Here is a breakdown of the work for this class and how your final grade will be calculated:

Participation, “Prologue Discussion,” and Group Inquiry Assignments (10%) During our weekly meetings we will combine lecture with active participation involving all members of the class. On the course schedule, I post the section of reading that we will be covering in class that day, as well as a list of reading questions that you should complete before coming to class. These questions are designed to help you note the important details of the play (plot, characters, etc.) and reflect on Shakespeare’s language. We will begin each class with a “Prologue,” during which time I will ask students to share their responses to selected reading questions.

We will also have regular “group inquiry” sessions that are designed to give you an in-depth experience with some dimension of the plays we are studying (typically we will have one of these activities per play). Your group will submit a written response for this in-class assignment that I will grade pass/fail.

Written Assignments (Complete Two) (15% each) Below is a selection of written assignments designed to help you engage with our materials at a deeper level and explore important possibilities for our texts. These include options that take pedagogical, performance, creative, and critical approaches.

• Annotation Assignment
• Lesson Plan
• Performance 
• Argumentative Essay
• Critical Essay Response
• Creative Assignment

You should follow the formatting guidelines outlined in this Shakespeare Style Sheet for your assignments.

Assignments must be submitted on these dates: Sept. 23 Sept. 27, Oct. 7, Nov. 4 Nov. 8, Dec. 9

You may complete any two of these on any of the dates listed above, with the following options and stipulations:

-At least one of the assignments must be submitted by the October 7th deadline.

-You may only choose each assignment once (i.e., you can’t do two Lesson Plans, Creative Assignments, etc.)

-You may revise one of your assignments for a better grade once during the semester. Here are some Guidelines for Revising your Assignment.

Blogging (30%) This is a “Hybrid Course,” meaning a portion of our classwork will be conducted online. The course blogging assignments are designed to promote collaborative work, to encourage careful examination of Shakespeare’s plays, and to improve your writing skills.

Exams (30%) There is a midterm and final exam in the course. The midterm will cover material from the first part of the class, the final will focus on material from the second part. Each exam will be composed of essay questions and short answer responses.

Grading Please note that you need to receive at least a C- in this course in order to earn credit toward your English major requirements.