Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "EN 245"
COURSE NAME: "Shakespeare"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall 2022

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Alessandra Grego
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 4:30 PM 5:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: EN 110 with a grade of C or above
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is a general introduction to Shakespeare’s plays and an in-depth study of a selection of his work. Through the close reading of the plays selected for the course, students will analyze a theatrical text, will contextualize it in the historical and political environment of the Elizabethan age, and will assess Shakespeare’s cultural inheritance. This is a reading and writing intensive course. Students in 200-level literature classes are required to produce 4-5,000 words of critical writing.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

Students will close read selected plays and poems by Shakespeare, investigating his relationship to the theatre of his own age and the reasons for his enduring popularity. Each play will be introduced in a lecture. We will then discuss the text in detail, focusing on the principal scenes and analysing dramatic development. We will work to identify sources and themes, study the cultural and political context and reflect on the changing reception of the plays through time. The secondary readings are selected to help broaden students' comprehension and enjoyment of the texts. Students are expected to participate actively in the class discussions and online forums, coming to class having read the assigned passages of text and prepared with questions and comments.

Particular attention will be devoted to Shakespeare's construction and representation of gender and racial identities, the dichotomy between political conservatism and revolution, and the representation of intergenerational conflict.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Upon completion of this course students will have a good understanding of Shakeapeare's cultural and literary significance in and beyond literatures in English. Students will excercise their critical thinking and writing skills by working on Shakespeare's plays. The weekly forums will help them to break down the works into themes, to consider carefully connections with the cultural and political context and to investigate the enduring popularity and significance of these plays. The group presentations will develop the students' ability to develop and express critical interpretations in a cooperative way.

TEXTBOOK:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number
Romeo and Juliet	Shakespeare, William	Cambridge UP 2003	978-0521532532
Hamlet	Shakespeare, William	Cambridge UP 2019	‎ 978-1316606735
Othello	Shakespeare, William	Cambridge UP	978-1107569713
Twelfth Night, Or What You Will	Shakespeare, William	Cambridge UP 2017	978-1107565463
Julius Caesar	Shakespeare, William	Cambridge UP 2019	978-1107459748

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
	Mid term paper	25%
	Oral presentation	20%
	Weekly online forum discussions on relevant aspects of each play.	20%
	Final Research paper	35%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Attendance is mandatory. More than four absences will result in the lowering of the final grade (e.g. if you have five absences your final grade will drop from A to A-, and so on). More than 8 absences may result in a failing grade for the course.

You must petition the Dean to attend the class remotely.

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

Session	Session Focus	Reading Assignment	Other Assignment	Meeting Place/Exam Dates
Week 1	Introduction to the course	Start Reading Romeo and Juliet
Week 2	Romeo and Juliet General Introduction	Acts I - III
Week 3	Romeo and Juliet	Acts IV and V
Week 4	Twelfth Night	Acts !_III	Presentations
Week 5	Twelfth Night	ActsIV-V
Week 6	Hamlet	Acts I-III	Presentations
Week 7	Hamlet	Acts IV-V
Week 8	Hamlet	Acts I to III		1st Home paper due
Week 9	Julius Caesar	Acts I-III	Presentations
Week 10	Julius Caesar	Acts IV-V
Week 11	Othello	Start reading Othello	Presentations
Week 12	Othello	Acts I to III
Week 13	Othello	Acts IV and V	Presentations
Week 14	Conclusions
Week 15	Final exams			2nd Home Paper due