CHID 480 C: Special Topics: Advanced Study of the History of Ideas

"THE NEW POETICS OF RACE" (VLPA) WE'VE WITNESSED THE EMERGENCE OF A NUMBER OF POETS OF COLOR CONCERNED WITH RE-POSING THE QUESTION OF RACE IN AMERICAN CULTURE, INCLUDING SOLMAZ SHARIF, OCEAN VUONG, AND LAYLI LONG SOLDIER. THEIR VIBRANT RECLAMATION OF THE OFTEN LOST CLASSICAL SYMBIOSIS BETWEEN POETRY (OR THE LYRIC) AND PROTEST HAS RE-SET THE STAKES OF AMERICAN POETRY. IN THIS COURSE, WE WILL TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW THEY DO WHAT THEY DO. HOW DOES A POEM COME TO MEAN THIS RATHER THAN THAT TO US? WHAT TURNS OF LANGUAGE, ADDRESS, TONE, AND PAGE SETTING CREATE THEIR PARTICULAR WORLDS OF DESIRE, LAMENT, AND OUTRAGE? WE WILL TRY TO SITUATE OUR POEMS IN RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER EXPRESSIVE CONVENTIONS, BE THEY POETIC, MUSICAL, OR LINGUISTIC. NO NEED FOR PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE WITH POETRY BUT COME WITH A CURIOSITY TO LEARN ABOUT THIS EMERGING POETRY 'SCENE'. OFFERED VIA REMOTE LEARNING