English 403: Shakespeare to 1600
Professor Melissa D. Aaron
Office: 24 229
Phone:869-3839
Email:maaron@csupomona.edu
| Web page | Courses Page |
| Shakespeare Page | Resources Page |
| Discussion Board | Film paper |
Discussion Questions |
| Research paper | Shakespeare group project |
Required texts
The Riverside Shakespeare, 2nd
edition.
Course description
Shakespeare is, of course, Hollywood's
most successful screenwriter. His plays have also been commercial
theatrical hits, a sort of secular Scripture, a literary gold
standard, a symbol of English-speaking high culture, and much
more for over 400 years. The phrases he coined-"salad days,"
"more sinned against than sinning," "the course
of true love never did run smooth," and many others have
become so engrained in vernacular English that you probably regularly
quote Shakespeare without realizing it. For all these reasons,
it's well worthwhile to read his plays now; and also a lot of
fun.
We will be reading four plays by Shakespeare written before 1600 that represent a variety of the styles he wrote in-tragedies, histories, and comedies. We will also be reading additional material that will help to provide background-reading on the theater of Shakespeare's day and the culture which produced these texts; a culture in many ways different from our own.
You will need access to a computer and the Internet for this course—if this will present a problem, please contact me. All assignments, a copy of this syllabus, course policies, and any updates will be found on the Blackboard site. Announcements will come through your Cal Poly email address, so make a habit of checking it or set your account to forward from this account. Any email should be sent via your Cal Poly account.
All work handed in to me must be typed and double-spaced in ten or preferably twelve point font. The font I'm using for this, Times New Roman, is nice and easy to read. Please type your name, the class and section number, my name and the date in the upper-right hand corner, and the title centered at the top of the first page. Do not have a title page, and please, please staple your papers together.
The quizzes are discussion-related and will constitute your attendance and participation grade. They cannot be made up. Quizzes are worth 20% of your grade. They will always be given at the beginning of class. Plan your time accordingly.
Plays assigned for this course may include Richard III, Love's Labors Lost, Midsummer Night's Dream, Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing, Julius Caesar, Henry IV, Part 1, Henry V, Twelfth Night, or others. Please see Blackboard for updated course information.
maaron@csupomona.edu