ENG 106 -- Intro Literature

Chalk Poem in Heathridge backyard WA - photo by Elliot K [link]

Expanded course description

Poetry. ENG 106 is designed to provide students with a basic understanding of the formal properties of poetry in English. Through careful analysis poems by major writers, such as Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Whitman, Dickinson, Yeats, Frost, Plath, and many others, students will be challenged to explain not only what a given poem might mean to its readers, but also how a poem communicates meaning differently than a work of fiction, drama, or some other mode of literary expression. ENG 106 is not a comprehensive introduction to the traditions of English and American poetry; it is, rather, a series of intensive exercises designed to equip students with the analytical tools needed to read, discuss, and write about poetry effectively. Weekly readings are relatively short but extremely demanding, and students will do a substantial amount of critical writing, including formal essays totaling at least 8-10 pages. As a basic introduction a major genre in the field of literary studies, this course satisfies the university's Group Requirement in the Arts and Letters category. It is not recommended for English Majors, who are encouraged to enroll in the department's more historically oriented and comprehensive Introduction to the English Major sequence, ENG 220-222.

Group: A&L

Offered 200701.

Syllabus

Although syllabi can change from term to term, a syllabus may provide further information about typical instances of this course.