This course invites the student to notice and assess a universal
poetic impulse, that is, a thoroughly human tendency to create
artistic verbal patterns in sound and sense. We challenge the notion
that poetry exists mostly in literary tomes, instead pursuing a
poetic impulse running through the verbal expressions of the world's
peoples. Students initially develop a tool-kit for identifying and
describing poetic resources in everyday life. We turn this lens onto
our own verbal environments to explore poetic elements in the stories
and jests of "ordinary" conversation. Then we embark on a tour of
oral poetry traditions in the Andes of South America, in West Africa,
and in greater Mexico (including Mexican-Americans). Our goal is to
recognize and appreciate the techniques, uses, and functions of the
poetic impulse in the lives of individuals and communities.