First-Year Writing Seminar (101-8-23)
Topic
Contemporary Music, Poetry, and Politics
Instructors
Jessica Marie Ramirez
Meeting Info
University Hall 018 English: Tues, Thurs 12:30PM - 1:50PM
Overview of class
Contemporary Music, Poetry, and Politics
How does contemporary poetry take on new meanings through spoken performances and the incorporation of song lyrics? Furthermore, how do song lyrics simultaneously perform the work of poetry? In this class, we will focus on the ways in which contemporary poetry engages music and politics, including racial relations, gender studies, and nationalism. We will explore recent films including the critically acclaimed In the Heights (2021) and West Side Story (2021), which adapts the 1957 musical of the same name. We will also look at slam poetry and texts by Toni Morrison, Pedro Pietri, and Langston Hughes, considering the ways in which music contributes to identity-making and community building in lyrics, poetry, and prose. Along the way, we will practice important reading and writing skills including argumentation, literary analysis, and the use of textual evidence to understand more about the writing of complex subjects through the means of musicality.
Class Attributes
WCAS Writing Seminar