English 220: Introduction to Shakespeare Instructor: Colleen E.

Kennedy Spring Quarter 2012 Class meets: MW 1:30-3:18, 250 Denney Hall & occasionally the Thompson Library Office hours: M 12:30-1:15 & 3:30-4:30 Office: 461 Denney Hall Contact: kennedy.623@buckeyemail.osu.edu Librarian: Dr. Eric Johnson Office: 119B Thompson Library Office Hours: W 3:30-5 (except W March 28) Contact: johnson.4156@osu.edu COURSE DESCRIPTION: Study of selected plays designed to give an understanding of drama as theatrical art and as an interpretation of fundamental human experience. 220H (honors) may be available. Prereq: 110 or 111 or equiv. GEC arts and hums lit and social diversity international issues (Western) course. This course is designed to introduce you to the works of William Shakespeare. We will read five plays from different genrescomedy, tragedy, history, and romance. You will learn the important issues and vocabulary appropriate to the study of Shakespeare, including literary, theatrical, and socio-historical concepts & terms. Students will develop analytical, close reading, and critical thinking skills, and apply these talents in well-developed essays and shorter writing assignments. This section of English 220 is intended to teach information literacy in the broadest sense. I have applied for and have been awarded an OSU Course Enhancement Grant in order to work closely with Dr. Eric Johnson, curator of medieval and Renaissance books and manuscripts, to create a course that will allow us to learn about Shakespeare and his world through different library collections, including the Rare Books & Manuscripts Library, the Theatre Research Institute Library, and general reference collections and online databases and electronic book resources. We will meet several times in Thompson Library where we will have access to rare materials that will help us learn about play writing, book production & publication, book sales, censorship, and the general circulation of books during Shakespeares age/day. We will supplement our readings of Shakespeare (reduced to five plays instead of the usual six or seven) with articles about the history of the book, and each student will read a play of his or her own choosing from the Stanley J. Kahrl Collection of Renaissance and Restoration Drama. We will also think about and consult the works that Shakespeare was reading as he wrote his plays, as well as the works of his contemporaries, and even venture into the early Restoration adaptations of Shakespeare.

You will choose a play you will work with over the course of the quarter and you will become an expert on that play and especially the copy of that play in the OSU Rare Books collection. At the end of the quarter/term, you will be able to confidently read and analyze Shakespeare and formulate intelligent, original arguments about the plays. You will have improved your close reading skills and will be comfortable finding, utilizing, and evaluating a number of library databases, special collections, and services. You will have a historical background in Renaissance England and especially the writing, production, printing, selling, and circulating of texts which will help you appreciate the texts in their original context. You will learn about the material value and significance of original books in the study of Shakespeare and Renaissance drama, and will have developed archival research and evaluation skills. REQUIRED TEXTS: Titus Andronicus A Midsummer Nights Dream Henry V King Lear The Tempest

I have ordered The Complete Pelican Shakespeare (ed. Stephen Orgel nd A.R. Braunmuller, 2002) but if you have another edition of the collected works or individual plays that should be fine. Any of the above Shakespearean collections will be acceptable: The Riverside Shakespeare, The Oxford Shakespeare, The Norton Shakespeare, The Complete Pelican Shakespeare, or The Necessary Shakespeare (although this last collection may not have all of the plays we will be reading). Any of the following editions of the individual plays will be acceptable: Folger Shakespeare Library, Signet Classic, The Oxford Shakespeare, The Pelican Shakespeare, The New Penguin Shakespeare, The Arden Shakespeare, Texts and Contexts, and/or Longman Cultural Edition (Feel free to mix & match editions) o Please avoid any of the following editions: No Fear Shakespeare, Shakespeare Made Easy, Dover Thrift, and/or Barnes & Noble

o You may order from Amazon, go to a local bookstore (for

example, Price Books at 1375 W Lane Avenue has a great Shakespeare collection, as does the Book Loft at 631 S Third St), or check out copies from the OSU Thompson Library and/or from a local Columbus Metropolitan Library branch. You are expected to come to class with your copy of the correct play. Online versions of the play are not acceptable. Readings & other materials posted to Carmen site

I have also ordered Russ McDonalds helpful The Introduction to Shakespeare.

Bedford

I will also place several helpful guides & secondary sources on reserve at Thompson Library. (More details to follow.)

ASIGNMENTS & GRADES: All assignments must be uploaded as .doc or .docx files. Critiquing an exhibit (10%): The first assignment is to visit the current Shakespeare exhibit in the Thompson Exhibit Library Gallery. On your own time, you will visit the current exhibit, part of the OSU/Royal Shakespeare Company partnership. Make sure to sign the guest log! Then you will write a short review (2-3 doubled-spaced pages) of the exhibit (I will provide examples of museum and art reviews as reference points). Due: Wednesday, April 11th at 11:59 pm in the dropbox entitled Exhibit Review.(More information available on Carmen) The RBMS Project: Working with a play from the OSU Stanley J. Kahrl Renaissance and Restoration Drama Collection (55%): 1. Choosing Your Play (5%): During the first week of classes, you will choose your desired text. There will not be any overlap or sharing; this is a first-come, first-served sign-up list on Carmen. After our initial visit to the Rare Books Room (on the second date of class) and before midnight on Thursday, March 29th, please post your choice of play to the appropriate Carmen discussion board (called Play Choice). The play should not be written by Shakespeare, but any play from the 1580s- 1680s will do. Post the following, please: Your Name: The Title of the Play: The Author: The Place and Year of Publication: Call No.: Brief (1-3 sentences) explanation on why you have chosen this play: You will also chronicle your search process but will not be posting that at this time. 2. First Day with the Play (5%): I will email students before the weekend if there is anything amiss (for example, students who didnt choose a text or if two students wish to work with the same text), and then email the Rare Books room concerning the texts. On Wednesday, April 4th, you will begin working with your text. Make sure to be prepared (pencils or laptops; no gum; washed hands; all materials in a locker BEFORE class begins, etc.). PLEASE SIGN IN on the appropriate log for this course. (You must ask for the sign-in sheet at the information desk.) Start reading the play.

Post your title page information (as per the First Day worksheet)to Carmen discussion board (called First Day) by 11:59 pm Wednesday, April 4th. 3. Bibliographical Report of Your Play (25%): You will create a short paper based on your play (still working on this): summary of the play; genre; three major overarching themes (e.g. fathers v. sons; bad monarchs; city comedy where women are smarter than men; etc.); physical characteristics (from above); brief bio (one paragraph) of the author & list of his or her other works; paragraph on publisher (if possible); MLA bibliography of 3-5 sources related to their play; website related to their play. Due: Wednesday, May 16th by 11:59 pm in the Carmen Dropbox labeled Biblio Report. (More information available on Carmen) 4. Research Journal (10%): Record your times in the Rare Books room (I am expecting eight hours for the quarter per studentnot counting class time in the Rare Books room). Record your search & discovery process. What databases & library services have you been utilizing? What has been most helpful? Why? Any missteps or dead-ends? How has this process helped you to become more acquainted with information literacy in general? What can you apply from this course to your other classes? You will compose five 1-2 paragraph reflective responses on the Carmen discussion board (called Research Journal). Final Entry Due: Wednesday, May 23rd. (More information available on Carmen) 5. Creating an Exhibit (10%): Students will draw upon their experience critiquing/reviewing the OSUL/RSC exhibit by designing an exhibit case You will work in small groups in order to create 8-10 exhibition cases consisting of 4-5 works and items. Based on your work with your individual plays, you will decide how you want to organize your exhibit case (all works by one author? Interesting physical features such as marginalia or illustrations? Based on genre? Etc.). As a group, you will compose a short rationale for how and why you have organized this exhibit case (5%). Then each group member will also create his or her own didactic card to accompany the play he or she has been working on all quarter (5%). Your labels must contextualize your chosen work as individual texts as well as texts that are part of the larger narrative/contextual structure that you hope to convey in your collective case. Labels must be informative, but concise. Labels have to be informational and entertaining, and only 150-200 words long. This makes for a very difficult assignment, as you will spend a lot of time choosing a particular feature (or two) you wish to highlight; clear, concise, and meaningful language; and you will probably spend a lot of time revising. (More information on the Library Exhibit Project is Available on Carmen) Participation & Carmen Postings (15%): This course will be conducted as a combination of lecture and discussion. There will be ample opportunity for class discussion and student participation. Participation begins with attendance. If you are not here, you are not participating. Your participation grade reflects the quality and thoughtfulness of your contributions in class,

respect shown to class members, your attitude and role in small group exercises, and evidence given of completion of reading assignments. You are expected to volunteer an answer, insight, comment, or question at least once a week. If you do not, be prepared to be called on. You will be assigned to certain questions to Carmen to facilitate class discussion. On the date you are assigned, you will read your questions aloud and be prepared with one or two follow-up questions based on class response. (More information available on Carmen) Close Reading of a Short Passage (20%): You will choose a short passage from one of the plays that is at least 14 lines but no longer than 35 lines long, preferably spoken by one character. First, you will paraphrase the passage into idiomatic current English (14-35 lines, or pretty much the same length as the passage). Then, you will compose a 7501,000 word long (3-4 pages) close reading and analysis of this passage. What is important about this particular passage? What is its context? How does the language function (literary features such as metaphors, similes, allusions, assonance, alliteration, meter, rhyme scheme, etc., etc., etc.). You may also want to consult the OED (Oxford English Dictionary), a Shakespeare Concordance, and/or other editions of the play for glosses & definitions. Close Reading Passage Paper due in the Carmen dropbox marked Close Reading by Friday May 25 at 12 pm. COURSE POLICIES: Attendance is important to the success of this class and to your development as a writer. Therefore, each unexcused absence after two will result in the lowering of your final grade by a third of a grade. Excused absences, such as those for documented illness, family tragedy, religious observance, or travel for inter-collegiate athletics, will not affect your grade. It is program policy that five unexcused absences will automatically result in failure for the course. Tardiness is disruptive to the classroom environment, and prevents you from fully participating and assimilating the information and materials discussed in class. Excessive tardiness (i.e. more than five minutes late) will lower your participation grade and can affect your attendance. Coming in twenty minutes late will be considered an absence. Plagiarism is the unauthorized use of the words or ideas of another person. It is a serious academic offense that can result in referral to the Committee on Academic Misconduct and failure for the course. Please remember that at no point during the writing process should the work of others be presented as your own. Ignorance of policy is not an excuse. We will discuss citation practices, quotation, and paraphrase in class, but if you have any questions, please speak to me in advance. Student Work must be completed and submitted on time. All assignments should be turned into the appropriate Carmen dropbox or posted to the appropriate Carmen discussion board on time.

Final graded assignments: Late submission of a final graded assignment will result in the deduction of one full letter grade for each day past the due date (for example, B+ to C+). All final graded assignments must be turned into the Carmen dropbox. Students who know they will miss the class when the assignment is due must contact the instructor as soon as possible in advance of class to arrange for earlier submission of the assignment. Class Cancellation Policy: In the unlikely event due to emergency, I will contact you via email and request that a note on department letterhead be placed on the door. In addition, I will contact you as soon as possible following the cancellation to let you know what will be expected of you for our next class meeting. Resources: The Rare Book & Manuscripts Library is located at 105 Thompson Memorial Library. Please make sure to sign in & out with the staff to record your hours. Please be sure to contact Library staff in advance of your visit so they can retrieve any items you request before your arrival. This will save valuable time. Also, please note that while most RBMS materials are located at Thompson Library, some items may be stored remotely and will need extra time for retrieval. http://library.osu.edu/find/collections/rarebooks/hours/ Hours of Operation: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 9:00 am - 6:00 pm Tuesday: 9:00 am - 8:00 pm Friday: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Saturday: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm Sundays & Holidays: Closed The OSU Writing Center is available to provide free, professional writing tutoring and consultation. You may set up an appointment by calling 688-4291 or by dropping by the center at 475 Mendenhall Laboratories. If you are interested in on-line writing advice, visit the OWL (On-Line Writing Lab) at www.cstw.osu.edu. The Office for Disability Services, located in 150 Pomerene Hall offers services for students with documented disabilities. Contact the ODS at 2-3307. Office Conferences: Please think of my office as an extension of the classroom. Do not hesitate to come see me in my office hours, even if you have not scheduled an appointment, to discuss any aspect of the class: questions, concerns, ideas, etc. The conversations we have in my office hours are often extremely helpful both to you and to me. Dr. Eric J. Johnson will have regular office hours (TBD) and can be reached by email for questions about locating texts or for special issues relating to your particular plays. In addition, you can contact Rebecca Jewett at rarebooks@osu.edu.

COURSE SCHEDULE: Note: This is a draft. Everything is subject to change. You must attend class to be aware of the developing syllabus. **Please come to class having read the play in its entirety at least once (if not twice). ** Weekly Schedule: WEEK 1: M March 26: First Day of Class, Intro to Course, Syllabus W March 28: Please meet at the Rare Books room (105 Thompson Library): Introduction to the Rare Books Room, Rules & Expectations You must bring your student ID/BuckID to fill out the reading room paper work. Readings: Russ McDonalds What Is Your Text? (194-218) By Thursday evening, post your play choice to Carmen discussion board entitled Play Choice. NO DUPLICATES YOUR NAME, Title, Author, & Call No. Detail how & why you made your choice WEEK 2: M April 2: Prefatory Material from the Shakespeare facsimile (Title page, dedications, portrait, table of contents, etc.; Grace Ioppolos The Transmission of an English Renaissance Play-Text W April 4: Library Day: Thompson Library) Please meet at the Rare Books room (105

Suggested Reading: Peter W.M. Blayneys The Publication of Playbooks and Eric Rasmussens The Revision of Scripts WEEK 3: M April 9: Titus Andronicus W April 11: Titus Andronicus Suggested Reading: Jeffrey Mastens Playwrighting: Collaboration and Philip C. McGuires Collaboration WEEK 4: M April 16: A Midsummers Night Dream W April 18: A Midsummers Night Dream Authorship &

Suggested Reading: Lawrence F. Rhus Continental Influences and Russ McDonalds I Loved My Books: Shakespeares Reading WEEK 5: M April 23: Henry V W April 25: Henry V

WEEK 6: M April 30: Henry V W May 2: Library Day: Please meet at the Rare Books room (105 Thompson Library) Suggested Reading: Heidi Brayman Hackels Rowme Of Its Own: Printed Drama in Early Libraries WEEK 7: M May 7: King Lear W May 9: King Lear WEEK 8: M May 14: King Lear W May 16: King Lear **Play Summary of your individual play due in the Carmen dropbox entitled Play Summary by 11:59 pm W May 16th** WEEK 9: M May 21: The Tempest W May 23: The Tempest ** Close Reading Passage Paper due in the Carmen dropbox marked Close Reading by Friday May 25 at 12 pm. ** WEEK 10: M May 28: Memorial Day: No Class W May 30: Please meet at the Rare Books room (105 Thompson Library): The Tempest; Course Wrap-Up **Exhibition date: Tuesday, June 5th from 1:30-4 pm** A Final Note As you are probably aware, a syllabus is like a contract: it tells you what the professor expects from you and what you can expect from the professor. By enrolling in this course, you are agreeing to abide by the policies outlined above. I expect a great deal from you, but most importantly, I expect to enjoy collegial and intelligent discussion and debate. I look forward to a quarter of energetic conversations, enjoyment of language, and intellectual curiosity.

And, of course, high drama and shenanigans. But only the kind you find in Renaissance drama!