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Modern American Poetry

Approx. 35 hours to complete

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Course Summary

Explore the evolution of American poetry through the works of modern poets. Learn about the cultural and political movements that shaped modern poetry and how poets responded to them.

Key Learning Points

Discover the works of modern American poets from the early 20th century to the present day
Learn about the social, cultural, and political contexts that influenced modern poetry
Explore the formal and stylistic innovations of modern poets

Learning Outcomes

Develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of modern American poetry
Gain knowledge of the social, cultural, and political contexts that shaped modern poetry
Analyze and interpret modern poems using formal and stylistic techniques

Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course

Basic knowledge of poetry and literary analysis
Access to course materials and resources

Course Difficulty Level

Intermediate

Course Format

Online self-paced course
Video lectures
Reading assignments
Discussion forums

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Related Education Paths

Notable People in This Field

Langston Hughes
Emily Dickinson
T.S. Eliot

Related Books

Description

Twelve experienced faculty members from across the United States present their analyses of ground-breaking modern American poets in richly illustrated video lectures.

The course highlights both major poets—from Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson through T.S. Eliot, H.D., Amy Lowell, Hart Crane, Langston Hughes, Muriel Rukeyser, and many others—and influential movements. The course mixes historical overview with close readings of individual poets and poems. Most courses give only one instructor’s point of view. This one matches the diversity of US poetry with lectures by a score of talented faculty. They bring their special perspective to the material while also presenting a coherent view of more than fifty years of US poetry. Throughout the course the lectures are illustrated with vivid images of the events, people, and places mentioned in the poems themselves. Readings by both the poets themselves and experienced faculty highlight the texts. On screen displays of text and quotations make it easy to follow the material. This is a course that takes advantage of the medium to bring you sights and sounds that would be difficult to incorporate in classroom lectures.

Outline

Orientation
Welcome to Modern American Poetry!
Syllabus
How to Pass This Class
About the Discussion Forums
Social Media
Getting to Know Your Classmates
Orientation Quiz

Module 1
Modern American Poetry, 1899-1950 (Part 1)
Modern American Poetry, 1899-1950 (Part 2)
Modern American Poetry, 1899-1950 (Part 3)
Modern American Poetry, 1899-1950 (Part 4)
Modern American Poetry, 1899-1950 (Part 5)
Modern American Poetry, 1899-1950 (Part 6)
Modern American Poetry, 1899-1950 (Part 7)
Modern American Poetry, 1899-1950 (Part 8)
Modern American Poetry, 1899-1950 (Part 9)
Modern American Poetry, 1899-1950 (Part 10)
Modern American Poetry, 1899-1950 (Part 11)
Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson: 'A Strange, Uncoupled Couple' (Part 1)
Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson: 'A Strange, Uncoupled Couple' (Part 2)
Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson: 'A Strange, Uncoupled Couple' (Part 3)
Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson: 'A Strange, Uncoupled Couple' (Part 4)
Native American Poetry from the 1890s to 1930 (Part 1)
Native American Poetry from the 1890s to 1930 (Part 2)
Hart Crane's The Bridge (Part 1)
Hart Crane's The Bridge (Part 2)
Hart Crane's The Bridge (Part 3)
Hart Crane's The Bridge (Part 4)
Hart Crane's The Bridge (Part 5)
Module 1 Information
1.1 Recommended Reading
1.2 Recommended Reading
1.3 Recommended Reading
1.4 Recommended Reading
1.1 Modern American Poetry, 1899-1950
1.2 Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson: 'A Strange, Uncoupled Couple'
1.3 Native American Poetry from the 1890s to 1930
1.4 Hart Crane's The Bridge

Module 2
Modernist Women's Poetry and the Sentimental Tradition (Part 1)
Modernist Women's Poetry and the Sentimental Tradition (Part 2)
Modernist Women's Poetry and the Sentimental Tradition (Part 3)
Modernist Women's Poetry and the Sentimental Tradition (Part 4)
Modernist Women's Poetry and the Sentimental Tradition (Part 5)
Modernist Women's Poetry and the Sentimental Tradition (Part 6)
Marianne Moore: Syllabics (Part 1)
Marianne Moore: Syllabics (Part 2)
Marianne Moore: Syllabics (Part 3)
Marianne Moore: Syllabics (Part 4)
Marianne Moore: Syllabics (Part 5)
Women's Poetry, Modernism, and Classical Myth (Part 1)
Women's Poetry, Modernism, and Classical Myth (Part 2)
Women's Poetry, Modernism, and Classical Myth (Part 3)
Women's Poetry, Modernism, and Classical Myth (Part 4)
Women's Poetry, Modernism, and Classical Myth (Part 5)
'A Cessation of Resemblances': Stein / Picasso / Duchamp (Part 1)
'A Cessation of Resemblances': Stein / Picasso / Duchamp (Part 2)
'A Cessation of Resemblances': Stein / Picasso / Duchamp (Part 3)
Module 2 Information
2.1 Recommended Reading
2.2 Recommended Reading
2.3 Recommended Reading
2.4 Recommended Reading
2.1 Modernist Women’s Poetry and the Sentimental Tradition
2.2 Marianne Moore: Syllabics
2.3 Women’s Poetry, Modernism, and Classical Myth

Module 3
Rethinking High Modernism (Part 1)
Rethinking High Modernism (Part 2)
Rethinking High Modernism (Part 3)
Rethinking High Modernism (Part 4)
Rethinking High Modernism (Part 5)
"Tomorrow . . . who knows?": The Futures of Harlem Renaissance Poetry (Part 1)
"Tomorrow . . . who knows?": The Futures of Harlem Renaissance Poetry (Part 2)
"Tomorrow . . . who knows?": The Futures of Harlem Renaissance Poetry (Part 3)
"Tomorrow . . . who knows?": The Futures of Harlem Renaissance Poetry (Part 4)
The Political 1930s (Part 1)
The Political 1930s (Part 2)
The Political 1930s (Part 3)
The Political 1930s (Part 4)
The Political 1930s (Part 5)
Tradition and the Folk in Sterling Brown's Poetry (Part 1)
Tradition and the Folk in Sterling Brown's Poetry (Part 2)
Module 3 Information
3.1 Recommended Reading
3.2 Recommended Reading
3.3 Recommended Reading
3.4 Recommended Reading
3.1 Rethinking High Modernism
3.2 “Tomorrow . . . who knows?”: The Futures of Harlem Renaissance Poetry
3.3 The Political 1930s
3.4 Tradition and the Folk in Sterling Brown's Poetry

Module 4
Developing the Cultural Epic: From Eliot’s Cultural Elegy to Rukeyser’s Documentary Testament (Part 1)
Developing the Cultural Epic: Eliot and Crane: Expanding the Terrain of the Modernist Epic (Part 2)
Developing the Cultural Epic: "The Tunnel": Contesting Eliot (Part 3)
Developing the Cultural Epic: Muriel Rukeyser's Theory of Flight (Part 4)
Developing the Cultural Epic: Muriel Rukeyser's Documentary Testament (Part 5)
The Image of the City in Pre-war Poetry (Part 1)
The Image of the City in Pre-war Poetry (Part 2)
The Image of the City in Pre-war Poetry (Part 3)
Little Magazines (Part 1)
Little Magazines (Part 2)
Little Magazines (Part 3)
Introduction
Emily Dickinson's "We Learned the Whole of Love"
Wallace Stevens's "Large Red Man Reading"
Harryette Mullen's "Sleeping with the Dictionary"
Module 4 Information
4.1 Recommended Reading
4.2 Recommended Reading
4.3 Recommended Reading
4.4 Recommended Reading
The Symposium Overview
The Symposium: Additional Information for Video Submissions
4.1 Developing the Cultural Epic Quiz
4.2 The Image of the City in Pre-War Poetry
4.3 Little Magazines

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