Russ McDonald

McIver 126; Phone: 334-4694 (voice mail)

e-mail address: r_mcdona@uncg.edu

web page: www.uncg.edu/~r_mcdona

Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday 3:30-4:30; Friday 9-10; also by appointment. You are encouraged to consult me about problems in reading, for help with writing papers, and on other such matters.

A Midsummer Nights Dream ed. Russ McDonald (Penguin, 2000)

Henry V ed. Claire McEachern (Penguin 1999)

Hamlet ed. Barbara Mowat and Paul Werstine (Folger,

Pericles ed. Stephen Orgel (Penguin, 1999)

Sonnets ed. Stephen Orgel and A. R. Braunmuller (Penguin, 2001)

Upon completion of ENG 109, you will

• be able to read a Shakespeare play or poem with pleasure and understanding
• demonstrate an understanding of the components of drama generally
• be able to apply your reading ability and critical skills to other works of literature
• have acquired a general understanding of how Shakespeare works in performance
• be able to write an effective analysis of a literary work

New Course. Since this course is being taught for the first time, a detailed and firm schedule cannot be provided. To some extent we will be inventing the course as we proceed, and reading and writing assignments will be given as needed. If you miss class, it is your responsibility to find out what the assignment for the next class is to be.

Regular attendance is expected; absence will damage your performance. Participation in class activities is required.

Classwork. Class time will be spent in several different ways: looking carefully at passages of text; performing scenes or parts of scenes; watching filmed performances and discussing them; writing about the play under discussion; talking about writing problems and solutions. There will be numerous performance exercises.

NC Shakespeare Festival. You are required to attend a performance of Henry V at the North Carolina Shakespeare Festival in High Point. Student tickets will be arranged, and transportation provided for those unable to get their on their own.

Papers. There will be several different kinds of papers in ENG 109: journal entries, in-class writing, critical analyses, and other such formal and informal sorts of writing. Work is due on the date assigned, at the beginning of class. Late papers will be penalized in fairness to those who have sacrificed other duties to finish their papers on time. Plagiarism or other violations of the University Honor Code will be dealt with harshly. My web page contains information that may be helpful in the preparation of papers.

Tests. There will be some kind of test on each play, either a reading quiz or an essay question or some other exercise designed to test your reading skills and to document your improvement.

Grades will be calculated according to an imprecise scale: papers will count about one-third; tests will count about one-third; participation in performance exercises will count about one-third. Work done towards the end of the term will tend to count more heavily than that done at the beginning.