MIT MIT-OCW
Reading Poetry
An introductory literature course from MIT OpenCourseWare that approaches poetry not as a historical survey but as a set of different lenses: poems as public or private utterances, as arranged imaginative shapes, and as psychological worlds. The course aims to build engaged, curious reading habits, sharpen skills for writing about literary texts, and give students a working vocabulary for literary description. Class sessions mix group discussion with occasional lecture, and students are expected to read poems aloud, hear them read, and memorize lines as part of the coursework. Materials include the syllabus, reading list, and assignments as published on MIT OpenCourseWare, free to access under an open license with no certificate offered.