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    Back to Modern & Contemporary American Poetry (“ModPo”)

    Learner Reviews & Feedback for Modern & Contemporary American Poetry (“ModPo”) by University of Pennsylvania

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    4.8
    stars
    628 ratings

    About the Course

    ModPo is a FREE (no fee, no charge) fast-paced introduction to modern and contemporary U.S. poetry, with an emphasis on experimental
    verse, from Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman to the present. Participants (who need no prior experience with poetry) will learn how to read
    poems that are supposedly "difficult." We encounter and discuss the poems one at a time. It's much easier than it seems! Join us and try it!
    ModPo is open all year, so you can enroll now, or any time, and join us. Each year we host a lively, interactive 10-week session, in which we
    move together through the ten-week syllabus. The next live 10-week session of ModPo will begin on September 1, 2024, and ...
    ...

    Top reviews

    S

    Nov 9, 2024

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    Best-curated course on American poetry in symposium mode. Thank you ModPo, Prof. Al Filreis & University of Pennsylvania.

    JW

    Dec 4, 2022

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    This is a great course. The course is very interactive with great discussions and unique insights. JohnJohn Wang, PhD CRE MBB

    Filter by:

    101 - 125 of 238 Reviews for Modern & Contemporary American Poetry (“ModPo”)

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    By Lucy C

    •

    Nov 22, 2016

    This is an exceptional course. The range of material, the depth of discussion and the support from staff and other students far exceeds many university courses on literature. This course will change your life for the better.

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    By Adrienne P

    •

    May 20, 2021

    I've not had this much fun in a while. Sure, we've been in a pandemic, but there's nothing better than geeking out on poetry with people who really want to get a lot out of it. Can't wait to do it all over again. Cheers!

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    By Margaret L y

    •

    Nov 27, 2020

    Excellent course and a pleasure to learn from Al and the TA's. I enjoyed every minute of it and realized my own style of poetry is very simple compared with the great poets.

    Sincerely, Lisa Young

    youngedits.wordpress.com

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    By John S

    •

    Aug 28, 2020

    Wide range of great activities in a rich format. Not really finished it, though i did all the assessments. Need to go back and view number of lessons. Live attached zoom discussion was also amazing. THANK YOU COURSERA!

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    By SARA G

    •

    Jan 5, 2021

    It is a very interesting and fascinating course! I really appreciated the way it was organised and the clearly understandable conversations about Modern and Contemporary American Poetry among ModPo members. Thank you!

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    By Quentin Y

    •

    Mar 24, 2021

    'One word is too often profaned for me to profane it.'

    I too used to believe poetry is no more than the lines-broken 'what' of prose, but now I understand poetry is the 'how', which helps me to LOVE POETRY better.

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    By Laura A

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    Nov 16, 2020

    This is one of the most outstanding courses I have encountered. A fully immersive experience with rewarding debates, discussions and wonderful exposure to a variety of forms of poetry with endless "possibility.'

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    By Stephanie R

    •

    May 1, 2020

    A terrific course. Sometimes the students' comments were wandering and full of hesitation and I would have preferred to hear more from the professor. But overall, I enjoyed the format and the content very much,

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    By Barbara K

    •

    Aug 12, 2021

    This course has opened up the world and poetry like no other subject for me. The enjoyment and breadth of subjects, the language, sounds, the expression....... I could go on but I feel like I am on a journey

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    By Kenton K Y

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    Dec 10, 2016

    Best online poetry course ever! I highly recommend it to all writers, not just poets. The development of modern and contemporary poetry goes hand and foot with the development of American literature and art.

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    By Afshan K

    •

    Jan 14, 2024

    I learned plenty of new things about poetry, so many techniques that poets have been using, the process involved in creating poems, and a hundred or more ways of writing a poem or producing a poetic piece.

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    By Nicolas C

    •

    Feb 5, 2023

    Thank you for everything. You opened new doors when I desperately needed a new way to decipher the world. ModPo is a consciousness shift. You have no idea how much this was precious to me. Take care <3

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    By Maria R

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    Jun 24, 2018

    I really enjoyed how dinamic it was. Although the classes were like little debates, the professor was able to guide the students. When talking about poetry, I find this method very refreshing. Good job!

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    By David W

    •

    Nov 6, 2020

    I learned a lot and enjoyed, had fun with and absorbed all of the reading I did and all of the readings others did.

    I would take this course again (maybe I WILL) and would avidly recommend it to others.

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    By Juan D

    •

    Oct 24, 2022

    this is the best modern poetry course i have even taken. it not only broadens my horizon on analysis of modern poetry, but it has a wide range of poet types. Very comprehensive!!!! I love it.!!!!

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    By Celina F

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    Sep 21, 2016

    Excellent every way you look at it. Great discussions, learned a lot with all the poems and papers. Also, you get to be a part of a really great community. You will never feel lonely again.:)

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    By Irene M M

    •

    Dec 19, 2023

    Es un curso con muchos contenidos pero muy interesante. Me ha gustado que no solo se han centrados en poetas típicxs, sino que también han tratado a poetas menos conocidxs.

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    By jake a

    •

    Dec 5, 2020

    one of the best on-line courses on poetry I have seen. I learned so much from the course which helped me with my own writing as an amateur poet. Highly recommended.

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    By Jane W

    •

    Dec 14, 2020

    This is a wonderful course taught by a talented group of people who love poetry and discussing poetry. Once you join this community, you will never want to leave!

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    By Ian B

    •

    Nov 11, 2021

    Outstanding, life-changing, and does not end even after "completed". Reveals the true potential of what MOOCs can be, and 99%+ fail to even attempt.

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    By Anu U

    •

    May 1, 2021

    I was not a fan of poetry, found it hard to breakdown and understand. ModPo did a great job in showing me how to read and understand poetry.

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    By Raquel F

    •

    Aug 20, 2021

    Es un curso fabuloso. He tardado tiempo en hacerlo porque quería empaparme bien de todo. Sin duda volveré a él. Gracias por esta maravilla.

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    By Maeve O

    •

    Nov 17, 2016

    I did most of this on my commute and it was so much fun. It has impacted my perception of modern poetry - the difference is spreading.

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    By John W

    •

    Dec 5, 2022

    This is a great course. The course is very interactive with great discussions and unique insights.

    John

    John Wang, PhD CRE MBB

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