Introduction to close reading of poetry through a wide range of poems. Students will learn the terminology and techniques used to analyze poetry and employ these in readings of poems, and will become familiar with a variety of poetic forms and traditions. Meets the Critical Learning: AIM requirement.

Degree requirement — Critical Learning: AIM

1 unit — Love, Richman

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Introduction to Poetry

Apr. 2016
Instructor: Jane Hilberry

Introduction to Poetry is about learning to read poems and to write about them intelligently and elegantly. Studying a range of poems from the Middle Ages to the present, we will explore the elements of poetic expression--meter, sound, metaphor, etc.--to become skillful readers.

This Introduction to Poetry course is about learning to read poems and to write about them intelligently and elegantly. To combine the study of poetry with a focus on writing makes tremendous sense, since both enterprises involve attention to the many ways in which language can work in the service of emotions and ideas. Studying a range of poems from the Middle Ages to the present, we will explore the elements of poetic expression--sound, meter, image, metaphor, form, etc.--to become skillful readers. And with the luxury of a small class (twelve students) we can focus on critiques and revision to produce polished final papers.

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