ENG 339-01                                                                                        Spring 2003

Early Plays and Sonnets                                                                 R. McDonald

 

SCHEDULE

 

January 14        Introduction to the Course

16                The Taming of the Shrew

Bedford, Introduction and Chapter 1

                        21        The Taming of the Shrew          Quiz

                        23        The Taming of the Shrew

                                                Bedford, Chapter 2

                        28        Richard III

                        30        Richard III                                Quiz

February          4         Richard III

                                                Bedford, Chapter 3

                         6         A Midsummer Night’s Dream

                        11        A Midsummer Night’s Dream   Quiz

                        13        A Midsummer Night’s Dream

                                                Bedford, Chapter 4

                        18        Romeo and Juliet

                        20        Romeo and Juliet                      Quiz

                        25        Romeo and Juliet

                                                Bedford, Chapter 5

                        27        Romeo and Juliet

March  4         Mid-Term Examination

                         6         No Class

                         8-15    Spring Recess

                        18        King Richard II

                        20        King Richard II                         Quiz

                                                Bedford, Chapter 6

                        25        King Richard II

                        27        King Henry IV, Part One

April                 1         King Henry IV, Part One                      Quiz

                         3         King Henry IV, Part One

                                                Bedford, Chapter 7

                         8         Much Ado About Nothing

                        10        No Class:  work on papers

                                                Bedford, Chapter 8

                        15        Much Ado About Nothing        Quiz

                        17        Much Ado About Nothing       

                                                Bedford, Chapter 9     

                        22        Hamlet

                        24        Hamlet                                     Quiz

                        29        Hamlet

                                                Bedford, Chapter 10

May                 1         Hamlet

                         8         Final Examination

 

INSTRUCTOR

 

Russ McDonald

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

e-mail address: r_mcdona@uncg.edu

web page:   http://www.uncg.edu/~r_mcdona/home.html

Office Hours: Tuesday, 11:00-12:15; 5:30-6:15; also by appointment.  You are encouraged to consult me about problems in reading, for help with writing papers, and on other such matters.

            Teaching Intern:  Nicholas Crawford (N123crawf@aol.com).  Nick will assist me with grading and such, and will assist you with writing papers.  You may see him instead of me, me instead of him, or both of us.

 

TEXTS

 

G. B. Evans, ed.  The Riverside Shakespeare, 2nd. ed  (Houghton Mifflin, 1997).  Any modern text with adequate notes may be used instead of the Riverside.  Older editions without notes or with minimal introductory matter are unacceptable; using such a faulty text will damage your performance in the course and thus lower your grade.

Russ McDonald, The Bedford Companion to Shakespeare, 2nd. Edition (St. Martin’s, 2001).

 

STUDENT LEARNING GOALS

 

Upon completion of ENG 339, you will

q                 be able to read a Shakespeare play with pleasure and understanding

q                 demonstrate an understanding of the components of drama generally

q                 be able to apply your reading ability and critical skills to other works of early modern and later literature

q                 have acquired a general understanding of Elizabethan culture, particularly its theatrical and literary milieux

q                 be able to write an effective analysis of a literary work

 

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

 

 Work load: there will be substantial reading, one brief response to a production and one critical paper, a quiz on each play, and two tests.  On the first day devoted to a play, you should have read at least half of it, i.e. you should be well into Act Three.  You will then need to finish the play by the next class.

The quiz, given on the second day devoted to the play, will cover the entire work and is designed to see that you are reading carefully.  There will be ten questions and a bonus.  Questions will concern characters, their actions, paraphrasing of lines, and other such basic information.  (A sample quiz is available on my web page.)  One quiz grade will be dropped; there are no make-ups on quizzes.

Regular attendance is expected, and participation in discussion is encouraged and rewarded. Absence will damage your grade.

Play attendance.  The Department of Theater is doing a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in Taylor Theater, February 19-23.  You will be required to attend a performance and write a brief critical analysis

Papers are 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

Grades will be calculated according to the following imprecise scale: The two tests count about half; quizzes and critical paper count about half; you may raise your grade by regular class participation and by improvement over the course of the term.

 

FILMS AND VIDEOS

Filmed versions of most of the plays have been placed on reserve in the Teaching and Learning Center, McNutt Building, corner of Forest and Spring Garden Streets.  The tape is usually available one week before we take up the play in class.  You are strongly encouraged to avail yourselves of these performances, while recognizing that watching the video will not substitute for a careful reading of the play.  Ideally, you would read the play carefully, then watch a filmed performance, and then re-read certain scenes of the text.   Many of the films I have designated, as well as other versions, are available for rent at commercial video stores and for borrowing at the public library.

 

On Reserve:

 

The Taming of the Shrew (BBC; John Cleese)

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Michelle Pfeiffer, Calista Flockhart)

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Max Reinhardt, dir.)

Richard III (Laurence Olivier)

Richard III (Ian McKellan)

Romeo and Juliet (Franco Zeffirelli)

Romeo and Juliet (Baz Luhrmann; Leonardo di Caprio)

Richard II (BBC:  Derek Jacobi)

1 Henry IV (BBC; Anthony Quayle)

Much Ado About Nothing (Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson)

Hamlet (Kenneth Branagh)

Hamlet (Laurence Olivier)

Also, through January 30:  Shakespeare in Love