English 340-02 Speaking Intensive
Shakespeare: Later Plays
Fall 2011
TTh 2:00-3:15
MHRA 1211
Christopher Hodgkins
Moore Hall for Humanities 3316
Office Hours: TTh 1:00-1:30 and by appt.
334-4695 (o); 316-0463 (h)--before 10 pm
cthodgki@uncg.edu
Texts
David Bevington, ed. The Complete Works of Shakespeare, 6th edn.
Joseph Gibaldi. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 6th or 7th edn.
Course Goals:
Students successfully completing this course
1. will savor some of the finest writing in any language.
2. will acquire a thorough reading knowledge of all works on the syllabus.
3. will recognize and understand the genres and subgenres in which Shakespeare wrote during
his later years—“problem” play, tragedy, and romance.
4. will recognize and understand the issues involved in interpreting Shakespeare for
performance—both on stage and screen.
5. will know the main facts of Shakespeare's life.
6. will understand Shakespeare's development as a poet and playwright in his historical period.
7. will understand Shakespeare's continuing importance as a cultural icon and as a center of
controversy.
8. will develop their abilities in research and in interpretive, analytical, and critical writing, as
well as in clear, coherent, and effective oral presentation.
Course Schedule
Week 1
8/23—Introduction to course and to the Renaissance stage
8/25—All’s Well That Ends Well
General Introduction—Shakespeare’s Life and Work, 1564-1616
Quiz: All’s Well, Intro to Life and Work
Informal scene analysis due—A-M
Week 2
8/30—All’s Well
Informal scene analysis due—N-P
ANNOTATION SIGN-UPS
9/1— Troilus and Cressida—Quiz
Week 3
9/6—Troilus and Cressida
9/8— Measure for Measure—Quiz—ANNOTATIONS BEGIN
Week 4
9/13— Measure for Measure
9/15—Measure for Measure
Week 5
9/20— Othello—Quiz
9/22— Othello
9/23
Week 6
Essay #1—Scene Analysis—Due 4 pm
9/27—Othello
9/29— King Lear—Quiz
Week 7
10/4— King Lear
10/6—King Lear
Week 8
10/11—No Class—Fall Break
10/13—Midterm Exam
Week 9
10/18— Macbeth—Quiz
10/20— Macbeth
10/21—Plan for Essay #2—Due 4 pm
Week 10
10/25— Macbeth
10/27—Antony and Cleopatra—Quiz
Week 11
11/1— Antony and Cleopatra
11/3— Antony and Cleopatra
Week 12
11/8— The Winter’s Tale—Quiz
11/10— The Winter’s Tale
Week 13
11/15— The Winter’s Tale
11/17—The Tempest—Quiz
11/18—Essay #2 Due 4 pm
Week 14
11/22— The Tempest
11/24—No Class—Thanksgiving Day
Week 15
11/29— The Tempest—Course evaluations
12/1—Performance Projects
Week 17
Final Examination Saturday, December 10, 3:30-6:30 pm—NO EXCEPTIONS
Course Requirements
Attendance and Participation: Due to the high demand for this course, I will drop any
student not attending the first or second day of class. Consistent attendance is mandatory.
Regular and active participation in class discussion will raise your course grade. In-class quizzes
will be fairly frequent, and no make-ups will be allowed. Thus, unexcused absences will
indirectly lower your course grade. Furthermore, more than two unexcused absences will directly
lower your course grade, and a pattern of unexcused absences will result in your being dropped
from the course. Two tardies will count as an absence, and students leaving class unexcused and
not returning will be marked absent. Two unexcused tardies equal one unexcused absence.
Attendance will be taken daily, and no absence or tardy will be excused without advance notice.
In cases of adverse weather, classes will meet unless the Chancellor closes the University.
Textbooks, Laptops and Electronic Devices in Class: You must bring the required textbook
each day to class; students failing to do so may be counted absent for that day. Laptops must
remain closed and turned off during class. Students using laptops in class without permission
will be counted absent for that day. Electronic devices must be turned off in class, and text
messaging is not allowed. Students using electronic devices or text-messaging in class without
permission will be counted absent for that day; students using any electronic device during a quiz
or examination without permission will fail the quiz or exam, and may be dropped from the
class.
Quizzes: When we begin a new unit or play, I will start class with a ten-point reading quiz
covering the entire assignment or play. These quizzes will be strictly factual and will test
whether or not you have read the material with moderate attention. These quizzes will not be
returned, although I will keep them on file throughout the term. A pattern of poor or missed
quizzes will lower your course grade. A pattern of good or excellent quizzes will raise your
course grade.
Writing and Speaking:
Daily Discussion: On most days I will begin class by calling on one or two students and
inviting your informal comments on, questions about, and/or reactions to the day’s assigned
reading. I will call on each student in the class in this way at least once per term. Your readiness
for discussion will be considered as part of your overall participation.
Informal Scene Analyses: Each student will be assigned one scene from many of the
nine plays and write informal answers to a series of analytical questions about it (see Questions
for Scene Analysis); I usually will call on each student to comment for a few minutes on his or
her assigned scene. Your oral response contributes to the speaking-intensive aspect of the course.
Essay #1—Scene Analysis Essay (due Friday 9/23, 4 pm): You will write a short (2-3
page, 500-750 word) analysis of a scene from one of the first three plays studied this term—
All’s Well That Ends Well, Troilus and Cressida, or Measure for Measure (see Questions for
Scene Analysis handout). This is to be an essay, not simply an itemized answering of the set
questions. The purpose of the essay is to describe the inner dynamics of the scene, and to explain
its relation to the immediately adjacent scenes and to the play as a whole. Thus I recommend that
you choose a scene of moderate length, neither unusually brief nor unusually long. Proofread
carefully.
Critical Annotations: One set of 2 one-page critical annotations (typed, single-spaced) is
required, due in class on your assigned day (see handout). During the second week of the
semester, you will sign up for individual due dates that will be determined by the dates for
discussing particular plays. The annotation assignment requires that you search for 2 academic
journal articles discussing the assigned play, and prepare a one-page annotation for each critical
source that you choose. Each annotation must (a) begin with the basic bibliographical
information about each source in correct MLA citation style (see MLA Handbook, required for
this course); then (b) it must summarize the critic's interpretive argument; and finally (c) it must
assess whether the article makes a worthwhile contribution to our understanding and appreciation
of its subject, and why (or why not). I prefer annotation sets that referee varying interpretations
of a work, thus displaying your powers of discernment. I will call on annotators to share their
researches and insights with the class, so come prepared to speak on your assigned day.
Essay #2--Research Essay (due Friday 11/18 at 4 pm): This essay will be a longer (4-6
page) study of any play from All’s Well on—whether on the syllabus or not. It will incorporate
library research into an interpretive argument of your own (see handout). In addition, in advance
of the second paper you will submit a Plan for Essay #2 (due Friday 10/21 at 4 pm), in which
you will a) write out your idea in the form of a question, and then b) briefly answer that question
in no more than one page (250 words). Papers will follow MLA parenthetical citation style. I
must receive and approve an Essay #2 Plan before I can accept and grade Essay #2 itself.
Late papers: Late papers will drop a full letter grade per weekday. However, if you
know that a difficulty is coming up and you'll need more time, come see me well in advance to
discuss an extension.
Plagiarism: You are expected to abide by the UNCG academic honor policy on all
work, and to sign a statement to that effect on each paper and exam. Plagiarism involves any
situation in which another's work (whether their ideas or their actual words) is submitted as your
own. A first offense may result in an F on that assignment, while repeated offenses can cause
you to be expelled from the University. If you are unsure about how to give credit to your
sources, see the MLA Handbook or come talk to me.
Performance Projects: On December 1, each of you will take part in presenting (as part
of a group of five or so) a 12-15-minute excerpt from one of the plays on the syllabus (see
handout). I will grade each group for oral presentation, effort and participation.
Exams: Two exams--one at midterm (10/13) and one at the scheduled final time (12/13, 12-3
pm)--will cover approximately the first and second halves of the semester, respectively. Exams
will consist of essay questions and definitions of key terms. Dates and times of both the midterm
and the final exams are firm. If you know now that you cannot attend one or the other exam
as scheduled, you should not take this class.
Grading: I will grade on a straight percentage scale, as follows:
A 100-94 C+
79-77 D- 63-60
A- 93-90 C
76-74 F
59-0
B+ 89-87 C73-70
B
86-84 D+
69-67
B- 83-80 D
66-64
Your assignments count in the following ways:
Essay #1: 20%
Critical Annotations: 15%
Plan for Essay #2: 5%
Essay #2: 20%
Midterm Exam: 20%
Final Exam: 20%
Plus or minus consideration of attendance, participation, and quizzes.