English 3306: Shakespeare-The Major Works

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Fall 2009

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Required Text

The Norton Shakespeare (2nd Edition)

NB: You will need a fully annotated one-volume Shakespeare for this class. I recommend The Complete Pelican Shakespeare, but you may substitute another edition with my approval. If your edition doesn’t have adequate footnotes, I won’t approve it. Editions that do meet my approval include: William Shakespeare: Complete Works (Modern Library), The Norton Shakespeare, The Riverside Shakespeare, or The Complete Works of Shakespeare (edited by David Bevington).

See Textbooks.

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Course Policies

Attendance

You should attend all of every class. Be in class on time with your reading done and your text in hand. I don’t take roll, but I don’t take excuses from students who skip class or arrive late either. No matter how good or “legitimate” you think your excuse for being absent or tardy was, don’t ever tell it to me; every time you do, I will subtract 5 points from your final average in the course. It is your responsibility to find out, from your classmates, what you miss when you are not in class

Assignments

You will write two critical essays. The performance project will involve groups of students performing 5 minute scenes. I do not assign extra credit or make-up work. I do not accept late work; work not submitted on time will not receive a grade. I discuss grades only in private, and only forty-eight hours (at least) after I have returned an assignment.

Quizzes

I will frequently give a 5 minute pop quiz on the day’s reading assignment either at the beginning or the end of class; if you miss that 5 minutes of a class, you miss that quiz. Missed quizzes cannot be made up for any reason whatsoever. When calculating your quiz average, I will drop your 2 lowest quiz scores.

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Grading Scale

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Manuscript Requirements

Make and keep a copy of every essay you submit. Print out your final drafts on 8.5 x 11 inch paper. Use 1 inch margins, double space, paginate, and staple pages together. (NB: I will not accept, read, or grade any unstapled papers). Use only 12 point fonts and readable typefaces (such as Times New Roman, or Georgia). Always print with a good ink cartridge to ensure legibility. I will not grade papers I consider illegible. Edit and proofread everything you turn in; every assignment should be as error-free as you can make it.

Plagiarism Policy

If you cheat, you fail the class. Make sure nothing you submit to me could be construed as plagiarism or collusion. If you have any questions regarding this policy, please consult with me.

Cell Phones

Keep your cell phone turned off and out of sight during class time. Notify me before class begins if there is an emergency situation that absolutely requires you to leave your cell phone on. I reserve the right to confiscate any cell phone visible during class and to answer or confiscate any cell phone that rings during class.

Laptops

You may use your laptop only for taking notes, accessing the class website, or other specifically class-related work. If you use it to IM, e-mail, play games, shop or any other non-academic activity, you forfeit your right to bring a laptop to class for the rest of the semester. I reserve the right to confiscate any laptop used inappropriately during class.

Website

I will make all course materials—including the syllabus, assignment sheets, handouts, and so on—available on the class website: http://drmarkwomack.com/engl-3306/. Check the site regularly to keep up with any class announcements.

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Course Description

What’s the big deal about Shakespeare? Why have so many people loved his plays so much for so long? I believe that we value Shakespeare so highly because he creates such extraordinarily complex, rich, and intense experiences for audiences.

In this course, we will investigate how Shakespeare’s plays generate such experiences. We will spend most of our time analyzing how Shakespeare’s extravagantly beautiful language works its magic on us. We’ll also give lots of time to thinking about how these plays work as theatrical entertainments. We won’t use the plays as excuses to talk about other things, like social injustices or the meaning of life.

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Schedule of Readings & Assignments

DATE	READINGS	DUE
Mon 8/24	INTRODUCTIONS
Wed 8/26	The Taming of the Shrew, acts 1 & 2
Mon 8/31	The Taming of the Shrew, acts 3-5
Wed 9/2	A Midsummer Night’s Dream, acts 1 & 2
Mon 9/7	LABOR DAY
Wed 9/9	A Midsummer Night’s Dream, acts 3-5
Mon 9/14	Much Ado About Nothing, acts 1 & 2
Wed 9/16	Much Ado About Nothing, acts 3-5
Mon 9/21	1 Henry IV, act 1
Wed 9/23	1 Henry IV, acts 2 & 3
Mon 9/28	1 Henry IV, acts 4 & 5
Wed 9/30	Twelfth Night or What You Will, act 1
Mon 10/5	Twelfth Night or What You Will, acts 2 & 3
Wed 10/7	Twelfth Night or What You Will, acts 4 & 5
Mon 10/12	Hamlet, act 1	ESSAY 1
Wed 10/14	Hamlet, act 2
Mon 10/19	Hamlet, act 3
Wed 10/21	Hamlet, act 4
Mon10/26	Hamlet, act 5
Wed 10/28	Othello, act 1
Mon 11/2	Othello, acts 2 & 3
Wed 11/4	Othello, acts 4 & 5	*Last Day to Drop & Receive a “W”
Mon 11/9	Macbeth, act 1
Wed 11/11	Macbeth, acts 2 & 3
Mon 11/16	Macbeth, acts 4 & 5
Wed 11/18	The Tempest, acts 1 & 2
Mon 11/23	The Tempest, acts 3-5	ESSAY 2
Wed 11/25	THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
Mon11/30	PERFORMANCE PROJECTS
Wed 12/2	PERFORMANCE PROJECTS

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Your instructor, Mark Womack, reserves the right to amend any policies listed here with sufficient written and verbal notice.