Module ENGL2021: Shakespeare

Department: English Studies

ENGL2021: Shakespeare

Prerequisites

• At least one of the following modules: Introduction to Drama (ENGL1011), Introduction to the Novel (ENGL1061), Introduction to Poetry (ENGL1071).

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• The module aims to introduce students to a broad range of Shakespeare’s work, and to enable students to analyse in detail a selection of works from different periods of Shakespeare’s oeuvre and in different genres. It seeks to foster an awareness of the kinds of scholarly, critical, and theatrical issues which Shakespeare’s work has generated from the seventeenth century to the present. The approach is pluralistic, seeing Shakespeare both as a poet and playwright within the context of his period and a figure of massive influence in the rich history of English literature and criticism to the present. The module thus aims to test students’ ability to engage with Shakespeare in diverse literary and critical ways, encouraging students to situate him among the writers of his own time but also consider issues such as reception, adaptation, afterlife, or legacy.

Content

• The module is taught by a number of lectures (given by several members of staff and assisted by tutorials) which convey a comprehensive and detailed knowledge of Shakespeare’s work with areas of specialisation in depth. The module may cover such topics as:
• A representative range of works across the Shakespeare canon, from his early comedies to historical drama, tragedies, and late plays, as well as his Sonnets and other poems
• Critical approaches in a wider historical perspective
• Reception history and literary legacy
• Textual and editing issues
• The influence of classical, biblical, and medieval texts on Shakespeare
• Shakespeare in comparison to other authors of his period
• Adaptations in literature, theatre, and film

Learning Outcomes

• The student will be expected to gain substantial and systematic knowledge of a diverse body of work by a single author, to be able to analyse texts closely, to show awareness of different critical perspectives, and to compare and connect different issues, to show an awareness of such issues as genre, the development of Shakespeare’s art as a poet and dramatist, theatrical performance, and literary influence.

• Students studying this module will acquire:
• critical skills in the close reading and analysis of texts
• an ability to demonstrate a broad and detailed knowledge of a single author and critical approaches to his works
• an informed awareness of formal and aesthetic dimensions of Shakespeare’s works as literature and, as appropriate, performance
• a sensitivity to generic conventions and to the shaping effects on communication of historical circumstances, and to the affective power of language
• an ability to articulate and substantiate an imaginative response to Shakespeare’s works
• an ability to articulate and communicate knowledge and understanding of concepts and theories relating to this author
• a command of a broad range of vocabulary and an appropriate critical terminology
• an awareness of literature as a medium through which values are affirmed and debated

• Students studying this module will develop:
• an ability to acquire and interpret information of diverse kinds in a structured and systematic way
• an ability to analyse concepts at an abstract level and apply them appropriately
• a capacity for independent thought and judgement, and the ability to assess the critical ideas of others
• an ability to address a variety of questions and contexts with minimal guidance
• a competence in the planning and execution of essays
• information-technology skills such as electronic data access information
• skills of effective communication and argument
• organisation and time-management skills

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Independent but directed reading in preparation for lectures and tutorials provides an opportunity for students to enrich their subject-specific knowledge and enhances their ability to develop appropriate subject-specific skills.
• Lectures: enable students to gain subject-specific knowledge of cultural, aesthetic and intellectual issues in relation to Shakespeare's works; encourage students to be aware of the range and variety of approaches to literary study; present ideas and information to encourage, on the part of students, further thought and discussion.
• Tutorials: enable students to explore, in a selective way, through small-group discussion, specific texts and topics (many of which will be addressed by lectures); to focus on selected literary issues and problems; and guide them in developing subject-specific analytical skills and knowledge.
• Formative assignment: This usually takes the form an outline argument in note form (limited to one page and notionally a maximum of 1,000 words). The work submitted is lightly annotated, with oral feedback provided in conversation with the student. Formative work is useful for revision purposes and writing summative assessments. Choice of topics encourages development of students’ capacity for independent thought and judgement.
• Feedback: encourages students to reflect critically and independently on their work.
• Coursework: tests the student's ability to argue, respond and interpret, and to demonstrate subject-specific knowledge and skills such as appreciation of the power of imagination in literary creation and the close reading and analysis of texts; they also test the ability to present word-processed work, observing scholarly conventions.
• Students attend the tutor’s office hour to receive oral feedback for their formative assignment. This is not a centrally timetabled activity and will instead be arranged by the tutor and student.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

1 formative essay outline (c.1,000 words).

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University