Fall 2023 | ENGL 576: Special Topics in American Poetry–Modern Poetry

Course: ENGL 576: Special Topics in American Literature–Modern Poetry

Professor: Dr. Sean Heuston

Location: The Citadel

Time: Tuesday 5:30 – 8:15

Room: TBA

In this class, we will read and discuss a wide range of modern poetry and criticism to develop an understanding of important trends, controversies, and questions about poetry, and to a lesser extent about art more generally (including what poetry should do or be, what kinds of things it should focus on, what roles–if any–it should serve in the life of an individual and/or in society, who gets to make those decisions, and whose voices allegedly matter more than others). Throughout the semester, we will consider important traditional/canonical works along with works that depart from and/or directly challenge traditional expectations, and we will develop an understanding of poetry as a diverse, ever-changing medium.