ENGLISH 411-A: SHAKESPEARE
SPRING 2004
COURSE DESCRIPTION: English 411 (3 semester hours) is "A study of
selected Shakespearean sonnets, tragedies, comedies, and history plays.
Prerequisites: ENG 101, 102 and a sophomore literature course."
CLASS MEETING TIMES AND LOCATION:
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Jim Haughey, Associate Professor of English
OFFICE LOCATION AND TELEPHONE: office:
Office
phone: 231-2158.
OFFICE HOURS: MWF: 121-1; MW: 2-3; TR:
HOME PHONE: 868-0623. No calls after
COURSE PURPOSE AND GOALS: This course is designed to acquaint students with the
work of William Shakespeare. Students will learn to identify the stage
conventions of Elizabethan stagecraft as well as the key features of
Shakespearean sonnets, tragedies, histories and comedies. Students will also be
expected to locate secondary sources and correctly document any research
materials cited in essays.
COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of English 411, the student should be
able to accomplish the following:
1.
Outline the key
facts about Shakespeare's life, with some indication of the sources of that
information.
2. Discuss theatre and acting conditions in
Elizabethan England.
3.
Describe the characteristics
of Shakespearean poetry and drama.
4.
Discuss the plays studied, identifying key
issues and the features that
are typical as well as those that are
peculiar to a given play.
5.
Analyze a
Shakespearean play, choosing from a variety of
approaches and making use of relevant
historical and philosophical
resources.
6.
Locate appropriate
resources (including bibliographies and
periodicals).
7. Report the results of research and thinking
in an acceptable form.
METHODS OF ASSESSMENT: Your final grade will be determined primarily by the
grades on your papers, tests, and reports. Class attendance and participation
will also be considered. Final grades will be determined by the degree of
success on the following assignments:
Two
tests
300 pts.
Book
review
..100 pts.
Two
film critiques..
...300 pts.
Daily
quizzes
.100 pts.
Final
exam
200 pts.
STUDENT FEEDBACK AND GRADING SCALE: I will be glad to talk with you whenever you think I
can help, including giving advice on preliminary drafts of any of the major
assignments. Don't wait until an assignment is due the next day to get help.
Grades will be determined according to the following scale:
A:
900-1000
B:
800-899
C:
700-799
D:
600-699
F:
0-599
CONTENT OUTLINE: You will watch two screen versions of Shakespeare's
plays and write a film critique of not more than 400 words for each. Choose any
one of the screenplays listed in your Screening
Shakespeare text along with one of the suggested topics. Please discuss
your topic choice with me before you embark on your critique.
Book
Review: Choose ONE secondary source for any of the plays we read and write a
400-word summary of the book's chief ideas. Conclude with an overall appraisal
of the book's value as a guide for undergraduate studies in Shakespeare.
Tests:
Three exams will be given for each genre: history, comedy, and tragedy. Reading
knowledge of the text, familiarity with critical terms, and understanding of
major themes will be evaluated.
Quizzes:
pop quizzes will be held to make sure students keep up with the readings.
Deadlines:
Book
Review: Feb. 19.
Test
on Tragedies: Feb. 24.
Film
Critique Number One: Mar. 11.
Test
on Histories: March 25.
Film
Critique Number Two: Apr. 22.
Final
Exam: Tuesday, May 4: 12-2.
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION: Apart from class lecture, small group discussion
assignments, A-V presentations, and readers' theater exercises (skits) will
also be used to enrich the students' Shakespearean experience.
COURSE CALENDAR (tentative):
1.
Th. Jan. 8: Introduction to the course.
2.
T. Jan. 12: Read
"Life in Shakespeare's England" and "Shakespeare's Life and
Work."
3.
Th. Jan. 15: No class--Martin Luther King, Jr.
Service Day.
4.
T. Jan. 20: Read
"The Drama Before Shakespeare" and London Theaters
and Dramatic
Companies."
5.
Th. Jan. 22: Read
"Shakespeare's Language: His Development as Poet
and Dramatist"
plus the following sonnets: 18, 19, 73, 130.
The
Tragedies:
6.
T. Jan. 27: Read Romeo and Juliet; Read Greer 5-39;
86-90.
7.
Th. Jan. 29: Finish Romeo and Juliet; Read Greer: 91-99.
8.
T. Feb. 3: Read Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.
9.
Th. Feb. 5: Finish Hamlet, Prince of Denmark; Read Greer:
99-112.
10.
T. Feb. 10: Read Othello.
11.
Th. Feb. 12: Finish Othello; Read Greer: 113-115.
12.
T. Feb. 17: Read King Lear.
13.
Th. Feb. 19: Finish King Lear. Book Review due
(100 pts).
Performances
of Twelfth Night: Thurs-Sat. Feb 19-21 @ 8:00p.m. in Brooks Theatre at
Clemson University. Sunday matinee performance at 3:00p.m. on Feb. 22.
Performance of Henry IV Part One at Brooks Theatre on Monday, Feb. 23 @
8:00 p.m. Ticket info: Call box office 656 7787 (from 1-5 p.m. Mon-Fri.)
NOTE:
This course encourages travel to off campus sites. Students are required to
make their own arrangements for all off campus travel.
14.
T. Feb. 24: Test on the Tragedies (150 pts).
The
Histories:
15.
Th. Feb. 26: Read The Tragedy of King Richard the Third; Read Greer:
68-71.
16.
T. Mar. 2: Finish The Tragedy of King Richard the Third; Read Greer: 72-
79.
17.
Th. Mar. 4: Read The First Part of King Henry the Fourth.
18.
T. Mar. 9: Finish The First Part of King Henry the Fourth.
19. Th. Mar. 11: Read
The Life of King Henry the Fifth. Film Critique Number
One due (150 pts).
20.
T. Mar. 16: No Class--Spring Break.
21.
Th. Mar. 18: No Class--Spring Break.
22.
T. Mar. 23: Finish The Life of King Henry the Fifth.
23.
Th. Mar. 25: Test on the Histories (150 pts).
The
Comedies
24.
T. Mar. 30: Read The Taming of the Shrew; Read Greer : 40-44.
25.
Th. Apr. 1: Finish
The Taming of the Shrew; Read Greer: 44-49.
26.
T. Apr. 6: Read The Merchant of Venice.
27.
Th. Apr. 8: Finish The Merchant of Venice.
28.
T. Apr. 13: Read Much Ado About Nothing; Read Greer: 57-64.
29.
Th. Apr. 15: Read Much Ado About Nothing.
30.
T. Apr. 20: Read Twelfth Night; Read Greer: 65-67.
31.
Th. Apr. 22: Finish Twelfth Night. Film Critique
Number Two due (150 pts).
32.
T. Apr. 27: Last Class Day: Final Exam Review.
FINAL EXAM: The Comedies plus a
take-home essay (200 pts).
Bold
print indicates that a major assignment is due.
TEXTBOOKS:
Greer,
Michael. Screening Shakespeare: Using
Film to Understand the
Plays. New York: Longman, 2002.
The Necessary Shakespeare. Ed. David Bevington. New York & Boston:
Longman, 2002.
COMPUTER & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: Take home essays should be computer-generated texts
(12 pt font, double-spaced, 1-inch margins etc.) Make use of computers in
Vandiver and Watkins labs when
necessary.
COURSE POLICIES: You are expected to attend class regularly--having
read the assignment for the day--and to bring your textbook with you. Maximum
of FIVE absences allowed (excused or unexcused).
TARDINESS: Three tardies will equal one absence.
PROCEDURE FOR SUBMITTING ESSAYS: Unless otherwise specified, all papers are due at the
beginning of the designated class period. Work submitted at the next class
period following the original deadline will be graded and assessed a 10%
penalty. After one week past the original due date, no work will be accepted.
(If your absence is excused, you are expected to bring your work and your
excuse the next time you attend class; no penalty will be assessed.) You are
expected to write standard edited English on all tests and papers. Up to ten
percent of a paper's grade may be deducted for errors in grammar and mechanics.
WITHDRAWAL: Any student who misses the first day of class will be
withdrawn from the course. Otherwise, each student is responsible for
initiating the withdrawal process. Last day to withdraw without a grade is January 21; last day to withdraw and
receive a W is March 9.
LEARNING FACILITIES AND RESOURCES: Students who require assistance with assignments should
contact the instructor and/or seek help at the college Writing Center.
Secondary research should be conducted at the college library. Both computer
labs are under the direction of Mr. Doug Davison. Contact him if you need help.
Recommended Library Sources for Research
Bayley,
John. Shakespeare and Tragedy.
London: Routledge,
1981.
Berry,
Edward I. Patterns of decay:
Shakespeare's Early
Histories. Charlottesville: U of Virginia P,
1975.
Discussions of Shakespeare's Histories. Ed. R.J. Dorius.
Boston: D.C. Heath, 1964.
Dreher,
Diane. Domination and Defiance: Fathers
and
Daughters in
Shakespeare. Lexington: UP of
Kentucky, 1986.
Evans,
Gareth Lloyd. The Upstart Crow: An
Introduction to
Shakespeare's Plays. London: J.M. Dent, 1982.
Pitt,
Angela. Shakespeare's Women. Totowa,
NJ.: Barnes &
Noble, 1981.
Political Shakespeare: New Essays in
Cultural Materialism.
Ed. Jonathan Dollimore and Alan
Sinfield. Ithaca, NY.:
Cornell UP, 1985.
Reed,
Robert R. Crime and God's Judgement in
Shakespeare.
Lexington: Up of Kentucky, 1984.
Richman,
David. Laughter, Pain, and Wonder:
Shakespeare's
Comedies and the
Audience. Newark, NJ.: U of
Delaware
P, 1987.
Rouse,
A.L. Prefaces to Shakespeare's Plays.
London: Orbis,
1984.
Rutter,
Carol. Clamorous Voices: Shakespeare's
Women Today.
New York: Routledge, 1989.
Schoenbaum,
S. Shakespeare and Others. Cranbury,
NJ.:
Associated Press, 1985.
Thayer,
C.G. Shakespeare's Politics. Athens,
OH.: Ohio UP,
1983.
William Shakespeare: The Tragedies. Ed. Harold Bloom.
Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1985.