Syllabus

**ENG 320—DRAMA** =3 CREDITS, DR. J. PEDERSEN, WINTER 2012=
 * FELICIAN COLLEGE—DIVISION OF ARTS & SCIENCES**


 * COURSE DESCRIPTION**: A dramatic study of selected plays of William Shakespeare. The course will include a survey of the comedies, tragedies, and histories of the author. Additionally, the course will focus on Shakespeare’s role as a playwright and poet and his role in the development of language, structure, and themes of the stage as well as literature. Emphasis will be placed on analysis, literary interpretation, and character analysis.


 * COURSE OBJECTIVES:**
 * 1) Demonstrate the ability to recognize Shakespeare’s development as a writer.
 * 2) Recognize various theories of literary criticism applied to Shakespeare’s plays.
 * 3) Evaluate the various plays studied in formal analysis essays.
 * 4) Judge the universality of Shakespeare’s plays and judge their value to contemporary society.
 * 5) Identify the historical, social, and religious context in which the plays were written.
 * 6) To gain an introductory understanding of Shakespeare's [|work] and how it fits into his life and times;
 * 7) To learn to write about Shakespeare's work;
 * 8) To develop insight about his work through class discussions;
 * 9) And to gain some insight into why his work is so central to the understanding of English literature.
 * REQUIRED TEXTS:**
 * The Complete Works of Shakespeare (6th Edition) by David Bevington**
 * //Longman (2008)//**
 * //ISBN-10: 0205606288//**
 * //ISBN-13: 978-0205606283//**


 * //Ways to Contact Instructor//**:
 * 1) Feel free to email me at any time at jpedersen1@aol.com.
 * 2) In an emergency please call my office at (908) 754-4620 ext. 248.


 * ATTENDANCE:** This is taken for every class. Each student is allowed 3 absences without penalty. If a student is absent more than this, the grade will be reduced to reflect the amount of work missed. Anyone with more than 6 absences is in danger of failing the course. ANY absence may be excused if the student has a DOCUMENTED reason. Being more than 30 minutes late, or leaving more than 30 min. early, or leaving during class counts as a half of an absence.


 * LATE PAPERS**: A student may hand in any paper on the due date and one class day later. That is, a paper due on Mon. may be handed in on Thurs. without a late penalty. After that, there is a 1 grade penalty for every day late. After the next paper is due, no previous paper may be handed in. If for any reason, you need more time, please see me so you can be excused from this penalty.


 * EVALUATION:**
 * 1) Assignments/Homework: 20%
 * 2) Participation/Class work: 15%
 * 3) 3 papers: 40%
 * 4) Final Paper: 15%
 * 5) Final Presentation: 10%


 * PAPER REQUIREMENTS**:
 * 1) Each paper must be at least 2 typed pages.
 * 2) Each paper must be completed in MLA format.
 * 3) All work must be entirely by the student. If you consult another source or quote from someone else, just give credit by citing the source. See me for a few minutes if you need help understanding how to use the correct MLA form.
 * 4) Each paper must include at least 3 quotes to support your thesis.
 * 5) Summarize your conclusions and other significant thoughts in your final paragraph.
 * 6) Each paper must stick to the topic. Summaries of stories will not be graded!

__ESSAY #1:__ Analyze // The Taming of the Shrew. // Your paper should include a brief summary, review of the major characters, discussion of the major conflicts, exploration of the themes and any other information you feel appropriate. Your paper may also contain quotes and excerpts from literary criticisms. __ESSAY # 2:__ Analyze // King Lear. // Your paper should include a brief summary, review of the major characters, discussion of the major conflicts, exploration of the themes and any other information you feel appropriate. Your paper may also contain quotes and excerpts from literary criticisms. __ESSAY #3:__ Analyze // Henry V. // Your paper should include a brief summary, review of the major characters, discussion of the major conflicts, exploration of the themes and any other information you feel appropriate. Your paper may also contain quotes and excerpts from literary criticisms. __FINAL PAPER:__ You will have an opportunity to choose one of the following options and then present to the class. a. Choose a play not covered in the class and analyze. Your analysis should include a brief summary, review of the major characters, discussion of the major conflicts, exploration of the themes and any other information you feel appropriate. Your paper may also contain quotes and excerpts from literary criticisms. b. Compare the themes of two of Shakespeare’s plays. Your paper should be detailed and contained quotes from the plays to support your opinions. c. Compare and contrast the characters from two of Shakespeare’s plays. d. Demonstrate how Shakespeare’s themes are timeless and can still be found in contemporary literature, film and other media. Make sure you paper contain quotes, excerpts and detailed examples to support your thesis. e. Create a multimedia project that would be a video podcast; an audio podcast; a web presentation, etc. Please note that this project must be pre-approved by the instructor.
 * PAPER TOPICS**

A 30 minute presentation to the class will be based on the previous choices listed. The presentation must include the following items: - An overview of your paper highlighting characters, themes and symbols; - You own personal reaction to the play, including what you liked, what you didn’t like and what you would have changed about the story; - How the play that you chose stands in comparison to other Shakespearean plays; - Explanation of how the themes covered in Shakespeare’s play are timeless, providing examples from modern culture; and - An explanation of the author’s purpose.
 * PRESENTATION:**
 * ONLINE ACCESS:**

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