Objectives

1. To increase your understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of literature in general and Shakespeare in particular;
2. Use the language and techniques of literary criticism when analyzing Shakespeare's plays and poems;
3. Develop an appreciation of the skill and creativity of diverse readings of Shakespearean works;
4. Demonstrate an understanding of Shakespeare, the Elizabethan and contemporary eras through historical, social, cultural, sexual and gendered contexts;
5. Draw justifiable inferences about other races and/or cultures without stereotyping or use of ethnocentric bias through the study of Shakespeare;
6. Develop awareness of the implications of race and/or culture when looking at moral problems and societal conflicts as projected through early Shakespeare's writings;
7. Develop knowledge and understanding of other expressions of diversity such as class, gender, and/or religion in/through Shakespeare's literature;
8. Listen to and understand individuals and respond respectfully to their points of view;
9. Enjoy reading and learning about the various scholarly views of Shakespearean scholarship.

I hope to help you enjoy and understand Shakespeare in particular and all Literature literature in general, provide you will some tools for increased understanding of the literature you read (or at least an idea of where to find material that will help you increase your understanding), and help you to formulate and express your thoughts--written and spoken--concerning Shakespeare and other Literature in the future. Keep in mind I am not some oracle of Literature or Shakespeare. I prefer to explain what people do not understand and to provide background and context for the writings we will read and let you puzzle things out as much as possible. Don't expect me to lecture on and explain what writings "mean." I don't have all the answers to what we will read (assuming such answers exist). This does not mean that a piece of literature means whatever you want it to mean; interpretations need to be based on specific elements and their contexts within the text and broader texts. However, I have considerable experience reading, studying, interpreting, and criticizing literature. This I will share with you.

Pass the Class!

You'll do this by reading and re-reading the assigned material, writing literature reviews, writing and responding to journals pretty much daily, passing exams, giving presentations, asking questions and taking part in class discussions. Because passing students receive a writing intensive credit from this class, you cannot pass the course without submitting each of the revisable literature reviews as drafts and finals, undertaking the mandatory revisions (explained later), and successfully completing at least 60 percent of the journals. Missing or failing on any one these elements--essays and more than 40 percent of the journals--means you will fail with a 0.0.

Help You Read and Write Effectively

This also requires that you engage in the writing process, which means having a draft on days they are due, submitting essays for response and grading the day they are due, and revising essays when it is mandatory to do so. All of this requires not just reading the assigned material briefly, once, or not at all, but often several times before it will make sense. Not doing so can lead to failing the class. An ‘F’ on either literature review will result in an ‘F’ for the course.

Build Literacies

A third goal of this course, wrapped up in the course content and its delivery, is increased traditional, cultural, social and technological literacies at both functional and higher levels. Functional literacy in a traditional sense means you can read and write well enough to function effectively in society. In a technological sense it means you are master of the machine rather than the other way around. We'll work toward an critical literacy in a traditional and technological sense. This will give you a greater sense of how rhetoric and technology function to shape society and culture and how you can use them to shape your own place in the world.

Understand the Importance of Being Here

Much of our course’s success depends on the quality of class participation. If you miss a class, you must get information you missed from a classmate or the blog. All students have one-week of personal leave for the quarter, and all absences--excused or unexcused--are equal. Students missing fewer than three classes will have a .3 bonus added to their final grades (assuming that all work and revisions have been turned in, and the final grade at that point is at least 2.0). Students missing three or four days will receive the grade they earn. Students missing more than one week of class will have a .1 deducted from the final grade for each day's absence after the first wee. Two-weeks or more of absences will result in failing the course with an F. If you find this to be objectionable, you have two choices: make it to class or find another class.

Work Effectively with Others

For each assignment, and pretty much every day, in this class you will be working with other students and myself. When doing so, you are to offer constructive feedback to help group members improve the paper they have written. My goal is to help you not only learn to recognize good writing and articulate what makes it so, but to offer help and suggestions on how to improve your classmates' reading and writing and to enable you to learn something about the people in your groups. This creates a community of learners in our classroom where you can learn that written communication is to be read, not just stuffed away in a drawer or to be given to an instructor to be marked up with red ink (Normally I use blue or black on paper). This is also done so you can learn that each member of this class can offer you something to enrich your life and your scholarly pursuits. The rule for responding to the work of others is to do so with honesty (as opposed to being "brutally frank"), respect and courtesy. We are here to help each other improve as readers and writers, not to laugh at or judge each other. I understand that responses from other students are not always the best, but part of the reason we do this is so you are able to give better feedback once you are through with this and other reading/writing classes.

Engage in Self-reflection

I want you to think about what it is you are doing and how you could possibly do it better. In part, this means writing your essays well before the day they are due so you can let your ideas simmer in your mind. This also means not reading the assignments and writing and responding to blogs at the last minute. You will also write a short paragraph (which answers certain assigned questions) at the end of each essay to evaluate your performance and the behaviors during the writing of your essays. This is one way to both learn from your mistakes and avoid repeating them while learning to recognize your strengths as well. I would also like you to consider how your behavior as a student affects others in the class. Respect and courtesy are key. Self-reflection is key to the reading and writing process.