English 165 - Winter, 2012

Topics in Poetry

Topic: Topic: Radical Poetry/Radical Politics in the 21st Century

Class Information

Instructor: Clover, Joshua
CRN: 53864
Time: TR 4:40-6:00
Location: 101 Olson

Description

This is a pretty straightforward course. We'll read the best (and perhaps the worst, too) poetry from the U.S. and Canada written since 2000, about a single slim volume per week, as long as it meets three basic criteria:

1) it provides a sense of what poetry can be that isn't largely a continuation or refinement of the tradition;
2) it engages (formally, thematically, hysterically, or etc) social/economic/political issues that are themselves of the present rather than universal or traditional;
3) it pursues a relationship between the two, between poetics and politics.

We'll also read some critical texts both in relation to the poetry, and in relation to the politics of the era.

There are very good arguments that this is a terrible frame through which to read poetry. I think that's true. Fortunately, this isn't really a course about reading poetry, but a course about reading the times.

Grading

Grading will be based on one serious paper, one brief in-class presentation, one final exam, and participation. This policy subject to minor revisions.

Texts

a/s/l, Uyen Hua
Fidget, Kenneth Goldsmith
Plummet, Christopher Nealon
The Golden Age of Paraphernalia, Kevin Davies
This Connection of Everybody With Lungs, Juliana Spahr
R's Boat, Lisa Robertson
Zong!, M. NourbeSe Philip
The Long Twentieth Century, Giovanni Arrighi
Stars-down, Jasper Bernes