ENGL A126: Poetry Writing

Course Outline of Record
Item	Value
Curriculum Committee Approval Date	12/06/2023
Top Code	150700 - Creative Writing
Units	3 Total Units
Hours	54 Total Hours (Lecture Hours 54)
Total Outside of Class Hours	0
Course Credit Status	Credit: Degree Applicable (D)
Material Fee	No
Basic Skills	Not Basic Skills (N)
Repeatable	No
Grading Policy	Standard Letter (S), Pass/No Pass (B)
Associate Arts Local General Education (GE)	OC Active Participation - AA (OC2)
Associate Science Local General Education (GE)	OCC Arts - AS (OSC1)

Course Description

Emphasizing student writing in poetic forms. Includes lectures and discussions on the theory and practice of poetry, focuses primarily on the discussion and evaluation of student work. Designed for beginning, intermediate and advanced writers seeking practice and guidance in poetry writing. ADVISORY: ENGL C1000 and ENGL A119. Transfer Credit: CSU.

Course Level Student Learning Outcome(s)

Identify and understand the various conventions of poetry and apply them toward the writing of a poem.

Course Objectives

I Reading skills:
I. 1. Identify the formal features of poetry, including meter, rhyme, and stress, while becoming familiar with various poetic forms, such as the sonnet, the sestina, the haiku, and the villanelle.
I. 2. Explain and correctly employ the terminology of poetry, including imagery, economy, precision, allusion, connotation, and theme.
I. 3. Devise, recognize, and apply general standards for critically evaluating poetry.
I. 4. Analyze writer strategies for maximizing the impact of their words and apply those strategies, when appropriate, to their own original work.
II Writing skills:
II. 1. Utilize techniques such as writing from photos, quick drafts, letter writing, found poems, collaborative verse, and freewriting to generate raw material to be shaped into original verse.
II. 2. Write a series of original poems.
II. 3. Identify audience and adjust register accordingly.
II. 4. Experiment with line breaks and form.
II. 5. Recognize and exploit the interplay between various images and words.
II. 6. Generate written evaluations of the original poems of peers in a workshop setting, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of works-in-progress.
II. 7. Apply critical skills to successfully identify the strengths and weaknesses of their own original work.
II. 8. Edit original work to eliminate surface errors and to meet basic publication standards.
III Ancillary skills:
III. 1. Develop greater appreciation of poetry.
III. 2. Develop awareness of publication standards and requirements.
III. 3. Understand basic marketing techniques.

Lecture Content

Reinforcing the the techniques of poetry The features of poetry will be explored through analysis of published works, with special attention to figurative language and compositional elements: Metaphore Simile Synecdoche Metonymy Allusion Rhyme Alliteration intertextual references Line breaks and CaesuraTitles Elision Stanzas The course will explore various forms and styles of poetry in published works, using them for models for student writing. Sonnet Ballad Free-verse Song lyrics Villanelle Narrative Haiku Ekphrastic Elegy Genre of poetry will be discussed and analyzed, especially in regards to the relationship between content, theme, and genre. Other considerations will include the influence of aesthetic and cultural changes bearing on form. Possible topics to consider: Historical and current literary movements and styles Confession Romantics Beat The Mahjar New Formalism Surrealism Cultural and societal perspectives Navtive peoples perspectives World perspectives Feminists perspectives LGBTQ+ perspectives Exploring the process of writing poetry will involve a variety of writing and revision-based activities. Possible activities include: Practice in genre , style, and compositional forms: Figuritive language Poetic structure Mirroring/Imitation of published works Word choice and tone Collaborative verse Line-break practice Letter poems Writing from photos Practice in analytical writing: Poetry analysis Comparative analysis Theoretical application Historical context evaluation Criticism response/application Pre-Writing Activities: Research Journaling Brainstorming Poem mapping Quick drafts Revision Activities: Group Workshopping Peer evaluation Rewrite critiqued poems

Method(s) of Instruction

Lecture (02)
DE Live Online Lecture (02S)
DE Online Lecture (02X)

Instructional Techniques

Lectures, classroom discussions, demonstrations and in-class writing practice. Students will participate in large and small group workshops. Videotape may be used to enhance the learning experience when deemed appropriate by the instructor. Students may receive specific feedback to works-in-progress during office hours.

Reading Assignments

Books on poetic theory and practice; poetry anthologies; student work.

Writing Assignments

In addition to producing a minimum of 10 original poems, which can include up to five revisions, students will be responsible for the following written assignments: poetry analysis, criticism response, publication letter, peer-poem evaluation, and assessment of class feedback on individual work. Students may also be graded on pre-writing activities including research, journaling, and rough drafts.

Out-of-class Assignments

Reading, writing poetry, responding to published works, revising original poems constitutes 6-7 hours a week of outside class work.

Demonstration of Critical Thinking

Students will be evaluated on the quality of their drafts and revisions as well as on their in-class writings, written responses to published works, peer review sessions and overall participation.

Required Writing, Problem Solving, Skills Demonstration

Eligible Disciplines

English: Masters degree in English, literature, comparative literature, or composition OR bachelors degree in any of the above AND masters degree in linguistics, TESL, speech, education with a specialization in reading, creative writing, or journalism OR the equivalent. Masters degree required.

Textbooks Resources

1. Required Henderson, B. The Pushcart Prize XLVII: Best of the Small Presses 2023 Edition, 48 ed. Pushcart Press, 2022 2. Required Young, K. African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle Song, ed. Library of America, 2020 3. Required Habecker, k., Salerno, C. How to Write Poetry: A Guided Journal with Prompts, ed. Rockridge Press, 2020

Academic Catalogs