Course Syllabus

Instructor: Amy Erickson

Course Synopsis: 

In this course, we will analyze poems primarily from the books of Job, Lamentations, Psalms, 2 Isaiah, and Jeremiah. Class sessions will be divided between studying some aspect of Hebrew prosody (e.g., metaphor, parallelism, lineation) and looking at the ways in which various poets use these particular devices. We will be particularly interested in identifying how poets bring their messages to life, engage their audiences, challenge (or uphold) the status quo, and revitalize the community's imagination and, in turn, its faith in YHWH.

Each week, we will read about a particular aspect of poetry and prepare specific poems with the readings in mind; the readings will provide us with a language that we might discuss specifically how the poets impart and encode their messages.

Books

Kinzie, Mary. A Poet's Guide to Poetry. Chicago: University of Chicago. 2013. ISBN: 9780226923062

Alter, Robert. The Art of Biblical Poetry. Revised Edition. New York: Basic Books, 2011. ISBN-10: 0465022561

SYLLABUS

Prior to the first class session, please:

--listen to (or read the transcript of) this interview with Paul Muldoon (on Krista Tippett's On Being)

--read or listen to Seamus Heaney's acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize in Literature (1995)

--read Audre Lorde's Poetry Is Not a Luxury 

--the introduction and first chapter of Kinzie (pp 1-44)

(stay tuned - there is more to come!)

 

Overview and Objectives

Evaluation

Policies And Services

Course Summary:

Date Details Due