Modern American Poetry

About this course: Twelve experienced faculty members from across the United States present their analyses of ground-breaking modern American poets in richly illustrated video lectures. The course highlights both major poets—from Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson through T.S. Eliot, H.D., Amy Lowell, Hart Crane, Langston Hughes, Muriel Rukeyser, and many others—and influential movements. The course mixes historical overview with close readings of individual poets and poems. Most courses give only one instructor’s point of view. This one matches the diversity of US poetry with lectures by a score of talented faculty. They bring their special perspective to the material while also presenting a coherent view of more than fifty years of US poetry. Throughout the course the lectures are illustrated with vivid images of the events, people, and places mentioned in the poems themselves. Readings by both the poets themselves and experienced faculty highlight the texts. On screen displays of text and quotations make it easy to follow the material. This is a course that takes advantage of the medium to bring you sights and sounds that would be difficult to incorporate in classroom lectures.

Created by:  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Taught by:  Cary Nelson, Jubilee Professor of Liberal Arts & Sciences

  English Department

Level Beginner Commitment 4 weeks of study, 3-5 hours/week Language English How To Pass Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. User Ratings 4.3 stars Average User Rating 4.3See what learners said Coursework

Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.

Help from your peers

Connect with thousands of other learners and debate ideas, discuss course material, and get help mastering concepts.

Certificates

Earn official recognition for your work, and share your success with friends, colleagues, and employers.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a world leader in research, teaching and public engagement, distinguished by the breadth of its programs, broad academic excellence, and internationally renowned faculty and alumni. Illinois serves the world by creating knowledge, preparing students for lives of impact, and finding solutions to critical societal needs.

Syllabus


WEEK 1


Orientation



1 video, 5 readings, 1 practice quiz expand

1. Video: Welcome to Modern American Poetry!
2. Reading: Syllabus
3. Reading: How to Pass This Class
4. Reading: About the Discussion Forums
5. Reading: Social Media
6. Reading: Getting to Know Your Classmates
7. Practice Quiz: Orientation Quiz

Module 1
Reassessing Modernism's Origins


22 videos, 5 readings, 4 practice quizzes expand

1. Reading: Module 1 Information
2. Reading: 1.1 Recommended Reading
3. Video: Modern American Poetry, 1899-1950 (Part 1)
4. Video: Modern American Poetry, 1899-1950 (Part 2)
5. Video: Modern American Poetry, 1899-1950 (Part 3)
6. Video: Modern American Poetry, 1899-1950 (Part 4)
7. Video: Modern American Poetry, 1899-1950 (Part 5)
8. Video: Modern American Poetry, 1899-1950 (Part 6)
9. Video: Modern American Poetry, 1899-1950 (Part 7)
10. Video: Modern American Poetry, 1899-1950 (Part 8)
11. Video: Modern American Poetry, 1899-1950 (Part 9)
12. Video: Modern American Poetry, 1899-1950 (Part 10)
13. Video: Modern American Poetry, 1899-1950 (Part 11)
14. Practice Quiz: 1.1 Modern American Poetry, 1899-1950
15. Discussion Prompt: 1.1 Discussion
16. Reading: 1.2 Recommended Reading
17. Video: Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson: 'A Strange, Uncoupled Couple' (Part 1)
18. Video: Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson: 'A Strange, Uncoupled Couple' (Part 2)
19. Video: Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson: 'A Strange, Uncoupled Couple' (Part 3)
20. Video: Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson: 'A Strange, Uncoupled Couple' (Part 4)
21. Practice Quiz: 1.2 Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson: 'A Strange, Uncoupled Couple'
22. Discussion Prompt: 1.2 Discussion
23. Reading: 1.3 Recommended Reading
24. Video: Native American Poetry from the 1890s to 1930 (Part 1)
25. Video: Native American Poetry from the 1890s to 1930 (Part 2)
26. Practice Quiz: 1.3 Native American Poetry from the 1890s to 1930
27. Discussion Prompt: 1.3 Discussion
28. Reading: 1.4 Recommended Reading
29. Video: Hart Crane's The Bridge (Part 1)
30. Video: Hart Crane's The Bridge (Part 2)
31. Video: Hart Crane's The Bridge (Part 3)
32. Video: Hart Crane's The Bridge (Part 4)
33. Video: Hart Crane's The Bridge (Part 5)
34. Practice Quiz: 1.4 Hart Crane's The Bridge
35. Discussion Prompt: 1.4 Discussion

Graded: Module 1 Discussion Peer Review

WEEK 2


Module 2
The Difference Women Made


19 videos, 5 readings, 3 practice quizzes expand

1. Reading: Module 2 Information
2. Reading: 2.1 Recommended Reading
3. Video: Modernist Women's Poetry and the Sentimental Tradition (Part 1)
4. Video: Modernist Women's Poetry and the Sentimental Tradition (Part 2)
5. Video: Modernist Women's Poetry and the Sentimental Tradition (Part 3)
6. Video: Modernist Women's Poetry and the Sentimental Tradition (Part 4)
7. Video: Modernist Women's Poetry and the Sentimental Tradition (Part 5)
8. Video: Modernist Women's Poetry and the Sentimental Tradition (Part 6)
9. Practice Quiz: 2.1 Modernist Women’s Poetry and the Sentimental Tradition
10. Discussion Prompt: 2.1 Discussion
11. Reading: 2.2 Recommended Reading
12. Video: Marianne Moore: Syllabics (Part 1)
13. Video: Marianne Moore: Syllabics (Part 2)
14. Video: Marianne Moore: Syllabics (Part 3)
15. Video: Marianne Moore: Syllabics (Part 4)
16. Video: Marianne Moore: Syllabics (Part 5)
17. Practice Quiz: 2.2 Marianne Moore: Syllabics
18. Discussion Prompt: 2.2 Discussion
19. Reading: 2.3 Recommended Reading
20. Video: Women's Poetry, Modernism, and Classical Myth (Part 1)
21. Video: Women's Poetry, Modernism, and Classical Myth (Part 2)
22. Video: Women's Poetry, Modernism, and Classical Myth (Part 3)
23. Video: Women's Poetry, Modernism, and Classical Myth (Part 4)
24. Video: Women's Poetry, Modernism, and Classical Myth (Part 5)
25. Practice Quiz: 2.3 Women’s Poetry, Modernism, and Classical Myth
26. Discussion Prompt: 2.3 Discussion
27. Reading: 2.4 Recommended Reading
28. Video: 'A Cessation of Resemblances': Stein / Picasso / Duchamp (Part 1)
29. Video: 'A Cessation of Resemblances': Stein / Picasso / Duchamp (Part 2)
30. Video: 'A Cessation of Resemblances': Stein / Picasso / Duchamp (Part 3)
31. Discussion Prompt: 2.4 Discussion

Graded: Module 2 Discussion Peer Review

WEEK 3


Module 3
Poetry's Social Voice


16 videos, 5 readings, 4 practice quizzes expand

1. Reading: Module 3 Information
2. Reading: 3.1 Recommended Reading
3. Video: Rethinking High Modernism (Part 1)
4. Video: Rethinking High Modernism (Part 2)
5. Video: Rethinking High Modernism (Part 3)
6. Video: Rethinking High Modernism (Part 4)
7. Video: Rethinking High Modernism (Part 5)
8. Practice Quiz: 3.1 Rethinking High Modernism
9. Discussion Prompt: 3.1 Discussion
10. Reading: 3.2 Recommended Reading
11. Video: "Tomorrow . . . who knows?": The Futures of Harlem Renaissance Poetry (Part 1)
12. Video: "Tomorrow . . . who knows?": The Futures of Harlem Renaissance Poetry (Part 2)
13. Video: "Tomorrow . . . who knows?": The Futures of Harlem Renaissance Poetry (Part 3)
14. Video: "Tomorrow . . . who knows?": The Futures of Harlem Renaissance Poetry (Part 4)
15. Practice Quiz: 3.2 “Tomorrow . . . who knows?”: The Futures of Harlem Renaissance Poetry
16. Discussion Prompt: 3.2 Discussion
17. Reading: 3.3 Recommended Reading
18. Video: The Political 1930s (Part 1)
19. Video: The Political 1930s (Part 2)
20. Video: The Political 1930s (Part 3)
21. Video: The Political 1930s (Part 4)
22. Video: The Political 1930s (Part 5)
23. Practice Quiz: 3.3 The Political 1930s
24. Discussion Prompt: 3.3 Discussion
25. Reading: 3.4 Recommended Reading
26. Video: Tradition and the Folk in Sterling Brown's Poetry (Part 1)
27. Video: Tradition and the Folk in Sterling Brown's Poetry (Part 2)
28. Practice Quiz: 3.4 Tradition and the Folk in Sterling Brown's Poetry
29. Discussion Prompt: 3.4 Discussion

Graded: Module 3 Discussion Peer Review

WEEK 4


Module 4
Modernism's Legacies


15 videos, 7 readings, 3 practice quizzes expand

1. Reading: Module 4 Information
2. Reading: 4.1 Recommended Reading
3. Video: Developing the Cultural Epic: From Eliot’s Cultural Elegy to Rukeyser’s Documentary Testament (Part 1)
4. Video: Developing the Cultural Epic: Eliot and Crane: Expanding the Terrain of the Modernist Epic (Part 2)
5. Video: Developing the Cultural Epic: "The Tunnel": Contesting Eliot (Part 3)
6. Video: Developing the Cultural Epic: Muriel Rukeyser's Theory of Flight (Part 4)
7. Video: Developing the Cultural Epic: Muriel Rukeyser's Documentary Testament (Part 5)
8. Practice Quiz: 4.1 Developing the Cultural Epic Quiz
9. Discussion Prompt: 4.1 Discussion
10. Reading: 4.2 Recommended Reading
11. Video: The Image of the City in Pre-war Poetry (Part 1)
12. Video: The Image of the City in Pre-war Poetry (Part 2)
13. Video: The Image of the City in Pre-war Poetry (Part 3)
14. Practice Quiz: 4.2 The Image of the City in Pre-War Poetry
15. Discussion Prompt: 4.2 Discussion
16. Reading: 4.3 Recommended Reading
17. Video: Little Magazines (Part 1)
18. Video: Little Magazines (Part 2)
19. Video: Little Magazines (Part 3)
20. Practice Quiz: 4.3 Little Magazines
21. Discussion Prompt: 4.3 Discussion
22. Reading: 4.4 Recommended Reading
23. Video: Introduction
24. Video: Emily Dickinson's "We Learned the Whole of Love"
25. Video: Wallace Stevens's "Large Red Man Reading"
26. Video: Harryette Mullen's "Sleeping with the Dictionary"
27. Discussion Prompt: 4.4 Discussion
28. Reading: The Symposium Overview
29. Reading: The Symposium: Additional Information for Video Submissions

Graded: Module 4 Discussion Peer Review
Graded: The Symposium: Peer Review