English
3123: ShakespeareÕs Women Tanya
Pollard |
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2304 James Hall
TR 9:30-10:45 E-mail:
Tpollard@brooklyn.cuny.edu
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Office:
3108 Boylan Phone: 718-951-5000 x 6216 Hours:
T 10:45-11:15 and by appt.
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Shakespeare is best known
for his moody male tragic protagonists such as Hamlet, Lear, Othello, and
Macbeth. In genres beyond tragedy, though, female characters mobilize and shape
the action, especially in the arenas of sex and family. Critics have often
described these areas as the domestic sphere, but when birth bestows both
economic and political power, the domestic is never private. This class will
explore some of ShakespeareÕs irreverent, outspoken, and transgressive female
characters, and will examine their place in a canon written, acted, and
produced entirely by men. In particular, we will consider womenÕs responses
to threats such as accusations of infidelity, banishment, prostitution,
rejection, and apparent deaths. |
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Week |
Date |
Assignment |
Presenters (& Responders) |
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1 |
8-28 |
Introductions |
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8-30 |
Much Ado About Nothing, Act 1 |
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2 |
9-4 |
Much Ado About Nothing, Acts 2-3 |
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9-6 |
Much Ado About Nothing, Acts 4-5 |
1 (3) |
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3 |
9-11 |
No class |
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9-13 |
Measure for Measure, Acts 1-2 |
2 (4) |
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4 |
9-18 |
No class |
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9-20 |
Measure for Measure, Acts 3-4 |
3 (1) |
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5 |
9-25 |
Measure for Measure, Act 5 |
4 (2) |
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9-27 |
AllÕs Well that Ends Well, Acts 1-2 |
1 (3) |
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6 |
10-2 |
AllÕs Well that Ends Well, Acts 3-4 |
2 (4) |
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10-4 |
AllÕs Well that Ends Well, Act 5 |
3 (1) |
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7 |
10-9 |
Exam |
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10-11 |
Pericles, Acts 1-2 |
4 (2) |
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8 |
10-16 |
Pericles, Acts 3-4 |
1 (3) |
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10-18 |
Pericles,
Act 5 |
2 (4) |
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9 |
10-23 |
Cymbeline,
Acts 1-2 |
3
(1) |
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10-25 |
Cymbeline,
Acts 3-4 |
4
(2) |
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10 |
10-30 |
Cymbeline,
Act 5 |
1
(3) |
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11-1 |
WinterÕs Tale, Acts 1-2 |
2
(4) |
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11 |
11-6 |
WinterÕs Tale,
Acts 3-4 |
3 (1) |
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11-8 |
WinterÕs Tale, Act 5 |
4 (2) |
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12 |
11-13 |
Review |
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11-15 |
Research workshop |
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13 |
11-20 |
Exam |
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11-22 |
No class |
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14 |
11-27 |
research presentations and
responses |
1, 2 (3, 4) |
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11-29 |
research presentations and
responses |
2,3 (4, 1) |
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15 |
12-4 |
research presentations and
responses |
3,4 (1, 2) |
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12-6 |
Research paper due;
peer-editing workshop |
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16 |
12-11 |
Last day of class; revised
research paper due |
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Course Requirements
and Expectations: |
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Texts I
have ordered Signet Editions of the plays on our syllabus at Akademos, the online college bookstore; you can link to
its listing for this course at Shakespeare 2 . You
may also purchase these editions of the plays elsewhere if you prefer, or you
may use other editions. Bringing
a hard copy of the play to each class session is a requirement: if cost is an
issue, you will find copies in the library. Hybrid/online component This
course, like all English Department electives, is hybrid/partially online. This means the course counts for 4
weekly credit hours, 3 of which will take place in live classroom meetings,
and 1 of which will take place online, in Blackboard. Our online work-hours will consist of
regularly posting short essays on BlackboardÕs discussion boards Š 4 close
reading essays, and 1 research essay proposal, per student Š as well as
posting brief responses to other studentsÕ essays and proposals. Further details on these assignments
will be provided in handouts, which are also available on Blackboard. Attendance Because
your contributions to class discussion are a central part of your work for
this course, attendance is crucial.
If you miss more than three classes, your overall grade will drop; at
six absences, you will fail the class. Punctuality is also crucial. Missing
part of class Š whether through arriving late, leaving early, or leaving the
room during class Š will count as one-third of an absence. |
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Participation Learning
is a collaborative process, which works best when each of you engages fully
with the texts and with each other.
To this end, I will expect you to participate actively in class
discussions, and you will be required to present ideas for class discussion
on a rotating basis. Your
contributions will determine a significant portion of the semesterÕs grade.
In order to build a classroom atmosphere of courtesy and concentration,
please avoid behavior that is disrespectful and interferes with othersÕ
learning, including rudeness, talking while others are speaking, and ringing
from cell-phones, pagers, watches, etc. Uses of electronic devices will not
be allowed in class; you may read texts online out of class, but you must
bring hard copies to class for easy reference for discussion. Writing Over the course of the semester you will write four short essays (500-600 words each) and one research paper proposal, all to be posted in Blackboard and accompanied by in-class presentations; the short essays will carry out a close reading of a passage from the reading assigned for the day you present. You will also write five short responses to other studentsÕ essays and proposals, consisting of one observation and one question, also to be posted in Blackboard. In addition, by the end of the semester you will write one longer (8-10 page) research paper. All written work should have a central claim that is well argued, clearly written, and directly supported by close readings of textual passages; the research paper will also incorporate, and respond to, at least three secondary sources. Lateness will result in lowering of the grade by one-third of a grade per day. All written work must be submitted in order to pass the course. Any use of othersÕ ideas must be fully acknowledged in footnotes; see University policy on Academic Integrity below. |
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Coursework
and grading:
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University Policy on Academic Integrity:
The faculty and administration of Brooklyn College support an
environment free from cheating and plagiarism. Each student is responsible for
being aware of what constitutes cheating and plagiarism and for avoiding both.
The complete text of the CUNY Academic Integrity Policy and the Brooklyn
College procedure for policy implementation can be found at www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bc/policies.
If a faculty member suspects a violation of academic integrity and, upon
investigation, confirms that violation, or if the student admits the violation,
the faculty member
must report the violation.
Disability Services:
In order to receive disability-related academic accommodations students
must first be registered with the Center for Student Disability Services.
Students who have a documented disability or suspect they may have a disability
are invited to set up an appointment with the Director of the Center for
Student Disability Services, Ms. Valerie Stewart-Lovell at (718) 951-5538. If
you have already registered with the Center for Student Disability Services,
please provide your professor with the course accommodation form and discuss
your specific accommodation with him/her.
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