Shakespeare
Throughout this semester we will be turning to the Elizabethan/Jacobean
world of Renaissance England. This world differs from our contemporary
situation here in Taiwan, so we will at times need to address the social,
political, and cultural environment in which William Shakespeare lived
and wrote. Because you need to know the basic facts of Shakespeare's
life and times, each of you will be required to read an encyclopedia
article or a general introduction to Shakespeare (like the one found
in The Riverside Shakespeare on pages 1-25). We will be reading seven
plays, including examples of his comedies, tragedies, and a romance:
The Comedy of Errors, Titus Antronicus,
The Merchant of Venice, Othello, Henry
V, Antony and Cleopatra, and The Tempest.
Each play must be read carefully because the mid-term and final exams
will test your memory of the plays' texts.
I view your reading list for this course as a set of scripts-texts not
meant to be primarily read (though that is what we will do), but rather
performed for an audience. After
all, the script is only the first step of realizing a play in production.
After the playwright writes it, directors interpret it; actors and actresses
make the characters flesh and blood; set designers, costumers, and light
designers create the illusions we accept in seeing a theatrical performance;
finally, critics interpret the playwright's-and a given production's-meaning.
Accordingly, this course will go beyond an emphasis on texts alone,
so you can expect to be called upon to read aloud, offer opinions, and
move around at a moment's notice. I strongly recommend that you watch
videotapes of the plays we are reading this semester. This may be done
either in groups or individually, and videotapes can be seen in the
multimedia center. This class, then, will give you a set of techniques
for reading and considering Shakespeare's plays in their dramatic context.
In his plays and poetry Shakespeare often asked more questions than
he answered, so half of the delight of reading Shakespeare's works involves
allowing yourself the challenge of experiencing those questions head-on
and considering them in light of your own views and experiences. In
an effort to assist you with this, I will expect you to join in our
classroom discussions and offer your own opinions. Also, I will ask
each of you to join a small group, with about three or four of your
classmates, to discuss and "act" out the plays we are reading.
Your group will be expected to give one presentation (about fifteen
minutes) before the whole class in which you discuss and analyze in
detail one aspect of the play or a character being considered.
I strongly recommend that you read from The Riverside Shakespeare
(either the first or second edition). If you have New Arden editions
of the plays, they are also acceptable alternatives; if you intend to
read other editions, please come talk to me first.
Our class may be web-assisted so that we can go beyond the walls and
boundaries of the traditional classroom. By using the web, you will
have access to many helpful sites about Shakespeare and his works on
the World Wide Web; you will be able to discuss freely with your classmates
and me the texts that we will read for class; and you will receive specific
and helpful instructions and materials that relate to those plays.
Hopefully, you will make this course YOUR course, and it will
become discussion based, rather than a series of lectures by a more-than-bald
professor. As you either know already or will soon discover, this class
will be your class: it will be run
as democratically as possible, with you and your classmates making many
pedagogical decisions. I see my role in this course as that of an informed
facilitator: I will offer a general format for the course but will allow
you liberties in choosing the directions we will go. I cannot stress
fervently enough the importance of active discussion and participation
for this class. You must commit yourself from the onset to actively
discussing the various dramatic texts that we will be reading. Your
reactions-both emotional and cognitive, both immediate and those that
follow your close reading and reflection-will be the basis for our classroom
discussions. You must share your unique approaches, understandings,
and questions about the plays we will be reading. Plays are open to
many possible interpretations, so the more viewpoints you and your classmates
hear and express, the more options we as a class can explore. Therefore,
your constant and active participation is required
throughout the course. The success of this class will ultimately depend
upon you.
As you may already have guessed, because you are both a teacher and
a student in this class, your attendance is required for all class sessions.
Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each period; if you are
not present at that time but come late, it is your responsibility to
make sure you receive partial credit for your attendance. Students who
are often late for class or miss three or more classes will have their
final course grade significantly lowered.
I
believe students should be encouraged to write well in all of their
English classes. Papers must exhibit good ideas and
good writing.
