Jan/Feb

Mar

Apr

May

PURPOSE OF THE COURSE

The Renaissance, or Early Modern Period, was a time of enormous political, economic and social change. Ideas which lay at the heart of the Renaissance marked the true beginning of Modern philosophy. These tenets, based largely on the value of an individual’s mind, body and soul, challenged religious and political authority. In this course, we will explore how the major literary artist of the time, William Shakespeare, addressed the many questions which arose in light of these new ways of thinking.

OBJECTIVES 

All papers will follow MLA format: Typed, double-spaced, use parenthetical citations and, when necessary, a list of works cited, including references made to the textbook. (Sample MLA Papers can be found in Canvas)  The main point of the response papers is to allow you the opportunity to explore specific aspects of texts that you find interesting in terms of the major themes and issues we discuss. More specific guidelines will be found in Canvas.

English 418 aims to teach students to:

• identify the major historical events associated with the War of the Roses, the rise of the Roman Empire, and the transition from Elizabethan to Jacobean England, and explain their significance to the assigned histories and other plays and poems as applicable.
  
• identify the major and pivotal minor characters in each play read during the semester.
• identify and explain the major critical  approaches to Shakespeare's works.
  
• demonstrate their understanding of course content through participation in class discussions, oral presentations, critical response papers, research papers, and examinations.

1. evaluate the influence of historical and biographical events on Shakespeare's writings.
2. analyze the texts discussed in the course in terms of representative themes.
   
3. distinguish between different texts in terms of their aesthetic, political, and philosophical viewpoints.
4. produce effective arguments, in both oral and written forms, regarding Shakespeare's writings, incorporating relevant critical theory.

• Class participation
• Critical response paper
• Oral presentation
• Documented research paper using MLA style
• Midterm and final examinations

GRADING

Class Participation Critical Response Paper Midterm Exam Student Presentation Research Paper Final Exam

20 % 10 % 20 % 10 % 20 % 20 %

A: 90-100 B: 80-89 C: 70-79 D: 60-69 F: 0-59

REQUIRED TEXTS

• Complete Works of Shakespeare (provided)
• Biography of Shakespeare (provided)
• Critical Treatment of Shakespeare (provided)

Attendance. Students are expected to attend every class. If you are forced to miss class, written verification for the reason for your absence is expected. Because of the importance of regular attendance, excessive (more than three) unexcused class absences will result in the loss of points from the final average. Excessive lates will also lower your grade. The complete attendance policy can be found on the class homepage . Please come speak with me if you have any questions.

Reading Assignments, and Participation.  Students are required to bring all necessary books with them to class.  As all the books for the course are being provided for free, there is literally no excuse for not having the required texts with you every day. Please come speak with me if you have any questions.

All assigned readings must be completed before coming to class. Please keep in mind that students are expected to read the editorial introduction to each work. You are expected to arrive prepared to provide thoughtful discussion of the daily readings, including the editorial introductions, responding to questions from the instructor or your classmates as they arise.  Classroom discussion will involve the open sharing of ideas and interpretations of the literature.  Because every person's opinion is valid, we will demonstrate civility and respect for each other, taking turns to provide our observations and not interrupting each other.  Only raised hands will be acknowledged.

Writing Assignments. There will be one (1) brief (800 word minimum) critical response paper,  in addition to one (1) documented research paper (3000 word minimum), using a minimum of six documented secondary sources.

All papers will follow MLA format: Typed, double-spaced, use parenthetical citations and a list of works cited, including references made to the textbook. (Sample MLA Papers can be found in Canvas)  The main point of the response paper is to allow you the opportunity to explore specific aspects of one of the plays we have discussed up until that point, focusing on the major themes and issues we will have discussed. The specific focus, though, is largely up to you.

• All papers must be submitted through Canvas as MS Word documents and are due by the end of the business day on which they are due.  
  
• Late papers will lose 2/3 of a letter grade for each class day.
• ** Plagiarism on any assignment will have dire consequences. **
• Please familiarize yourself with the policy  and let Dr. Mekler know if anything is unclear.
• In order to have your final research paper accepted, your topic must be approved by the stated deadline. Please come talk to Dr. Mekler if you have any questions.

Reading List (Subject to Subtle Revision):

Jan	22	Course Introduction
	24	Greenblatt, Norton Introduction, 1-41 "Shakespeare's World" "The Playing Field"
	27	Greenblatt, Norton Introduction, 41-72 "Shakespeare's Life and Art" "The Dream of the Master Text"
	29	Greenblatt, Norton Introduction, concl.
	31	Sonnets: 1, 3, 18, 20
		Histories
Feb	3	I Henry IV, Acts 1-2
	5	I Henry IV, Acts 3-5
	7	I Henry IV, concl.
	10	Henry V, Acts 1-2
	12	Henry V, Acts 3-5
	14	Henry V, concl.
	17	Richard III, Acts 1-2
	19	Richard III, Acts 3-5
	21	Richard III, concl.
		Comedies
	24	Midsummer Night's Dream, Acts 1-2
	26	Midsummer Night's Dream, Acts 3-5
	28	Midsummer Night's Dream, concl.
Mar	2	The Merchant of Venice, Acts 1-2
	4	The Merchant of Venice, Acts 3-5
	6	** No Class, but complete assignment **
	9	The Merchant of Venice, concl.
	11	Midterm Review Critical Response Paper
	13	Midterm Examination
	16	** SPRING **
	18	** BREAK **
	20	** NO CLASS **
	23	Twelfth Night, Acts 1-2
	25	Twelfth Night, Acts 3-5
	27	Twelfth Night, concl.
		Tragedies
	30	Romeo and Juliet, Acts 1-2
Apr	1	Romeo and Juliet, Acts 3-5
	3	Romeo and Juliet, concl. Research Paper Topic Due
	6	Hamlet, Acts 1-2
	8	Hamlet, Acts 3-5
	10	Hamlet, concl.
	13	Macbeth, Acts 1-2
	15	Macbeth, Acts 3-5
	17	Macbeth, concl. Deadline to Have Research Paper Topic Approved
	20	King Lear, Acts 1-2
	22	King Lear, Acts 3-5
	24	King Lear, concl.
		Romance
	27	The Tempest, Acts 1-2
	29	The Tempest, Acts 3-5
May	1	The Tempest, concl.
	4	Sonnets: 73, 116, 130, 144
	6	Final Review
	7	Research Paper Due on Canvas by End of Business
	8	Last Day to Submit Assignments or Excuses for Absences/Lates
	TBA	Final Exam

Selected Bibliography

• Baker, David J., and Willy Maley, eds. British Identities and English Renaissance Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
• Bloom, Harold.  Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human. New York: Riverhead, 1999.
• Brown, Georgia. Redefining Elizabethan Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press, 2004.
• Burton, Jonathan, and Ania Loomba, eds.  Race in Early Modern England: A Documentary Companion. New York: Palgrave Mcmillan, 2007.
• Callahan, Dympna, ed. A Feminist Companion to Shakespeare (Blackwell Companions to Literature and Culture) Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2005.
• Dusinberre, Juliet. Shakespeare and the Nature of Women. 3rd. Ed. New York: Palgrave Mcmillan, 2003.
• Fernie, Ewan et al. Reconceiving the Renaissance: A Critical Reader. New York: Oxford, 2005.
• Fiedler, Leslie.  The Stranger In Shakespeare: Studies in the Archetypal Underworld of the Plays.New York: Barnes and Noble, 2006.
• Garber,Marjorie. Shakespeare After All. New York: Anchor, 2005.
• Garner, Shirley Nelson, and Madelon G. Sprengnether, eds.  Shakespearean Tragedy and Gender. Indiana University Press, 1996.
• Goldberg, Jonathan. The Generation of Caliban. Ronsdale, 2002.
• Greenblatt, Stephen. Renaissance Self-Fashioning: From More to Shakespeare. Chicago IL: Univ. of Chicago Press, 2005.
• ---. Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare. New York: Norton, 2005.
• Hall, Kim. F., ed.  Things of Darkness: Economies of Race and Gender in Early Modern England. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1998.
• Harris, Jonathan Gil. Shakespeare and Literary Theory. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2010.
• Hattaway, Michael, ed. A Companion to English Renaissance Literature and Culture.: Oxford Blackwell, 2003.
• ---. Renaissance And Reformations: An Introduction to Early Modern English Literature. Oxford: Blackwell, 2006.
• Jorgensen, Paul A., ed. Women, Violence and English Renaissance Literature: Essays Honoring Paul Jorgensen. Phoenix AZ: Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies, 2003.
• Loomba, Ania. Shakespeare, Race, and Colonialism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
• --- and Martin Orkin, eds.  Post-Colonial Shakespeares . New York: Routledge, 1998.
• MacFaul, Tom.  Problem Fathers in Shakespeare and Renaissance Drama. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2012.
• Mullaney, Stephen.  The Place of the Stage: License, Play, and Power in Renaissance England. University of Michigan Press, 1995.
• Rackin, Phyllis.  Shakespeare and Women. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
• Schwartz, Murray, and Coppelia Kahn, eds.  Representing Shakespeare: New Psychoanalytic Essays. Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1982.
• Vendler, Helen. The Art of Shakespeare's Sonnets. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1997.
  
• Wayne, Valerie.  The Matter of Difference: Materialist Feminist Criticism of Shakespeare. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1991.
• Wells, Stanley, and Michael Dobson. The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2009.
• White, R. S. Natural Law in English Renaissance Literature. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 1996.

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