Dee Morris
Office:
EPB 460
Office hours: Tues. 2:30-3:30 pm & Thurs. 2:30-3:45 pm
dee-morris@uiowa.edu
It is difficult
to get the news from poems
yet men die miserably every day
for lack
of what is found there.
William Carlos Williams
from “Asphodel, That Greeny Flower”
Course description and objectives:
This course examines poems that position themselves as records of facts, events, or circumstances. Documentary in two potentially contradictory senses, these poems incorporate public records (news reports, workers’ correspondence, congressional testimony, legal transcripts, statistical tables, etc.), which we assume to be objective, but are, at the same time, passionately--sometimes intemperately--engaged in an effort to right a grievous wrong.
We will begin by reading photo-and-text compilations that documented the Great Depression, then turn to poems that address industrial and mining scandals, labor policy, racial injustice, and the rise of Fascism. The second half of the course takes up poems that examine postcolonialism, globalization, and the events of September 11th. Looking for both the strengths and the limits of a poetics of fact, we will ask how these poems frame their topics, what they add to the evidence they cite, and how they alter our sense of the “real.”
Key to hot links on the left panel:
Syllabus: This page contains a description of course expectations and policies.
Schedule:This overview of the course includes a list of required texts, the semester's reading schedule, and due dates for all required assignments. It should be bookmarked and consulted before each class.
Assignments:This page contains descriptions of written and oral course assignments.
Photographs and Audio: These pages are repositories of visual and audio materials that complement and extend our reading.
Discussion: This link takes you to the ICON login page from which you can post reading responses, ask questions, and debate ideas.
Resources: This page, soon to arrive, will contain a list of books on reserve, useful websites, and other helpful materials.
Updated January 17, 2008 20:36 • Contact Dee Morris