Course Objectives:

To gain exposure to Renaissance (or Early Modern) thought, poetic craft, and drama by poring over the works of one rather well-known English author.

To increase intellectual maturation and clarification of our own values through examination of ideas and attitudes in literary/cultural contexts and through articulation of these.

To develop skills in verbal analysis and detection of subtlety through reading, discussion, and writing about some tricky literature.

Required Text:

The Riverside Shakespeare. 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1997. This is the text ordered 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 documention of the following plays: As You Like It The Merchant of Venice Henry V and other plays to be elected by the class.

Course Requirements:

A significant part of your life this mini-semester has to become Shakespeare studies. Studying this stuff can be demanding, but at least we'll 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 and no late assignments of any sort will be accepted, more than a few 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, 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. (30%)

Your presence will be kindly requested at two exams. (30%)

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