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Course Description

This is an investigation of the bioregion known as Cascadia, using poetry as the main modality for our inquiry.  

In doing so, we will focus on the poetic innovators of the region, like Gary Snyder, George Stanley, Denise Levertov, and Daphne Marlatt, as well as less established poets, to serve as the core of this course. 

The course will be organized around four modules, which will include the Reed College Poets, Vancouver’s TISH Poets,  and From Organic Poetry to Eco-Poetics.

 

Course Objectives

Key outcomes of this course include:

1) deepening our understanding of innovative trends in poetry composed in the region known as Cascadia, as well as knowledge of the bioregion itself; and

2) connecting readers and writers of poetry from Cascadia and around the world.

 

Costs

This course is free and there are no costs to participate.

 

Prerequisites

There are also no prerequisites or admissions requirements for this course, although it is recommended that students have a basic understanding of and ability to read poetry in English. 

 

Course Activities

The course will function by focusing on weekly modules, and each module will be labeled by week.  Within those modules students will find the materials to engage in that particular week.  Some materials may need to be downloaded as a PDF document and rotated to read, and some website links may not appear in the Canvas browser and you'll need to click on the title to get to the page you want to read.  

In order to move from week to week, students need to complete each module before moving on.  We will be locking each future module during this initial four week period because we'd like students to focus and function within the week at hand.  For those starting after October 17th, the modules may be open in a different manner and be truly self-paced in that way.

To successfully engage in and complete this course, students should plan to spend approximately two hours each week doing the reading and responding to the discussion question.  Additional and optional work may include watching videos and responding to creative writing prompts, among other things.  This additional work in the course will take more time and students wanting to engage in these parts of the course should plan to spend more time that particular week.

The work in the course will consist of engaging in weekly readings of poems and essays, audio interviews, and video presentations related to a particular aspect of what has made the poetry of the Cascadia bioregion innovative.  Some of the material takes a historical view and others a more contemporary view.

Each week, students will be asked to apply what they've studied by participating in a threaded, online discussion, guided by some key questions and moderated by the coordinator and instructors.  This is the heart of engagement in the course and we ask you to treat this aspect of the course with care and respect, giving thoughtful and thorough answers, even though the questions may be short.

 

What To Expect from Instructors

The instructors in this course will be selecting reading materials (and occasionally be the authors of that material), and participating in and posting to the discussions, along with students.

 

Questions

If students have questions regarding course content and Canvas features, please post questions to the Help Discussion Forum.