English 105 Oakland University English 105 - Course Information

Oakland University
English Department

Course Information

English 105--Shakespeare
Winter 2007
8:00-9:47, 108 ODH; 1:00-2:47, 110 ODH

  • Brian A. Connery, x2254
  • 521 WH
  • T 11-12; Th 11-12, 5:15-5:45, and by appointment.
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    Updated December 31, 2006

    "Nothing can please many, and please long, but just representations of general nature. . . . Shakespeare is above all writers, at least above all modern writers, the poet of nature; the poet that holds up to his readers a faithful mirrour of manners and of life. . . . Shakespeare's plays are not in the rigorous and critical sense either tragedies or comedies, but compositions of a distinct kind; exhibiting the real state of sublunary nature, which partakes of good and evil, joy and sorrow, mingled with endless variety of proportion and innumerable modes of combination; and expressing the course of the world, in which the loss of one is the gain of another; in which, at the same time, the reveler is hasting to his wine, and the mourner burying his friend; in which the malignity of one is sometimes defeated by the frolick of another; and many mischiefs and many benefits are done and hindered without design." Samuel Johnson, 1765

    Course description: This is first and foremost a course in reading: developing the skills requisite to meet the challenges of reading--with comprehension, appreciation, and pleasure--highly artificial work written by a genius in antique English. In order to achieve this comprehension, we=ll look at the language itself, the figures of speech, themes, literary conventions, and cultural context of the works. Readings of six plays (three comedies, one tragedy, a history, and a romance) and selected sonnets will be supplemented with screenings of a variety of productions along with reading of a non-academic’s account of his enthusiasm for and immersion in Shakespeare scholarship. Discussion and informal lecture format. Regular attendance and timely completion of assignments essential. Students will keep reading journals and a commonplace book, take regular quizzes, and complete midterm and final tests.

    TEXTS: Shakespeare, COMEDY OF ERRORS, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, MERCHANT OF VENICE, RICHARD III, KING LEAR, THE WINTER'S TALE (Folger editions); selected sonnets.

    This class satisfies the General Education requirement in Literature

    General Education Learning Outcomes:

    The student will demonstrate:

  • Knowledge of how literature is an expression of culture. We will do this by placing Shakespearean texts in the context of their historical period and exploring its cultural attitudes toward social values, individual aspiration, class, and gender.
  • Knowledge of literary form. We will do this by considering differences of genre (comedy, tragedy, history, romance) and by developing attentiveness to other aspects of literary and dramatic construction such as figurative language, irony and rhetoric.

    Cross-cutting capacity: critical thinking

    Other Course Objectives:

  • Thematic focuses: we will consider in particular a.) Shakespeare’s structural pairs, and the increasing complexity he creates from them, b.) Shakespearean analyses of human and political relations, especially in terms of gender, family, and nationhood, , d.) the author function, and e.) the relation between the individual and social institutions.
  • We will practice close reading and textual analysis.
  • The course is also intended for liberal arts English majors and minors and should provide them preparation for more advanced courses in literature, especially those in early modern literature or drama.

    Policies: Faithful attendance and regular participation in class are expected. To provide motivation when it is lacking, unannounced quizzes may be given. Quizzes cannot be made up without prior permission or documentation of a legitimate excuse for absence. No quiz grades will be dropped.

    Students with special needs are welcome to discuss them with me. Some services for students with special needs are available through the Office of Disability Support Services, 144 Oakland Center, x3266.

    No alternative test dates will be available.

    The grade of Incomplete is available only to students who have demonstrated regular and steady progress in the course but for whom unforeseeable and uncontrollable circumstances make impossible the timely completion of the course.

    Students suspected of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Students for consideration of the Academic Conduct Committee of the University Senate. Cheating on any course assignment may result in failure for the course and suspension or expulsion from the University. Representing anybody else's work as your own is a form of academic dishonesty. For further information, please see the section on "Academic Conduct" in the undergraduate catalogue.

    Classroom Decorum: Everyone in the class is responsible for ensuring that the classroom supports learning: Please arrive on time; try not to distract others; turn off your cell phone; address your comments to the class at large. You are encouraged to participate vigorously, even passionately, in class discussion, but always respectfully to your classmates and your instructor. Please plan to remain in class for the entire class meeting each day.

    Major Assignments:

    The following simple formula will determine your final grade for the course:

  • Quiz average 10%
  • Journal average 20%
  • Commonplace book average 10%
  • Test 1 25%
  • Participation 10%
  • Test 2 25%

    Extra credit: You may earn up to three points added on to your final grade by doing one or more of the following:

  • 1. Attending a performance of a Shakespeare play during the course of the semester and writing a two-page review. 2 points.
  • 2. Memorizing 28 or more lines of Shakespeare’s verse and writing them down, maintaining line breaks, from memory. The 28 lines must be consecutive: you may memorize two sonnets or passages from one or two soliloquies. 1 point.
  • 3. Reciting 28 or more lines of Shakespeare’s verse before the class. As above, the 28 lines must be consecutive: you may memorize and recite two sonnets or passages from one or two soliloquies. 2 points.

    Some links of interest:

  • Visit the website of London's recreated Globe Theatre Research Site.
  • Study Guides for each play are available from Spark Notes. These won't substitute for actually READING the plays, but they may be helpful.
  • Historical, cultural, and biographical information, along with plot synopses, is available at The Shakespeare Resource Center.
  • For fun, visit Trevor Stone's Elizabethan Curse Generator

    Schedule: Unless we get very tired very fast, we will adhere to the following schedule. If a class meeting is canceled for any reason please continue reading according to the schedule.

    January

    Th    4   Orientation; looking for Shakespeare; practice in reading; Looking for Richard

    T    9   Richard III, Acts 1-2;
            “An Introduction to this Text,” “Shakespeare’s Richard III,” and “An Introduction to this Text” in the Folger R3.
            You may wish to consult the genealogy in “The Line of Edward III on pp. 2-3.

    Th    11   Richard III, Act 3

    T    16   Richard III, Acts 4-5
            “Shakespeare’s Life” in the Folger R3

    Th    18   “Richard III: A Modern Perspective” in the Folger R3 Sonnets 29, 36, 109

    T    23   Comedy of Errors, Acts 1-3
           “ Shakespeare’s Theatre,” in the Folger CE

    Th    25   Comedy of Errors, Acts 4-5
            Journals and commonplace books will be collected.

    T    30   “A Comedy of Errors: A Modern Perspective,” in Folger CE.

    February

    Th    1   Sonnets 1, 44, 45, 138
            “The Publication of Shakespeare’s Texts” in the Folger CE

    T    6 Much Ado About Nothing, Acts 1-3

    Th    8   Much Ado, Acts 4-5
            Journals and commonplace books will be collected.

    T 13   “Much Ado About Nothing: A Modern Perspective,” in Folger MA.

    Below: Claudio, Deceived by Don John, Accuses Hero by Marcus Stone

    Th    15   Sonnets 2, 3, 73, 94

    T    20   Test 1

    Th    22   Merchant of Venice, Act 1

    February 24 – March 4:   Winter Break:
    Go see a play.

    March

    T    6   Merchant of Venice, Acts 2-3

    Th    8   Merchant of Venice, Acts 4-5; “Merchant of Venice: A Modern Perspective,” in Folger MV

    T    13   King Lear , Act 1
            “An Introduction to this Text” in the Folger KL

    Th    15   King Lear , Acts 2-3

    T    20   King Lear , Act 4

    Th    22   King Lear , Act 5

    T    27   “King Lear : A Modern Perspective” in Folger KL

    Th    29   Sonnets 97, 98, 116, 120

    April

    T     3   A Winter's Tale, Act 1

    Th     5   A Winter's Tale, Acts 2 – 3.3

    T    10   A Winter's Tale, Acts 3.4 - 5
            Journals and commonplace books will be collected.

    Th    12   “A Winter's Tale: A Modern Perspective,” in Folger WT

    Below: John Fawcett as Autolycus in "The Winter's Tale" by Thomas Charles Wageman, 1828

    T     17   Catch up

    T     24   AM section: Test 2, 8:00-11:00 AM

    W     25   PM section: Test 2, 12:00-3:00 PM

    Th     26   All’s well (that ends well). [Exeunt].


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