| Ses # | Topic | Key dates |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Recognizing patterns | |
| 2 | Making poetry in English | 1 page introduction due |
| 3 | From evidence to analysis | |
| 4 | Etymologies and rhythms | |
| 5 |
Guest lecture: Shigeru Miyagawa, Senior Associate Dean of Open Learning at MIT Language as system(s) | |
| 6 | The shape of sentences and the shape of information | 3 pp. informal essay due |
| 7 | Reading line breaks | 3 pp. informal essay due |
| 8 | Fixed forms, rhymed and otherwise | |
| 9 |
Guest lecture: Nick Montfort, Poet and MIT Professor New work in computer-generated poetry | 3 pp. informal essay due |
| 10 | Sound patterns and sense | |
| 11 | Reading a difficult poem (1) | Presentation on part of an assigned poem |
| 12 | Reading a difficult poem (2) | 5 pp. revision of and expansion of an informal paper due |
| 13 | How do metaphors work? | |
| 14 | Guest lecture: Tyehimba Jess, Poet | |
| 15 | How does allusion work? (History) | 5 pp. report on "The Waste Land" |
| 16 | Guest lecture: Charles Shadle, MIT Lecturer | |
| 17 | Guest lecture: Kimberly Brown, MIT Visiting Professor | 4–5 pp. analytic essay on reading, discussion, and book due |
| 18 |
Guest lecture: Martha Collins, Poet Translating Poetry | |
| 19–23 | Student-initiated readings and presentations | 5–6 pp. final presentation report due (drawing on work from your student-initiated class) |