Marita, Dept. Head
Department of Poetry
[ Thesis Guidelines | Additional Degrees | Why the Analysis? | Graduate Benefits | Graduates/Theses | Sample Work by Marita | Other Works and Miscellania | Peer Judging | General Guidelines ]
Thesis guidelines:
You may submit any number of poems, and an analysis/critique for each piece to satisfy the 10K requirement. The analysis should not simply be an explanation of the "meaning" of the poem but should examine the techniques and elements behind the work. An inclusion of a discussion of your purpose is also acceptable. For more information on the college requirements, refer to the School of Fanfic General Studies Home Page.
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Additional Degrees:
If I feel your work is of an exceptional quality, I will consult with other faculty members to consider graduating you with honors. For Masters or Ph.D. degrees, in addition to the length requirement (another thesis of 10K for Masters and 15K for Ph.D.), you *must* have the lower-level degree
before starting on the higher-level one. However, the lower degree can be
from some other department within the School of Fanfic GS. Though the analysis may be shorter in length if you are submitting many poems, keep in mind that Masters and Ph.D. degrees require more analysis; sending a bunch of poems with one-line critiques will not do. However, I will keep an open mind in reading a thesis, as this is a creative department!
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Why Submitting Poetry is Not Enough:
Mostly because other graduates have to spend more time on their work (although a good piece of poetry can take as long or even longer to write). The analysis gives you a chance to demonstrate that you have spent much time on your poem. Some claim that literary analysis is less needed in poetry--as performance in reading poetry is all important to meaning. However, reading poetry out loud online is less pratical. Leon Dickenson says that "examining poetry minutely is like tearing the petals from a daisy: The parts are observed but the beautiful whole is destroyed in the process." But there are counterarguments, that no matter how much we scrutinize, the poem is still there for our enjoyment. And even though the final impression is one of totality, even the whole is made up of parts. The analysis half of the requirement is also here to assure that you understand what you are writing and not just submitting random words to obtain your degree (which nowadays can be hard to tell with "modern" poetry). Generally speaking, the essays required for the thesis are demonstrative of your knowledge of the subject, as it is less obvious in poetry than in prose.
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Graduate Benefits:
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Graduate/Theses:
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Sample Works by Marita:
The works presented in Pendrell Poems are very old and outdated. More recent poetry will be posted, whether it is related to the X-Files or not. Marita is currently writing her senior thesis (a poetry collection) for her degree at the University of California, Berkeley.
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Other Works/Miscellania:
Poetry is often inspired by other poetry, so I will be posting inspiring poems or other links here soon.
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Peer Judging:
Feedback can be very helpful. Let others proofread and critique your work by e-mailing either the department head, the graduates, your friends, or join the XFU Poetry Forum.
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General Guidelines to Poetry:
In other words, things you can discuss in your analysis:
Words
Imagery
Rhythm
Sound
Structure
Motif
Theme
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