TR 9:10-11:00 (10-124) or TR 2:10-4:00 (34-227)
Office: 47-35G, tel. 756-2636
Office Hours: TWR 1-2 and by appt.
http://www.calpoly.edu/~dschwart
Main English Office: 756-2597
e-mail: dschwart@calpoly.edu
| Term:
Fall, 2002
TR 9:10-11:00 (10-124) or TR 2:10-4:00 (34-227) Office: 47-35G, tel. 756-2636 Office Hours: TWR 1-2 and by appt. |
|
Dr.
Debora B. Schwartz
http://www.calpoly.edu/~dschwart Main English Office: 756-2597 e-mail: dschwart@calpoly.edu |
Prerequisites:
ENGL 134 (new GE) or 114 (old GE); AND ENGL 145 (new GE) or ENGL
215 (old GE); AND ENGL 203 or 204 or 230 or 231or 251 or 252 or
253, or consent of instructor.
General Information: ENGL 339 is a writing-intensive, upper-division literature course which fulfills the new GE Area C4 (old GE area C3) requirement. This class may be taken by students wishing to fulfill the Graduate Writing Requirement (GWR). However, please be aware that successful completion of the course does NOT guarantee GWR certification! To achieve GWR certification, you must 1) have junior or senior standing; 2) pass the class with a grade of "C" or better (a C- is not adequate); and 3) WRITE A GWR-CERTIFIABLE ESSAY on the essay portion of either the midterm or the final exam. To achieve GWR certification, your exam essay must conform to the standards for formal analytic writing about literature: it must present a valid argument (appropiate and adequate content), be logically organized, illustrated with appropriate and adequate textual support, and written using correct mechanics (grammar, spelling, sentence structure, punctuation, etc.) and in the style appropriate to this kind of writing. Please note that there is NO FORMAL WRITING INSTRUCTION in this course; see the Paper Writing Guidelines and Essay Evaluation Sheet if you are unsure about the conventions of formal analytic writing about literature. Because the final course grade is based upon many factors, not just the exam essay, IT IS POSSIBLE TO ACHIEVE A HIGH GRADE IN THE CLASS BUT NOT EARN GWR CERTIFICATION. As a rule, all students seeking GWR certification do NOT earn it through this course. In other words: if GWR certification is the ONLY reason you have enrolled in this class, you should seriously consider other options.
Class
email alias: Important announcements concerning this class
will be sent over the class email aliases: engl-0339-01-024@calpoly.eduand
engl-0339-02-024@calpoly.edu
The class email aliases are automatically generated using the email address
of each enrolled student found in the Cal Poly Directory server. If your
Cal Poly email account is NOT your preferred email address, you must do
two things:
Required
Texts: The SIGNET CLASSICS editions of A Midsummer
Night's Dream; As You Like It; Henry V; Macbeth;
Hamlet;
and The Tempest. Do NOT substitute another edition. In class
discussions, we will refer to page and line numbers in these editions;
BRING TEXT WITH YOU TO CLASS! Required background reading (other than handouts)
is also found in these editions. Text of passages on Reading Quizzes and
Exams will be taken from these editions.
ENGL 339 is designed to introduce both English majors and general education students to representative plays of all genres by William Shakespeare, perhaps the finest poet ever to write in English. By the end of the course, you should:
Participation:
ENGL
339 is designed to encourage YOUR interaction with and enjoyment of Shakespeare's
plays. The primary emphasis is on the text, not historical background or
scholarly debate (although some familiarity with the historical context
is essential to an understanding of the plays -- and will be covered on
exams).
If you are looking for a passive, sit-back-and-listen lecture, please choose
another course. YOUR active participation is essential to the success
of ENGL 339! For these reasons . . .
REGULAR ATTENDANCE IS REQUIRED. Each absence will affect the participation portion of your final grade, reducing it from a base of 4.0. If you have a valid reason for missing class (illness, family crisis, other unavoidable conflict), TELL ME IN WRITING. A written explanation, signed (by you), is required for an absence to count as excused; be sure to include your full name, the class number, time and section, the date(s) missed and the reason(s) for the absence(s). (A telephone or e-mail message is appreciated as a courtesy, but it is NOT sufficient for an absence to count as excused). Any absence for which you do not provide a signed, written explanation will be recorded as unexcused. Please note: work conflicts and job interviews are NOT valid reasons for missing class; you are responsible for keeping work commitments from conflicting with academic ones. Exception: if you are a graduating senior and must travel out of town for a final interview, ONE such absence will count as excused. Do not schedule local interviews or other appointments during class hours.
Attendance Grade Calculation: "Excused" absences (generally, only for medical reasons, a family or other emergency, or circumstances truly beyond your control-- NOT for job conflicts) are weighed less heavily than "unexcused" absences. For a class that meets twice weekly, the first "excused" absence lowers the attendance component of the course grade by .2 (4.0 to 3.8); the second "excused" absence lowers it by .3 (3.8 to 3.5); thereafter, "excused" absences are calculated like "unexcused" absences. The first "unexcused" absence lowers the attendance component of the final grade by .5 (from 4.0 to 3.5); the second by .8 (from 3.5 to 2.7); unexcused absences in excess of 2 lower attendance component of your final grade by a full increment (2.7 to 1.7 etc.)
COME TO CLASS ON TIME AND PREPARED!! Readings are to be completed before class on the date assigned. Reading Quizzes PRECEDE discussion of the play on the first day for which the full text is assigned (see Calendar). You are expected as a matter of course to read the Introduction preceding each play, the "Textual Note" and "Note on the Source(s)" following it, and all relevant online readings or handouts distributed in class. Ideally, background material should be read BEFORE reading the play, but if you are short on time, read PLAY first (by quiz day) and complete background readings ASAP thereafter (before the last class meeting on that play).
STUDY
GUIDES and PLOT SUMMARIES will be distributed to facilitate
reading the plays. USE THEM! Familiarize yourself with study questions
before
you begin to read, and refer to guides as you go, noting relevant passages.
After completing the play, reread the questions and write yourself a summary
of your ideas. (This summary is FOR YOU. It will not be collected
or graded, but you may be asked to share responses in class.) Don't neglect
the introductions and (especially) the notes; they will provide guidance
on points that might otherwise be hard to understand.
Remember: THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE FOR READING THE PLAYS!! You will NOT pass this course by watching videos, reading Cliff Notes, or merely by knowing "what happens." Plot outlines will be distributed for each play, so you are ASSUMED to know "what happens" even before you begin to read. Plot alone will NOT be sufficient to pass reading quizzes. Finally: allow yourself enough time to read thoughtfully -- it will greatly enhance your comprehension (and enjoyment!) of Shakespeare's plays.
VIDEO SCREENINGS / PERFORMANCES: Shakespeare's plays were written to be performed -- they were originally seen, not read. Because there was no such thing as "copyright" in the sixteenth century, playwrights kept their plays from publication to protect themselves (and their acting troupes) from unauthorized productions. Thus, the written text was not "sacred," as it seems to us today; variations and changes occurred from production to production and from performance to performance. Also, keep in mind that ANY production of a play -- in Shakespeare's time or in our own -- is an interpretation of the text. We will pay close attention to this interpretive layer through the analysis of selected performances (video screenings) and by performing key scenes from the plays.
Yes,
seeing Shakespeare performed well is fun, but remember that performances
/ screenings are NOT 1) a substitute for reading the plays 2) a chance
to catch up on sleep or 3) a free-ride that gets you out of doing "real"
work. You will be expected to watch performances with a critical
eye, completing a written assignment for each required screening, which
will follow close study of the play. To do this assignment, you will
need to note specific details from the production that reveal
the
textual interpretation behind it and to identify important
textual
passages upon which this interpretation is founded. These
assignments are to be TYPED and brought to class; keep them with your other
course materials (they will be spot checked at least once during the quarter).
Remember that your opinions must always be justified textually -- based
not upon esthetics or whim but upon your solid knowledge of the play and
informed interpretation of its meaning. Note: A SECTION ON THE REQUIRED
VIDEOS WILL BE INCLUDED ON MIDTERM AND FINAL EXAMS!!
Class will begin with a READING QUIZ on the first day for which the full text is assigned. Quizzes will consist of nine significant passages from the play. You will choose six of these nine passages and answer four short questions about each. For example, you may be asked to state if the passage is in blank verse, rhyme or prose; identify the speakers and addressees (know NAMES!!); identify persons/things referred to by pronouns (e.g. "he," "she," "it," "we," "they"); explain when and where the scene takes place. You will not need to know the act or scene numbers of the passage; instead, you should be able to explain in general terms what is going on (e.g. what just happened or what is about to happen). Because the Study guides are designed to draw your attention to important passages, if you use them and read with care, you should recognize most or all of the passages on the quizzes.
EXAMS will cover readings, lectures, and required videos; they will include passages to identify (from several plays) and objective questions on background materials (including online readings and handouts). There will be two chances to earn GWR certification: for the essay question on the midterm and final exams. Please note that because this is a writing-intensive course, 50% of the course grade must be based on writing assignments. For this reason, the essay on each exam will be worth 50% of the exam. The Final Exam (only) will include an obligatory memory passage: 20 or more (consecutive!) lines from one play read in class. The Final will be cumulative, but with emphasis on work since Midterm.
FINAL EXAM TIMES: 339-01 (meets 9-11):
Tuesday, December 10, 10:10 AM-1:00 PM. 339-02 (meets 2-4): Tuesday,
December 10, 4:10-7:00 PM. You MUST take final exam
with your
class at the scheduled time; KEEP THIS DATE IN MIND AS YOU MAKE YOUR
TRAVEL PLANS!
| 25 % | In-class work. Equal weight is given to participation (based primarily upon class attendance) and to your cumulative quiz average. NOTE: if you fail to perform a scene or monologue the last week of class, a 0 will be averaged with this 25% of your grade (i.e. 1/8 of your final grade = 0) |
| 25 % | Writing assignments. Primarily based on Papers 1 and 2, adjusted to reflect spot checks of written video assignments. |
| 50 % | Exams (cumulative total). Note: Because this is a C4 writing-intensive course (new GE -- C3 in the old GE), 50% of exam points are for essays. |
OH MY GOSH . . . CAN I HANDLE THIS CLASS??
Sure you can -- if you will take the time to read the plays carefully and thoughtfully. And -- this being Shakespeare -- if you DO put in the time, you WILL enjoy them! The Bard will amply reward your efforts (they don't call 'em "Great Books" for nothing!) And remember . . . I LOVE teaching this stuff, and I'm told that my enthusisam makes classes more fun!
However. . . DON'T assume that the class will "take care of itself."
If you have a heavy course- and/or work-load, please be sure to budget
time for this class . . . or save it for another quarter.
AND WHAT ABOUT THOSE TWO-HOUR BLOCKS?
Rest assured, we'll take a break each day. Feel free to bring
along a caffeinated (or non-caffeinated) drink--whatever it takes to keep
you alert through two hours. If there is sufficient interest, rotating
cookie duty will be arranged!
WELCOME, AND ENJOY!!!
| Contents of this and all linked pages Copyright Debora B. Schwartz,
1996-2002
|
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