English 220: Introduction to Shakespeare

Colleen E. Kennedy Summer Quarter 2011, First Five Week Session Class meets: M-TH 11:30-1:18 Arps Hall 384 Office hours: T 10-11, W&TH 1:30-2:15 at Wexner Center Caf (Abbondanza) Contact: kennedy.623@buckeyemail.osu.edu
Course Description and Objectives: 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 students to the works of William Shakespeare. Students will read five plays from different genrescomedy, tragedy, history, and romance. Students 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 exam answers. Required Materials A Midsummer Nights Dream Henry V Hamlet The Tempest TBD o 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 o 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 I did not order textbooks for this course. 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), 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

Course Requirements & Grades Reading Quizzes (40%, or 10% each): Five quizzes administered at the beginning of class concerning the previous play. The quizzes will include a short passage (to be identified, analyzed, and paraphrased) as well as several definitions and/or multiple choice questions. I will drop the lowest quiz grade. If you miss a quiz, there will not be a chance or for a makeup. PowerPoint Presentation/Handouts (10%): For each play that we read, a small group of students will present a 5-7 minute introduction to the play as a Power Point. You should cover the full title of the play, the genre of the play, Shakespeares sources for the play, early publication & performance history, brief context of the play (social, political, religious, gendered, etc. context), and also give a few interesting facts about the play. Slides should be free from grammatical errors and include illustrations or photo stills. You may also create handouts for the class. Please make sure to include a Works Cited in MLA format. It is also advisable to dress appropriately for group presentations. Final Paper (20%): The final paper for this course will be 4-6 pages long and does not need any outside or critical sources, but will include a Works Cited page (so I know which edition you are citing from). It should be in 12 point font (Times New Roman is standard) with one inch margins. You are encouraged to meet with me to discuss your paper topics early in the course. Due: Friday, July 22nd at 11:59 pm in the Carmen dropbox. No exceptions! Participation/Carmen Reading Questions (10%): 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 post 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. Note: You will not be assigned for Reading Questions for the same play you present on for the PowerPoint Presentation. Seeing Shakespeare (10%): You are expected to see a live performance of Shakespeare. I would suggest seeing the production of A Midsummer Nights Dream in Schiller Park (more information to follow on Carmen). I will inform you of other live Shakespeare opportunities in the area as they are announced. You will type up a 2-3 page review of the play. I will upload sample performance reviews to Carmen for you. Due: Friday, July 15th at 11:59 pm in the Carmen dropbox. All the Worlds a Stage: Performance (10%): You will discuss and perform a scene from one of plays studied during our scheduled final exam time. You will be split into small groups (3-4) students and assigned a specific text. Within the text, you must find a specific brief scene (3-5 minutes) that may be interpreted in various ways, or be generally problematic. You will perform the same scene twice so that the class can see how the scene can be interpreted and acted in different ways. You will give a brief description before the performance as to why you have decided on a specific scene, and after the performance, you will field several questions concerning your directorial decisions. Performances will be evaluated concerning the relevance of the chosen scene and text, use of gesture and body movement/placement, consideration of staging and other historical and technical concerns, accuracy, and creativity. In addition, each student may also perform a short soliloquy for extra credit. Note: Prior acting experience is not expected or required. Props and/or costuming are strongly encouraged. Typed scripts are allowed on the stage, but textbooks are not. The performances will take place on Thursday, July 14th at the Browning Ampitheater near Mirror Lake. 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 absence. 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. Student Work must be completed and submitted on time. All assignments should be turned in during the class period when they are due. 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 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.

Class Schedule
(subject to change) **Please come to class having read the play in its entirety at least once (if not twice). The only exception will be for the first play (as per the schedule below).** WEEK ONE: Monday, June 20th: Introduction to the Syllabus, Set up groups, etc. Tuesday, June 21st: A Midsummer Nights Dream (Acts 1 &2) Wednesday, June 22nd: A Midsummer Nights Dream Thursday, June 23rd: A Midsummer Nights Dream *Saturday, June 25th: Performance the Royal Shakespeare Companys Young Peoples Shakespeares production of Hamlet will take place in the Van Fleet Theatre at The Columbus Performing Arts Center, 549 Franklin Avenue. I have reserved tickets for the entire class. You are responsible for your own transportation & must meet me by 2:15 at the Box Office; we will be seated between 2:15-2:30. Hamlet is approximately 70 minutes and is performed without an intermission. Because of the layout of the theatre, they cannot seat anyone once the performance has started. This is not mandatory, but a great opportunity! WEEK TWO: Monday, June 27th: Henry V (quiz on A Midsummer Nights Dream) **Monday, June 27th: The Globe Theatre presents Merry Wives of Windsor at 6:30 pm at the Lennox AMC Theater at 777 Kinear Road. http://www.fathomevents.com/performingarts/series/globeseries.aspx Tuesday, June 28th: Henry V Wednesday, June 29th: Henry V Thursday, June 30th: Library Day (We will meet in the main lobby of the Rare Books room for most of class, but we will also view the KJV Bible exhibit as well) **Thursday, June 30th at 8 pm: A Midsummer Night's Dream by the Actors' Theatre of Columbus begins. This production is free (donations suggested, bring your own drinks & snacks, seating & blankets) and in Schiller Park (corner of Jaeger Street and E. Deshler Avenue in German Village), ThursdaysSundays, June 30 to July 31 at 8 PM. http://www.theactorstheatre.org/

WEEK THREE: Monday, July 4th: No Class Tuesday, July 5th: Hamlet (quiz on Henry V) Wednesday, July 6th: Hamlet Thursday, July 7th: Hamlet WEEK FOUR: Monday, July 11th: The Tempest (quiz on Hamlet) Tuesday, July 12th: The Tempest Wednesday, July 13th: The Tempest Thursday, July 14th: Performance at Browning Ampitheatre by Mirror Lake Friday, July 15th: (Review of a play is due in the Carmen dropbox by 11:59 pm) WEEK FIVE: Monday, July 18th: TBD (quiz on The Tempest) Tuesday, July 19th: TBD Wednesday, July 20th: TBD Friday, July 22nd: (quiz on TBD play, course evaluations, turn in final papers to Carmen by 11:59 pm)