Professor Judith Swift

Office Hours: Monday 2-3, Thursday 1-3 and by appointment

Office Location: 308A Independence Hall

Tuesday, 3:30-4:20 p.m.; Thursday , 3:30-5:10 p.m.

Course Description: Students will join with the professor in exploring the works of William Shakespeare and marveling at his genius while at the same time gaining an appreciation for the gift of stagecraft inherent in his structuring of scenes and acts. Works read will include histories, tragedies and comedies. In addition, film adaptations will be viewed to enhance understanding of the plays when brought to life as well as the cultural context of the period in which the adaptations were produced. Attention will be paid to the meaning of the plays within Elizabethan and Jacobean culture but also consider their timeliness in other periods of history up to and including the present. Works will be explored as literature while the class remains ever mindful of the canon as plays intended to be performed. Students will be expected to post thoughts, questions, and observations to an ongoing discussion on a listserv designed to enhance class discussion. Team analysis will be used at times as well as individual writings. There will be a midterm paper and a final exam as well as a series of response papers. Classes will engage students in a mix of applied and analytical work. Students are expected to read all assignments on time and attend all classes. Those who shed a tear over the exquisite beauty of the work will earn extra credit.

Goals:

• To examine a range of Shakespeare's plays
• To consider the plays within the history of the period in which they were created
• To evaluate the plays as universal works with relevance for today's audience
• To develop critical and analytical skills related to the analysis of dramatic literature
• To increase the ability to read the plays, grasp the language and appreciate the allusions
• To explore the spoken and implied physical language of drama
• To exercise tools of literary analysis on a masterful canon
• To experience the reading and viewing of Shakespeare's work

Content: This course will primarily focus on the literary texts of Shakespeare's plays selected from among the histories, tragedies and comedies. The particular choices are based on several factors: in some cases, they represent the most popular of the canon; collectively span his creative years; represent a variety of approaches to great stories; capture extremes of human behavior; and encapsulate the beauty of metered language, metaphor, conceits, and a plethora of literary devices. Perhaps most importantly, the plays range from imaginative flights of fancy to dark journeys into the souls of men and women.

Shakespeare is perhaps singular in the prominence of his works in production throughout the world. Ironically, when the Iron Curtain was a major barrier to any dramatic works that questioned a regime, performances of Shakespeare were allowed even though his works raise questions about a totalitarian form of government, the corruption of power and the oppression of freedoms. As we face the possibility of war, the reading of Henry V will prove most engaging. Given the age of most of you, Romeo and Juliet will have a unique application to a period in your life when romance and "true" love seem both desirable and possible. The point is that all these plays engage our imagination and allow us to envision aspects of what it is to be human that may delight or disgust, attract or repel.

We will spend considerable time bringing these plays to life and "giving them legs." While we are reading them as works of literature, they are plays and therefore arguably incomplete until performed. At times we will read aloud to hear the effect of iambic pentameter or to enjoy the mellifluous beauty of a phrase. At other times, we will watch films to enjoy the effect of the plays in the hands of masterful actors. Whatever the approach, we will discover Shakespeare and the extraordinary genius of one man's mind.

• completion of a series of short response papers
• a midterm paper
• a final examination
• postings to the listserv as a way to continue discussion beyond class
• group projects as assigned

Participation assessment will include the following:

• participation in class discussion
• participation in listserv discussion
• participation in classroom exercises, both alone and in groups

Undergraduate Writing Consultant: We are fortunate indeed to have Kathryn MacDonald as an undergraduate writing consultant. Her role is to assist you in improving your writing which is at the heart of clearly expressing your analysis and insight. Her assistance will entail issues such as how to organize your thoughts, making use of outlines, the creation of drafts, learning to edit your papers, employing reference manuals on writing, the proper use of spelling and grammar check—and the pitfalls, among many other matters. Kathryn is a consultant which means she will assist you with your writing but will not do the work for you. Her job is not to evaluate the content of your papers but to help you clarify your thoughts and their expression. Consequently, if you were to write about the world being flat, it is not her job to correct you and make sure you are introduced to the globe. It is simply her job to assist you in expressing that belief however flawed. Therefore, do not blame her if you get a lower grade than you expected. The intellectual content, the insight and the analysis are all yours. She may tell you that you have done a cogent job arguing that atoms don't exist but that doesn't mean you would impress a physics professor.

Other readings and/or viewings as applicable and assigned including excerpts from books, films, articles, and magazines or journals.

Evaluation: Evaluation will be based on grades of the written projects as outlined above, as well as regular class attendance and participation. Grades will be determined in accordance with the University system as described in the University Manual beginning in Section 8.53.10. For the purposes of this course, that system translates as follows:

Special Needs: If you have any special circumstances arising from a disability, please let me know how I can assist you. As stated in the University Manual: "The student with a disability shall be responsible for self-identification to the Disability Services for Students in the Office of Student Life, providing appropriate documentation of disability, requesting accommodation in a timely manner, and follow-through regarding accommodations requested." In other words, it is your responsibility to make arrangements for any special needs and my responsibility to accommodate them with the assistance of the office of Disability Services for Students.

Philosophy of Teaching: I am committed to an engaging, active partnership of learning in which I rediscover and discover the intricate genius of Shakespeare's works along with you. I am also interested in discussing these plays as a springboard for the exploration of a wide range of topics from historical events to contemporary issues. The plays will inform our lives and the converse is equally true. We are not Elizabethans so we will bring our own world with its biases and sense of history to bear on the work. We will have an opportunity to explore the most exalted to the most depraved sense of what it means to be human. Shakespeare's works are not stuffy or For Intellectuals Only—they are exciting and often inspirational. However, as I say to every class, just as no one is responsible for our individual happiness but us, no one is responsible for our intellectual excitement. I can bring mine to the classroom but you also need to be prepared to risk exposing and exploring yours. Learning should be fun and painful–thinking 'til it hurts, and addictive. I look forward to the time we will have together peering and prodding into these exceptional plays.

Censorship: An examination of Shakespeare's plays may well be a literary activity but it also involves scrutiny of human behavior. It is crucial that people feel free to offer opinions that may be politically unpopular or offend other people's standards of what is decent conversation in a public setting. In essence, a classroom is actually a private world in which we must all be free to express opinions without fear of censure because that opinion is distasteful to someone else. As long as we maintain a mutual commitment to be respectful, everyone can be assured that no commentary is intended to offend. The result will be an environment in which free expression is cherished as the vital centerpiece to scholarly pursuits in education. Finally, there is no such thing as bad language; there is only bad intent.

Field Trip: If possible, we will make a trip to see a production of a Shakespearean play with the time and date to be arranged based on your schedules. Cost: TBD.