English 533, Section 1, Schedule 21127
San Diego State University, Spring 2015
TTH 9:30–10:45, HH 222
Dr. Edith Frampton Office hours:
T/Th 12:45-1:45 AH 1109 (basement)
eframpto@mail.sdsu.edu; 594-6232
From Kempe's Nine Days Wonder (1600) – Will Kempe was one of the principal actors of Shakespeare's earlier plays.
Shakespeare Comes Alive!
Welcome! British Renaissance writer William Shakespeare (1564-1616) wrote plays to be seen and
heard in live, collaborative, public performances, rather than to be read silently in private. Many of his
works weren’t even published in print during his lifetime. In this course, we will attempt to experience
Shakespeare’s plays as closely as possible to the way in which they were intended to be appreciated, by
listening to, watching, and performing them, in addition to reading them. The emphasis will be on
dramatic works as blueprints for collaborative productions. We will therefore be attentive to early
modern language, theatrical spaces, performance techniques, social hierarchies, and cultural practices.
While we will thus situate Shakespeare’s writing within its original historical contexts, we’ll also address
ourselves to the ways in which it is read, performed, and understood today. In addition to reading six of
Shakespeare’s plays, we’ll have the opportunity to view filmed productions outside of class. Active
participation in class discussions, debates, and projects is a key component of the course, helping to
further develop your interpersonal and public speaking skills. The class includes a semester-long
collaborative group project, which includes the analysis of a selected play text, pertinent research on that
play, the creation of a production plan for staging the play, and a final presentation with your group.
There will also be a midterm exam and a final exam.
Expected Learning Outcomes on which Assessment Will Be Based
Students completing this course successfully will be able to:
• constructively contribute to discussions and debates about aspects of Shakespeare’s plays and their performance
• accurately respond to questions about language, plot, characters, themes, contexts, and performances of the plays
• fully research a selected play in order to present on it and write about it with accuracy and academic honesty
• create informative, engaging, pertinent presentations, working with group members, to present to the class
• patiently collaborate with other students on group projects and discussions, demonstrating tolerance of others
• confidently articulate ideas to the class, in the form of a group presentation and a memorized performance
• invest the time to compose a carefully argued, well-structured, fully supported essay
Required Texts
Cambridge University Press’s “Cambridge School Shakespeare” series editions are preferred of the
following, since they emphasize performance aspects of the plays and are useful to future teachers:
As You Like It (1599), Twelfth Night (1602), The Merry Wives of Windsor (1597-98), Much Ado About
Nothing (1598), The Winter’s Tale (1609-11), + one more TBD
Required Course Work and Grading: 1000 total points possible Grading Scale
A = 1000-920
140: attendance & prepared participation (5 pts each for 28 classes) A- = 919-900
60: contributions to class-wide discussions
B+ = 899-870
300: midterm exam
B = 869-820
250: final exam
B- = 819-800
250: final research project and presentation, including essay
C+ = 799-770
C =
C- =
D+ =
D =
D- =
F =
769-720
719-700
699-670
669-620
619-600
599 - 0
Class Procedure
While class sessions will often include a lecture, on which you should take notes, this course will be
conducted as a seminar, in which the emphasis will be on discussion, either among the class as a whole
or within smaller groups. You are therefore expected to come to class having done the reading very
carefully and be ready to participate fully in the analysis of that reading. This is an extremely important
aspect of the class and is weighted correspondingly in your final grade. You are further expected to arrive
promptly and stay until the end of every class, since arriving late and leaving early is very disruptive.
Punctual attendance is included in the final grade. You will receive points for each day of
attendance and additional points for contributions made in class. Points will be deducted for late
arrival, early departure, use of a cell phone or the Internet during class, or any disruptive or
distracting behaviour. The current reading should always accompany you to class.
Midterm and Final Exams
The midterm and final exams are intended to be rigorous enough to motivate you to read and watch
carefully and to pay close attention in class, since doing so will ensure that you will perform successfully
on them. They will cover significant components of the assigned reading, class discussions, lectures, and
presentations. You will be required to identify characters, main events, themes, and prominent passages,
as well as demonstrating knowledge of pertinent historical and performance information. You may only
make up a missed exam if you provide official, verifiable documentation of your absence, such as a
doctor’s note or a death certificate.
Collaborative Project and Presentation (separate handout with more detailed guidelines provided)
Throughout the semester, you will be collaborating on a group project that will be presented in April or
May. Early on, your group will select a play not covered in our class, from a list to be provided. Your
group members will individually read the selected play and then analyze it together during class sessions
designated for this, with the goal of teaching the rest of the class about it. The final presentations will
have two components: a twenty-minute presentation on aspects of the play and a thirty-minute, fully
memorized, and creatively staged group performance of a scene or group of edited scenes.
In order to create a cohesive performance, early in the semester, your group will select a pertinent
theme, motif, or incident in the play, upon which to build a unified and engaging “production concept,”
as if you were going to be producing the entire play together in a theatre somewhere. You will then
together choose a thirty-minute scene or edited set of scenes to memorize completely, rehearse, and
perform for the class, in keeping with your production concept. This should be as fully staged as possible,
in order to provide an informative and entertaining performance that brings the play to life for us.
In addition to creating a character and memorizing lines, each of you will choose one different area of
production expertise for which you will be individually responsible, such as set, props, costumes, lighting,
blocking, make-up, dance choreography, fight choreography, sound, music, or special effects. All of your
group’s production choices should be guided by the production concept upon which you have agreed
together. There will be designated class time, throughout the semester, for your group to rehearse your
scene(s) and overview of the play for the class.
At the end of the semester, you will each hand in an essay focused on your group play, as described
in the separate project guidelines. You are welcome to use any sources for your research, but you must
cite all of your sources for both quoted material and ideas, including a works cited page that follows
MLA guidelines. If you wish to make reference to the words or ideas of someone else in your writing,
you are required to fully and accurately acknowledge your source(s). Plagiarism will be reported to the
Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities and will result in an F for the course.
Special Needs
Students who need accommodation of their disabilities should contact me privately to discuss specific
accommodations for which they have received authorization. If you have a disability, but have not
contacted Student Disability Services, at 619-594-6473 (Calpulli Center, Suite 3101), please do so, and
please also make an appointment with me to discuss any accommodations that you might need.
Tentative Class Schedule (subject to change)
You are responsible for carefully reading the assignment listed and any additional handouts.
Date
Assignment to be completed BEFORE this class
In-class plan
Th 1/22
Syllabus; introductions; show sign up
T 1/27 Print/read: “The Sixteenth Century” on BlackBd; buy
books & folder; sign contract; do written assignment
Lecture: The Rise of Tudor Britain
Th 1/29 Read: As You Like It, Act 1 + all accompanying notes;
consider group play options
The Making of Shakespeare
(clips: In Search of Shakespeare);
groups choose plays for project
T 2/3
Read: As You, Acts 2-4 + all accompanying notes;
get copy of group play WITH GOOD NOTES
Lecture: Shakespeare’s Poetic Language, Blank Verse, & Scansion
Th 2/5
Read: As You, Act 5 + all accompanying notes;
Lecture: As You Like It & the Pastoral
T 2/10 Read: Acts 1-3 of group play + accompanying notes
Lecture: As You Like It & Sexuality
Th 2/12 Read: Acts 4-5 of group play + accompanying notes
Group project work: discuss/analyze
group play; choose production
concept, & scene(s) to be performed
T 2/17 Read: Twelfth Night, Acts 1-2 + accompanying notes
Lecture: Elizabethan theatres &
performance practices
Th 2/19 Read: Twelfth Night, Act 3 + accompanying notes
Lecture: Twelfth Night and Misrule;
groups assign roles in scene(s)
T 2/24 Read: Twelfth Night, Acts 4-5 + accompanying notes
Discussion: Twelfth Night
Th 2/26 Edit group play for presentation; begin memorizing Group project work: begin
lines
rehearsing
T 3/3
Read: The Winter’s Tale, Acts 1-2 + notes
Lecture: The Winter’s Tale, Bohemia,
& King James
Th 3/5
Read: The Winter’s Tale, Act 3-4 + notes
Lecture: Winter’s Tale, Time, Choices
T 3/10 Read: The Winter’s Tale, Act 5 + notes;
start memorizing lines for group presentation
Discussion: The Winter’s Tale;
groups: assign production elements
and research topics to members
Th 3/12 Review for midterm exam; memorize lines
Review for midterm
T 3/17 Study for midterm exam
Midterm Exam
Th 3/19 Read: The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 1 + notes;
continue memorizing lines for group presentation
Lecture: “Citizen” or “City” Comedies
T 3/24 Read: The Merry Wives of Windsor, Acts 1-3
Lecture: Falstaff & Order of the Garter
Th 3/26 Read: The Merry Wives of Windsor, Acts 4-5
Debate: Merry Wives of Windsor
Spring Break: rehearse, rehearse, rehearse!
T
4/7
Th 4/9
T
Read: Much Ado about Nothing, Acts 1-2 + notes
continue memorizing lines for presentation;
research your individual historical topic
& work on your production element
Lecture: Much Ado about Nothing
Read: Much Ado about Nothing, Act 3 + notes;
continue memorizing lines for presentation;
continue researching your individual historical
topic and planning your production element
Group project work: rehearse
4/14 Read: Much Ado about Nothing, Act 4-5 + notes
Discussion: Much Ado about Nothing
Th 4/16 Make final preparations for group project
Group project work: final dress
rehearsals
T
4/21 Finish final project
Groups 1 Project Presentations
Th 4/23 Finish final project
Groups 2 Project Presentations
T
4/28 Finish final project
Groups 3 Project Presentations
Th 4/30 Finish final project
Groups 4 Project Presentations
T
Groups 5 Project Presentations
5/5 Finish final project
Th 5/7 Prepare questions on/for final exam;
finish final project essay component & proofread
Th 5/14 Study for final exam
Review for final exam; final project
essay due
Final exam 8 - 10 a.m.
From a 1616 engraving of London by Claes Jansz Visscher (1587-1652)