Learning Outcomes:

Students will gain exposure to early modern thought, poetic craft, and drama by poring over the works of one rather well-known English author.

Students will increase intellectual maturation and clarification of their own values through examination of ideas and attitudes in literary/cultural contexts and especially through articulation of these in academic discourse.

Students will develop skills in verbal analysis, critical thinking, and detection of subtlety through reading, discussion, and writing about some tricky literature.

Required Text:

The Riverside Shakespeare. 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1997. ISBN 0395754909. You'll find this at the Crimson & Gray and at the Bookie. You would, however, be fine with any scholarly edition(s), even the Signet or Penguin paperbacks for the individual plays if you lack the arm strength and can track them down individually (usually not difficult -- even malls have Shakespeare!), so long as you have act, scene, and line numbers in your responsible edition for proper documentation of the following plays: The Two Noble Kinsmen Pericles and other plays to be elected by the class.

Course Requirements:

A significant part of your life this semester has to become Shakespeare studies. Coasting along with Sparknotes will not save your keester. Responsibly reading and studying Shakespeare can be demanding, but at least we have the opportunity to be doing it together as a learning community. Because classroom interaction is essential for this to be a valuable experience, and because frequent quizzes and homework writings will be exchanged, absences will affect your grade regardless of reason. Here's the math:

I will frequently ask for relatively minor homework assignments to be turned in (or submitted electronically on the Blackboard system), designed primarily to stimulate subsequent discussion [although it will arise anyway because the readings are so provocative (i.e., cool)] and to practice conventions for writing about literature. At other times I will ask you to answer questions in writing in class, often ad lib responses to the reading before class discussion begins. Homework assignments and quizzes will receive numerical grades (points) and, although these writings cannot be made up (except for a couple optional writings that can take their place), the final semester totals will be curved if necessary. (30%)

You will submit two written projects of manageable length as the essay portions of the two exams. Late papers will receive F grades; failure to turn anything in, even late, will result in an F for the course. But excellent work earns lovely grades! (30%)

Your presence will be kindly requested at two exams. No make-ups. (30%)

Class participation and other service to the learning community will be expected (occasional group work, for example). (10%)

Some introductory advice about succeeding with homework and exams can be found here.
And here is an explanation of letter grades assigned to class work. No incompletes will be given.

Students with Disabilities:

I am committed to providing assistance to help you be successful in this course. Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a documented disability. If you have a disability and need accommodations to participate in this class fully, please either visit or call the Access Center (Washington Building 217; 509-335-3417) at the start of the semester to schedule an appointment with an Access Advisor. All accommodations must be approved through the Access Center. For more information contact a Disability Specialist on campus.

Academic Integrity: As an institution of higher education, Washington State University is committed to principles of truth and academic honesty. All members of the University community share the responsibility for maintaining and supporting these principles. When a student enrolls in Washington State University, the student assumes an obligation to pursue academic endeavors in a manner consistent with the standards of academic integrity adopted by the University. Any student plagiarizing on any assignment or cheating on any exam in this class will receive an F for the course and will be reported to the Office of Student Standards and Accountability, who remind us that Washington State University reserves the right and the power to discipline or to exclude students who engage in academic dishonesty. Cheating is defined in the Standards for Student Conduct WAC 504-26-010 (3). It is strongly suggested that you read and understand these definitions and stop plagiarizing that essay on file in your sleazy frat. Safety and Emergency Notification: Classroom and campus safety are of paramount importance at Washington State University and are the shared responsibility of the entire campus population. WSU urges students to follow the "Alert, Assess, Act" protocol for all types of emergencies and the "Run, Hide, Fight" response for "an active shooter incident," which seems to be precisely the one emergency the university expects. Remain ALERT (through direct observation or emergency notification), ASSESS your specific situation, and ACT in the most appropriate way to assure your own safety (and the safety of others if you are able).

Orientation:

Here's what a couple students from several years ago thought you should know going into this class: http://www.wsu.edu/~delahoyd/shakespeare/strumpets.html.