Poetry & Technology
Course Description
Summary
Since the arrival of Large Language Models like ChatGPT, many have wondered—even panicked—about how this new technology would impact creative writing. But literature has always been shaped by the technology of its time. In this 2-credit class, we will look beyond the common assumption of poems as ideally “timeless” to examine how poetry has developed alongside (not necessarily always against) technology. We will go back in time to poets whose work was shaped by 19th and 20th Century inventions like the steam engine, the telegraph, and the typewriter. Then, we will turn to more contemporary American poets who incorporate digital processes into their writing, including Lillian-Yvonne Bertram, Allison Parrish, and Margaret Rhee. Guided by media studies theorists like Marshall McLuhan, we will close-read literary works and conduct hands-on experiments to explore how coding, blockchains, and generative AI might shape poetic processes. As we go, we will pay particular attention to writers who are using this technology to make critical interventions around race, gender, and the ethics of AI. Students will work towards a critical or creative final project.
Learning Outcomes
- Explore the interplay between technology and American poetry, using examples from the late nineteenth century to the present.
- Become familiar with some of the mechanics of poetry, including forms, techniques, and poetics devices, as well as the media through which poems circulate.
- Practice analyzing literary forms, both through the process of close reading and in conversation with scholarly works (literary criticism and media studies).
- Experiment with utilizing or incorporating technology in our own writing, reflecting on how this shapes the creative process.
Prerequisites
Students must have taken at least one literature course (critical or workshop based) with significant focus in poetry. Special consideration will be given to students with Poetry, Science, or Mathematics in their Plans. Please submit a 1-3 sentence description of your Plan and a list of up to 5 relevant courses you have taken, including the level for each. A short description of how these courses have prepared you to study poetry at an advanced level is also encouraged. Interested students should submit this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScuWN5vs6d7CrPk28hfvI9jiAI8BO5… by May 8, 2026. Students will be notified of their acceptance into the course by May 12, 2026.
Corequisites
Students in 4000-level Literature classes are required to attend all Literature Evenings and Poetry at Bennington readings, which are typically held Wednesdays at 7:00 pm in Tishman.
Cross List
- Computer Science
- Media Studies