ENGH 454: Topics in Poetry

ENGH 454-001: Film, Poetry & Social Justice
(Spring 2015)

04:30 PM to 07:10 PM M

Section Information for Spring 2015

"One of the questions I often hear is 'How did that happen' as it relates to mind-numbing moments of injustice," says Claudia Rankin, author of Citizen, in a recent interview with cultural theorist lauren Berlant.  This course will investigate questions of citizenship and social justice through film and poetry.  How do fact, memory, image, and text interact different in poetry and in film and what may be gained by reading one form of expression through another?  How do these invite us to perceive social reality as unjust and how do they elicit our outrage and wish for justice?  In other words, how is the reader of poetry or the viewer of film invited to assume her position as a citizen--as member of a community, of the nation or the world?  Team taught by Professor Carla Marcantonio (film and media studies) and Sally Keith (Poetry), this course will juxtapose contemporary projects in poetry and film to investigate how art asks us to engage in issues of social justice.  The course will begin witha  brief overview in order that all students are grounded in the basic critique of poetry and film.  Throughout the semester students will be required to write critical essays, though the final project will include an option for creative work (poetry/prose/video) either individually or in collaboration.

Course Information from the University Catalog

Credits: 3

Study of selected topics, periods, or poets. Notes: May be repeated when topic is different with permission of department. May be repeated within the term for a maximum 6 credits.
Specialized Designation: Topic Varies
Recommended Prerequisite: Satisfaction of University requirements in 100-level English and in Mason Core literature.
Schedule Type: Lec/Sem #1, Lec/Sem #2, Lec/Sem #3, Lec/Sem #4, Lec/Sem #5, Lec/Sem #6, Lec/Sem #7, Lec/Sem #8, Lec/Sem #9, Lecture, Sem/Lec #10, Sem/Lec #11, Sem/Lec #12, Sem/Lec #13, Sem/Lec #14, Sem/Lec #15, Sem/Lec #16, Sem/Lec #17, Sem/Lec #18
Grading:
This course is graded on the Undergraduate Regular scale.

The University Catalog is the authoritative source for information on courses. The Schedule of Classes is the authoritative source for information on classes scheduled for this semester. See the Schedule for the most up-to-date information and see Patriot web to register for classes.