt
them.
I dont want to hurt anybody.
I want everybody to love me.
Still, I keep working on it.
Why?
Why do I keep working on it?
Nobody will ever see it.
-Lloyd Schwartz

Course Objectives
In this class you will
Define poetry as a distinct genre of writing and recognize and apply poetic
devices.
Compose poems in a diverse range of poetic styles and forms.
Articulate and apply aesthetic and intellectual criteria in the evaluation and
creation of original works of poetry.
Employ close reading and critical thinking skills in the act of reading poetry.
Texts
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All course readings and assignments will be distributed as handouts and can be
accessed on the course website: http://english202-poetry.weebly.com/
Attendance
Because the most valuable learning occurs through interaction within the
classroom, the active presence of all students is necessary for the success of this
course. In order to receive an A in this class, you must not miss more than 6
class sessions. If you miss more than 6 sessions, you will automatically fail the
course. Excessive tardiness will result in attendance penalties. If you arrive late to
class and do not wish to be marked absent, it is your responsibility to see me after
class. Attendance is factored into your participation score as is your contributions
to class discussion and your participation in collaborative exercises.
Class Participation
Notice that a significant chunk of your grade is based on class participation. Class
participation not only means attendance but also active involvement in class
discussions and all in-class activities, such as group exercises, peer critiques, and
in-class writing assignments. This class is designed as a workshop, not a lecture,
and your participation is vital to the learning process. I believe that everybody has
something valuable to add to class discussion, whether that is a personal anecdote
that corresponds to the reading or an analytical comment, and if you dont read
and respond to the reading, you are depriving the class of your profundity and
wisdom. Class participation and preparation will count as a significant portion of
your grade, and this benefits most students. I will give out participation grades
both at the mid-term and at the end of the semester.
You can receive a total of 100 participation points if you attend every class session,
arrive promptly, participate regularly, and refrain from texting.
You will lose 5 points from your participation score for each absence.
You will automatically fail the class if you miss more than six class sessions. I
do not make distinctions between excused and unexcused absences.
You will lose 2 points for arriving late. Attendance will be taken by 10:15.
You will lose 5 points from your daily participation for the first texting
offense, 5 for the second texting offense, and you will be counted as absent
after the third texting offense.
Classroom Etiquette
The use of wireless phones or other communication devices is prohibited during
class. Because this class is a creative workshop, it is important for us to support
one another. Talking or texting while other students are speaking and sharing their
poems shows a lack of respect for both your fellow students and your instructor.
According to the research done by David E. Meyer, the director of the Brain,
Cognition and Action Laboratory at the University of Michigan, when people try to
perform two or more related tasks either at the same time or alternating rapidly
between them, errors go way up, and it takes far longeroften double the time or
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moreto get the jobs done than if they were done sequentially. Research has
shown time and time again that multi-tasking interferes with concentration and
focustwo of the essential tools for academic and career success.
When participating in peer critiques and class discussion, it is important to respond
with thoughtfulness and civility to other students creative works and comments.
Hate speech, language that degrades people based on their race, ethnicity,
gender, religion, or sexual orientation, is not protected by academic freedom and
will not be tolerated in any assignments or class discussions.

Grading
Participation
Quizzes
Weekly Poems 12X 25
Journal
Group Presentation
Final Portfolio
Final Exam
Total Points

100
100
300
100
100
100
100
900

You can receive a total of 900 points during the semester. This number is tentative
and may change at my discretion. Your point values translate to the following
grades:
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D

95100
90-94
87-89
84-86
80-83
77-79
74-76
70-73
67-69
64-66

Weekly Assignments
Each week, you will be required to complete a poetry assignment on a given theme
or topic. Your poem must be at least 25 lines unless otherwise specified. Your
assignments must be typed, and they must be turned in at the beginning of the
class. Late assignments will be docked 5 points per class session. If you will be
missing class on the day an assignment is due, please email me your
assignment AND bring a printed copy to the next class. I will not print and
grade emailed assignments. It is your responsibility to give me printed copies of
all assignment.
Journal
You will also be required to keep a journal this semester. Your journal can be
handwritten or typed. You will submit your journal twice during the semester. In
your journal, you will not only write poetry, but you will also explore your writing
process and respond to questions that ask you to examine your own philosophical
perspectives on aesthetic and poetic questions. You will be expected to reflect on
prompts such as, Why do we write? What is beauty? Does a poem need to rhyme?
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Is a song a type of poem? There are no right or wrong answers to these questions,
but it is important for you to think deeply about them, reading how other poets
have answered them in the past, and developing your own unique answers.
Working on the journal will also help you build your final portfolio and prepare for
the final exam.
Workshop
This class is a workshop, which means that you will be required to share your work
to your fellow students both formally and informally. I recommend that you read
your writing aloud in front of the whole class throughout the semester and
comment on other students work. I believe that we all have something to offer
each other creatively. I will also take volunteers who wish to have their poems
critiqued more extensively than what is offered within the small peer groups.
Service Learning Project-Public Humanities Project
As part of a service learning project, you will help organize a public reading for a
nonprofit organization.
Roles for this project will be assigned based on skills and interests
Group Project
For this assignment, you will do an oral presentation about a poet. You will be
responsible for presenting the biography of the poet and providing an audio/video
clip of the poet performing (if available). You will then lead a 10-15 minute class
discussion about one of the poets poems. You must send me a copy of the poem
you plan to discuss at least one week before your group project. This will allow me
adequate time to post the poem on the blog so that everyone in the class can read
it before the presentation. Individually, you will write a one page single-spaced
letter to your poet, which you will turn into me on the class session after your
presentation.
Final Exam
Your final exam will be an oral exam. You will meet with me individually for 15
minutes to discuss what you have learned over the course of the semester and
your development as a writer. I will ask you to define key terms from the semester
and to discuss your writing process. As mentioned above, the quizzes and journal
will help you prepare for the final, so it is important to keep up on all course work.
To prepare for the final, you must study the course readings, the website, and the
journal. You must bring your final portfolio to the exam.
Portfolio
Your final portfolio (12-15 pages of your best, revised poetry) will be due during
your oral exam. You must bring the portfolio with a 2-3 page creative process
reflection paper to the oral exam and be prepared to discuss the title, the
organizational strategy, the themes of your collection, and your strengths and
weaknesses as a writer.
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Extra Help
Any student who feels that he/she may need an accommodation based upon the
impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss specific needs.
Disclaimer
The course content may be offensive to some people. The literature in this class
deals with adult topics: politics, sexuality, abuse, infidelity, drug use, etc. If you
feel uncomfortable reading and discussing stories, poems, and plays that engage
with these topics, you need to speak with me right away so that we can find a way
to either accommodate your personal beliefs or help you enroll in another section.

Unit #1: What is a Poet?

Thurs, Jan 29th Introduction to the Course
Journal #1
Unit #1 Poem Due
Unit #2: Writing from Memory
Tues, Feb 3
Tues, Feb 5th
Unit #2 Reading Due-Quiz
Unit #2 Poem Due
Journal #2
Journal #3
rd

Unit #3: What is a Poem?

Tues, Feb 10
Thurs, Feb 12th
Unit #3 Reading Due-Quiz
NO CLASS
Journal #4
th

Unit #4: Testimony Across the Disciplines

Tues, Feb 17
Thurs, Feb 19th
Unit #4 Reading Due-Quiz
Unit #4 Poem Due
Journal #5
Journal #6
th

Unit #5: Space and Place

Tues, Feb 24
Thurs, Feb 26th
Unit #5 Reading Due-Quiz
Unit #5 Poem Due
Journal #7
Journal #8
th

Unit #6: The Darker Side of Love

Tues, March 3
Thurs, March 5th
Unit #6 Reading Due-Quiz
Unit #6 Poem Due
Journal #8
Journal #9
rd

Unit #7: Extraordinary Objects

Tues, March 10
Thurs, March 12th
Unit #7 Reading Due-Quiz
Unit #7 Poem Due
Journal #10
Journal #11
th

Unit #8: Playing with Persona

Tues, March 17
Thurs, March 19th
Unit #8 Reading Due-Quiz
Unit #8 Poem Due
Journal #12
Journal #13
Journals 1-10 Due
th

Week #9: Poetic Fictions

Tues, March 24
Thurs, March 26th
Unit #9 Reading Due-Quiz
Unit #9 Poem Due
Journal #14
Journal #15
rd

Unit #10: Surrealist Techniques

Tues, March 31
Thurs, April 2nd
Unit #10 Reading Due-Quiz
Unit #10 Poem Due
Journal #16
Journal #17
st

th

Tues, April 7
No Class-Spring Break

SPRING BREAK
Thurs, April 9th
No Class-Spring Break

Unit #11: Formal Verse

Tues, April 14
Thurs, April 16th
Unit #11 Reading Due-QuizUnit #11 Poem Due
Identifying poetic forms
Journal #18
Journal #18
th

st

Tues, April 21
Unit #12 Reading Due
Final Exam-Review Quiz
Journal #19

th

Tues, April 28
Group Project Work Day
Final Exam Review

Unit #12: Visual Poetry

Thurs, April 23rd
Unit #12 Poem Due
Journal #20

Group Presentations
Thurs, April 30th
Group Presentations 1-3

Group Presentations & Final Exams

Tues, May 5
Thurs, May 7th
Group Presentations 4-6
Final Exams by Appointment
Final Portfolio Due
th

th

Tues, May 12
Final Exams by appointment
Final Portfolio Due

Final Exams
Thurs, May 14th
Final Exams by appointment
Final Portfolio Due
Unit #13: Ars Poetica

Date TBA
Journals 1-20 Due
Poetic Performance
Unit #13 Poem Due