Words, words, words. --Hamlet

Dr. Derrick G. Pitard
Class Meeting:
Office: SWC 312 H
Office Hours:
Contact: (738-)2369, or

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There are several inter-related goals in this course:

1. To gain an introductory understanding of Shakespeare's work and how it fits into his life and times;
2. To learn to write about Shakespeare's work;
3. To develop insight during class discussions;
4. And to gain some insight into why his work is so central to the understanding of English literature.

Now, these are very general, and don't necessarily address what I take to be a key subtext to this (or any) literature course: the cultivation of simple curiosity and interest which motivates all significant learning. Shakespeare's works are endlessly fascinating on many levels: linguistically, historically, politically, socially, and culturally (that is, in how they consider relationships between people and the social forces that construct us and our society). We will consider all of this. Many of you will be teachers yourselves, so think of this course (and all of your courses) as training: since the best teachers clearly love their subjects, what can you find here to become fascinated by? To uncover this is perhaps the goal which lies behind all of the others, and therefore the start of all the other work you will do.

While ordering individual texts for each play is possible, in the end, after you add them up (about $5.00 each, thirteen times), it is in fact cheaper to order an anthology. Plus, you get a lot more with an anthology: ALL of Shakespeare's written work, dramatic and poetic, along with many helpful supplementary texts and readings.

I will assign readings from the Norton beyond the plays, so you must use this text of Shakespeare; it is the best classroom edition of the complete plays, so you'll want to keep it beyond the course anyway. Bring both texts to class every day.

1. The Norton Shakespeare, ed. Stephen Greenblatt (this seems to be available now in paperback as well)
2. Will in the World, by Stephen Greenblatt
3. And, bring a manila folder with your name on it to class ASAP.

Responses. You will hand in six responses during term; see the Calendar for due dates. These are a place to develop interests for your essays, and I will give you prompts to get you thinking about possible topics. They are required, should be typed, and are four points each towards the final grade.

Contribution to class. Please do! Shakespeare is a blast on all sorts of levels, so dig in and enjoy. Class is where you share your ideas, where you push them out to sea and find out whether they float. If you don't share them, ideas sink.

Analyses. There are three of these during term. Due dates are on the Calendar. This is where you will gain some specific knowledge of Shakespearean langauge and performance. They will help you to understand the plays more fully, and can also be used as a step towards your full-length papers. You will write about Shakespearean language, Shakespearean theatre, and (if you like) modern film productions of Shakespeare. They are to be formatted in MLA Style.

Papers. There are two full-length (4+ pages, MLA style) papers due during term. Due dates are on the Calendar. They differ from your short projects primarily in that they need to have a thesis. These are persuasive or argumentative papers in which you'll gather evidence--especially linguistic evidence--to argue a point. You are, also, required to write on a topic which grows out of one of your responses or your analyses which you have already handed in.

If you like, you may combine the two papers into a longer project in consultation with me. Unlike the shorter papers, for which I give a set of suggested topics, this can be on a topic of your choice. This paper will be, logically, twice as long as the one-paper option (8+ pages). This paper would also be worth twice as much of your final grade. You must inform me of your intentions to take this option by October 3rd; see the Papers page for how. If you don't, I'll assume you are writing two shorter papers. You must do this with the proper form (not verbally), and you may not change your mind after this point. Even if your first or second paper turns out to be 8+ pages, you may not just convert it when you hand it in.

Quizzes. There will be one of these at the beginning of the class on a new play. Each specific date is on the Calendar. I will drop the lowest quiz grade of the term. You can also drop another lower quiz grade by reporting on a play you have seen during term (as described below).

Exams. There will be a comprehensive final exam in the course.

Extra Credit!! There are two ways to get extra credit during the course. The first is to do a fourth analysis; see the Analyses page for more information. The second option is to see a live dramatic performance of any play, Shakespearean or otherwise, during term. If you do, turn in a one-page (minimum) written response (not mere summary) to the performance, stapled to your ticket stub. For each one, I will drop another lowest quiz grade. The same process applies if you are in a play.

1. All work must be completed to pass the course.
2. All procedures pass through a memo. This memo form must be used to request an excused absence or a late paper, or for any other formal request you may want to make. This will be put in your folder to make a paper trail for all business in the course. Staple to it any documentation you'll need.
3. Absence policy:
   • There are two unexcused absences permitted during the term. After this, I will penalize your FINAL course grade by 10 points for each unexcused absence. If you want an excused absence, you must get in touch beforehand and fill out the memo form. Attach to it documentation of a very good excuse. Treat attendance like going to work: you can't just miss a day without giving adequate notice (though adequate notice does not necessarily qualify the reason as excusable).
   • If you miss a class for any reason, you need to fill out a memo form for that day. This is not a form to ask for an excuse, and this is not a punishment; it is to make sure that you keep up with what is going on in the course.
   • If you miss more than 3 weeks of the course--even if you have outstanding reasons for doing so--I will ask you to withdraw from the course. If you miss more than 20% of the course, I just can't give you credit for the course because so much of the work actually happens in the classroom.
4. If you turn in late work, points will be deducted without a valid excuse. For each day that an assigment is late, 5% will be deducted from its grade. I realize that there are other commitments, but you have committed now to this class, too. If you need to turn in something late, clear it with me beforehand and, again, fill out this memo form: don't wind up disappointed with an excuse that you thought was good enough (it has happened).
5. Work must be finished on the day assigned. If it is not, or if you are not otherwise prepared for class, you may be asked to leave and to take an unexcused absence for the day.

1. The grading in the class goes by a points system, which will make it easy for you to calculate your final grade at the end of the course. There are a total of 350 points for the course. You will get an A with 315-350 points, a B with 280-314 points, a C with 245-279 points, and a D with 210-244 points. Below that is failing. I will use this form to calculate your grade. (Actually, there are 348 points, so everyone will get 2 points added at the end of term because I couldn't figure out a good way to factor it out.)
   • The responses are worth 24 points. There are six, worth 4 points each. This isn't much, but they must be done on time--note that late work is penalized.
   • The quizzes are 99 points. There will be 12 quizzes, each containing 9 points; I drop the lowest quiz grade (so, 9 points x 11 = 99 points). If you do the reading attentively these are a great way to pull your grade up.
   • The analyses are worth 90 points. There are three, worth 30 points each.
   • The papers are worth 90 points. There are two, worth 45 points each; you can also choose to write one worth 100 points if you choose the single-paper option; see the Papers page for more information. I have made an error here, and graded the papers with a 50 point rubric. Both papers will be graded this way, then, and you will therefore get 10 possible extra points for the course.
   • The final exam is worth 45 points.
   • You can also do one extra credit analysis, worth up to 30 more points; see the Analyses page for more information.
   • And I might add up to 10 points at the end of the course if your work shows significant improvement over the course of the term. See the following comment . . .
2. Note that I have to give a grade based on work that you have done--I can't give a good grade for being a hard worker ("effort") if you at the same time (for whatever reason) haven't been able to complete work for the course. If your paper grades improve over the course of the term, this is concrete evidence. If you feel you are working hard and they still aren't, ask about it!