English 220: Introduction to Shakespeare Instructor: Colleen E.

Kennedy Winter Quarter 2012 Class meets: T/TH 3:30-5:18, 238 Denney Hall Office hours: T 5:30-6:30, W 4-5, most likely T/Th before class, & by appointment (Im on campus all the time; just email me and Im sure we can arrange a time to meet) Office: 461 Denney Hall Contact: kennedy.623@buckeyemail.osu.edu COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Study of selected plays designed to give an understanding of drama as theatrical art and as an interpretation of fundamental human experience. 220H (honors) may be available. Prereq: 110 or 111 or equiv. GEC arts and hums lit and social diversity - international issues (Western) course. This course is designed to introduce you to the works of William Shakespeare. We will read plays from different genrescomedy, tragedy, history, and romance. You will learn the important issues and vocabulary appropriate to the study of Shakespeare, including literary, theatrical, and sociohistorical concepts & terms. Students will develop analytical, close reading, and critical thinking skills, and apply these talents in well-developed essays and shorter writing assignments. Our unofficial theme for this course will be Shakespeares soldiers. All of the plays we will be reading even the romantic comedyrevolve around war, invoking and/or undermining issues of masculine valor and strength, strong or weak female characters, the victims of war, and ethnic and nationalistic identity and (dis)unity. Furthermore, in this particular section of English 220, I would like for us to think and work through Shakespeares plays by realizing that the stage is just as important as the page. Therefore, we will often work on staging specific scenes to understand how language works, how characters develop and interact, how plot progresses, and to consider early modern and modern theatrical concerns and techniques. We will also view several relevant film clips to illustrate how certain directors and actors have decided to stage specific scenes. Throughout the course, we will engage with the texts through close reading, with occasional criticism through discussion of secondary or supplementary primary sources, and with adaptation through viewing film clips. Class will involve plenty of discussion, active participation, film viewings, and general enjoyment of the texts. At the end of the semester, you will be able to confidently read and analyze Shakespeare and formulate intelligent, original arguments about the plays. You will have improved your close reading skills and will be comfortable using the Oxford English Dictionary to elucidate the text. You will have a historical background in Renaissance England, which will help you appreciate the texts in their original context, but you will also be aware of the role of performance in shaping meaning and will appreciate the enduring presence of Shakespeare in popular culture. REQUIRED TEXTS:

Titus Andronicus 1 Henry IV Henry V Macbeth Much Ado About Nothing Cymbeline

I have ordered The Complete Pelican Shakespeare (ed. Stephen Orgel nd A.R. Braunmuller, 2002) but if you have another edition of the collected works or individual plays that should be fine. Any of the above Shakespearean collections will be acceptable: The Riverside

Shakespeare, The Oxford Shakespeare, The Norton Shakespeare, The Complete Pelican Shakespeare, or The Necessary Shakespeare (although this last collection may not have all of the
plays we will be reading). Any of the following editions of the individual plays will be acceptable: Folger Shakespeare

Library, Signet Classic, The Oxford Shakespeare, The Pelican Shakespeare, The New Penguin Shakespeare, The Arden Shakespeare, Texts and Contexts, and/or Longman Cultural Edition (Feel free to mix & match editions) o Please avoid any of the following editions: No Fear Shakespeare, Shakespeare Made Easy, Dover Thrift, and/or Barnes & Noble
You may order from Amazon, go to a local bookstore (for example, Price Books at 1375 W Lane Avenue has a great Shakespeare collection, as does the Book Loft at 631 S Third St), or check out copies from the OSU Thompson Library and/or from a local Columbus Metropolitan Library branch. You are expected to come to class with your copy of the correct play. Online versions of the play are not acceptable. Readings & other materials posted to Carmen site I have also ordered Russ McDonalds helpful The Bedford Introduction to Shakespeare . This is a recommended text, but not required. I will also place several helpful guides & secondary sources on reserve at Thompson Library. (More details to follow.) o

ASIGNMENTS & GRADES:

Participation/Favorite Line (10%): This course will be conducted as a combination of lecture and discussion. There will be ample opportunity for class discussion and student participation. Participation begins with attendance. If you are not here, you are not participating. Your participation grade reflects the quality and thoughtfulness of your contributions in class, respect shown to class members, your attitude and role in small group exercises, and evidence given of completion of reading assignments. You are expected to volunteer an answer, insight, comment, or question at least once a week. If you do not, be prepared to be called on. As part of the participation grade, you will be expected to come to class with your favorite line or stage direction on the days listed below (on the first day of a new play). This may be handwritten or typed, but it must be on a piece of paper so that I may collect it, and I will need a brief explanation of why you chose this line or stage direction. It may be funny, sad, weird, poignant; I will call randomly on students to read out their line and to discuss their interest in this line. Carmen Reading Questions & Postings (15%):

You will be assigned to certain questions to Carmen to facilitate class discussion. On the date you are assigned, you will read your questions aloud and be prepared with one or two followup questions based on class response. In addition to this, you will post between 3-5 short but thoughtful responses on Carmen. Each response should be 2-3 nicely developed paragraphs focusing on a particular scene, character, plot point, speech, etc. that you would like to write about in succinct and developed prose. You may want to post a link to a film review (or create your own review), review a Shakespearean website, discuss a useful essay, etc., etc. If someone else raises an issue, feel free to respond politely and respectfully. There are many options and I dont want to limit the scope of what you may discuss via Carmen, but I do want your responses to be intelligent and developed, not just unqualified opinions or web links without a critique. You are expected to check Carmen for new postings at least once a week. Reading Quizzes (20%): There will be 5-7 unscheduled reading quizzes throughout the quarter. These quizzes will be conducted at the beginning of class and last five minutes, and will consist of a few multiple choice or fill-in-the-blank questions. If you are late to class or are absent, there will not be a makeup quiz. I will drop the lowest quiz grade. Close Reading of a Short Passage (20%): You will choose a short passage from one of the plays that is at least 14 lines but no longer than 35 lines long, preferably spoken by one character. First, you will paraphrase the passage into idiomatic current English (14-35 lines, or pretty much the same length as the passage). Then, you will compose a 750- 1,000 word long (3-4 pages) close reading and analysis of this passage. What is important about this particular passage? What is its context? How does the language function (literary features such as metaphors, similes, allusions, assonance, alliteration, meter, rhyme scheme, etc., etc., etc.). You may also want to consult the OED (Oxford English Dictionary), a Shakespeare Concordance, and/or other editions of the play for glosses & definitions. All the Worlds a Stage: Performance (15%): You will discuss and perform a scene from one of plays studied during our scheduled final exam time. You will be split into small groups (3-4) students and assigned a specific text. Within the text, you must find a specific brief scene (3-5 minutes) that may be interpreted in various ways, or be generally problematic. You will perform the same scene twice so that the class can see how the scene can be interpreted and acted in different ways. You will give a brief description before the performance as to why you have decided on a specific scene, and after the performance, you will field several questions concerning your directorial decisions. Performances will be evaluated concerning the relevance of the chosen scene and text, use of gesture and body movement/placement, consideration of staging and other historical and technical concerns, accuracy, and creativity. In addition, each student may also perform a short soliloquy for extra credit. Note: Prior acting experience is not expected or required. Props and/or costuming are strongly encouraged. Typed scripts are allowed on the stage, but textbooks are not. Film Analysis (20%): You will compose a short paper (750-1,250 words, or 3-5 pages, (size 12 Times New Roman font, double spaced, one inch margins)) on a film that corresponds to one of the plays that we have studied. This paper should have a compelling thesis statement about the film that you will prove in the body of your paper by creating close readings of characters and speeches, and giving specific examples and details. The prose should be lively, and the paper should be not be marred by distracting errors. Make sure to give your paper an interesting title. You must cite all sources used for your paper using MLA in-text citations and a create Works Cited page if you consult

additional material we did not read in this course (including library reserve material), or if you are using an edition other than the Bevington edited The Complete Pelican Shakespeare. A more thorough description of the requirements of the final paper may be found on Carmen. The paper loses one full letter grade for everyday late (B+ becomes C+). You will sign up for a particular play and your film choice must correspond to that play. Your paper will be due in the Carmen dropbox labeled Film Paper one full-week after we finish discussing the play which corresponds to your film. For example, if you decide to write on a film version of Macbeth, and choose Scotland, PA, your analysis of that film will be due in the Carmen dropbox by 11:59 pm Thursday, February 23rd. I will soon have a list of films and style sheet posted to Carmen. Many of these film adaptations may be found in the Thompson Library (or via Ohio Link), as well as in your local library. It is your own responsibility to locate a film to watch in a timely manner that you may turn in a paper on time. Please note: Henry IV & Henry V films will be lumped together for obvious reasons. COURSE POLICIES: Attendance is important to the success of this class and to your development as a writer. Therefore, each unexcused absence after two will result in the lowering of your final grade by a third of a grade. Excused absences, such as those for documented illness, family tragedy, religious observance, or travel for inter-collegiate athletics, will not affect your grade. It is program policy that five unexcused absences will automatically result in failure for the course. Tardiness is disruptive to the classroom environment, and prevents you from fully participating and assimilating the information and materials discussed in class. Excessive tardiness (i.e. more than five minutes late) will lower your participation grade and can affect your attendance. Coming in twenty minutes late will be considered an absence. Plagiarism is the unauthorized use of the words or ideas of another person. It is a serious academic offense that can result in referral to the Committee on Academic Misconduct and failure for the course. Please remember that at no point during the writing process should the work of others be presented as your own. Ignorance of policy is not an excuse. We will discuss citation practices, quotation, and paraphrase in class, but if you have any questions, please speak to me in advance. Student Work must be completed and submitted on time. All assignments should be turned into the appropriate Carmen dropbox or posted to the appropriate Carmen discussion board on time. Final graded assignments: Late submission of a final graded assignment will result in the deduction of one full letter grade for each day past the due date (for example, B+ to C+). All final graded assignments must be turned into the Carmen dropbox. Students who know they will miss the class when the assignment is due must contact the instructor as soon as possible in advance of class to arrange for earlier submission of the assignment. Class Cancellation Policy: In the unlikely event due to emergency, I will contact you via email and request that a note on department letterhead be placed on the door. In addition, I will contact you as soon as possible following the cancellation to let you know what will be expected of you for our next class meeting. Resources: The OSU Writing Center is available to provide free, professional writing tutoring and consultation. You may set up an appointment by calling 688-4291 or by dropping by the center at

475 Mendenhall Laboratories. If you are interested in on-line writing advice, visit the OWL (OnLine Writing Lab) at www.cstw.osu.edu. The Office for Disability Services, located in 150 Pomerene Hall offers services for students with documented disabilities. Contact the ODS at 2-3307. Office Conferences: Please think of my office as an extension of the classroom. Do not hesitate to come see me in my office hours, even if you have not scheduled an appointment, to discuss any aspect of the class: questions, concerns, ideas, etc. The conversations we have in my office hours are often extremely helpful both to you and to me. COURSE SCHEDULE: Note: This is a draft. Everything is subject to change. You must attend class to be aware of the developing syllabus. **Please come to class having read the play in its entirety at least once (if not twice). ** WEEK ONE: January 3: Intro to the Course January 5: Titus Andronicus (favorite line or stage direction due) WEEK TWO: January 10: Titus Andronicus January 12: Titus Andronicus WEEK THREE: January 17: 1 Henry IV (favorite line or stage direction due) January 19: 1 Henry IV **Titus Andronicus Film paper due at 11:59 pm Thursday, January 19th. ** WEEK FOUR: January 24: Library Day (more details to follow) January 26: 1 Henry IV WEEK FIVE: January 31: Henry V (favorite line or stage direction due) February 2: Henry V WEEK SIX: February 7: Henry V February 9: Macbeth (Acts 1, 2, & 3) (favorite line or stage direction due) WEEK SEVEN: February 14: Macbeth (Acts 4 & 5) February 16: Macbeth ** Henry IV/Henry V film papers due at 11:59 pm Thursday, February 16th WEEK EIGHT: February 21: Much Ado About Nothing ((Acts 1, 2, & 3) (favorite line or stage direction due)

February 23: Much Ado About Nothing (Acts 4 & 5) **Macbeth film paper due at 11:59 pm Thursday, February 23rd. WEEK NINE: February 28: Cymbeline ((Acts 1, 2, & 3) (favorite line or stage direction due) March 1: Cymbeline (Acts 4 & 5) **Much Ado film paper due at 11:59 pm Thursday, March 1st. CLOSE READING DUE is due Saturday, March 3rd 11:59 pm in the Carmen dropbox Close Reading. Any paper submitted at 12:00 am on Sunday, March 4th or later will begin to accrue late penalties. Performance Playbill due in the Playbill Carmen dropbox by Wednesday, February 29th at 11:59 pm. WEEK TEN: March 6: Performances March 8: Performances/ Course Wrap-Up A Final Note As you are probably aware, a syllabus is like a contract: it tells you what the professor expects from you and what you can expect from the professor. By enrolling in this course, you are agreeing to abide by the policies outlined above. I expect a great deal from you, but most importantly, I expect to enjoy collegial and intelligent discussion and debate. I look forward to a quarter of energetic conversations, enjoyment of language, and intellectual curiosity. And, of course, high drama and shenanigans. But only the kind you find onstage.