Syllabus
ENGL 4446/5446 Modern Poetry, Spring 2026
W 5:00-7:45 p.m., Arts & Sciences 342
Professor
Dr. Alex E. Blazer
478.445.0964
Office Hours: MW 12:30-1:45 p.m., Arts & Sciences 330 and Zoom
The course catalog describes our course as "A study of the development of the British novel in the nineteenth century." This section will focus on American poetry from 1914-1964.
This course's Academic Assessment page describes our topics:
- Key texts of modern, postmodern, and/or contemporary poets, British and/or American;
- The principles and practice of poetry explication, in both the process and the written analysis;
- The social, political, and historical background of modern, postmodern, and/or contemporary poetry;
- The key aesthetic, social, and political movements of the times, such as imagism, vorticism, new criticism, minimalism, the lyric revival.
as well as course outcomes:
- Distinguish the aesthetic, social, and political backgrounds of poetry of this time period;
- Understand the aesthetic and philosophical reasons for innovation and experimentation in modernist poetry;
- Understand the scope of modernism and/or postmodernism in all of the arts, especially in music and painting as they reflect the experimentation and innovation of literary modernism and/or postmodernism;
- Approach any new poem with a set of critical habits that enable understanding of both content and form.
Note that this course's prerequisite is sophomore status.
required (GCSU Bookstore or Amazon)
Bishop, Poems — North & South (1946) in Poems (2011)
Ginsberg, Howl and Other Poems (1956)
Lowell, Life Studies (1959)
O'Hara, Lunch Poems (1964)
Plath, The Colossus and Other Poems (1960)
Williams, Paterson (1946-1958)
required (course packet)
Olson, The Maximus Poems, Volume I (1960)
Zukofsky, "A" 1-12 (1959)
recommended (GCSU Bookstore or Amazon)
Gibaldi, MLA Handbook, 9th ed.
recommended websites
Assignments and Grade Distribution
4446 Undergraduate Students
response, 5%
In the 3-4 page response paper, you will read a poem aloud in class, react to a poem, and broach questions for class discussion.
close reading paper and presentation, 10%
You will pair up to write a 5-6 page close reading paper and to give a 7-10 minute presentation analyzing a short poem.
exam, 25%
In the in-class exam, you will answer two or three essay questions.
wild card, 25%
In the 6-8 page wild card paper, you will either interpret the theme of a book of poetry, analyze how a modern poet influences a poet writing today, or examine how two modern poets respond to one another.
research paper, 35%
In the 8-10 page research paper, you will research a poem, poet, or poetic issue. Here's how to calculate your final grade.
5446 Graduate Students
annotated bibliography and presentation, 15%
You will compile an annotated bibliography of a poetry collection and teach it to the class while highlighting the best scholarly article found.
book review, 25%
In an 8-10 page paper, you will summarize and evaluate, appreciate and interrogate, a critical book on modern poetry.
wild card, 25%
In the 8-10 page wild card paper, you will either closely read a poem, interpret the theme of a book of poetry, analyze how a modern poet influences a poet writing today, or examine how two modern poets respond to one another.
research paper, 35%
You will write a 12-15 page research paper exploring a key issue or theme in a work of modern poetry and present your work-in-progress to the class. Here's how to calculate your final grade.
Technology
We will use the course site for the syllabus schedule and assignment prompts; supporting documents include an attendance record, a course grade calculation spreadsheet, FAQ, a GeorgiaVIEW walkthrough, a guide to literary analysis, a research methods guide, and paper templates. We will use GeorgiaVIEW for assignment submission and the course packet; if you experience technical issues with GeorgiaVIEW, contact the Center for Teaching and Learning at ctl@gcsu.edu or 478.445.2520. Check your university email for course-related messages. Use an online backup or cloud storage service to not only save but also archive versions of your work in case of personal computer calamities.
Attendance
Because this liberal arts course values contemporaneous discussion over fixed lecture, regular attendance is required. In courses that meet one day per week, such as ENGL 4446/5446, there will be a one letter final grade deduction for every unexcused absence beyond two; furthermore, any student who misses four or more classes for any reason (excused or unexcused) will be dropped from the course and fail. In courses that meet two days per week, such as ENGL 2210 and 3900, there will be a one letter final grade deduction for every unexcused absence beyond three; furthermore, any student who misses seven or more classes for any reason (excused or unexcused) will be dropped from the course and fail. I suggest you use your skip days both cautiously and wisely; and make sure you sign the attendance sheets. Habitual tardies, consistently leaving class early, texting, and web surfing will be treated as absences. Unexcused absences include work, family obligations, and scheduled doctor's appointments. Excused absences include family emergency, medical emergency, religious observance, and participation in a college-sponsored activity. Do not attend class while symptomatic or testing positive for COVID-19. During isolation, retrieve class notes from a classmate and consult with me about make up work. Absences due to isolation will be considered excused if appropriate documentation from Student Health Services or Academic Advising is provided. If you continue to test positive after the date the university gave you for an excused absence, your positive test counts as an excused absence. If you have a medical condition, extracurricular activity, or job that you anticipate will cause you to miss more than four days of class, I suggest you drop this section. The university absence policy can be found here. You can check your class attendance record here.
MLA Style and Length Requirements
Part of writing in a discipline is adhering to the field's style guide. While other disciplines use APA or Chicago style, literature and composition follows MLA style. Assignments such as in-class exams, discussion board responses, informal/journal writing, and peer review may be informally formatted; however, formal assignments and take-home exams must employ MLA style. One-third of a letter grade will be deducted from a formal paper or take-home exam for problems in each of the following three categories, for a possible one letter grade deduction total: 1) margins, header, and heading, 2) font, font size, and line-spacing, and 3) quotation and citation format. A formal paper or take-home exam will be penalized one-third of a letter grade if it does not end at least halfway down on the minimum page length (not including Works Cited page) while implementing 12 pt Times New Roman font, double-spacing, and 1" margins. Each additional page short of the minimum requirement will result in an a additional one-third letter grade penalty. Before you turn in a formal paper, make sure your work follows MLA style by referring to the MLA style checklist. Feel free to use these templates that are preformatted to MLA style.
Late Assignments
We're all busy with multiple classes and commitments, and adhering to deadlines is critical for the smooth running of the course. There will be a one letter assignment grade deduction per day (not class period) for any assignment that is turned in late. I give short extensions if you request one for a valid need at least one day before the assignment is due. I will inform you via email if I cannot open an electronically submitted assignment; however, your assignment will be considered late until you submit it in a file I can open. Because your completion of this course's major learning outcomes depends on the completion of pertinent assignments, failing to submit an assignment that is worth 15% or more of the course grade within five days of its due date may result in failure of the course. Failing to submit a final exam or final paper within two days of its due date may result in failure of the course.
Academic Honesty
The integrity of students and their written and oral work is a critical component of the academic process. The Honor Code defines plagiarism as "presenting as one's own work the words or ideas of an author or fellow student. Students should document quotes through quotation marks and footnotes or other accepted citation methods. Ignorance of these rules concerning plagiarism is not an excuse. When in doubt, students should seek clarification from the professor who made the assignment." The Undergraduate Catalog and Graduate Catalog define academic dishonesty as "Plagiarizing, including the submission of others’ ideas or papers (whether purchased, borrowed, or otherwise obtained) as one’s own. When direct quotations are used in themes, essays, term papers, tests, book reviews, and other similar work, they must be indicated; and when the ideas of another are incorporated in any paper, they must be acknowledged, according to a style of documentation appropriate to the discipline" and "Submitting, if contrary to the rules of a course, work previously presented in another course," among other false representations. Including writing generated by LLMs, also known as AI, in your work is improper and dishonest. As plagiarism is not tolerated at GCSU, "since the primary goal of education is to increase one's own knowledge," any student found guilty of substantial, willful plagiarism or dishonesty may fail the assignment and the course. This course uses plagiarism prevention technology from TurnItIn. The papers may be retained by the service for the sole purpose of checking for plagiarized content in future student submissions.
Writing Center
Writing consultants will work with any student writer working on any project in any discipline. To learn more about Writing Center locations, hours, scheduling, and services, please visit here. Send questions to writing.center@gcsu.edu.
Required Syllabus Statements
Additional statements regarding the Religious Observance Policy, Assistance for Student Needs Related to Disability, Student Mental Health, Student Rating of Instruction Survey, Academic Honesty, Student Use of Copyrighted Materials, Electronic Recording Policy, Academic Grievance or Appeals, and Fire Drills can be found here.
- Required readings without links are available as physical books; required readings with links are available on the web or GeorgiaVIEW course packet.
- Recommended readings, such as the poet's biography and audio performances, link to resources such as the Poetry Foundation and PennSound.
- This schedule is subject to change.
|
Sanders, "American Modernism and the New Negro Renaissance" |
||
|
||
Bishop, Poems — North & South (1946) |
||
Williams, Paterson (1946-1958) |
||
No Class: Spring Break |
||
Ginsberg, Howl and Other Poems (1956) |
||
Lowell, Life Studies (1959) |
||
No Class: Research Day |
||
Plath, The Colossus and Other Poems (1960) |
||
O'Hara, Lunch Poems (1964) |
||
|
Share feedback regarding the new spring calendar and final exam schedule, created to accommodate Bobcats Day and Research Day, with the Office of Institutional Research and Effectiveness, the Provost's Office, and the Registrar's Office, SGA, and University Senate. |