Marty Wood
Professor and Chair
Department of English
mwood@uwec.edu
Last Updated: 3/01/2006
English 257, Representative Shakespeare
Spring 2006
Name |
Office |
Office Hours |
Phone |
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| Marty Wood | HHH 433 |
10 - 11 M W |
36-2639 |
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You may also leave a message at 36-2639. Please do not call me at home -- use Email. |
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Because we will be extensive users of the Internet and of the courseware found on D2L, many essentail course materials are provided without cost to you. However, there are a couple of things to consider. First, you will need to set aside regular times when you will use the UWEC network to access the course software, your own data storage, and the rest of the Internet (including McIntyre Library resources). You can access this network from labs on campus or from your home town, but you will have a more satisfactory experience if you use the fastest connection available to you (usually that means the ones in the labs). If you must use a dial-up modem from off campus, the slower service will degrade some of your activities.
For this course you will also need to become a wise user of computer data storage. It is always your responsibility to have backup copies of electronic files for the work you produce in college. Files kept on your remote server are automatically backed up every night, but that's only helpful if your remote server always has your most recent version of each file. This means that if you use removable media, you alone are responsible for making backup copies or for copying your files to the remote server. Not all media are equally reliable. Computer crashes and storage media failures will never be an adequate excuse for late or missing work, because when you make frequent backups on your remote server share you do not lose files. Students who don't make frequent backups will probably learn the hard way. Similarly, when doing work in D2L (or any online environment) you are taking a huge risk if you write very much without saving. Often it's best to do your composing in a word processor (where you can save frequently) and then copy your work into the D2L text-entry windows.
Some general policies common to English courses at UWEC also apply in this course, including statements regarding attendance, classroom atmosphere, accommodations for student needs, the eleven baccalaureate goals, issues of academic dishonesty, and so forth. These policies and procedures constitute an addendum to this syllabus; click on the link above to consult them.
In English 257 we will aim primarily at introducing you to the pleasures and challenges available to the alert reader of Shakespeare's plays. We will learn the plots, of course, but wealth you gain in learning Shakespeare has very little to do with story lines. Anyone can summarize a story line in a paragraph or two. Instead, Shakespeare's genius will be obvious to you once you can sense his understanding of the way language can work, his unfailing accuracy in showing real human behavior, and his deep love of the theater and the way that drama can both teach and move audiences.
In order to reach that point, we will read seven of Shakespeare's plays, and that we will read them several times each.
Everyone must complete the following:
In addition, everyone must complete ONE of the following:
Either this . . . .
OR this . . .
In addition to the items above, all of which will contribute a specific percentage toward your final letter grade, students will complete the following duties, which will determine whether your final letter grade is followed by a plus (+) or a minus (-).
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In this course we will read seven popular plays by William Shakespeare. Our primary focus at first will be his stories, his characters, and his language. During this early phase, students will also learn to recognize the difference between good and bad blank verse, to use footnotes to unravel textual complications, and to use a companion handbook to help understand the context in which Shakespeare wrote and the problems faced by interpreters ever since. Later, as they become more practiced readers of Shakespeare, students will also learn to use a few important research tools to help them consider more intricate problems and challenges in the plays.
Students should read each play in its entirety before we begin to discuss it in class. Then, before the subsequent class meetings on the same play, they will re-read several sections multiple times. Re-reading Shakespeare is the only way to learn his work, and we'll be doing lots of it.
In addition to a couple of short papers, students will choose between a larger, researched analytical paper and a public presentation of a scene at the English Fest. We will also have two exams -- a midterm and a final. In each exam, in addition to any questions that might simply review what the class has covered, there may also be a section from a play we did not read, challenging students to apply course concepts to unfamiliar material.
Although this course is registered for three hours of class time each week, we will make use of D2L's features to enable us to substitute some of our class meetings with a virtual classroom. We will divide the class into arbitrary groups A, B, and C, and you will be responsible for posting to the current D2L topic discussion each day your group is assigned to do so. The groups will take turns so that all students will have the same number of mandatory discussion postings. Typically we will observe the following schedule:
Before the first day for each new play: Leading up to the first day of each new play, all students will completely read the assigned play. Students whose D2L Group is assigned to post responses for that day will have to log into D2L on the day before that class. No later than 8:00 a.m. on the day before the class day, your class mentor, Sabrina, will post a discussion topic on D2L. The assigned D2L Group will read her post, and post a thoughtful response to it, before 8:00 a.m. on class day. All other students are welcome to read and post also, but those in the D2L Group for that day are required to do so. Sabrina will report on this discussion to the class.
After the first day for each play. We will spend four or five class periods on each play. Some time soon after the first day, the other two D2L Groups will also have an assigned day to respond, according to the official class calendar in D2L. These Groups will have to read and respond a day ahead of their designated class day. Furthermore, the three D2L Groups will take turns being the first group to respond for different plays, so the whole process works out for everyone in an equal way.
After groups A, B, and C have had their assigned days, there are occasional days marked "D2L: Open" on the calendar. These days are days in which students are encouraged, but not required, to post and respond to posts. Occasionally, Sabrina will post topics for your voluntary consideration; sometimes she'll simply read and respond to topics you've started up yourself. Your serious participation in these voluntary sessions could help make up for shortfalls in any other area of your engagement with the class materials.
If all goes well, and D2L becomes as productive as I hope, we will soon be able to cancel some class meetings, perhaps long enough in advance that you can make other plans. This assumes that we will all be using D2L actively and effectively.
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Each online posting is, in effect, a short writing assignment. These assignments will require students to think carefully about specific problems in the plays currently under study, and to discuss their thoughts with other class members. Any single discussion posting will not contribute mightily to a student's final grade, but the cumulative effect will make a difference. Needless to say, postings that simply say, "I agree with what others have said," or "I really didn't like this play because it was boring and so I have nothing more to say," or "This play was very special to me because I could relate to it, but it's personal so I don't want to write about it" will not do your grade any good.
The other kind of written assigment includes a character or scene analysis, an examination of some feature of Shakespeare's language, an explication of an assigned passage, and (if you don't publicly perform a scene) the analytical essay. Everyone will write at least two of these (see "Group Play Presentations" below). Details about all of these assignments appear below in the section called Descriptions and Specifications for Writing Assignments.
Students have the option (which I hope all of you elect) to form groups of 4 - 5 for the purpose of "presenting" a scene from a Shakespeare play to attendees at the English Fest (May 3 & 4). Those who choose this option will not have to complete the analytical researched paper; instead, my evaluation their work on the presentation will substitute for that portion of their final grade. This presentation is not the same as either giving a performance or teaching the play, but something in between. Students in each group should choose a play, read and study it, and identify its major themes, conflicts, problems, or significant issues of some related kind. Then they should come to Fest on their designated day fully prepared to summarize the plot and characters of the play, highlight the important issues, and then focus on the one central issue they've identified. As part of the presentation, the group should stage a brief performance of one scene or a part of one scene, preferably a performance that involves each group member. With any luck, the performance will help illustrate the group presentation's main-issue focus. Each group presentation should run approximately 40 minutes total.
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Note: this section has the following subsections:
Students in this course will learn only a limited amount of material by listening to my lectures. The greatest amount of learning, by far, is the kind that will happen as students become active participants in their own education. In part this refers to the kind of participation we teachers typically talk about -- reading the assignments, contributing to discussion, completing homework assignments. But it's also pretty obvious that all of these kinds of participation can be performed without significant personal enagement. In this course I will attempt to evaluate your total growth as a learner of the subject we study. This means I will be looking for evidence of active engagement in every area of the course, in every kind of activity we conduct. Certainly each person will perform better in some areas than in others -- it isn't necessary for you to show evidence of excellent engagement in everything in order to receive a top grade in the course. But you will need to show evidence of significant engagement in every area, and of excellent engagement in some areas, in order to get an A.
It may work best for you to assess your own skills as the course goes along, and concentrate most of your intensive energies on the areas that work best for you. For example, if you realize that you don't like talking spontaneously in class, then be sure to work harder on your participation in the online discussions, or in reporting to the class about what you've learned in them. There are many ways to engage actively in the course, and the more you employ, the more you will learn; the more you learn, the higher your grade.
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Your grade for this course will be determined largely by three factors: (1) the quality of your work on the writing assignments; (2) the quality of your contributions to discussion, including online and in-class, and (3) your success on the exams. In specific terms, 15% of your grade will be determined by your success on each of the first two papers, 20% for the researched paper (or the group play presentation), 15% for the midterm exam, 20% for the final , and 15% for your online postings and discussion-leading. "Participation and attendance" will simply add a plus (+) or minus (-) to your grade unless you miss a very high number of classes.
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Evaluation
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Although I do not include a specific penalty for non-attendance, it should be obvious by now that the student who misses classes will not be able to keep up with the work of the course. In accordance with UWEC policy, I will allow limited make-up opportunities for students who miss class for documented cases of illness, emergency, and religious observance. Without such documentation, I will accept no make-up work, and in any event, students who miss classroom discussion will obviously be unable to make up for their lost opportunity to demonstrate engagement on that occasion. In severe cases - for example, absences amounting to a fifth of the course - students must expect their grade to suffer severely, either directly or indirectly.
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PART A: The Shorter Papers
You have three different options for your two shorter papers. You will do two of the following: (1) a character or scene analysis, (2) an explication of a specific passage, or (3) an analysis of some specific feature of Shakespeare's language. ONE OF THESE MUST BE COMPLETED ON OR BEFORE March 31.
General guidelines for the shorter papers:
• You must focus each of these assignments on a different text. That
means you’ll focus on two different Shakespeare texts.
• You must turn in at least one of these assignments before the
end of March.
(That is, you cannot put off doing all of them until the end of the semester.)
• You must enter one of these assignments into your university portfolio.
Let me know when you've done so.
• All Act, Scene and Line numbers for these assignments are from The Riverside
Shakespeare. Feel free to drop by and check your edition against that one if
you are using a different edition.
• I will be very happy to talk to you about your writing assignments long
before you turn them in. (In other words please don't expect any help
at the last minute.) You’ll need to read the text, look up all the words,
and come talk to me in plenty of time before the assignment’s due.
• You may use outside sources to do any of these assignments,
but, except the OED, which I suspect you will find necessary, you probably
don't need them.
(1) Character or Scene Analysis (do ONE or the other, not both)
(2) Explication of a PassageCharacter Analysis: Write a 2-4 page analysis of one of the characters specified below. Among other things, you need to consider why this character is present in the play, given scenes, and so forth. What is this character doing? Why should you care? You also might want to think about how you’d play or direct this character were you doing the play on stage. (I listed more than one character for most plays; choose ONE.)
Play Character(s) Due Date MoV Nerissa or Lorenzo 2/13 1H4 Lady Percy or Owen Glendower 2/24 MfM Abhorson or Juliet 3/31 King Lear Oswald or 1 Servant in 3.7 4/7 Othello Roderigo or Bianca 4/24 The Winter’s Tale Paulina or Autolycus 5/8
Scene Analysis: Write a 2-4 page analysis of one of the specified scenes. Why is the scene vital to the play? What does it accomplish for the audience? How does it build our experience of character, plot, themes, or whatever? (I listed more than one scene for most plays; choose ONE.)
Play Scene Due Date AYLI 2.1, 2.5, 3.4 2/1 MoV 2.3, 3.3 2/13 1H4 2.3, 4.2 2/22 MfM 2.4, 4.1 3/29 King Lear 1.4, 4.4 4/5 Othello 3.1, 4.3 4/26
Specifications
Length: approx. 2 - 4pages (double-spaced, laser/jet-printed, size 12 type
Secondary Sources (if any):
- OED
- May include selective use (with citations) from sources included in course texts
- May also include selective use (with citations) from outside sources (check with me)
- All secondary sources used must be of verifiable authority
Documentation Style: MLA (Modern Language Association) style
Paper Due: Various dates
Write a 2-4 page explication of one of the passages or poems specified below. An explication is an unfolding of the text, and not a paraphrase. You want to make a thesis driven argument about how the text does what it does. How does it sound, or feel, when you read it aloud? What imagery or metaphors does it use, and what effect do these have on the listener or reader? Begin by looking up every word (ok, not “and” or “the” or "if" - you know what I mean) in the OED (Oxford English Dictionary), and think about the different meanings the word has, or has had historically. Then read the text aloud many, many times. Make sure you know it inside out, know what it means, and figure out how it works, and then tell me.
Text Passage Due Date AYLI 2.1.1-25 or 2.7.139-166 1/30 1H4 1.2.195-217 or 2.3.37-64 2/20 One sonnet # 116 or # 138 3/13 MfM 1.3.34-54 or 3.1.117-131 3/13 King Lear 1.4.275-289 or 2.4.264-286 4/3 Othello 1.3.128-163 4/19 The Winter's Tale 3.3.15-46 5/1
Specifications
Length: approx. 2 - 4pages (double-spaced, laser/jet-printed, size 12 type
Secondary Sources (if any):
- OED
- May include selective use (with citations) from sources included in course texts
- May also include selective use (with citations) from outside sources (check with me)
- All secondary sources used must be of verifiable authority
Documentation Style: MLA (Modern Language Association) style
Paper Due: Various dates
(3) Analysis of Shakespeare's Language
PART B: The Major Paper (Researched Analytical Paper)Write a 2 - 4 page examination of some aspect of Shakespeare's language, analyzing its impact on the immediate scene or play in which you located it, as well as its contribution to the development of our own English language. This is an ambitious and adventuresome topic, and should only be attempted by students who are already interested in close study of language history and change, poetic language, and similar highly geeky stuff. This paper can take many forms and go in many directions, so please consult with me for further advice and specifications. Its due date is open; you and I will negotiate a deadline.
Specifications
Length: approx. 2 - 4pages (double-spaced, laser/jet-printed, size 12 type
Secondary Sources (if any):
- OED
- May include selective use (with citations) from sources included in course texts
- May also include selective use (with citations) from outside sources (check with me)
- All secondary sources used must be of verifiable authority
Documentation Style: MLA (Modern Language Association) style
Specifications
In your major paper for this course you should advance an incredibly sophisticated thesis worthy of doctoral-level work on any topic abstracted entire dimensions away from the content of the course. You should defend that thesis with a combination of all historical textual evidence, intensely brilliant reasoning, and exhaustive searches of all available secondary information. You'll probably need to start work now and never let up.
Requirements
Length: approx. 10-50 pages of sheer brilliance, or 50 + pages of merely good work
Focus: A thesis arising from the course subject matter that requires significant use of at least six plays from the course.Primary Sources:
- Must concentrate on at least six plays from the course
- May also include up to 31 additional plays outside the course (check with me)
Secondary Sources:
- Must include extensive use (with citations) from sources included in course texts
- Must also include extensive use (with citations) from outside sources -- 50 or 60 at least
- All secondary sources used must be of unimpeachable authority
Documentation Style: MLA (Modern Language Association) style
Paper Due: May 3
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| Marty Wood |
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Last Updated: 3/01/2006 |