EN 252 - Shakespeare

2. Understand and apply literary terms such as metadrama, textual tonality, and dramatic method ranging from soliloquy and aside to verbal variation, when discussing Shakespeare’s work. (GELO 2)

3. Produce texts using approved MLA documentation forms. 

4. Evaluate Shakespeare’s plays and poetry as a way of better understanding the literary, social, political and religious world of Shakespeare’s time. 

5. Through the use of accompanying sources, such as film adaptations, look at the commonalities and distinctions of Shakespearean interpretation from other times and cultures. 

6. Discuss the legacy and influence of Shakespeare’s work as it relates to cultural values. 

7. Create a written summary of the main ideas extracted from information gathered. 

8. Effectively organize communications, ensuring there is a clear introduction and conclusion, the content is well sequenced, and there are appropriate transitions. 

 
Course Outline:
I.  Read and analyze Shakespeare’s Comedic, Tragic, and Historical Plays

A. Discuss specific elements of Comedy and how Shakespeare’s comedies fit into the traditions of Greek, Roman, and Italian patterns, including Comedia Dell’arte

B. Discuss Aristotle’s notions of Tragedy, and how those apply to Shakespeare. In turn, discuss Shakespearean Tragedy and its influence on more modern drama.

C. Discuss the historical frameworks and events related to Shakespeare’s History plays, including relevant history that preceded Shakespeare, and Elizabethan history.

II.  Discuss the literary antecedents to Shakespare and how they influenced his work and points of view

III.  Examine how other cultures have been influenced by the works and themes of Shakespeare.

IV.  Write critically about the historical, political, and social contexts for the plays.

V.  Understand and implement a variety of critical frameworks for interpretation of the plays, including, Feminist, Pscyhoanalytic, Cultural, and Sociohistorical approaches.

VI.  Integrate these critical frameworks within MLA-documented research essays.

Group work and facilitated discussion: reading a play aloud, playing parts; discussing what we have read; working in groups to determine character trajectories, etc: 65-75%

Mediated instruction (Maximum), including video performance of a play: 5-15%
Mandatory Course Components:
 An instructor may take or mix two approaches to teaching this class, as below:

A. The historical-cultural approach: The course explores Shakespeares plays in their historical context, analyzing not only their importance as art, but also as statements of culture and thought of the period from which they spring.

B. The genres approach: The dramas studied are classified according to standard Shakespearean categories, including comedy, tragedy, history play, and romance. This approach may follow Shakespeare s development as a writer even as it explores each of the four major genres in which he worked

III. In addition, the instructor should:

A. Explain for the format for writing critical analyses and literary reviews of texts and/or performance.

B. Guide students in the development of skills necessary to evaluating and analyzing plot, theme, characterization, setting, tone, symbolism and the like.

C. Provide the appropriate background material on the course content.

D. Provide critical materials on each of the texts chosen for the course.

E. Discuss the subject’s literary techniques, as well as associated issues and themes, etc.
Equivalent Courses:
None