Chabot College
Fall 2002
Replaced Fall 2010
Course Outline for English 20
STUDIES IN SHAKESPEARE
Catalog Description:
English 20 - Studies in Shakespeare
3 units
Readings of the sonnets and representative comedies, histories, tragedies, and romances of William
Shakespeare, with attention to the early, middle and late phases of his art and to the Age of Elizabeth.
Strongly recommended: English 4 (Completed with a grade of "C" or higher). 3 hours.
[Typical contact hours: 52.5]
Prerequisite Skills:
None
Expected Outcomes for Students:
Upon completion of the course the student should be able to:
1. recognize the differences in approach, style, and technique in Shakespeare's early, middle and late plays;
2. demonstrate understanding of the nature of Shakespearean comedies, histories, tragedies and
romances and distinguish their differences;
3. demonstrate understanding of and be able to read properly Shakespearean blank verse;
4. demonstrate understanding of and analyze the plays as stage representations in Elizabethan playhouses;
5. analyze the structural elements in Shakespeare's plays and see how they operate within the
framework of the Elizabethan view of the world;
6. show familiarity with the most distinctive characteristics of Shakespeare's work in poetry and drama.
Course Content:
1. Representative sample of Shakespeare's histories, tragedies, comedies, and romances covering the
early, middle and late phases of his career
2. Selected sonnets by Shakespeare
3. The Elizabethan playhouse and theatrical conventions of Shakespeare's time
4. The Elizabethan world out of which these plays emerged
Methods of Presentation:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Lecture
Discussion
Group work
Student readings and presentations
Multimedia
Typical Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
1. Typical Assignments
a. Short essay assignment (2-3 pages): Which serves as a better introduction to Shakespeare and his
works—Greenblatt's socio/historical description in the Norton Shakespeare or Stoppard's film,
Shakespeare in Love? Why? Use both Greenblatt's text and the film to support your argument.
b. Longer essay assignment (5-6 pages): Consider the parallel scenes of wooing (Richard /Anne
in I.ii and Richard/Elizabeth in IV.iv). What is the function (or functions) of these
scenes? What do they accomplish? Consider, too, why Shakespeare built in such parallelism. And
consider how these parallel scenes might be said to relate to the other parallels and balanced repetitions,
Chabot College
Course Outline for English 20
Fall 2002
Page 2
including verbal parallels, throughout the play.
2. Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
a. Short critical papers
b. One long critical paper or research project
c. Journal writings
d. Oral presentations
e. Quizzes
f. Essay examinations, including a final exam
g. Participation in discussion
Textbook(s) (Typical):
The Taming of the Shrew, William Shakespeare, Folger Library Edition, 1992
Richard III, William Shakespeare, Folger Library Edition, 1996
Othello, William Shakespeare, Folger Library Edition, 1993
The Tempest, William Shakespeare, Folger Library Edition, 1994
Shakespeare Alive!, Elizabeth Kirkland and Joseph Papp, 1988
Special Student Materials:
None
dk 11/01/01
D:\CURRIC\FALL01\ENG20REV.DOC