Reading, Writing, and Performing Shakespeare


Theater, Dance and Performance Studies R1B, Section 4
TTh  9:30-11:00 123 Dwinelle HallInstructor: Todd Barnes
E-mail: toddbarnes@berkeley.edu
Office: 124 Dwinelle Annex
Office Hours: T,Th 1-2 and by appt.


Course Description:

In this course, students will critically engage with filmic and textual productions that in some way relate to the cultural phenomenon known as “Shakespeare.”  Together, we will concentrate on four plays: Othello, Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and The Tempest.  Our reading, writing, and discussion will traverse a variety of disciplines: performance studies, literary theory, rhetoric, critical theory, film studies, philosophy and cultural studies.  Throughout the semester, we will engage with various plays, films, and theories in order to better understand on what it means to read, write and perform—to create meaning—in both Shakespeare’s and our own texts.  Students will write extensively during the semester, rehearsing various writing strategies garnered through readings and class discussion.  Students will gain knowledge of the research process as well as the campus library’s (virtual and actual) collection.  By the end of the semester, each student will be prepared to create a compelling 15-page research paper which makes a persuasive argument about one of the issues explored in class. 



Required Texts:

▪ A course reader available at Zee Zee Copy
▪ The Arden edition of each of the following plays: Othello, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest
▪ Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism: William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, ed. Susanne Wolford
▪Williams, Joseph.  Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace, Eighth Edition.  New York: Longman, 2005
▪ Some of our filmic texts will be shown in class, but you will be responsible for viewing
others.  All the films you will be required to watch on your own are available at Moffitt (in the Media Resource Center).  I suggest that you get together with classmates to arrange a group viewing.

   
Writing Requirement:

You will compose three compositions throughout the course of the semester.  A 2-3 page essay, a 6-7 page essay, and a final 10-15 page essay.  Each essay will go through multiple drafts.  You will be writing continuously, so late papers threaten to cause a serious traffic jam in the flow of the course.  For this reason, no late papers will be accepted—ever. 

 

Grades:

For each composition, you will be given multiple grades—one for each stage in the process.  In addition, you will be given a final grade for each composition.  Each essay comprises a weighted section of your grade.  The essays are weighted as follows:

 

First Composition = 20% (Of this 20%, the first draft will comprise 5%, and the final draft will comprise 15%)
Second Composition = 30% (Of this 30%, the first draft will comprise 10%, and the final draft will make up 20%)
Research Paper = 40% (Of this 40%, your prospectus will be worth 5%, an outline/annotated bibliography will be 
                                         worth 5%, your first draft will be worth 10%, and your final draft will be worth 20%)
Participation = 10% (Of this 10%, at least 5% will be based on how thoroughly you respond to the writing of your
                                   peers)

 
A Note on Participation:

Participation means speaking, listeningattentively, taking notes, engaging with others, and coming to class prepared to discuss the assigned work in a thoughtful and courteous manner. 

 

Attendance:

Attendance and punctuality are of the utmost importance.  If you must miss a class, make sure you contact a classmate to find out what you will be responsible for knowing.  You are allowed two absences—for any reason.  Each subsequent absence will lower your grade by one third of a letter (e.g. Bà B-, etc.).  If you arrive late to class three times, this will count as an absence.  An absence will not excuse you from work due.  All due dates are fixed, and no late work will be accepted.  If you need an extension on an assignment, you must contact me well in advance to make alternate arrangements.  I am not flexible on this.

 
A Note on Plagiarism  

I take plagiarism very seriously, and I will fully enforce the university’s policy on this matter.  Please refer to the university’s guidelines on what defines plagiarism (even if you think you already know what constitutes plagiarism).  You will be responsible for this knowledge.  The university’s policy on plagiarism can be found on the web at:

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Citations.html#Plagiarism

 

Additional Resources:

Students seeking additional help with coursework are strongly encouraged to visit the Student Learning Center.  They prioritize and provide special services to students enrolled in Reading and Composition courses.  Visit the center online at:http://slc.berkeley.edu/writing/

 

Tentative Schedule:

 

Readings are to be completed by the date on which they appear.  This schedule will most likely change and be rewritten throughout the course of the semester. 

 

Week

Reading

Discussion Topic

  Shakespeare: the Man, the Myth, the Author  

1/17

-

goals and context of course

1/19

Bristol, “Shakespeare: the Myth,” Hodgdon, “Preface” Taylor, “Introduction”

Bristol, Hodgdon, Taylor

1/24

Eagleton, “Introduction: What is Literature?” Barthes, “The Death of the Author” Barthes, Eagleton, the intentional fallacy

1/26

Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet and writing

1/31

Rome + Juliet

Madden’s Shakespeare in Love 2/2

Jorgens, “Realising Shakespeare on Film”

Paper One; Style 1 Due; Jorgens, Madden, Luhrmann

2/7

Flower “Writer-Based Prose: A Cognitive Basis for Problems in Writing”

Thesis Construction; writer/reader-based prose

  Performativity and Repetition  

2/9

Austin, “Lecture II”

Paper One Due; Austin 2/14

Othello Othello and Performativity

2/16

McLaren and Giroux, “Writing from the Margins: Geographies of Identity, Pedagogy, and Power”

O (Nelson)

Othello (Sax); Style 2 Due

2/21

Schechner, “Restoration of Behavior”

Paper One (Final Draft) Due; Race, Identity, Performativity, and Othello 2/23

Hawkes, “By”; Roach, “Cities of the Dead”

Meaning by Shakespeare; Style 3 Due

2/28

Worthen, “Introduction: Dramatic Performativity”

Write-ups on Performativity Due; Othello; Worthen

3/2

Benjamin, “Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”

Style 4 Due; Benjamin; Paper Two thesis

  Reading as Writing  

3/7

Hamlet

Paper Two Outline; Hamlet 3/9

Hamlet (Branagh) Hamlet (Almereyda)

3/14

Barthes, “From Work to Text”

Paper 2 Due; Barthes; Hamlet 3/16

McGann, “The Textual Condition”

Hamlet; McGann

3/21

Kidnie, “Where is Hamlet?”

Hamlet; Kidnie

3/23

Kott, “Hamlet at Mid-Century”

Style 5 Due; Kott 3/28

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SPRING BREAK

3/30

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SPRING BREAK

4/4

--

Prospectus Due; Library Info Session 4/6

The Tempest

The Tempest

4/11

Tempest (Mazursky/Jarmann)

Greenaway’s Prospero’s Books 4/13

Lanier, “Drowning the Book” Lanier; Greenaway; Style 6 Due 4/18

Orgel, “The Authentic Shakespeare”

Orgel

4/20

de Certeau, “Reading as Poaching”

Outline/Annotated Bibliography Due; deCerteau 4/25

Bartholomae, “Inventing the University”

Bartholomae

4/27

Elbow, “Reflections on Academic Discourse”

Elbow

5/2

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writing workshop

5/4

--

Rough Draft Research Papers Due 5/9

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writing workshop

5/16

8-11am

Final Papers Due