Syllabi

We invite people to submit course syllabi based on Anthology of Modern American Poetry—on disk to Cary Nelson or by e-mail (to mhurt@uiuc.edu)—for us to place on line. We are especially interested in courses that use both Anthology of Modern American Poetry and the web site. Courses may range from broad surveys to concentrated treatments of specific modern American poetry topics. They may focus on all or part of the century. Since each course will have its own link, you may include not only a syllabus but also handouts, assignments, questions, manifestoes, provocations, bibliographies, etc. References to the web site can be identified by the abbreviation "MAPS."

Courses

• Dee Morris, University of Iowa--Introduction to Poetry
• Robert Bennett, University of California at Santa Barbara--"The Languages of Literature: An Introduction to Literary Study"

• Don Adams, Florida Atlantic University--"Creative Writing"
• Mark Van Wienen, Augustana College--"Creative Writing: Poetry and Drama"

• Karen Ford, University of Oregon--"Twentieth Century African-American Poetry and Poetics"

• Cary Nelson, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign--"American Poetry from 1900-1950"
• Cary Nelson--"Cultural Territories: American Poetry from World War II to the Present"
• Edward Brunner, Southern Illinois University--"Major American Writers: Williams, Stevens, and Eliot"
• Mark Scroggins, Florida Atlantic University--"Modern American and British Poetry"
• Nancy Berke, City University of New York--"Modern American Poetry"
• Michael Thurston, Smith College--"Modern American Poetry"
• Tim Newcomb, West Chester University--"Modern American Poetry"
• Marsha Bryant, University of Florida--"Modern American Poetry at Millennium"
• Marsha Bryant--"Modern American Poetry"
• Norman M. Finklestein, Xavier University--"Modern American Poetry"
• Alan Golding, University of Louisville--"Modern American Poetries"
• Dr. Mairéad Byrne, University of Mississippi--"Twentieth Century Poetry"
• Dr. Kenneth Sherwood, University of Texas of the Permian Basin--"20th-Century American Poetry"

HOW TO USE MAPS IN THE CLASSROOM

Although MAPS has many resources for students and faculty writing research papers, its most notable use may be in classes every week. Prior to MAPS there really was no realistic way to give students access to commentary about so many authors. Now with each week's poetry readings everyone can gain a fairly detailed knowledge of the history of criticism surrounding each poem. People thereby come to class ready to agree and disagree with past critics; they are already participants in a conversation before the class begins. Acquiring this level of background knowledge also makes for a more democratic and collaborative discussion, since students and faculty are closer to being intellectual equals.

This conversation can be enhanced by requiring everyone to post an email or electronic bulletin board comment about one or two poems and the attendant MAPS analyses before each class. These posts should go to everyone. Even shy students will thereby be drawn into a dialogue, and everyone will begin formulating interpretations and posing questions for discussion ahead of time.

The impact of all of this on the quality of discussion can be astonishing.

Advanced undergraduates or members of graduate seminars can then go on to write original poem analyses for publication on MAPS.

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