ENG 503: Children's Poetry
Joseph T. Thomas, Jr.
email: jtthomas@mail.sdsu.edu
Class Meetings: 1600-1715 MW
Office: AL 245
Class Room: SH-243
Phone: (619)-594-8430
Office Hours: Tues 2:00-3:50 & by Appointment
!!!! IMPORTANT: Online Schedule !!!!
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This course is a seminar in English language poetry written for (and about) children. The success of a seminar depends on the students, so I expect you to attend every class session and participate. As the leader of this seminar, I have four principal duties:
That work will involve the careful reading and analysis of our primary texts, self-directed historical and theoretical research, in-class discussion based on that research, a twenty-minute presentation distilling your critical engagement with a relevant essay or book chapter, a group presentation on a poet of your choice not on our syllabus, three response papers, a final, capstone project of your design, and a short presentation on that final project. The subject of this course is twofold: childhood and poetry. Concerning ourselves with the form, content, and audience of a diverse selection of poetry aimed at or concerned with children, we will explore how England and the United States variously perceived, represented, and reimagined childhood. |
Texts (required):
BROOKS, GWENDOLYN. BRONZEVILLE BOYS AND GIRLS CIARDI, JOHN. YOU READ TO ME, I'LL READ TO YOU. FROST, ROBERT. YOU COME TOO. JARRELL, RANDALL. THE BAT POET. PHILIP, NEIL. NEW OXFORD BOOK OF CHILDREN'S POETRY SANDBURG, CARL. EARLY MOON. SOTO, GARY. FIRE IN MY HANDS. SHERMAN, JOSEPHA & TKF WEISSKOPF. GREASY GRIMY GOPHER GUTS (Montezuma reprint) THOMAS. POETRY'S PLAYGROUND: THE CULTURE OF CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN CHILDREN'S POETRY
Late Work:
Work will be turned in on the date due or not at all. We all have schedules, and it is imperative that we keep to them. However, I am not completely draconian. In extreme cases I may accept late work, but don't count on it.
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is taking someone else's words, idea, or argument and claiming it as your own. Don't do it. Cite all your sources and think for yourself. I am unforgiving when it comes to plagiarism. Plagiarism will earn you an F for the course, and, in egregious cases, may result in expulsion from the university. Please familiarize yourself with SDSU plagiarism policies, discussed in your handbook (ALSO: Click here for a useful library document on the subject). Keep in mind, throughout the syllabus and on my links page are links to many useful web sources. Do not take the words or ideas from any of these sources without providing the appropriate citations. This goes for oral presentations as well as written work.
Assignments/Grade Distribution:
25%: Participation
30%: Response Papers (10% each)
10%: Essay/Chapter Presentation
10%: Group Poet Presentation
25%: Final Project
Participation: (25%)
I expect you to come to class with something to say. In addition to researching the authors, think about when the books were published, reacquaint yourself with historical context that surrounds the work, its reception, etc. Make connections between the content of this course and others you have taken, and apply whatever theoretical, philosophical, or pedagogical rubrics you feel are appropriate (check out the children's literature, poetry, and theory links on my links page. And use print sources as well. The library is a wonderful place).
Response Papers (10% each)
You are responsible for three (3) response papers of about 750 to 850 words each. Each response paper is due on the day we discuss the work you are responding to. Your first response is due before Feb. 27, the second before April 9, the third on or before May 7. These should be conventional, paragraphed, thesis-driven papers rooted in the terms and issues of the course. Stay away from plot summary, and stick to critical analysis.
Essay/Chapter Presentation: (10%)
Either choose an essay or book-chapter from the syllabus (I'll hand out a list) or select (and have approved) a related essay or chapter of your own. Read the essay carefully, and identify its thesis and approach, catalog important bits of information, and, most importantly, consider its relevance to the course. Create a handout that boils down what you think is important about the piece, and prepare a twenty minute presentation that explores the essay in detail, ideally making connections to the material assigned for that week. Have your selection approved by me within the first two weeks of class.
In addition to the presentation, if you so choose, you can prepare a written response (generally three to five pages) critically engaging the essay (do not summarize!) Your response will be due on the evening of your presentation, and will substitute for one of your reading response papers. Thus, IF YOU CHOOSE to write a response to your essay/chapter, then you will be responsible for only TWO additional response papers. If you choose not to write a response to your essay or chapter, you will, of course, be responsible for three regular response papers.
Group Poet Presentation: (10%)
In a group of no more than three, you will prepare a fifteen (15) to twenty (20) minute presentation on a contemporary children's poet of your choice. I would like you to concentrate your presentation on one book by your author, although you may, of course, allude to other collections your author has written. In your presentation you will outline the dominant aesthetic and ideology apparent in the book. More on this in class.
You will also compose a cut-up poem using your book. These will be poems of about one or two pages, which highlight (or mock?) the language, ideas, and themes of the book by using that language exclusively. Simply write down phrases, words, sentences from the poems, the cover, copyright page--anywhere--and craft a poem from them. Be prepared to talk about and rationalize the choices you made, and bring in copies for everyone.Remember, you need to have at least fifteen minutes of discussion planned. You can go over, but I'd like you to stay within the fifteen to twenty minute range as much as possible. So rehearse and plan. These should be tight, well planned, and to the point. You should also prepare a handout outlining your major points and serving as a reference tool for your classmates (that is, you may want to include biographical information, point to critical works concerning your poet, and/or a bibliography of your poet's major works).
POETRY BOOKS (in random order):
Slow Dance Heart Break Blues : Arnold Adoff Out of the Dust : Karen Hesse Wishing Bone And Other Poems : Mitchell, Stephen The Disappearing Alphabet : Richard Wilbur Elegy On The Death Of César Chávez : by Rudolfo Anaya Where The Sidewalk Ends : The Poems & Drawings Of Shel Silverstein Harlem : A Poem : by Walter Dean Myers Someone Could Win a Polar Bear : John Ciardi You Know Who : John Ciardi Did Adam Name the Vinegarroon? X. J. Kennedy The New Kid On The Block : by Jack Prelutsky Something Big Has Been Here : Jack Prelutsky Spin A Soft Black Song : Poems For Children : by Nikki Giovanni Here in Harlem: Poems in Many Voices : Walter Dean Myers The Man in the Moon-Fixer's Mask : JonArno Lawson Carver, A Life In Poems : Marilyn Nelson
(If you'd like to present on a children's collection not provided here, let me know.)
Final Project: (25%)
Your final project will probably involve an extended, researched exploration of the work of a single poet or book of poetry, although any sort of analysis or investigation appropriate to the subject of our course is acceptable. Final papers in this fashion should be thesis-driven, and around eight (8) to ten (10) pages.
I also allow students the flexibility to craft their own final projects. If you choose to prepare an unconventional project, you need to prepare a written proposal, explaining the academic and creative worth of the project and how it relates to the subject matter we've been exploring over the semester.