3.0

credits

Average Course Rating

This course examines the role of lyric poetry in a media culture that has become obsessed with photographs. In a world where everyone with a cell phone is a photographer – and every literate person a writer – how do we create valuable work? We will pair genres of photography and lyric poetry in discussion – landscape photos and poems of place, for example – and view each through the other. Students will read a body of poetry and criticism (prose by Walter Benjamin, Susan Sontag, Penelope Pelizzon, Roland Barthes, et al.). In addition to bringing worthwhile comments on the readings to each class, students will submit one original poem and one original photo each week for credit. * Prerequisites: Each student is required to have a device capable of taking digital photos. Cell phones are fine.