ENGL 472: Studies in Shakespeare

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Professor Moira P. Baker

406 Young Hall

831-5352 (Office) 731-4104 (Home)

Office Hours: M: 5:00-6:15; R: 5:00-6:15 and by appointment

Course Objectives, Procedures, Policies and Required Texts:

Paying homage to the power of Shakespeare's art, Virginia Woolf once wrote: "If ever a human being got his work expressed completely, it was Shakespeare. If ever a mind was incandescent, unimpeded, [...] it was Shakespeare's mind." This course sets out to study the dramatic art of that gifted and incandescent writer. But, unlike Woolf, we will not examine Shakespeare simply as some unique genius, who transcended the social and political concerns of his own day, arriving at a serene vision of truth to last throughout the ages. Rather, we will look at Shakespeare as an artist keenly interested in the momentous social, economic, and political changes that characterized his own world as it moved into the early modern period. We will consider how the timelessness of Shakespeare's art--its continuing ability to speak to new generations of readers--may, paradoxically, result from its very imbeddedness in its own historical moment, its own culture, and the issues that emerged during the early modern period. Our contemporary world still grapples with the issues that catapulted Shakespeare's world toward the threshold of the modern period--issues concerning gender and sexuality, social class and economic change, authority and rebellion, tyranny and justice, geopolitical power and the domination of racialized "others." This course draws upon the latest developments in Shakespearean scholarship and criticism to illustrate the wide range of ways that Shakespeare's texts may be read, enjoyed, and taught today.

Procedures

Through lecture, discussion, and group collaboration we will read and respond to Shakespeare's plays, compare filmed adaptations, and explore some recent criticism and theory in Shakespearean studies. We will use writing, research, viewing and discussion throughout the course to deepen our enjoyment of Shakespeare's dramatic art and to develop our skills as readers of literary criticism and as producers of our own critical responses to the plays. The success of the course depends upon how fully each of us invests ourselves in the role of teacher/learner. I extend my appreciation to you in advance for accepting your role as teacher/learner in this course.

Course Policies:

Class Attendance and Participation:

Regular attendance and thoughtful participation in class discussion are essential not only to your individual performance, but also to the success of this course. Our work together relies on collaboration in every phase of the course so that we might form an intellectual community whose insights and power surpass those of any one of us working on our own. We are all subjects who share the responsibilities of teaching and learning in this class. Each of us has a responsibility to the group and to the learning that goes on in class.

Therefore, more than 3 absences will affect the final grade adversely; more than 6 absences will result in automatic failure of the course.

Late Work and Requests for Extensions:

I do not accept late work. In the event of extreme circumstances, such as sickness, family tragedy, or an emergency, I can be reasonable about deadlines and the possibility of extensions. But you must request an extension on your work prior to the due date. I may grant an extension provided you have a legitimate reason. You can contact me via e-mail or phone. I will not grant any extensions of deadlines if you do not request one prior to the due date.

Plagiarism:

The University Affairs Council has asked all faculty to include the following statement in our course policies:

"By accepting admission to Radford University, each student makes a commitment to understand, support, and abide by the University Honor Code without compromise or exception. Violations of academic integrity will not be tolerated. This class will be conducted in strict observance of the Honor Code. Please refer to your Student Handbook for details."

Plagiarism--including the use of work submitted to another course without the consent of both instructors, the use of work by another person, or the use of someone else's words, ideas, or arrangement of ideas without giving proper reference to the author--is a serious violation of the Honor Code. This applies to all electronic sources found on the Worldwide Web or on other on-line databases such as those available through McConnell Library. Please see the section on plagiarism in your Student Handbook. Be especially careful, as you complete your scholarly essay, that you do not use the ideas of other critics without giving them credit even if you do not use direct quotations. You must give credit to a critic when you paraphrase his or her ideas.

Do NOT use Spark Notes or Cliff Notes for your work in this course. Read the plays. Taking ideas about the plays from these sources and presenting them as your own constitutes plagiarism. BE SURE YOUR FOCUS QUESTIONS ARE YOUR OWN IDEAS IN YOUR OWN WORDS. USING SOURCES TO WRITE THESE FOCUS QUESTIONS CONSTITUTES PLAGIARISM.

Required Texts:

Baker, Moira, ed. Readings in Shakespearean Criticism. Available in Web CT course materials.

Garber, Marjorie. Shakespeare After All. New York: Anchor, 2004.

Shakespeare, William. The Necessary Shakespeare. 2^nd Edition. Ed. David Bevington. New York: Pearson-Longman, 2005.