Course description: English 442 is a study of selected representative comedies and tragedies by Shakespeare, with attention to the texts as both literary works and scripts for performance and with a focus on cultural contexts, including gender roles and attitudes toward the self and society.
Course Objectives: The main purpose of English 442 is to provide an opportunity for the student to do the following:
1. Comprehend and apply a variety of critical approaches to the study of literature.
2. Develop depth of comprehension in the study of literature and language by analyzing and evaluating a variety of works and by investigating a variety of subjects and problems. (For a list of assigned texts, see the schedule of assignments.)
3. Demonstrate continued development of skills in written and oral communication and the ability to work independently.
In particular, the student will do the following:
1. Demonstrate comprehension of the relationship between Shakespeare's plays and Elizabethan and Jacobean culture.
2. Demonstrate comprehension of the main features of Shakespearean comedy and tragedy.
3. Analyze and evaluate individual plays with regard to theme, formal elements (especially structure, plot, characterization, and various aspects of language and style), source, and background of various kinds (literary, historical, cultural, philosophical).
4. Demonstrate awareness of gender roles and the special role of women characters, particularly in the comedies.
5. Demonstrate comprehension of the main features of the Elizabethan theaters and the relationship between them and Shakespeare's plays.
6. Demonstrate comprehension of Shakespeare's plays as theater, as scripts for performance, as well as for reading.
7. Continue development of computer skills and of effectiveness in writing and speaking (both formally and informally) about literature.
Daily assignments and evaluation: Careful, punctual reading of assigned texts is essential. (Unannounced quizzes will be given as necessary.) Regular participation in class is also expected: two absences are allowed. But no distinction is made between excused and unexcused absences. Save cuts for emergencies. Two late arrivals will be counted as an absence. For each absence over the allowed number, the final grade will be reduced by five points. Classes begin promptly on the hour, and all assignments are due at the beginning of the period. No late work will be accepted. If work is missed because of an absence resulting from an emergency, a note from a physician or some other official document will be required. Plagiarism will result in a zero on the affected assignment.
Papers and brief writing assignments 30%
Examinations and quizzes 40%
Reading notes and Web page project 30%
Class participation will be used primarily to determine borderline cases.
Papers: One paper must be a "primary source" paper equivalent in length to about three to five printed, double-spaced pages. Research for this paper is optional, but the paper itself must be based on a close reading of the text of the text discussed. Whether or not the paper includes research, it must contain in-text documentation and a work(s) cited page (MLA style). The other paper must be based on research as well as a close reading of a portion of the text(s) discussed, although the length should not be more than about five printed, double-spaced pages. The research paper must directly cite at least five substantial secondary sources, at least one of which should be a periodical article (check individual editions of the plays for suggestions). In referring to the text of a play, use Arabic numerals to cite act, scene, and line number(s), e.g., 3.2.35-48, 4.3.132-36. Any Web sites cited in the paper must be substantive, reliable, and authoritative. Consult with the teacher when choosing topics. Papers must be printed in a 12-pt. font. There will be a few brief writing assignments in addition to the two major papers.
Reading notes: Record notes and comments on each reading assignment. Notes are due at the beginning of the class period on the same day that a particular play is assigned for reading. Each set of reading notes should include a brief but specific summary (about a page, double-spaced), a statement of the main themes (about half a page), and personal evaluative responses to the play. English 442 students should also read two additional Shakespeare plays selected from the following list and should include them in the reading notes: All's Well That Ends Well, Antony and Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, 1 Henry IV, As You Like It, Richard II, The Winter's Tale.
Choose plays you have not read before.Web-page project: Students will work in groups to prepare a Web page relating to a Shakespeare play or some significant topic in Shakespeare studies. Possible topics include the explication of a scene in a play, discussion of a character, analysis of a theme or an image (or image cluster) in a play, visual illustrations of a play (examples are on the Internet), women in Shakespeare (not more than two representative plays), minority characters (Jews and persons of color appear in more than one play). The Web page must include at least the following elements (preferably each on a separate "page" linked to the main page): a brief but specific summary of the play(s) covered, a bibliography of substantive print sources, a list of links to other relevant Internet sites, and an illustration of at least one of the plays covered.
Examinations: There will be three one-hour examinations and a final comprehensive examination.
Instructional methods: Class discussion, collaborative work, use of computer technology, lecture.
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