Orientation to CW 120 Poetry I

CW 120 or "Poetry I" is a three-unit course that focuses on "the art of poetry, particularly that of modern poetry, including a survey of the growth of its techniques" (2011 Academic Catalogue) and as " a workshop [course] on the traditional forms of poetry" (Revised BAE Curriculum). Students taking this course must have taken 12 units of English/Literature courses or accomplished a Consent of Instructor form. 

The course aims to hone the students' poetic craft through the critical reading and discussion of selected texts, and through the production of individual poetry collections to be submitted for critiquing in workshop sessions. By the end of the semester, students should have:

• Articulated their knowledge of the significant movements and trends in poetry, the principles and techniques involved in the poetic craft, and the types of poetic forms (especially the traditional or closed forms)
• Demonstrated their knowledge of the principles and aesthetics of poetry
• Demonstrated their proficiency in the analysis of poetry
• Demonstrated their proficiency in the writing and revising of poems

The course is classified as a lecture and workshop class. Students will present their individual works for critiquing by their peers, and are expected to present a portfolio of their revised works at the end of the term. Students are also expected to have read selected materials to be taken up during class discussions and workshop sessions. Thus, students should come to class prepared for the scheduled discussion or workshop sessions.

Students must also refrain from missing classes and scheduled activities. They may refer to the University's Student Handbook regarding policies on absences and its corresponding penalties. They are also cautioned against plagiarism. Students commit plagiarism when they present as their own someone else’s work or ideas. Papers or projects suspected of plagiarism will be returned to students for revision. Repeated offenses will result in, depending on the gravity of the case: (1) a failing mark for the activity, (2) a failing mark for the course, (3) possible suspension/expulsion of students concerned (University policies will apply for the latter case). The rule for late submission will apply for plagiarized papers/projects returned for revision. Other forms of intellectual dishonesty will not be tolerated.

Students may access sources on the poetic craft as well as poetry collections found online or at the University Library. Some titles available at the University and CHSS Libraries are listed below. Specific titles of materials to be taken up during class discussions are listed in the course matrix.

• Abad, Gémino H. Getting Real: An Introduction to the Practice of Poetry. Diliman, Quezon City: University of the Philippines Press, 2004.
• de Ungria, Ricardo M. (ed.). A Passionate Patience:Ten Filipino Poets on the Writing of Their Poems. Pasig City: Anvil Publishing, 1995.
• Kennedy, X. J., and Dana Gioia. An Introduction to Poetry. 8th ed. New York: HarperCollins, 1994.
• Lakoff, George, and Mark Johnson. Metaphors We Live By. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980.
• Nims, John Frederick. Western Wind: An Introduction to Poetry. 3rd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992.
• Pinsky, Robert. The Sounds of Poetry: A Brief Guide. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998.
• Polonsky, Marc. The Poetry Reader’s Toolkit: A Guide to Reading and Understanding Poetry. Chicago: NTC Publishing Group, 1998.s
• Raffel, Burton. How to Read a Poem. New York: Meridian, 1984.

---

Students will be assessed through formative and summative evaluation activities. However, only summative activities will be graded. Formative assessment will include participation in class discussions and workshop sessions. Summative assessment activities will include leading class discussions or workshop sessions, peer editing of poems discussed during workshop sessions, and the students’ final portfolios of their collection of poems organized around a thematic/conceptual framework. 

Works for summative assessment submitted beyond the deadline will be marked one grade level down for each calendar day it is late.

Students’ performance will be assessed through formative and summative evaluations. Students’ output for summative assessments will be evaluated according to the rubric for specific activities (distributed prior to the activity). A student’s rating will be computed according to its corresponding percentage of the final grade: leading class discussions and workshop sessions (30%); peer editing of drafts (30%); and the final portfolio (40%).

The class meets twice a week, for one and a half hours per session, over a sixteen-week period, not counting dates for the final examination period (which will serve as deadline for the submission of final portfolios). After an orientation to the course, the class will proceed to the discussion of the following topics, and culminating in the workshop and revision sessions:

• Introduction to Poetry and the Poetic Craft
• Poetic Content: Subject Matter and Modes of Presentation
  • Subject matter and poetic insight
  • Dramatic, narrative, and lyric modes
  • Presentational techniques: description, camera work, image and metaphor, and figurative language
• Poetic Form: Language, Verse, and Stanza
  • Gestural language
  • Voice
  • Verse line
  • Rhythm, meter, and syllables
  • Sound and rhyme
  • Stanza
• Traditional/Closed Poetic Forms
  • Ghazal
  • Haiku
  • Pantoum
  • Triolet
  • Rondeau
  • Sonnet
  • Villanelle
  • Ballade
  • Sestina
  • Sequence poem
• Workshop Sessions
• Revision Process
• Submission of Individual Poetry Collections ✍

---