English 225Shakespeare: Comedies
Spring 2016
Dr. Greg Winland
Office: 222 Office Phone: 7535
OFFICE HOURS:
M/W: 10:00-11:30
1:00-2:30
T/TR: 9:00-10:00
1:00-2:30
F:11:00-1:00 by appointment only
TEXT:
Shakespeare, William.The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt, et al. 2nd ed.
New York: Norton, 2008.
Plays covered may include
The Taming of the Shrew
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Merchant of Venice
Much Ado About Nothing
Twelfth Night
Measure for Measure
The Tempest
TRANSFER STUDENTS:
This course may not transfer as Shakespeare at all institutions. Most will accept it as a 200 level humanities elective or a 200 level English literature course. Check with your transfer institution for information. It will fulfill one Humanities core requirement at WVNCC.
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Students in this class will read and analyze selected comedies by Shakespeare. Topics for consideration will include Shakespeare’s sources, techniques, and themes; critical approaches to Shakespeare studies; and analyses of performances.Prerequisite: ENG 101
Outcomes:
The Student should be able to do the following:
1. Describe the various genres of drama.
2. Identify and trace image patterns in the plays.
3. Describe the importance of performance decisions in the interpretations of the plays.
4. Describe the concepts of friendship, courtship, marriage, and family relationships as they are presented in the plays.
5. Demonstrate an understanding of the Elizabethan intellectual/philosophical background of the plays.
REQUIREMENTS:
All assigned readings.
Quizzes.
A quiz will be given during the first class session on each play. If you miss a quiz, you have until the beginning of the next class session to make it up. Make-up quizzes will be placed in the LRC.
Study Questions.
There will be a set of study questions for each play. They are designed to help you with the reading and will point out various themes / topics in the plays. You are required to answer study questions for each play.
Two Projects
Possible topics include a discussion of how you would stage a major scene in one of the plays covered, explaining the connections between a political / religious text and one play, or writing a film review. Other options will be available. Guidelines and due dates will be provided in class.Project One is attached below.
Final Exam.
The final is comprehensive and will cover all plays, terms, and concepts covered during the semester.
POLICIES:
Late Papers.
The two projects and study questions should be turned in on time. Late papers/ projects will be penalized 10% for each class day late.
Attendance.
You are expected to attend all class meetings. However, you may miss three classes without penalty. Each absence beyond the third will result in a ten point deduction from your final point total. If you miss four consecutive classes without getting in touch with me, I will withdraw you from the class administratively.
Plagiarism:
This is literary theft. Plagiarism involves using another person's words or ideas in your work without citing the source. This also includes having another person do the work for you, buying a research paper and submitting it as your own work, or taking a paper from the Internet and submitting it as your own. Please be careful, and do not hesitate to ask if you are unsure about citing a source. Plagiarism is a serious offense and will result in an F (0 points) on the assignment submitted. It may also result in a failing grade for the course.
Grading.
Your final grade will be determined as follows:
Quizzes200
Study Guides 500
Projects200
Final100
900-1000 = A
800-899 = B
700-799 = C
600-699 = D
000-599 = F
Classroom Policies/Behavior
1. Turn off all cell phones. If you must bring the appendage with you, leave it in your book bag, purse, pocket, whatever. Do not take the phone out or leave it on your desk at any
time during class.
2. Do not take cell calls in class. If there is some sort of emergency, let me know. Sit by the
door, and take your call in the hallway.
3. No cameras in class--see rule #1. If you are caught photographing tests or other
materials, you will receive 0 points for the assignment, and you may be withdrawn from
the class.
4. No text messaging. This is a huge distraction, and it is impossible for you to be giving any
attention to your work if you are busy playing with the latest phone toy. If you are
caught sending messages during exams or other class work, you will receive 0
points for the assignment, and you may be withdrawn from the class.
5. No computer games, Internet access, headphones, whatever, in class. Do this stuff at home
on your own time. It’s distracting, and it makes me angry. This is not a good thing.
Simply stated, no electronic devices of any kind are permitted. Just leave the phones and whatever other technological nightmare that may crawl out of the modern-day equivalent of primordial soup at home or in your car--life is much nicer without them.
6. No food in class. No chips, crackers, candy, or full chicken dinners. Just don’t bring food to class. How hard is that?
7. When you are asked to stop talking, stop talking. People pay for this course, and they really don’t need to hear your conversations.
8. Do not put your head down on the desk during discussions / lectures. This is rude, and it is
exceptionally annoying.
9. Do not work on assignments for other courses during class. This is also exceptionally annoying, and it will not ingratiate you with your instructor.
English 225: Shakespeare
Assignments
1/12-1/14Introduction
Skim 1-67
Read 79-99
1/19-1/21The Taming of the Shrew 159-228
Acts 1-3
1/26-1/28The Taming of the Shrew
Acts 4-5
2/2-2/4 The Taming of the Shrew
A Midsummer Night’s Dream839-96
Acts 1-2
2/9-2/111A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Acts 3-5
2/16-2/18A Midsummer Night’s Dream
The Merchant of Venice 1111-175
Acts 1-2
2/23-2/25The Merchant of Venice
Acts-3-5
3/1-3/3 The Merchant of Venice
Twelfth Night 1785-846
Acts 1-2
Project #1 due 3/3
3/15-3/17Twelfth Night
Acts 3-5
3/22-3/24Twelfth Night
Much Ado about Nothing 1407-470
Acts 1-2
.
3/29-3/31Much Ado about Nothing
Acts 3-5
4/5-4/7Much Ado about Nothing
Measure for Measure2039-108
Acts 1-2
.
4/12-4/14 Measure for Measure
Acts 3-5
4/19-4/21Measure for Measure
The Tempest 3055-115
Acts 1-2
Project #2 due 4/21
4/26-4/28The Tempest
Acts 3-5
Review for final exam
5/2-5/6 Final exam week
This schedule is tentative, and the instructor reserves the right to make changes.
Shakespeare 225: Project One
Staging a Scene
Length: 500-1000 words (2-4 pages typed)
Select one of the scenes provided. Assume that you are staging it in an Elizabethan theatre. How would you stage the scene? What props would you use, and why would you use them? What in the text tells you those props are necessary? Also give attention to costumes, gestures made by the actors, blocking, and the use of theatrical space. What, if anything, would you add? Why would you make additions? You should read Alan Dessen’s “Shakespeare and the Theatrical Conventions of His Time” (on reserve in the library), and Andrew Gurr’s “The Shakespearean Stage” (pp.79-99 in your text) for information about Renaissance stage practice. This is very interesting, but it can be tricky. Please do ask for help if you need it.