Great Issues in Fine Arts

Dr. Julie Stotz-Gosh

HSP 172    CRN 4567

Mondays & Wednesdays   1:10 - 2:30pm

Observatory

Course Description:

The focus of this course is POETRY.  It’s designed to provide you with a foundation for reading, discussing, writing about, and creating

poetry.  We’ll look at major revolutions and developments in poetry

over literary eras spanning from Renaissance to Contemporary. You’ll

see similar themes emerge from poem to poem; however, like any literary work, poems are products of the time, place, and circumstances of their creations, so we will consider the ways in which these varying factors affect the texts. In addition to critical analysis of poems, we’ll look at poems and poetics from the poet’s perspective, and, using various poets and representative forms as your influence, you’ll put together a portfolio of your own poetry.  We’ll “workshop” your poems so that you can revise and improve them.  We’ll attend two poetry readings on campus, and late in the semester, you’ll participate in an open-mic reading (you’ll be ready!).  Throughout the semester, I want you to think about the role of poetry in our culture and the role (or potential) of poetry in your own life.