We will focus on recent American poets who have responded, in a variety of forms and stances, to the demands of social and political action. An important challenge for American poets of the last fifty years has been, as Walt Whitman suggested, to maintain a position “both in and out of the game” - to exist at the seam between private imperatives and public demands, and often to call that very distinction into question. Poets will include: Robert Lowell, Adrienne Rich, June Jordan, A.R. Ammons, James Merrill, Frank Bidart, Lucille Clifton, Wanda Coleman, Natalie Diaz, Claudia Rankine, Tommy Pico, Cathy Park Hong, Terrance Hayes, jos charles, Sumita Chakraborty, Wendy Chen. Fulfills the Diversity of Literatures in English requirement.

Units: 1

Max Enrollment: 30

Prerequisites: At least one prior class in the English Department.

Instructor: Chiasson

Distribution Requirements: LL - Language and Literature

Typical Periods Offered: Spring

Semesters Offered this Academic Year: Not Offered

Notes: