Ateneo - UPO

"American Poetry from Self to Systems: the Poetry of Expansion". This course traces the evolution of American poetry from the mid-19th century to the 21st century, focusing on how poets articulate individual and collective identity within changing social and political systems. Starting with Whitman and Dickinson, the program highlights the specificity of poetic language and its interconnections with fundamental cultural and political themes and conflicts in the history of the United States. The course offers an overview of the poetic discourse that spans the 20th century, focusing on key voices in the American canon, from Modernism to the postwar period and contemporary times, concluding with examples of contemporary digital and performative poetics, emphasizing poetry as a system of language, identity, and technology.

1) The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry, Vol. 1 & Vol.2 Richard Ellman, ed. Norton & Company, Incorporated, w. w. ISBN-10 0393979784 ISBN-13 9780393979787 2) °Letture primarie fornite tramite PDF e fonti online (Poetry Foundation, PennSound) • Selezione di testi poetici e letture critiche su piattaforma DIR. Approfondimenti: Andrew Epstein, Florida State University The Cambridge Introduction to American Poetry since 1945 December 2022 Availability: Available Format: Paperback ISBN: 9781108712125. Approfondimenti (non da acquistare) Aden Evens and Alexander R. Galloway The Digital and Its Discontents, University of Minnesota Press ISBN: 9781517916329 Leif Weatherby Language Machines. Cultural AI and the End of Remainder Humanism University of Minnesota Press ISBN: 9781517919320 Daniel Scott Snelson The Little Database. A Poetics of Media Formats University of Minnesota Press ISBN: 9781517918828 JAN OVERWIJK Cybernetic Capitalism: A Critical Theory of the Incommunicable Fordham University Press 2025

Basic Level: Analyze major American poets, with particular attention to Black voices in Modernism and beyond (introduction to key figures and historical contexts). Understand the dialogue between poetry, race, identity, and systemic power (theoretical and thematic foundations). Introduce the basic concepts of poetic linguistic code, that is, how language functions as a system of signs within the poetic text. Intermediate Level: Trace the transformation from the individual lyrical subject to collective and systemic modes (in-depth analysis of thematic and formal changes). Develop a critical and creative approach to evolving poetic forms and media (introduction to interpretive techniques and media experimentation. Explore the relationship between poetry and technology, understanding how poetic language transforms from traditional linguistic code to digital code. Deepen the understanding of binary and digital codes in contemporary poetry, including examples of digital and performative poetry. Advanced Level: Critically and comparatively analyze the works of Black poets in Modernism and subsequent decades, relating poetry, politics, and critical theory. Explore in depth the complex dynamics of the dialogue between poetry, race, identity, and systemic power in changing socio-political contexts. Produce original critical analyses highlighting the transition from the individual lyrical subject to collective and systemic poetic forms. Develop advanced creative and critical projects integrating new media, performative practices, and technological codes (linguistic and binary) to explore the expansive potentials of contemporary poetry. Investigate and experiment with the intersections between poetry, computer languages, and digital codes, paying particular attention to aesthetic and theoretical implications.

Basic amiliarity with American literature and major literary movements Textual analysis skills and comprehension of complex poetic texts Interest in issues of race, politics, and culture in the United States

ectures with guided discussion Textual analysis of poems and essays Viewing and listening to audiovisual materials (e.g. poetry readings, performances) Presentations and group discussions

Most reading materials will be made available in digital format Active participation required Preparatory reading of the indicated texts is recommended before each session. The course materials must be READ in full, from start to finish. The course program must be STUDIED in its entirety, otherwise the exam will not be passed. Non attending students must study the same texts assigned to attending students. However, on the day of the exam they must take a written test and an oral test.
Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-students-physical-or-learning-disabilities Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, concerning academic aspects.

Written tests of textual analysis (short essays) Oral presentations of specific themes or authors Participation in discussions and workshops Final project: critical analysis or poetic composition inspired by the themes of the course. Course Assessment Description The overall course assessment will be based on the quality of written assignments, oral presentations, class participation, and the final project. Performance levels are defined as follows: Excellent (29-30L) The student demonstrates a deep and critical understanding of the texts and the historical, cultural, and political contexts covered in the course. Analyzes poems and poetic movements with precision and originality. Shows advanced skills in synthesis and argumentation, supported by precise textual references. Participates actively and constructively in discussions, contributing innovative ideas. Produces well-structured written work and presentations, with clear style, appropriate language, and no formal errors. Demonstrates autonomy in research and critical application of knowledge. Good (26-28) The student shows a good understanding of the materials and themes addressed. Can analyze texts and contexts coherently and accurately, though with less depth than the excellent level. Presents arguments supported by textual examples, with some room for improvement in completeness or precision. Participates actively in discussions, contributing relevant insights. Produces well-organized work with appropriate language, with minor non-critical formal errors. Shows the ability to connect acquired knowledge to new contexts. Satisfactory (23-25) The student demonstrates an adequate understanding of the texts and themes, but with some gaps. Textual analysis is generally correct but sometimes superficial or incomplete. Arguments are present but may lack cohesion or adequate textual support. Participation in class is sporadic or limited. Submitted work is adequately structured and written but contains formal or conceptual errors. Needs further study to consolidate critical skills. Pass (18-22) The student shows basic but not always correct or in-depth knowledge. Analyses are simple, sometimes imprecise or generic. Arguments are weak or underdeveloped, with little textual support. Participation is minimal or not impactful. Work presents evident problems in structure, language, and formal correctness. Has difficulty applying knowledge critically. Fail (below 18) The student does not meet the minimum required levels of understanding and competence. Analyses and arguments are lacking, incomplete, or incorrect. Unable to sustain critical discussion of the texts or course themes. Lack of participation and/or engagement in course activities. Work is disorganized, with serious errors in form and content. Requires substantial remediation to reach learning objectives.

The final program is currently under finalization and will be communicated before the beginning of classes on DIR platform. massima. Variazioni nella bibliografia e nei contenuti sono possibili. Il programma definitivo sarà pubblicato sulla pagina DIR del corso all'inizio delle lezioni. Unit I: Foundations of the Self Session 1 – Whitman and Dickinson: Self as Cosmos Phillis Wheatley: “On being brought from Africa to America” Walt Whitman: “Song of Myself” (sezioni 1–7, 24, 48–52), Preface to Leaves of Grass Emily Dickinson: “Because I could not stop for Death,” “I felt a Funeral in my Brain,” “My Life had stood – a Loaded Gun” Unit II: Modernism — Expansion and Contestation Session 2 – The Waste Land and the Fragmented Modern World T.S. Eliot: The Waste Land (1922) Session 3 – Ezra Pound and William Carlos Williams: New Poetics Ezra Pound: “In a Station of the Metro,” Hugh Selwyn Mauberley (selezioni) William Carlos Williams: “The Red Wheelbarrow,” “This Is Just to Say,” Spring and All (selezioni) Session 4 – Marianne Moore and Wallace Stevens: Precision and Philosophy Marianne Moore: “Poetry,” “The Fish,” “An Octopus” Wallace Stevens: “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird” (altre poesie a seguire) Session 5 – Harlem Renaissance & Black Modernism Claude McKay: “If We Must Die,” “America,” selezioni da Harlem Shadows Langston Hughes: “The Negro Speaks of Rivers,” “Theme for English B,” “I, Too,” “The Weary Blues,” “Trumpet Player” Countee Cullen: “Incident,” “Heritage” Zora Neale Hurston (prosa poetica): “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” (opzionale) Unit III: The Beats and Confessionals — Radical Self-Expression Session 6 – The Beats: Rebellion and Spontaneity Allen Ginsberg: “Howl” (Parti I & II), “A Supermarket in California” Jack Kerouac: Mexico City Blues (selezioni) Gregory Corso: “Bomb” Session 7 – The Confessionals: Trauma and Form Sylvia Plath: “Lady Lazarus,” “Daddy” Robert Lowell: “Skunk Hour,” “For the Union Dead” Anne Sexton: “Her Kind” Unit IV: Black Poetics in the Postwar Era & Experimental Movements Session 8 – Black Arts Movement and Postwar Black Poets Amiri Baraka: “Black Art,” “Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note” Gwendolyn Brooks: “We Real Cool,” “The Mother,” “Kitchenette” Sonia Sanchez: “We a BaddDDD People” (estratti) June Jordan: “Poem about my rights,” “The Bombing of Baghdad” Session 9 – Black Mountain Poets and Projective Verse Charles Olson: “Projective Verse,” “The Kingfishers” Robert Creeley: “I Know a Man,” “The Language” Denise Levertov: “The Dog of Art” Session 10 – New York School and John Ashbery John Ashbery: “Self-Portrait in a Convex Mirror,” “Paradoxes and Oxymorons” Frank O’Hara: “The Day Lady Died,” “Why I Am Not a Painter” Unit V: Language Poetry, Performance, and Systemic Voices Session 11 – Language Poetry and Politics of Language Lyn Hejinian: “My Life” (estratti) Charles Bernstein: “Artifice of Absorption” (estratto) Ron Silliman: The New Sentence (selezioni) Session 12 – Black Performance and Spoken Word Patricia Smith: “Skinhead,” “Undertaker” Gil Scott-Heron: “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” Saul Williams: “Coded Language” Multimedia: video da Def Poetry Jam Unit VI: Digital and Conceptual Poetics Session 13 – Conceptual and Procedural Writing Kenneth Goldsmith: The Weather (selezioni), “Uncreative Writing” (estratti) Caroline Bergvall: “Via” (traduzioni da Dante) Session 14 – Digital and Code Poetry Nick Montfort: “Taroko Gorge” (poesia in codice) Stephanie Strickland: V: WaveSon.nets (estratti) bpNichol: First Screening (estratti) Session 15 – Review and Workshop

Basic Level (18-21): Ability to analyze poetic texts in relation to historical, cultural, and political contexts, identifying essential elements. General knowledge of the main American poetic movements up to the 21st century. Basic understanding of the role of poetry in the construction of racial and political identities. Initial development of critical and creative skills in interpreting poetic texts. Introductory awareness of media and technological transformations in contemporary poetry. Intermediate Level (22-27): In-depth analysis of poetic texts with reference to complex historical, cultural, and political contexts. Detailed knowledge of American poetic movements and their evolution up to the 21st century. Critical and nuanced understanding of the role of poetry in the construction of racial and political identities. Development of critical and creative skills in both the interpretation and production of poetic texts. Critical awareness of media and technological transformations, with the ability to analyze digital and performative poetry. Advanced Level (28-30L): Advanced critical analysis skills of poetic texts in relation to complex and interdisciplinary historical, cultural, and political contexts. Thorough mastery of major American poetic movements, with the ability to critically contextualize their transformations up to the 21st century. Sophisticated and reflective understanding of the role of poetry in constructing racial, political, and systemic identities.
Non-attending students must take a written exam (3 open-answer questions) followed by a colloquium on the entire material in the syllabus. All supplementary material is available on DIR.