Course Syllabus

HUSL 6313: Unread Shakespeare

Spring 2011
CB3 1.314, Monday 12:30-3:15
Professor Jessica C. Murphy

Professor Contact Information

Jessica C. Murphy
Phone: 972-883-4445
Email: jessica.c.murphy@utdallas.edu
Office: JO 5.408
Office Hours: Monday 4-5 and by appointment

Course Pre-requisites, Co-requisites, and/or Other Restrictions: Graduate Standing, Arts &
Humanities, or by permission of instructor

Course Description

How well do you know your Shakespeare? If you are like most, you have probably read all of the
big hits—Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and the like. But what about Titus Andronicus and
The Two Gentlemen of Verona? This class will attend to the Shakespeare plays most of us have
not read. On the first day, we will select 10 plays that we will cover over the course of the
semester based on the experience of the students present. The instructor will choose secondary
reading according to the play selections.

Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes

By the end of this course, students should demonstrate:

• a detailed knowledge of the texts we read;
• an understanding of the relationship between those texts and the social history of
Shakespeare's time; and
• a familiarity with some of the major scholarly arguments about the texts.

Required Textbooks and Materials

• Norton Shakespeare ed. Stephen Greenblatt et. al. ISBN 978-0-393-92991-1 (or other
scholarly editions of the texts)
• Writing your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day (by Joan Bolker) ISBN
9780805048919
• UTD email account that you check frequently (see below for information on email)

Suggested Course Materials

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (7th edition), ISBN: 9781603290241 (or another
style guide)

Course Syllabus Page 1

Academic Calendar

Date Reading Assignment Writing Assignment

• Introduction
• Play selection
1/10 • Zinsser selections on electronic
reserve (check your UTD email for
the password and link)
1/17 • NO CLASS MLK Jr. Day
• Presentation 1
• 1 page exploration of possible
1/24 • Play 1
research topics for final paper (5)
• Bolker Chapter 1 (pp. 3-18)
• Presentation 2
1/31
• Play 2
• Result of a 10-minute freewrite
• Presentation 3 according to Bolker's directions
2/7 • Play 3 (see pp. 40-44) (3)
• Bolker Chapter 3 (pp. 32-48) • Statement of your daily writing
goal for the semester (2)
• Library
• Craft of Research (on ereserve) Part
2/14
II: "Asking Questions, Finding
Answers" (pp. 29-101)
• Presentation 4 • Annotated Bibliography (4
2/21
• Play 4 items) (10)
• Presentation 5
• Project Proposal (1000 words + 1
2/28 • Play 5
page bibliography) (15)
• Bolker Chapter 4 (pp. 49-62)
• Presentation 6
3/7 • Zero Draft (10)
• Play 6
• Presentation 7
3/14 • Play 7 • First Draft (10)
• Bolker Chapter 8 (pp. 116-126)
3/21 • NO CLASS Spring Break
• Presentation 8
3/28
• Play 8
• Revision Plan (1 page
• Presentation 9 description of the method you
4/4
• Play 9 plan to use to revise your paper)
(5)
• Presentation 10
4/11 • Final Paper Due (15)
• Play 10
4/18 • Mini-conference 1

Course Syllabus Page 2

Date Reading Assignment Writing Assignment
4/25 • Mini-conference 2
5/2 • Private Conference Appointments
5/9 REVISED FINAL PAPER DUE (25)

Assignments & Grading Policy

Below are the required assignments for this course. I will provide more detailed information as
the due dates approach. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about
assignments.

Completion of all of the assignments in this course is a condition for earning a passing grade.
The instructor reserves the right to amend any policies or assignments at her discretion.

Participation 20%
Participation includes attending class, participating in discussions and in-class activities,
completing assignments (on time—no late work will be accepted), and in-class writing
assignments.

Presentation 10%
You will give at least one presentation during the semester. These presentations will draw from
assigned criticism. Multiple due dates; responsibility varies according to enrollment.

Mini-Conference Presentation 10%

The mini-conference is an opportunity for you to discuss your ideas for the final project in a 5-7
minute presentation. The class will be set up like a mini-conference with panels. More
information will be available closer to the end of the semester.

Final Project 60%

Throughout the semester, you will be working on a 15-20 page research paper on a topic of your
choosing relevant to Shakespeare's plays, historical period, or cultural milieu. The class is
structured to support your research and writing process from the second meeting. Your grade will
depend upon successful completion of the process of writing as well as the final product (please
see schedule for the assignment of points out of 100 per assignment).

Grades
This class will use “plus/minus” grades.

Course & Instructor Policies

In this class, students will examine Shakespeare's "unread" plays through reading assignments,
writing assignments, and class discussion with attention to the ways that these plays respond to
and shape early modern culture. To that end, the policies below are meant to create the best
possible learning environment for the students. Please contact the instructor if you have any

Course Syllabus Page 3

questions about these policies. I will consider your continued enrollment in this class as evidence
that you accept these policies.

Attendance
Because this class is a seminar, participation in discussions is essential to your learning. You may
miss one class without penalty, but you will lose credit for each class above one that you miss.

Community
It is expected that we will respect one another and one another’s ideas. When we are in class, we
are present: no cell phones, pagers, email, or other forms of electronic communication. If your
phone rings, I or a classmate will answer it (if my phone rings, you may answer it).

Disability Services
If you are a student with a disability and would like to see me to discuss special academic
accommodations, please contact me after class or during my office hours. For more information
about The Office of Student AccessAbility, visit their website:
http://www.utdallas.edu/studentaccess/or call 972-883-2098. (see link below for more detailed
information)

Avoid Plagiarizing by Accident!

Using another’s ideas or language without acknowledging the source or passing off another’s
ideas or language as your own is plagiarism and will not be tolerated. Students often plagiarize
without intending to because they are unsure about how to cite sources. Plagiarism by accident is
still plagiarism (and will be punished as such), so please feel free to come see me if you are
unsure about how to cite sources. (see link below for policy on Academic Integrity)

The policies that comprise the rest of the syllabus may be accessed online:
http://provost.utdallas.edu/home/syllabus‐policies‐and‐procedures‐text

These descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion of the Professor.

Course Syllabus Page 4