William Shakespeare has been the central author of the English-speaking world for centuries. His plays and poems are quoted more often than those of any other English-speaking writer. This introduction to Shakespearean Comedy, History and Tragedy will focus on Shakespeare’s most popular works and their relevance in the modern world.
Prerequisites
Course Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to demonstrate the following knowledge or skills:
- Effectively read and discuss Shakespeare’s plays and how the themes therein have shaped ideologies since the Elizabethan era.
- Critically analyze and discuss historical themes in Shakespeare’s plays.
- Establish a historical framework which helps students understand how Elizabethan ideologies were transferred to early American Ideology
- Identify and discuss the religious and political influences that inspired Shakespeare's plays.
- Articulate the aesthetic and dramatic concepts inherent in Shakespeare's plays.
- Explain the relevance of the cultural heritage reflected in Shakespeare's plays and other icons of the Renaissance.
Course Content Outline
- The plays of William Shakespeare.
- Historical and ideological influences that inspired these plays.
- Transference of these ideologies into post-Elizabethan cultures.
- The aesthetic and dramatic influence these plays had on later literature.
- The Elizabethan era and its influence on class, gender, and various ethnic groups in later years.
Department Guidelines
- The course may use additional texts from the era, but must provide introduction to and instruction on at least five of Shakespeare’s plays.
- The course will focus on the original scripts but is not limited to written texts of the plays. While audiovisual presentations may be used, assessment methods must emphasize the written texts.
- Exams and essays must be focused on both comprehension of the texts and the ability to articulate connections between these texts. Students may also be asked about literary conventions and styles used during the Elizabethan era.
- The course will examine historical events as a context to themes contained within the plays.
PO4 should be assessed: Students will be able to recognize or articulate personal/interpersonal aspects of, or connections between, diverse cultural, social, or political contexts.
PO5 should be assessed: Students will be able to solve problems by gathering, interpreting, combining and/or applying information from multiple sources.