Techniques of Poetry: Self, Self Divided, Self Revised
ENGL 216
Spring 2026
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01
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One difference between poetry and the other arts is the reader never asks of a poet "how did they do this," because the only possible answer is both poet and reader arrive to language simultaneously. No one really questions the why of a poem because language is already communion. After all, we use language every day to get by. But in those moments of extreme feeling, there is an overwhelming desire -- to borrow George Eliot -- to roar on the other side of silence. So, why and what is poetry? In this introductory course, we'll read variously from a breadth of traditions, exploring poems of the self, the self no longer possible as it lives, and the self revised and revived to an ever-shifting world. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA ENGL |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (English) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 50% - 74% |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Inger Christensen
Alphabet
Asa Drake
Maybe the Body
Terrence Hayes
American Sonnets for My Past and Future Assassin
Myung Mi Kim
Commons
Aditi Machado
Material Witness
Diana Khoi Nguyen
Ghost of
Phillip B. Williams
Mutiny
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Examinations and Assignments:
Regular submission of poetry for workshop and one-on-one feedback; a weekly critical response to readings; constructive oral peer critiques; a final portfolio consisting of revisions of poems written for class and a reflective essay. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
This course contributes to the fulfillment of ENG major requirements: CW requirement, CW path (but not 300-level or upper workshop), elective.
The English department highly recommends that students be enrolled in only one CW course in a semester. If you are admitted to more than one CW course, the department requests that you choose one and let the instructors know during Adjustment Period. By doing so you will be considerate of instructors and other students. |
| Instructor(s): Seo,Jimin Times: ..T.... 01:20PM-04:10PM; Location: TBA |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 15 | | SR major: 3 | JR major: 3 | | |
| Seats Available: 15 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 1 | JR non-major: 1 | SO: 2 | FR: 5 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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