English 117 - Fall, 2012

Shakespeare

Class Information

Instructor: Rapatz, Vanessa
Time: MWF 9:00-9:50
Location: 106 Olson

Description

This course studies five plays that span Shakespeare’s career. We will read two comedies, Twelfth Night and The Merchant of Venice; a problem play, Measure for Measure; a tragedy, King Lear, and a late romance, The Tempest. Class lecture and discussion sections will attend to the language and formal conventions of these plays as well as to their stagecraft, their historical context, and their modern reception. The course is loosely structured around a theme of "incongruous exchanges" and issues of "equity, duplicity, and family values." We will focus on the ways in which bodies, currency, and words are exchanged as we dig into these plays and their cultural contexts. I have ordered very specific texts for the class all of which include contextual materials that we will read in conjunction with our five plays. For this reason, I request that you buy these editions for the class. Occasionally you will also be asked to read supplemental materials provided on our course smartsite.

Grading

Discussion section participation 10%, quizzes and homework 10%, two papers, of 5 and 7 pp. respectively; the first will be 20% and the second, 25% of your grade. There will also be a midterm (15%) and a final (20%).

Texts

Twelfth Night, Texts and Contexts, 1st edition (ISBN: 9780312202194), Shakespeare
Merchant of Venice, Texts and Contexts, 2nd edition (9780312256241), Shakespeare
Measure for Measure, Texts and Contexts, 4th edition (9780312395063), Shakespeare
King Lear, Norton, 8th edition (9780393926644), Shakespeare
The Tempest, Norton, 4th edition (9780393978193), Shakespeare