The class offered this past winter has been in high demand ever since, leaving students on the waiting list for both winter and summer quarters, said Elizabeth Renker, professor of English 560.
The concept of the class came about while Renker was teaching other English classes at OSU.
“Poetry is a challenging thing to teach,” Renker said.
When she saw her students struggling, she started using music and lyrics as a teaching method. Quickly realizing she was on to something, Renker pitched an idea for a new class to the Department of English.
English 560 was already in existence as a “special topics in poetry” class before Renker decided to try out teaching poetry and alternative music.
Renker said she has always been interested in alternative music and the Department of English was supportive of the new twist on the class.
In the winter, Renker’s class held a video teleconference with Rivers Cuomo, lead singer and songwriter of Weezer.
“I sent out a few fan letters to musicians in November and took my chances,” Renker said. Rivers eventually responded to Renker in a personal e-mail regarding her inquiry.
“When it started to dawn on me who it really was, I think I stopped breathing,” Renker said. “I was electrified.”
Katie Lucas, a senior in English and marketing, sat front row during the hour-and-a-half video conference with Cuomo.
“It was amazing,” she said. “I couldn’t believe the lead singer of Weezer was in my class, answering questions I asked.”
On July 3, Matt Berninger of The National also held a video conference with the class.
Berninger told Renker he personally went out and bought a laptop the day before the video conference in order for everything to work out.
“He really put himself out there for us,” Renker said.
Berninger and his girlfriend (who is a working poet), answered questions such as who inspires them and helps Berninger craft a song.
Students got a first-hand look at Berninger’s handwritten work notebooks as he showed them during the conference.
Billy Pietrykowski, a junior in English and French, said the experience with Berninger was somewhat surreal.
“It was weird at first, like it was something out of YouTube,” Pietrykowski said. After the initial strangeness, Pietrykowski said it was just a person the class could talk to and ask questions of.
“I didn’t know about The National before the class,” Pietrykowski said. “But I’m kind of obsessed with them now though.”
Renker said that it is not only the students who find out about new music and poetry in her class, but her as well. Renker even said she went out and bought songs and CDs based on students’ suggestions.
Renker said she will try each time she teaches the class to have at least one national artist contribute to the class and have one local artist actually come to the class.
Students interested in taking Renker’s class will have to wait until the fall of 2008 when the class might be offered again. Until then, Renker will be on sabbatical writing a book.
Renker’s teaching style has resonated with her students, keeping them coming back for more.
Pietrykowski said he likes how Renker tells them everything they need to know.
“She doesn’t hold back,” he said. “It always feels like were on the edge of something new.”
Anthony Geraci can be reached at [email protected].
