Shakespeare
Class Information
Instructor: Gray, Jessica Hanselman
CRN: 71404
Time: MTW 12:10-1:50
Location: 1130 Bainer
GE Areas: World Cultures Writing Experience
Description
In this course, we will explore several of Shakespeare's plays, focusing not only on themes within each text but also on their interpretation and performance on stage and screen. In addition to reading the plays, we will watch recorded stage performances and adaptations for film -- considering interactions of text, stage, performers, medium, and audience. Summer sessions move quickly; we will cover a full quarter's worth of material (and you'll produce a full quarter's worth of writing) in just six weeks.
I will screen our required films on campus, and I encourage you to attend (times/locations TBA), but you can watch them on your own if you cannot make it to the screenings. You'll likely find the films helpful, but you'll also need to keep up with the reading, as all of the assignments require close reading -- zooming in on specific words and textual moments. Writing assignments will include analytical, reflective, and creative prompts; you will have opportunities to demonstrate sophisticated thinking in genres/forms other than the formal scholarly essay.
Grading
Classwork (discussion, daily group exercises)
Homework (Q&A, discussion questions)
Two papers (one analytical, one creative)
Commonplace book and final reflection
Texts
Much Ado About Nothing
All's Well That Ends Well
Macbeth
Richard II
Henry IV, Part I
Films (provided)