English 212:
SHAKESPEARE
and Love Gone Wrong Fall 2017, Oddfellows 106, MWF 2:30-3:20 Professor Jennie Votava Office location: Oddfellows 216 Email:
[email protected] Phone: (814) 332-4334 Office hours: MWF 10-11, MW 3:30-4:00, Th 2-4, and by appointment Course Description English 212 will introduce you to nine of Shakespeare’s plays that span the genres of comedy, history, tragedy, and romance, but that all have at least one thing in common (aside from their author): their preoccupation with love, and how it can go dramatically wrong. Across social institutions from the family to the emergent nation-state, and from heterosexual to homosocial to homicidal relationships, we will explore a vast spectrum of human bonds and their ruptures as represented on Shakespeare’s stage. And, of course, we will read Shakespeare’s famous tale of “star-crossed lovers” in Romeo and Juliet, which you will have the opportunity to watch performed later in the semester by your peers in Allegheny’s Playshop Theatre. Questions we will ask include the following. How do formal elements, from language choices to genre, contribute to our understanding of Shakespeare’s plays? To what degree do these works represent “universal” human experiences, and how are experiences such as love, lust, and jealousy the products of specific historical moments? How do the plays both reflect and construct historical and cultural ideas about, for instance, sex and gender roles, social rank, or race and ethnicity? How do performances on stage or film in different cultural and historical moments produce alternative interpretations? As we consider various interpretive lenses through which Shakespeare can be experienced and understood, we will be mindful of how our own responses to the plays, and the questions we choose to ask of them, actively participate in their creation of meaning.
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Learning Objectives Students who successfully complete English 212 will: • • • • • •
Recognize the conventions of Shakespeare’s primary dramatic modes or genres Describe Shakespeare’s plays in their historical and cultural contexts Appreciate Shakespeare’s plays as performance pieces Encounter other scholarly methods of interpreting Shakespeare Continue to develop and refine skills as close readers of literary texts Continue to develop arguments about literary texts.
Texts: The Bedford Shakespeare, edited by Russ McDonald and Lena Cowen Orlin, 1st edition (Bedford/St. Martin’s). Required.** ** N.B.: Although you may already own other editions of these plays, the Bedford is a required text for two reasons. First, in other editions, scene and line numbers often differ, making following class discussion difficult. Also, even more crucially, you will be responsible for and tested on reading material exclusively from the Bedford.**
Other readings may be posted on Sakai and/or handed out in class. Films: The following film versions of the plays (listed by director and date) are posted on Sakai for online viewing (“Resources” —> “Library Reserves” —> “Video”), and also on reserve at Pelletier Library. In addition to several full-length films that we will discuss in detail (noted in bold below), for many classes there will be brief assigned “film clips” to accompany your readings (TBA).
• A Midsummer Night’s Dream: BBC (Moshinsky, 1981), Hoffman (1999), Noble (1996), Reinhardt (1935) • As You Like It: BBC (Coleman, 1978), Sharrock (2010) • Measure for Measure: BBC (Davis, 1979) • Henry IV, Part 1: BBC (Giles, 1979), Eyre (The Hollow Crown, 2012), Welles (Chimes at Midnight, 1965) • Henry V: BBC (Giles, 1979), Branagh (1989) Eyre (The Hollow Crown, 2012), Olivier (1944) • Romeo and Juliet: BBC (Rakoff, 1978), Luhrmann (Romeo + Juliet, 1996), Zeffirelli (1968) • Othello: BBC (Miller, 1981), Burge/Olivier (1965), Nunn (1990), Parker (1995), Suzman (1989) • King Lear: BBC (Miller, 1982), Brook (1971), Elliott/Olivier (1983), Kozintsev (1971), Nunn (2008) • The Winter’s Tale: BBC (Howell, 1981), Doran (1998)
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Requirements and Policies General Expectations, Sakai Exercises, and Quizzes To succeed in this course, it is imperative that you attend class regularly and carefully and critically read/view all assigned material before we discuss it. To facilitate class discussion, and to help you develop your close reading and writing skills, there will be regular, brief, required exercises that you will submit on Sakai under “Forums.” These are due by 8 AM the same day we discuss the relevant material in class, and will be assigned no later than one class prior to their due date. Instructions for each exercise will be posted under the appropriate forum. These exercises will be graded on a 5-point scale on completion, apparent effort, and timeliness. Late posts submitted before class meets will receive up to half credit; posts submitted after the relevant class will NOT receive credit. To facilitate your understanding of the plays’ historical and performance contexts, there will be regular, 5-minute, in-class quizzes on assigned material from the Bedford. The quizzes themselves, along with key terms from each day’s readings, will be announced no later than one class in advance. Quizzes must be made up within one week, or receive a grade of zero. Grading Policy Your final grade will be calculated as follows:* 10% Participation** 10% Quizzes 10% Sakai Exercises 25% 2 Essays 30% 3 Interim Exams 15% Final Exam *IN ORDER TO RECEIVE A PASSING GRADE IN THIS COURSE, YOU MUST COMPLETE AND TURN IN FOR A GRADE ALL OF THE BOLDED ITEMS ABOVE, AND ATTEND (REGARDLESS OF EXCUSED OR UNEXCUSED STATUS) AT LEAST 75% OF SCHEDULED CLASS MEETINGS (see “Attendance Policy” below). **Your participation grade will be determined by the following criteria: • A for class participation is awarded when students regularly initiate discussion. This means coming to class thoroughly familiar with the assigned readings and prepared to raise questions, open discussion, and actively engage other students in discussion. Students who are self-starters and do not rely on the instructor’s questions to set the agenda for our discussions will earn an A for participation. • B for class participation is awarded to students who participate regularly and productively in class discussion, who are prepared, and who are willing to engage. • C for class participation is awarded to those who participate on a regular but less frequent basis than the B student. “C” discussants will be prepared for class, but their contributions will indicate that less thought has been given to the assigned material. • F for class participation is given to those who contribute infrequently to discussion and/or whose absences are frequent.
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Attendance Policy Because life happens — illness, family emergencies, sleeping through your alarm — I allow up to four unexcused absences without penalty. Each additional unexcused absence will incur a 5 percentage-point deduction from your final exam. If you miss more than 25% (11!) classes for any reason, excused or unexcused, you will fail the course. As above, frequent absences will also affect your participation grade. Absences will be excused only with written proof of cause (not including personal emails to your professor, although I do appreciate these). If you need to miss class due to a religious observance, please let me know in advance. See http://sites.allegheny.edu/religiouslife/religious-holy-days/. Late Work All formal assignments are posted in bold on the course schedule below. Unless you make other arrangements with your professor at least 48 hours in advance (see “A Note on Extenuating Circumstances” below), late work will be penalized by a third of a letter grade per day (for example, B- to C+). Disability Services Students with disabilities who believe they need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact Disability Services at 332-2898. Disability Services is part of the Learning Commons and is located in Pelletier Library. Please contact that office as soon as possible to insure that such accommodations are implemented expeditiously. A Note on Extenuating Circumstances If you should find yourself in difficult circumstances that significantly interfere with your ability to prepare for this class and to complete assignments, please inform me immediately so that we can work something out together. Do not wait until due dates / the last day of class to ask for exceptions to what is stated in this syllabus. In such a situation, you may also find it helpful to contact the campus Counseling Center (332-4368) in 304 Reis Hall, which is open from 8-5 but also has a 24 hour hotline. Academic Integrity Plagiarism will not be tolerated in this class. Plagiarism includes direct or indirect use of any words or ideas not your own, including internet sources, without proper acknowledgment; it is a crime and may result in failure of the assignment or course. In addition, all cases of plagiarism are to be reported to the Honor Committee. Please read the Honor Code (by which we all are bound) in the College Handbook, or at http://sites.allegheny.edu/deanofstudents/student-conductsystem/academic-conduct/honor-code/.
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Course Schedule N.B.: The following schedule is subject to change. Please pay attention to announcements regarding any changes in course readings and assignments. W 8/30 — Introductions Part I: Comedies F 9/1 - F 9/8: A Midsummer Night’s Dream M 9/11 - F 9/15: As You Like It M 9/18 - M 9/25: Measure for Measure *W 9/27 – Exam 1: Comedies* Part II: Histories F 9/29 — F 10/6: Henry IV, Part One M 10/9 — No Class; Fall Break W 10/11 - F 10/20: Henry V *M 10/23 – Exam 2: Histories* Part III: Tragedies W 10/25 – M 10/30: Romeo and Juliet W 11/1 – W 11/8: Othello *M 11/6 – Essay 1 (4-6 pages) due by 11:59 PM on Sakai* F 11/10- M 11/20: King Lear **Th 11/16, F 11/17, Sat 11/18 at 8 PM; Sun 11/19 at 2:30 PM – The Playshop Theatre presents Romeo & Juliet in the Gladys Mullenix Black Theatre. Extra Credit opportunity TBA** W 11/22; Fr 11/24 — No Class; Thanksgiving Break
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M 11/27: Pre-Exam Review *W 11/29 – Exam 3: Tragedies* Part IV: Putting it all Together – Romance (and a Cumulative Final Exam) F 12/1 – F 12/8: The Winter’s Tale M 12/11 - Optional Final Exam Review *Essay 2 (4-6 pages) due by 11:59 PM on Sakai* **M 12/18: CUMULATIVE TAKE-HOME FINAL EXAM (Exam Group I) DUE ON SAKAI BY 10 PM. NO EXCEPTIONS**