Writing About Emerging Poetics:

The Spoken Word & Iraqi War

Literature
Instructor
Prof. Aaron D. Graham
E-mail: agraha88@kennesaw.edu *Preferred method of contact
Office Phone:
Cell Phone: (404) 632-4480
Office Location: English Building 231
Office Hours: By Appointment
Virtual Office Hours: M,W,F 2000-2130
Email and Classroom Response Times:
I will check my email at least once a day, not including weekends or holidays. During the
week, I will respond to all emails within 24 hours. Over the weekend (starting Friday at 4
p.m.) I will respond to all emails within 48 hours. All assignments will be returned within
7 days.

Course Description
This course will provide first and second year within the English Major
new ways to access, think about, and write about exciting, emerging
poetics in ways that are meaningful and relevant to them. This course
in both form and contentwill forcibly move poetry from dusty
bookshelves into a vivid, personal space where they feel they to have
permission to honestly ask: what can literature/ poetry do for me?
This course will begin by considering contemporary spoken word
poetry by Alysia Harris, Miles Hodges, and Zora Howard, Jasmine Mans,
and Douglas Kearney. We will then mover to consider literature
emerging from indigenous authors and Americans in the region
because of the continued conflict in the Middle East. While the
reading/viewing content will be HEAVILY poetic, some of readings will
be from Redeploymentthe award winning collection of short stories
by Marine Corps Veteran Phil Klay.
This course will be writing intensive and ask that students think about
(and thus write about) literary texts in new ways. Writing assignments
will include: bi-weekly analyses of specific, assigned poems, a
traditional literary analysis paper, a piece of creative writing, a crossmedium translation piecewhere students will be asked to transfer the

Copyright 2016, Kennesaw State University

Syllabus

drama of a spoken word performance onto the printed pageand an

open topic research paper exploring an aspect of material culture
related to the Middle East. The course will culminate in a reflective
portfolio assignment asking students to reflect on how their
understanding of what poetry is and how their notion of writing
about poetry has evolved over the course of the semester.

Course Objectives
By the end of this course, you should be able to:
Outcome 1: Rhetorical Composition. You will compose texts in
multiple genres and employing using multiple modes of
communication and learn to do so in relation to various
rhetorical situations.
Through composing a variety texts throughout the semester you will
demonstrate your understanding of audience, purpose, and
constraints, use and adapt generic conventions, as well as hone your
voice as an author using organization, development, style, and tone.
These compositions will include:
1.1.

Create "Translations" of Texts Across Multiple Mediums

1.2.

Vetting Poems

1.3.

Write Argument & Rhetorical Analyses

1.4.

Process Journaling

1.5.

Compose Reflective Pieces Discussing Successes, Shortcomings, and Plans

for Improvement for your Papers

1.6.

Compose an Original Research Project

1.7.

Compose a Letter of Introduction to your Cumulative Portfolio

1.8.

Engage with and Compose Original Literary Analyses

1.9.

Compose an Original Piece of Creative (Poetic) Writing

1.10.
Assemble a Cumulative Final Portfolio Replete with a Process Reflection
which Curates a Minimum of 10 artifacts Generated Throughout the Semester

Outcome 2: Critical Thinking and Reading Resulting in

Writing. As you undertake scholarly inquiry and produce your
own arguments, you will learn to summarize, analyze,
synthesize, and evaluate the ideas and arguments of others.

Syllabus

During this semester, you will be bombarded by the ideas of

others. You will encounter these ideas in a variety of texts both
inside and outside the classroom and across a various mediums
print, visual, aural, oral, etc. You will learn proper ways to
ethically integrate texts written by other individuals into your
own work by correctly citing and adapting. Throughout this
semester you will learn how to employ writing as a tool to
engage and think critically about myriad issues.
o

Ethically Integrate Texts Written by Other Individuals into your own Work by
Correctly Quoting and Citing

Outcome 3: Writing as Process. You will understand and

practice writing as a process, recursively-implementing
strategies of research, drafting, revision, editing, and
reflection to accomplish writing tasks.
In learning about your own writing process and being guided
through reflective writing about that process, you will learn to
critique your own and others work. You will also become aware
that it usually takes multiple drafts to complete the successful
writing of a text The trajectory of this course will take you
through numerous activities and assignments designed to
provide practice and afford insight into your own writing to help
you gain mastery of the following essential writing, reading, and
critical thinking skills. Compose texts in multiple genres, using
multiple modes while attending to changing rhetorical situations.

1.11.

Summarize, Analyze, Synthesize, and Evaluate the Ideas of Others

1.12.
Practice writing as a process, recursively-implementing strategies of
research, drafting, revision, editing, and reflection
1.13.

Implement Reading Practices Specific to the Genre of Poetry

1.14.
Identify arguments, claims, warrants, conclusions, impacts, and aims
of a poem

Identify the Interaction Between the form and Content of a Poem

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Syllabus

Required Textbook/Supporting Materials

Al-Sayyab, Badr and Deyoung, Terri, Placing the Poet: Badr Shakir Al-Sayyab
and Postcolonial
Iraq Paperback; State University of New York Press (April 9, 1998) Print.
ISBN-13: 978-0791437322
Bayt, A.W., and B.K. Frangieh. Love, Death and Exile: Poems Translated
from Arabic. Georgetown University Press, 1990. Print.
ISBN-13: 978-0878402182
Darwsh, M., and S. Qsim, Victims of a Map. . Al Saqi Books, 1984.
Print.
ISBN-13: 978-0863565243
Griswold, E., and S. Murphy. I Am the Beggar of the World: Landays
from Contemporary
Afghanistan. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2014. Print.
ISBN-13: 978-0374535186
Klay, Phil. Redeployment. Penguin Group US, 2014. Print.
ISBN-13: 978-1594204999
Saxton, N. Poems by Marines in Combat. Author House, 2010. Print
ISBN-13: 978-1452058009
Turner, Brian. Here, Bullet. Alice James Books, 2014. University of Maine at
Farmington. Alice James Books. Print.
ISBN-13: 978-1882295555

Minimum Technology Requirements

Online learning requires access to computer resources. Generally, basic standards
include a computer (either a PC or a Mac) that is less than five years old, equipped with
at least Microsoft Office 2007 (including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel) and recent
versions of free media players (e.g. RealPlayer, Windows Media Player, QuickTime).
Your internet connection will also be important to your ability to access information. A
basic dial-up connection will not be satisfactory. Faculty often use audio and video files
that would take a very long time to download over slow internet connections. We highly
recommend a high-speed internet connection for taking online courses.

Syllabus

Minimum Technical Skills

Online courses normally require participants to have average computer literacy. Students
should be proficient with the basic functions of standard software packages (e.g., MS
Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, and Adobe Reader) and standard players (e.g.,
QuickTime, Windows Media Player). These programs will need to be accessible to
students through home use or other computer access. A list of primers on many of these
technologies is available at
https://apps.kennesaw.edu/portal/prod/app_uni_cdoc_publ/documents/
A working knowledge of the D2L learning management system is required for
participation in online courses.

Grading
Assignment #1: Doing some of that Reflectn Connectn
Everyone look down at the course syllabus yall have been issued. Note
the policies, procedures, assignments, expectations, reading load, writing
load, subject matter, course outcomes, and pace. Think of these facets of the
course in terms of what the overall expectations seem to be.
Cool, now keep pondering this as you go pick up your required books.
Review them as welleven if you dont have your books yet or wont be
getting all of them by next class go in to Amazon, Google Books, or
Goodreads and have andlook at their order, author, and back-cover blurbs.
Lastly, think about our initial session today. About how uncool the
electronics policy is, how annoying my voice is, or how, naturally, I stand with
my feet spread way to far apart and how odd it lookor whatever else may
stay with you in terms of the classroom environment.
Use these three different sorts of textual experiencesthe syllabus,
the courses books, and the initial meetingas data sets or evidence
write 1pg. + about how you think youll do in this course.
It may help to consider the following questions to get your mind in the
reflective zone:
What assignments look familiar, easy, self-explanatory, or manageable?
Why?
What in your reading and writing past makes you confident about parts of
the course?
What parts?
What in your academic past is hesitant / skeptical/ beginning to loathe
others parts of it?

Syllabus

What are those parts?

How do you think youll do overall? Cakewalk? Work your tail off? Love it
or loathe it?
Is the course right up your alley?
Is it mind-bogglingly foreign to you in every way?
Is it alike or different from what you've encountered in your classes here
thus far?
Assignment #2: Say What?! Sustained Engagement with the
Spoken Word
This assignment will ask you to think about how the traits of spoken word
poetry we have been studying in class and the specific ways spoken word
artists use their medium to address an audience. This assignment will ask
you to examine the manner in which different spoken word tropes and
rhetorical tactics affect the communication of the poets argument to their
audience by asking you to get creative yourself and translate the spoken
word in to the written wordthinking up creative and innovative ways in
which aural and sonic elements can be communicated in a written medium.
You will then be asked to write a 3pg reflection paper on the entire process. In
this reflection paper, as will all reflective writing assignments this semester,
you will use evidence based argumentation to show your engagement with
the topic, learning outcomes, and intellectual community and how your paper
accomplished this. This means your reflection papers will be expected to
quote from the work it is reflection on. For example, your reflection paper to
this assignment may contain something to the effect of:
On page II of my translation for Burning Water I had to find a way to
account for the fact that, as a duet, there are points in which both voices in
the poem are speaking simultaneously. Because the aural affect of the poets
speaking in unison is a harmony of pitch and an increase in volume, I decided
that breaking the poem into two parallel columns on the page would
represent both voices presence. Having words that are spoken together
appear in a the same font as each other but one which is drastically different
font from the rest of the poem was my way of showing the harmony between
these sections of speech. Finally, because the effect of simultaneous
utterance is an increase in overall volume, I decided to bold the text as an
indication of the greater amplitude these words carry.

Assignment #3: Dust Jacket Blurbs: Rhetorical and Audience

Analysis
For this assignment you will write a dust jacket blurb for one of the
poems, stories, performances, (texts if you will) we have read for the
class and base your creation on both the samples of blurbs we have
analyzed in class and at home. Your blurb will employ the rhetorical
principles and audience analysis, rhetorical situatedness, and
discursive community in order to accomplish its objective and loosely
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Syllabus

resemble some of the sample texts we have gone over and studied in
class.
Assignment #4: Traditional Research Paper (15%)
In this assignment you will write a 5+pg original research paper on
some topic related to contemporary poetry. For this you will be
employing proper MLA formatted citations and a works cited page (also
in MLA format) and include at least 2 secondary sources and 2 primary
sources. There will be multiple in class workshops and breakdowns of
this assignments evaluation criteria distributed when it is assigned.
Assignment #5: The Putin Surprise (5%)
Surprise! Last night Putin Invaded Poland. Now youre drafted & on a
bus to basic training. Write 1+pg letters to: parents, senator, best
friend (or significant other) expressing your
worries/feelings/pleas/demands.
Assignment #6: The Putin Surprise II: The Sequel (10%)
Chose 1 of your 3 letters. I will assign you a new target
audience/discursive community in classkeeping your advocacy
unalteredrewrite the letter tailoring it to the new situation and
audience as well as a 1pg+ process reflection detailing your rhetorical
choices success communicating to your audience.
Reflective Portfolio/Presentation
This assignment will ask you to curate the experiences you have had this
semester to provide an answer to the question you are asked at the
beginning of the semester What does writing about literature/poetry mean
to you? By writing an two-page introductionto serve as a guide to direct
your readers through the portfolioand selecting a minimum of ten of your
genius annotations, two of your major assignments, and their corresponding
reflection essays you will craft a portfolio that provides your considered
reflection on an answer to that question.

Reflective Portfolio Cover Letter

Develop a letter addressed to the Portfolio Assessment Committee that shows
how youve achieved the learning outcomes for your first-year composition
course. This letter should exhibit and discuss in detail concrete examples
from your portfolio. You should write between 750 and 1250 words, not
including the exhibits from your portfolio that you reference in the letter.

Syllabus

The Assessment Committee is composed of a number of first-year writing

instructors as well as graduate students from across the university who serve
as fellows in the Writing Program. Several of these individuals helped create
the program learning outcomes and theyre excited to see how students have
achieved the outcomes.
Possible Approaches
Feel free to use first person and write a narrative of your experience, rather
than writing an argumentative essay. You can document your learning for the
committee by
I. Telling a story in which exhibits from your portfolio play major roles.
II. Exploring each piece of your writing process and the part it plays in
producing a final product. Discussing your failures and how they turned
into successes.
III. Describing your successes and then discussing how you intend to
improve in other areas needing further developing.

Calculations of Grades by % Weighted

Reflect N Connect
Bi-Weekly Poem Vetting &
Analyses
Translation Assignment
Dust Jacket Blurb
Research Paper
Putin Surprise
Putin Surprise II
Creative Writing/Video/Artwork
Piece
Reflective Portfolio/Presentation

Total

5%
25%
25%
5%
15%
5%
5%
5%
10%
100%

Grade Conversion:
A: (90-100), B: (80-89), C: (70-79), D: (60-69), F: (0-59)
***Detailed grading criteria are available in D2L for how Discussions and Projects will
be graded.***

Explanation of Letter Grades:

A: An excellent response to the assignment. Demonstrates a sophisticated use of
rhetorical knowledge, writing, and design techniques.
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Syllabus

B: A good response to the assignment. Demonstrates an effective use of rhetorical

knowledge, writing, and design techniques. May have minor problems that distract
reader.
C: An average response to the assignment. Demonstrates acceptable use of rhetorical
knowledge, writing, and design technique. May have problems that distract reader.
D: A poor response to the assignment. Demonstrates a lack of rhetorical knowledge and
writing and design technique. May have significant problems that distract reader.
F: A failure to respond to the assignment appropriately.

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Syllabus

Course Outline
Below is an outline of the content and activities in each unit of the course. All due dates
for activities are in Eastern Standard Time.
1

Class Policies, Syllabus, Terminology,

and How to Go About Reading Poetry

Introduction to class
policies and Poetical
Terminology

Spitting Game" Miles Hodges & Alysia

Harris

Spoken Word, Continued.

More of Miss Harris

The Written Word Speaks

Redeployment: Intro, Context, &

Rhetorical Situation

"Redepolyment" Responses

"Prayer in the Furnace"

"War Stories"

Intro to the spoken word

via Miles Hodges and
Alysia Harris
Josh Bennet, Zora
Howard & Jasmine
Mans,
More of Alysia Harriss
poetry and performance.
T.S. Eliot, Ogden Nash,
& Alysia HarrisTranscending the page as
a medium
Background, terms and
history to aid in the
collection with the other
texts
initial reactions to a
tough story
Faith in War and
responses from different
faith traditions
Coming home from war
and recounting events
Intro to Arabic poetry
and reading poetry from
a multi-cultural POV
Cont.
Poetic analysis
Poetic analysis
American poetics in an
Arabic world
The Womans Voice no
Longer Silenced
The Womans Voice
Cont.

10

"Love Death and Exile" Al Bayyati

11
12
13
14

"Love Death and Exile" Al Bayyati

Victims of a Map Darwish
Victims of a Map Adonis
Here Bullet

15

I am the Beggar of the World

16

I am the Beggar of the World

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Course Expectations
Expectations/Class Participation
For this online class, you should

Communication Rules
In any classroom setting there are communication rules in place that encourage students
to respect others and their opinions. In an online environment the do's and don'ts of
online communication are referred to as Netiquette. As a student in this course you
should:
Be sensitive and reflective to what others are saying.
Avoid typing in all capitals because it is difficult to read and is considered the
electronic version of 'shouting'.
Don't flame - These are outbursts of extreme emotion or opinion.
Think before you hit the post (enter/reply) button. You can't take it back!
Don't use offensive language.
Use clear subject lines.
Don't use abbreviations or acronyms unless the entire class knows them.
Be forgiving. Anyone can make a mistake.
Keep the dialog collegial and professional, humor is difficult to convey in an
online environment.
Always assume good intent and respond accordingly. If you are unsure of or
annoyed by a message, wait 24 hours before responding.

Late Assignments
All assignments will receive a 0 unless prior arrangements are made with me.

Student Responsibility
Distance learning requires more individual discipline than traditional classes, and
requires that you have at least some control over your time and schedule. It is not easier
or less time than face-to-face courses. During each week, students are expected to:
Check D2L course website regularly;
Follow the weekly study guide;
Study the assigned material, such as; virtual lectures, textbook chapters, PPT
slides, etc.;
Complete and submit assigned quizzes or homework on time.

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Tips for Effective Online Learning

For an online class, students can really enjoy the benefits of learning at your own pace
and in whatever environment that you choose. Below are some tips for effective online
learning:
Check the D2L course website regularly. Always be aware of the current status
of the course. It might be helpful to subscribe to the RSS feeds within the News
Tool, sign up for text message alerts, or subscribe to your posts within the
Discussion Tool. By taking advantage of the tools within the environment and the
posted learning material, you can maintain an enhanced learning experience.
Work closely with your instructor. If you have any questions, please contact me
immediately. The best way to contact me if via email or text, and you will be
guaranteed to have a reply within 12 hours.
Begin your work early. If you can start a task early, dont start late. Assuming
you spend the same amount of time completing the task, starting later will be
much more stressful than starting early. Never wait until the last minute to begin
an assignment! Youll have no turnaround time if you need help or something
happens.

What is Plagiarism?
Plagiarism is defined as the practice of taking someone elses work or ideas and passing
them off as ones own. If you are unaware or uncertain on how to properly cite a
particular source, please do not neglect to add the citationthat is considered plagiarism.
If you have questions on how to cite your work, please contact me immediately! For
more information, please refer to the Plagiarism Policy under the Policies section of
this syllabus.

Turnitin
Students agree that by taking this course all required papers may be subject to submission
for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All
submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference
database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. Use of the
Turnitin.com service is subject to the Terms and Conditions of Use posted on the
Turnitin.com site.

Help Resources
Contacts to get Help
Quick Links
Student Help Desk studenthelpdesk@kennesaw.edu or call 470.578.3555
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D2L FAQs click here

D2L Student Users Guide click here
UITS Student Training Workshop Schedule click here
Access and Disability Resources
I strive to create an inclusive learning environment for all. I am invested in your success
in this class and at Emory, so please let me know if anything is standing in the way of
your doing your best work. This can include your own learning strengths, any classroom
dynamics that you find uncomfortable, ESL issues, disability or chronic illness, and/or
personal issues that impact your work. I will hold such conversations in strict confidence.
Students with medical/health conditions that might impact academic success should visit
Access, Disability Services and Resources http://studentsuccess.kennesaw.edu/sds/
to determine eligibility for appropriate accommodations. Students who receive
accommodations must present the Accommodation Letter from ADSR to your professor
at the beginning of the semester, or when the letter is received.
Writing Center
This is a great resource for writers of all skill levels, and we encourage you to take
advantage of it. You can bring any projectfrom traditional papers to websitesat any
stage in your composing process. Writing Center tutors take a discussion- and workshopbased approach that enables writers of all levels to see their writing with fresh eyes.
Tutors can talk with you about your purpose, organization, audience, design choices, or
use of sources. They can also work with you on sentence-level concerns (including
grammar and word choice), but they will not proofread for you. Instead, they will discuss
strategies and resources you can use to become a better editor of your own work. Visit
http://writingcenter.kennesaw.edu for more information and to make appointments.
Tutoring for Multilingual Students
If English is not your first language and if you need additional help with assignments in
this or other college classes, you may benefit from working with specially trained ESL
Tutors. The tutors are undergraduates who will support the development of your English
language skills. Like Writing Center tutors, ESL tutors will not proofread your work.
Language is best learned through interactive dialogue, so when you come to an ESL
tutoring session, be ready to collaborate! ESL tutors will meet with you in the ESL Lab in
designated locations, and they will help you at any stage of the process of developing
your essay or presentation. You may bring your work on a laptop or on paper. If you
schedule an appointment in the ESL Lab, you may also bring your work on a USB stick computers are available in the lab. Visit the Kennesaw State ESL website at:
http://uc.kennesaw.edu/academicinitiatives/esl.php
KSU Student Counseling Services
Free and confidential counseling services and support are available from the KSU

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Counseling Center at 470-578-6000. This can be an invaluable resource when stress

makes your work more challenging than it ought to be.
http://studentsuccess.kennesaw.edu/cps/students/index.php

Additional Resources
Remote access to Library Resources: http://library.kennesaw.edu/
Student Support:
http://learnonline.kennesaw.edu/student-resources/support-resources.php
Tutoring and Academic Support: http://learnonline.kennesaw.edu/studentresources/tutoring.php
Advising: http://learnonline.kennesaw.edu/student-resources/advising.php
Bookstore: http://learnonline.kennesaw.edu/student-resources/bookstore.php

University Policies
Academic Honesty
Every KSU student is responsible for upholding the provisions of the Student Code of
Conduct, as published in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs. Section II of the
Student Code of Conduct addresses the Universitys policy on academic honesty,
including provisions regarding plagiarism and cheating, unauthorized access to
University materials, misrepresentation/ falsification of University records or academic
work, malicious removal, retention, or destruction of library materials,
malicious/intentional misuse of computer facilities and/or services, and misuse of student
identification cards. Incidents of alleged academic misconduct will be handled through
the established procedures of the University Judiciary Program, which includes either an
informal resolution by a faculty member, resulting in a grade adjustment, or a formal
hearing procedure, which may subject a student to the Code of Conducts minimum one
semester suspension requirement.

Plagiarism Policy
No student shall receive, attempt to receive, knowingly give or attempt to give
unauthorized assistance in the preparation of any work required to be submitted for credit
as part of a course (including examinations, laboratory reports, essays, themes, term
papers, etc.). When direct quotations are used, they should be indicated, and when the
ideas, theories, data, figures, graphs, programs, electronic based information or
illustrations of someone other than the student are incorporated into a paper or used in a
project, they should be duly acknowledged.

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Disability Statement
Kennesaw State University provides program accessibility and reasonable
accommodations for persons defined as disabled under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Kennesaw State University
does not deny admission or subject to discrimination in admission any qualified disabled
student.
A number of services are available to help students with disabilities with their academic
work. In order to make arrangements for special services, students must visit the Office
for Student Disability Services and make an appointment to arrange an individual
assistance plan. In most cases, certification of disability is required.
Special services are based on

medical and/or psychological certification of disability,

eligibility for services by outside agencies, and

ability to complete tasks required in courses.

ADA Position Statement

Kennesaw State University, a member of the University System of Georgia, does not
discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin or disability in
employment or provision of services. Kennesaw State University does not discriminate
on the basis of disability in the admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its
programs or activities.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Public Law 101-336, gives civil rights
protections to individuals with disabilities. This statute guarantees equal opportunity for
this protected group in the areas of public accommodations, employment, transportation,
state and local government services and telecommunications.
The following individuals have been designated by the President of the University to
provide assistance and ensure compliance with the ADA. Should you require assistance
or have further questions about the ADA, please contact:
ADA Compliance Officer for Students
470-578-6443
ADA Compliance Officer for Facilities
470-578-6224
ADA Compliance Officer for Employees
470-578-6030
For more information, go to: http://www.kennesaw.edu/stu_dev/dsss.
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