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Text: The Norton Shakespeare. Greenblatt, Stephen, Ed.
New York: Norton, 1997.
Used editions are available from Powells or Amazon.com. Multnomah
County Library also has many copies.
Optional:
Muller, Gilbert H. and John A. Williams.
Ways In: Approaches to Reading and Writing about Literature. New York:
McGraw Hill, 1994.
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. 5th Ed.
New York: Modern Language Association, 1999. You can also use this
on-line source.
Course Overview
This class explores the long fascination with Shakespeare and the
material
form in which we encounter Shakespeare--from the first printed folio of
the 17th century to digital representations of the 21st century. We will
read texts, both in books and on-line. We will also experience
theater and contemporary film performances of
Shakespeare's plays, considering ideas of representation and
interpretation
and the impact of culture and politics, book and hypertext.
This term we will read three of Shakespeare's plays as well as attend a
local performance.
Primary Learning Objective (Liberal Arts Core AIB4):
Explore how works of art embody and/or contest socio-cultural contexts and
values.
This class will also prepare you to read critically and to write an
academic essay based on reading and research. Your essay will
propose a significant claim,
develop complex ideas,
analyze textual evidence, and properly cite "secondary sources"
(that is, ideas from other
studies). Finally, the class should prove to be a rewarding introduction
to Shakespeare's plays and the way in which the plays reverberate in our
contemporary culture.
Plays:
We will read a play from each of the "sub-genres:" a
tragedy, a history, and a comedy. - King Lear
- Richard III
- Midsummer's Night's Dream
As we delve into the plays themselves, we will also consider three
major topics in the course:
1. Material Shakespeare
Authorship, Collaboration, and the Shakespearean Text
Renaissance Print Culture
2. Shakespeare and Performance
Performance, Editing, and Reproduction
Renaissance Theater/Modern Theater
3. "Shakespeare" and Media Culture
Shakespeare in film
Shakespeare on the web
Assignments:
For each play, prepare a one-page response paper which recounts
your encounter
with the play--either as a text or in performance. One of the three
will be a response to a text read (either on-line or in our
text), one will be a response to either a performance or film
version, one will be a creative "writing in" of a new scene
or character for the play.
One final paper, approximately six pages, on a topic you develop over
the
course of the term.
We will attend one performance and will make some compensation in
terms
of reducing class time that week.
Grading:
Your final grade will be calculated as follows:
- Three Response Papers: 30%
- Final Paper: 40%
- Book Review and Presentation: 10%
- Participation: 20% Includes
class discussions, film review, reader's theater.
Academic Honesty:
Marylhurst University's policy on academic honesty reflects a
commitment to principles of academic integrity. Violation of
honesty standards (see page 15 of the Catalog) can result in
denial of credit and/or dismissal from the university. Plagiarism is
considered
theft of someone else's words or ideas. Papers copied (in whole or in
part) from the web or from other
students, in addition to being obvious, diminish your
learning experience and can be as much work as writing the paper
yourself in that you would
have to create a rough draft to match! I do subscribe to all the major
on-line sources of student
papers and I check them periodically. If you are feeling overwhelmed, or
if you are having such difficulty writing that you are tempted to use or
buy someone else's work, come see me instead; we can work
together to help you develop and present ideas that are you own. In class,
we will discuss the proper way to cite sources in your essays.
Links to Shakespeare sites on the web
My home page.
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