David Bevington, ed. The Complete Works of Shakespeare, 5th edn.
Joseph Gibaldi. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 5th or 6th edn.
Course Goals:
Students successfully completing this course
1. will savor some of the finest writing in any language.
2. will acquire a thorough reading knowledge of all works on the syllabus.
3. will recognize and understand the genres and subgenres in which Shakespeare
wrote during his later years—“problem” play, tragedy, and
romance.
4. will recognize and understand the issues involved in interpreting Shakespeare
for performance--both on stage and screen.
5. will know the main facts of Shakespeare's life.
6. will understand Shakespeare's development as a poet and playwright in his
historical period.
7. will understand Shakespeare's continuing importance as a cultural icon and
as a center of controversy.
8. will develop their abilities in research and in interpretive, analytical,
and critical writing, as well as in oral presentation.
Course Schedule
Week 1 8/16—Introduction to course and to the Renaissance stage
8/18—All’s Well That Ends Well, Act 1
General Introduction—Shakespeare’s Life and Work, 1564-1616
Quiz: All’s Well Act 1, Intro to Life and Work
Informal scene analysis due—A-H
Week 2 8/23—All’s Well, Acts 2-5
Quiz: All’s Well, Acts 2-5 Informal scene analysis due—I-P
ANNOTATION SIGN-UPS
8/25—All’s Well Informal scene analysis due—Q-Z
Week 3 8/30—Troilus and Cressida—Quiz
9/1—Troilus and Cressida—ANNOTATIONS BEGIN
Week 4 9/6—Troilus and Cressida
9/8—Measure for Measure—Quiz
Week 5 9/13—Measure for Measure
9/15—Measure for Measure
9/16 Essay #1—Scene Analysis—Due 4 pm
Week 6 9/20—Othello—Quiz
9/22—Othello
Week 7 9/27—Othello
9/29—King Lear—Acts 1-2—Quiz
Week 8 10/4—King Lear
10/6—Midterm Exam
Week 9 10/11—No Class—Fall Break
10/13—King Lear—Acts 3-5—Quiz
Week 10 10/18—King Lear
10/20—Macbeth—Quiz
Week 11 10/25—Macbeth
10/27—Macbeth
10/28—Plan for Essay #2—Due 4 pm
Week 12 11/1—Antony and Cleopatra—Quiz
11/3—Antony and Cleopatra
Week 13 11/8—Antony and Cleopatra
11/10— The Winter’s Tale—Quiz
Week 14 11/15—The Winter’s Tale
11/17—The Winter’s Tale
Week 15 11/22—The Tempest—Quiz
11/24—No Class—Thanksgiving Day
Week 16 11/29—The Tempest—Course evaluations
12/1—The Tempest
Week 17 12/5—Essay #2 Due 4 pm
Final Examination Thursday, December 8, 8-11 am—NO EXCEPTIONS
Course Requirements
Attendance and Participation: Due to the high demand for this course, I will
drop any student not attending the first or second day of class. Consistent
attendance is mandatory. Regular and active participation in class discussion
will raise your course grade. In-class quizzes will be fairly frequent, and
no make-ups will be allowed. Thus, unexcused absences will indirectly lower
your course grade. Furthermore, more than two unexcused absences will directly
lower your course grade, and a pattern of unexcused absences will result in
your being dropped from the course. Two tardies will count as an absence, and
students leaving class unexcused and not returning will be marked absent. Two
unexcused tardies equal one unexcused absence. Attendance will be taken daily,
and no absence or tardy will be excused without advance notice.
In cases of adverse weather, classes will meet unless the Chancellor closes
the University.
Quizzes: When we begin a new unit or play, I usually will start class with a ten-point reading quiz covering the entire assignment or play. These quizzes will be strictly factual and will test whether or not you have read the material. These quizzes will not be returned, although I will keep them on file throughout the term. A pattern of poor or missed quizzes will lower your course grade. A pattern of good or excellent quizzes will raise your course grade.
Writing and Speaking:
Daily Discussion: On most days I will begin class by calling on one or two
students and inviting your informal comments on, questions about, and/or
reactions to the day’s assigned reading. I will call on each student
in the class in this way at least once per term. Your readiness for discussion
will be considered as part of your overall participation.
Informal Scene Analyses: Each student will be assigned one scene from most
of the nine plays and write informal answers to a series of analytical questions
about it (see Questions for Scene Analysis); I usually will call on each student
to comment for a few minutes on his or her assigned scene.
Essay #1—Scene Analysis Essay (due Friday 9/16, 4 pm): You will write
a short (2-3 page, 500-750 word) analysis of a scene from one of the first
three plays studied this term—All’s Well That Ends Well, Troilus
and Cressida, or Measure for Measure (see Questions for Scene Analysis handout).
This is to be an essay, not simply an itemized answering of the set questions.
The purpose of the essay is to describe the inner dynamics of the scene, and
to explain its relation to the immediately adjacent scenes and to the play
as a whole. Thus I recommend that you choose a scene of moderate length, neither
unusually brief nor unusually long. Proofread carefully.
Critical Annotations: One set of 3 one-page critical annotations (typed, single-spaced)
is required, due in class on your assigned day (see handout). During the second
week of the semester, you will sign up for individual due dates that will be
determined by the dates for discussing particular plays. The annotation assignment
requires that you search for 3 academic journal articles discussing the assigned
play, and prepare a one-page annotation for each critical source that you choose.
Each annotation must (a) begin with the basic bibliographical information about
each source in correct MLA citation style (see MLA Handbook, required for this
course); then (b) it must summarize the critic's interpretive argument; and
finally (c) it must assess whether the article makes a worthwhile contribution
to our understanding and appreciation of its subject, and why (or why not).
I prefer annotation sets that referee varying interpretations of a work, thus
displaying your powers of discernment. I will call on annotators to share their
researches and insights with the class, so come prepared to speak on your assigned
day.
Essay #2--Research Essay (due Monday 12/5 at 4 pm): This essay will be a longer
(4-6 page) study of any play from All’s Well on—whether on the
syllabus or not. It will incorporate library research into an interpretive
argument of your own (see handout). In addition, in advance of the second paper
you will submit a Plan for Essay #2 (due Friday 10/28 at 4 pm), in which you
will a) write out your idea in the form of a question, and then b) briefly
answer that question in no more than one page (250 words). Papers will follow
MLA parenthetical citation style. I must receive and approve an Essay #2 Plan
before I can accept and grade Essay #2 itself.
Late papers: Late papers will drop a full letter grade per weekday. However,
if you know that a difficulty is coming up and you'll need more time, come
see me well in advance to discuss an extension.
Plagiarism: You are expected to abide by the UNCG academic honor policy on
all work, and to sign a statement to that effect on each paper and exam. Plagiarism
involves any situation in which another's work (whether their ideas or their
actual words) is submitted as your own. A first offense may result in an F
on that assignment, while repeated offenses can cause you to be expelled from
the University. If you are unsure about how to give credit to your sources,
see the MLA Handbook or come talk to me.
Exams: Two exams--one at midterm (10/6) and one at the scheduled final time (12/8 8-11 am)--will cover approximately the first and second halves of the semester, respectively. Exams will consist of essay questions and definitions of key terms. Dates and times of both the midterm and the final exams are firm. If you know now that you cannot attend one or the other exam as scheduled, you should not take this class.
Grading: I will grade on a straight percentage scale, as follows:
A 100-94
A- 93-90
B+ 89-87
B 86-84
B- 83-80
C+ 79-77
C 76-74
C- 73-70
D+ 69-67
D 66-64
D- 63-60
F 59-0
Your assignments count in the following ways:
Essay #1: 20%
Critical Annotations: 15%
Plan for Essay #2: 5%
Essay #2: 20%
Midterm Exam: 20%
Final Exam: 20%
Plus or minus consideration of attendance, participation, and quizzes.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: To enhance communication with majors, the English Department
maintains a listserve. Please join the listserve by sending the following
message from your e-mail account (whether on campus or at home) that you
use most regularly to listproc@uncg.edu: subscribe English-l firstname lastname
(giving, of course, your own first and last names). For example: subscribe
English-l Jane Doe. Note that the letter l (L) follows "English," not
the number 1 (one).