English 175: Living With Shakespeare
MWF, 11:30-12:30, FAH 130
Prof:
Office:
Phone:
E-mail:
Office Hrs:
Mailbox:
Hilda Ma
Dante 307
631-4132
hm1@stmarys-ca.edu
MF, 1:15-2:15
Located next to my office door
Course Description
Gender-bending and cross-dressing; the bed-trick and mousetrap; murderous husbands and fathers; and
the wonders of the New World. In this course, we will study Shakespeare’s plays in their cultural context.
What is the relationship between dramatic texts and the socio-political environment within which they
were conceived? What influence did England’s monarchs have in the production of Shakespeare’s work?
Furthermore, how might these plays reflect–as well as define–the Renaissance notions of gender, race,
identity, and power? As we explore these questions, we will also focus on close reading and the
particularities of the playwright’s poetic language. In doing so, perhaps we can discover together what
makes this body of literature so special and timeless.
Our study will be enhanced by reading scholarly criticism about the texts, discussing the plays alongside
clips from related films, and reading excerpts from various resources written during the early modern
period.
English 175 fulfills the learning outcomes for Artistic Understanding. In this course, students will:
 Analyze and interpret the form and meaning of Shakespeare’s work
 Apply discipline-based critical vocabulary and theory
 Explore the significance of Shakespeare’s work within appropriate contexts (e.g., historical,
cultural, aesthetic)
Required Texts:
 The Norton Shakespeare, eds. Stephen Greenblatt, et. al. (Available at the Bookstore.)
 Course Reader
**For your convenience, I’ve placed the audio for each of our assigned plays on our Moodle course site. I
advise reading the homework twice. First time—read while listening to the audio, making quick/short
notes and markups. Second time—without the audio, read slowly and carefully, taking detailed notes.
Supplies:
 A full-sized notebook for note-taking / in-class assignments. OR, a 3 ring binder with looseleaf paper.
 A sturdy folder in which you keep all of your work for the class AND a flash drive on which you save
all of your writing (including multiple drafts).
Note: Save all the writing you do during the semester. In addition, keep all drafts on which you have
received comments from me or your classmates.
Course Requirements and Grading Policy
The success of the course, and your successful performance in it, depends upon your participation and
contributions, both spoken and written. SMC uses a lettered grading policy, A - F, including + and grades. Your final grade will be calculated according to the following breakdown:
Engagement: 15%
Participation: Your engagement grade reflects the quality and thoughtfulness of your contributions in
class, respect shown to class members, your attitude and role in small group exercises, and evidence
given of completion of reading assignments. Please note that in-class discussions and exercises depend
upon your having read the assigned material. Review your syllabus frequently, and plan your workload
accordingly.
Attendance: Participation begins with attendance. Both absences and tardiness will affect this portion of
your grade. You are allowed three absences without penalty. Save those absences for emergencies.
Further absences will result in the reduction of your final grade. Likewise, multiple tardiness will also
result in the lowering of your engagement grade.
If you miss a class, you are responsible for contacting me or a fellow class member, and you are expected
to be fully prepared for the next class session.
Etiquette
In addition to attendance and participation, your engagement grade will be affected by improper and/or
distracting classroom behavior. This includes (but is not limited to) holding private discussions when one
should be engaging with the classroom discussion instead, engaging with an electronic device such as cell
phone (this means no texting, checking your email or FB, playing Angry Birds, etc.), laptop, kindle, ipad,
nook, etc., unless it has been officially approved by both me and the Office of Student Disability
Services. Otherwise, any student seen engaging with a device will receive an F for the day and will also
be asked to leave the classroom.
As for food and beverages, a beverage is permitted but please refrain from dining on large meals in class.
If you are terribly hungry, a small, discreet, and noiseless snack is OK.
Response Papers and Moodle Posts: 10%
A response paper is due approximately once every two weeks, on the days indicated on the syllabus
(usually when we reach Act V of each play). Your response papers will be a 1-2 page, typed, doublespaced, written response to the play at hand. It could be your comment on the text, a concern you may
have, a quote in which you will analyze, or a posed question in which you will attempt to answer.
At times, you will be asked to write a “choose a passage” response paper. Here, you are to select
approximately 10 lines from a scene and type it in single space. Then, you are to paraphrase the passage,
put it in your own words. Underneath the paraphrase, you are to analyze and interpret the passage;
explain what is really being said and focus on the particularities of the language (puns, imagery, etc.)
At mid-play, usually when a supplementary reading is assigned (date will be indicated on syllabus), you
will be asked to post 2 discussion questions on our Moodle forum. Then, pick one of your questions and
write a one-paragraph response to it.
**To check if students are keeping up with the reading, I may give pop-quizzes. Quiz scores will be
factored into this portion of the grade breakdown.**
Final Exam: 20%
Essay #1: 20%
Essay #2: 25%
Late essays are subject to having their final grade reduced (typically 1/3 grade for each day late). Absence
from class on the date due does not excuse the lateness of your assignment. Please do not skip class if you
do not have your essay ready. Allow plenty of time for printing your essay in the computer lab, and/or
keep an extra printer ribbon/ink cartridge handy at home. All major essay assignments must be
completed in order to earn a passing grade for the course. At times, I may assign you a grade of R,
requesting a revision of the piece before I formally grade it.
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All essays handed in to me are to be typed/word-processed, in Times New Roman, 12 pt. font,
double-spaced, with 1 inch margins. I will not grade essays that are hand-written and the assignment will
accrue late penalties until it satisfies this requirement. Essays must also be posted on turnitin.com the
same day that the assignment is due.
Presentations: 10%
Each student will participate in one group presentation during the course of the semester. See handout on
presentation guidelines.
Library & Research
Reference/Information assistance is available at the Reference Desk, by phone (925) 631-4624, text
message or IM. Check the Library’s “Ask Us” link for details: http://library.stmarys-ca.edu/ask-us/
Extended assistance by appointment is also available. Contact our subject librarian, Sharon Walters, or
any of the Reference librarians for an appointment.
Academic Honor Code
According to St. Mary’s academic honor code, students have made the following pledge: “As a student
member of an academic community based in mutual trust and responsibility, I pledge: to do my own work
at all times, without giving or receiving inappropriate aid; to avoid behaviors that unfairly impede the
academic progress of other members of my community; and to take reasonable and responsible action in
order to uphold my community’s academic integrity.”
Violations of the code include but are not limited to acts of plagiarism. If I suspect unacknowledged
dependence on outside sources, I will investigate it thoroughly. Plagiarism is a serious offence which can
result in a XF grade for the course and/or expulsion from the college. Keep in mind that plagiarism is not
restricted to the unacknowledged use of published work; turning in another student’s work as your own,
purchasing a paper, or having another student do your work for you are some other examples of
plagiarism. Students are expected to understand the Academic Honor Code and should consult the Student
Handbook if they have any questions: http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/your-safety-resources/studenthandbook.
Student Disability Services
Student Disability Services extends reasonable and appropriate accommodations that take into account the
context of the course and its essential elements for individuals with qualifying disabilities. Students with
disabilities are encouraged to contact the Student Disability Services Office at (925) 631-4358 to set up a
confidential appointment to discuss accommodation guidelines and available services. Additional
information regarding the services available may be found at the following address on the Saint Mary’s
website: http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/sds
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English 175: Living With Shakespeare
MWF, 11:30 – 12:30, FAH 130
Pleasing Fathers and the Realm
Week One
Mon., Aug. 27:
● Course Introduction
● Discussion of syllabus and course goals
Wed., Aug. 29:
● Measure for Measure (1604-1605), Act I
Fri., Aug. 31:
● Measure for Measure, Act II
Week Two
Mon., Sept. 3:
No Class / Labor Day
Wed., Sept. 5:
● Measure for Measure, Act III
● Niccolo Machiavelli, From The Prince
● Due: Moodle Post
Fri., Sept. 7:
● Measure for Measure, Act IV
Week Three
Mon., Sept. 10:
● Measure for Measure, Act V
● Group Presentation
Due: Response Paper #1
Wed., Sept. 12:
● Hamlet ((1600-1601), Act I
Fri., Sept. 14:
● Hamlet, Act II
Week Four
Mon., Sept. 17:
● Hamlet, Act III
● “A Critical History of Hamlet,” pgs. 181-193
● Due: Moodle Post
Wed., Sept. 19:
● Hamlet, Act IV
● “A Critical History of Hamlet,” pgs. 194-205 (handout)
CALSHAKES FIELD TRIP! 8PM
Fri., Sept. 21:
● Hamlet, Act V
● Group Presentation
Due: Response Paper #2
● Discuss Essay #1
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Gender Identity: Constructed and Blurred
Week Five
Mon., Sept. 24:
● A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1594-96), Act I
Wed., Sept. 26:
● A Midsummer, Act II
Fri., Sept. 28:
● A Midsummer, Act III
● Montrose, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the Shaping Fantasies of
Elizabethan Culture: Gender, Power, and Form,” pgs. 65-77
Due: One page essay proposal with thesis statement
Week Six
Mon., Oct. 1:
● A Midsummer, Act IV
● Montrose, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream and the Shaping Fantasies of
Elizabethan Culture: Gender, Power, and Form,” pgs. 77-end
● Due: Moodle Post
Wed., Oct. 3:
● A Midsummer, Act V
● Group Presentation
Due: Response Paper #3
Fri., Oct. 5:
● Twelfth Night (1599-1600), Act I
Week Seven
Mon., Oct. 8:
● Twelfth Night, Act II
Due: Essay #1 (in my box by 3:30pm)
Wed., Oct. 10:
● Twelfth Night, Act III
● Helkiah Crooke, From Microcosmographia: A Description of the Body
of Man
● Due: Moodle Post
Fri., Oct. 12:
● Twelfth Night, Act IV
Week Eight
Mon., Oct. 15:
● Twelfth Night, Act V
● Group Presentation
Due: Response Paper #4
Wed., Oct. 17:
● Stage Beauty
Fri., Oct. 19:
● No class / Midterm holiday
● Finish Stage Beauty (see link on Moodle)
Week Nine
Mon., Oct. 22:
● 1-2 page reflection on Stage Beauty
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● Discuss Stage Beauty and connect to Twelfth Night
Wed., Oct. 24:
● Titus Andronicus (1592-94), Act I
Fri., Oct. 26:
● Titus Andronicus, Act II
Week Ten
Mon., Oct. 29:
● Titus Andronicus, Act III
● Douglas Green, “Interpreting ‘Her Martyr’d Signs’: Gender and
Tragedy in Titus Andronicus” (1st half)
The Exotic Other and National Identity
Wed., Oct. 30:
● Titus Andronicus, Act IV
● Douglas Green, “Interpreting ‘Her Martyr’d Signs’: Gender and
Tragedy in Titus Andronicus” (finish reading)
● Due: Moodle Post
● Titus Andronicus, Act V
● Group Presentation
Due: Response Paper #5
Last day for pass/fail or withdrawal without academic penalty
Fri., Nov. 2:
Week Eleven
Mon., Nov. 5:
● Othello, Act I
Wed., Nov. 7:
● Othello, Act II
Fri., Nov. 9:
● Othello, Act III
● Edward Snow, “Sexual Anxiety and the Male Order…,” pgs. 384-398
● Discuss Essay #2
Week Twelve
Mon., Nov. 12:
● Othello, Act IV
● “Sexual Anxiety and the Male Order…,” pgs. 398-412
● Due: Moodle Post
Wed., Nov. 14:
● Othello, Act V
● Group Presentation
Due: Response Paper #6
Fri., Nov. 16:
● King Lear (1604-5), Act I
Due: Essay Proposal
Week Thirteen
Mon. Nov. 19:
● King Lear, Act II
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Nov. 21 -25:
Week Fourteen
Mon., Nov. 26:
Thanksgiving Recess / Work on essay and read for Monday
● King Lear, Act III
● Supplementary Reading (TBD)
Due: Moodle Post
Wed., Nov. 28:
● King Lear, Act IV
Due: Annotated Bibliography (Full MLA citation for each of your sources
followed by a paragraph summarizing the source and discussing how you
will use it in your essay)
Fri., Nov. 30:
● King Lear, Act V
● Group Presentation
Due: Response Paper #7
Week Fifteen
Mon., Dec. 3:
● Discussion of selected sonnets
Due: Essay #2
Wed., Dec. 5:
● Final Exam Review
Due: Selected quotes on Moodle Discussion Board
Fri., Dec. 7:
● Continue Review
Week Sixteen
Wed., Dec. 12:
Final Exam @ 11:30
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