Course Syllabus

ENGL 2300 Introduction to Shakespeare

Course Description

Shakespeare remains one of the most popular playwrights in the English Language. Who is he? Why is he considered so important? What meaning did his works have in his own time? Are they applicable to today's culture? This course will examine a selection of these questions by examining a sampling of Shakespeare's plays and poetry from a variety of critical perspectives.

Justification

An introduction to Shakespeare is standard at most colleges and universities. This course will transfer as General Education, elective, or major credit. It fulfills General Education credit within the Humanities category (HU) and major requirements for English majors.

The Humanities are a group of academic disciplines that study the many ways by which humans have attempted to understand themselves and their world. At Snow College, the Humanities focus on cultural traditions that are expressed largely through text or which have a strong textual component: languages, literature, and philosophy. The methods by which the Humanities study culture are at once analytical and interpretative, objective and subjective, historical and aesthetic.

General Education Outcomes

1. A student who completes the GE curriculum has a fundamental knowledge of human cultures and the natural world. A goal of this course is to foster an appreciation of literature in general. After completing this course, students are prepared to recognize and enjoy literary works for intellectual as well as visceral reasons. Students read and discuss a selection of representative works by Shakespeare encompassing his various dramatic genres and poetic forms to understand his dramatic and poetic development. Quizzes, writing assignments, examinations, special projects, and discussions will ask students to consider readings in a variety of contexts.
2. A student who completes the GE curriculum can read and research effectively within disciplines. Students read a variety of untranslated Shakespearean texts compiled from the folios and quartos. Quiz questions, discussion prompts, and writing assignments are designed to elicit constructive and critical responses and factual details of the texts.
3. A student who completes the GE curriculum can draw from multiple disciplines to address complex problems. Students write on a regular basis demonstrating the validity of various theses in writing assignments. Writing assignments incorporate all elements of the writing process. Written assignments will be returned with suggestions for improving the student's writing skills. Texts will be explored in context of the history of the time, the social and racial issues of the time, and scientific understanding of Elizabethan England. The influence of Shakespeare on current and popular culture will also be explored.
4. A student who completes the GE curriculum can reason analytically, critically, and creatively. Students are asked to critically evaluate rhetorical choices Shakespeare makes in order to understand and interpret the literature. Students are also asked to understand the development of ideas, movements, and genres in the works of Shakespeare as reflected through representative texts. Students will demonstrate their ability to read and think critically about literature, understand its context, and interpret meaning through essay exams, papers, and class discussion.
5. A student who completes the GE curriculum can communicate effectively through writing and speaking. Students will engage with concepts and fellow students in meaningful dialogue through in class and online discussion. They will also demonstrate their ability to communicate in quality writing through papers and essay questions.

General Education Knowledge Area Outcomes

1. Though the study of a representative selection of Shakespeare's plays and poetry, students will examine a variety of philosophical questions about human thought and experience (i.e. good vs. evil, honor, the function of war, nation, and social inequities like race, gender, class, and sexuality). Class discussions, essays, and exams will allow students to demonstrate they are capable of articulating and comprehending ways that British writers and thinkers (particularly Shakespeare) address various issues related to their experiences both specifically and more generally. Though the study of a representative selection of Shakespeare's plays and poetry, students will examine a variety of philosophical questions about human thought and experience (i.e. good vs. evil, honor, the function of war, nation, and social inequities like race, gender, class, and sexuality). Class discussions, essays, and exams will allow students to demonstrate they are capable of articulating and comprehending ways that British writers and thinkers (particularly Shakespeare) address various issues related to their experiences both specifically and more generally.
2. Understand how knowledge is created through the study of language systems, literature, and/or philosophy. Through the practice of close reading, students will understand how knowledge is created within the field of literature, particularly in Shakespeare studies. Students will be able to understand how such things as history, audience, authorial choices in relation to the text, and personal biases impact the reading of a text. Students will be asked to demonstrate their ability to read closely on exams and in written assignments.
3. Understand cultural traditions within an historical context and make connections with the present. Students will understand cultural development in England during Shakespeare's lifetime as presented through literature. They will also be able to discuss and write about representative works of Shakespeare in historical context and be able to demonstrate connections with contemporary culture through class discussions, quizzes, written assignments, and exams.
4. Critically read and respond to primary texts (original, uninterpreted) from a Humanities’ perspective. Students will be able to read, interpret, analyze, and respond to a representative selection of primary Shakespearen texts. Reading strategies, journaling, discussion, and exams will allow students to demonstrate an ability to read critically in order to understand, explain, and evaluate literary texts.
5. Write effectively within the Humanities discipline to analyze and form critical and aesthetic judgments. Students will be able to write interpretive/analytic/argumentative papers that are supported through textual analysis. They will be given feedback from both the instructor and classmates on written drafts and then given an opportunity to revise. They will demonstrate ability in analysis and rewriting through papers and presentations. Students will also demonstrate ability to analyze and form valid judgments in papers, presentations, discussion, and exams.

Course Content

English 2300 covers at least eight of Shakespeare's plays, including two histories, two comedies, and two tragedies, demonstrating Shakespeare's development over time. Other plays may be included at the instructor's discretion, along with selections from the sonnets and narrative poems. The specific choices vary from semester to semester. Concepts include poetic structures, the Unities, the four humours, the Great Chain of Being, and issues related to Elizabethan and contemporary culture. Material will be covered through lecture, group work, and/or discussions.