UPS - Deters

University of
Puget Sound

Spanish

Joseph Deters
Assistant Professor, Foreign Languages and Literature (Spanish)
jdeters@ups.edu

Poetry Project

Date Awarded: summer fellowship, 1998

URL:
www.ups.edu/community/mellon/Deterspoems/Poetryintro.htm

Project Description:

The project consists of introductory information regarding verse identification, syllabification, rhyme, meter etc., and a series of interactive exercises for students in Spanish literature courses. It is designed for students to practice identifying the various structural and thematic elements of poetry. It allows for students to interact with poetry and respond to specific questions about the poems. Students will receive immediate feedback to their answers and be shown why the correct responses are so. The project has the following components:

I. Introductory information about poetics.
-Explanation of versification and rhyme. In this first step verse identification, syllabification, and rhyme scheme are all explained.

II. Poetic Texts and Exercises
-Students are provided with specific poems and asked specific questions about the poems. For example:

What kind of verses does the poem have?
How many syllables does each verse have?
What kind of verses are they?

Before answering these questions, the student can do any of the following:

1. hear the poem read at regular speed
2. hear the poem read verse by verse
3. hear the verses read syllable by syllable
4. hear the poem set to music