Course
Policy
REQUIRED TEXTS AND MATERIALS
SUGGESTED MATERIALS
PERFORMANCE ANALYSES
DUE: Analysis #1: Monday, 2/18 Analysis #2: Monday, 3/25 Analysis #3: Monday,
4/15
You are required to attend at least 3 local performance poetry events during the semester and write a 1.5-2 page well-written analysis of each. Think of these assignments as a review of the readers'/performers' poetry and their reading or performance style. The two main questions you should address are these: What will you take away from this reading to apply to performing your own work? What have you learned to avoid in your own performances? You should include a brief overview of what the reading/performance entailed, praise/critiques of the poetry read, and praise/critiques of the readers' performance styles. At the top, include the date, event or reader, and the venue (location) of the reading.
You should seek to vary the types of performances you review; for example, you might attend a university-sponsored reading by a published poet, a poetry slam, and a poetry open mic. The main idea is to get you out into your literary community. You can find out about these readings/performances from the sources I announce in class or suggest on our website; from the Chronicle, Statesman, or Texan literary sections; or from flyers you see around campus. Avoid plays and readings from novels-stick instead to poetry readings and events. Feel free to announce performances you hear about to the class. If you are unsure if a particular reading is appropriate for an analysis, please ask.
WORKSHOPS
Beginning in the third week, you will submit poems weekly to the class website
based on a theme or assignment. During the week, you will visit the class website,
print out each class member's poem, and make written comments on it. Each Friday,
you will participate in an oral discussion of 3-4 of your peers' poems. However,
you are expected to return written comments to EACH class member EVERY week.
Failure to do so consistently may result in a 0 for your participation in this
area.
DECORUM
& CONDUCT
Workshopping poetry can be alternately tedious and intense.
One way to surely make it tedious is by walking on eggshells when responding to a classmate's work. We are here to challenge, excite, inspire, and be honest with one another about each other's writing. So when you have something to say, say it as a professional-as someone who wants both the poem and the poet to improve.
On the other hand, poetry, by its very nature, can be revealing and deeply personal. Therefore, I also expect you to be sensitive to your classmates' viewpoints and respect their voices, even if they distinctly contrast yours. Keep in mind that it is finally the author's prerogative to decide what to do with a poem, and it is our job to make the best suggestions possible for improvement. Also keep in mind that as authors, we have a responsibility to listen and respond to our readers. If half of your audience "doesn't get" one of your poems, it probably indicates that you need to do more work on the poem, not that they need to do more work in reading it.
Finding the balance between these two extremes should be one of your goals this semester. As a group, we will develop our own language and sense of camaraderie to help you achieve this goal.
ATTENDANCE
Missing more than 3 classes will result in a grade of "F" for the
course.
You are also expected to come to class on time to every session. If you arrive more than ten minutes after class has begun, or leave more than ten minutes early, you will be counted absent that day.
MOBILE PHONE POLICY
For many of us, cell phones are a necessity for work. But they also serve as an annoyance and distraction when they ring in class. Avoid this by leaving your phone at home during classtime. If you absolutely must have your phone with you, be sure to turn the ringer off before class begins. For some, keeping the phone on the table during class helps to remind them to turn it off. Repeated interruptions from cell phones will not be tolerated and may result in disciplinary action against their owners.
CWRL
The Computer Writing and Research Lab (CWRL) is both a teaching and a research
lab. Students in CWRL classes and CWRL instructors have made valuable contributions
to research in teaching writing. Some of this work has found its way into research
journals and books intended to help improve writing instruction. To continue
this research, the CWRL is required to get student signatures on a release form.
On the 12th class day, all students taking classes in the CWRL are required
to sign a release that states:
"All work that you produce for this class and in online class discussions is public and is archived for future research. Faculty and graduate students who teach in computer classrooms are conducting on-going research to make writing instruction more effective. These and other researchers may read and quote from these archives. If you wish to take a course in the CWRL, you must sign an agreement that your work for the course, including Internet postings, is in the public domain and may be read and reproduced (edited as appropriate) in future publications by researchers.
The CWRL will not assume responsibility for personal views or any offensive material that you may post to a public forum as a result of your work in this class. Neither will the CWRL assume responsibility for further distribution of any work that is posted to a public forum."
GRADING
AND PROJECTS
20% Weekly poems and participation
10% Student-led discussion
5% Journals
30% Class performances (including performing someone else's poem, your own poem,
and a collaborative performance)
10% 3-4 page position statement about an aspect of performance poetry
10% Three 1.5-2 page analyses of performances
15% Final collection of revised poems
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