Wixson, Chris

English

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Eastern Illinois University
The Keep
Spring 2014 2014
Spring 1-15-2014
ENG 3892-099: Shakespeare
Chris Wixson
Eastern Illinois University
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Wixson, Chris, "ENG 3892-099: Shakespeare" (2014). Spring 2014. 86.
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Eng 3892: "Shakespeare" 
spring 2014 I Section 099 
syllabus 
course philosophy 
"Every age creates its own Shakespeare." 
-Marjorie Garber, Shakespeare After All 
Dr. Chris Wixson 
Ben Jonson's epitaph, memorializing Shakespeare as "not of an age but for all time" has proven prophetic. 
Recently, the Royal Shakespeare Company premiered Such Tweet Sorrow, an experimental five-week 
production of Romeo and Juliet performed via Twitter. Also not too long ago, the venerable Arden 
Shakespeare series otticially welcomed an addition to the Bard's canon entitled Double Falsehood. The 
last year or so has produced major cinematic adaptations (The Tempest and Coriolanus as well as Joss 
Whedon 's Much Ado About Nothing) along with the sudsy Anonymous that explored the authorship 
controversy, In short, with a "brand new" play and multiple films out and a central role in the vanguard of 
ulternative media performance, Sha~{espeure is alive and well in the 21st century. 
Rather than read widely in the Shakespearean canon, we will read slowly, closely, playfully- exploring two 
comedies, two tragedies, and a romance alongside a smattering of period documents, excerpts from other 
plays, and scholarly articles. In addition to the usual suspects in terms of requirements (short papers, 
critical essays, exams), robust class discussion will be juxtaposed with regular, vigorous excursions into 
theatrical practice. Class sessions will frequently be dedicated to approaching these plays as theatre 
practitioners do, exploring their potential as scripts. We will also see two staged productions together 
during the semester as well as a variety of films. As such, while no prior experience with acting is required, 
this course provides an excellent opportunity to experience Shakespeare's language in both scholarly and 
theatrical contexts. 
The format of each class will be discussion, the movement of the course relatively fluid, changing with 
regard to the materiai, my ideas, and your interests. i wiil usuaiiy send some thoughts via emaii before our 
class sessions so as not to take up class time needlessly with informal lecture. As such, this course should 
focus primarily on you, your questions, and opinions. Remember this is not MY class but ours. 
Leaming Outcomes 
1. To provide strategies for reading and appreciating the works of William Shakespeare for the 
insight they provide about Early Modern England and our own time. 
2. To allow each member of the class to engage the significant issues and questions raised by the 
plays through writing, performance, and class discussion. 
3. To assist in the development of skills of Ciitical thinking and aigumentative Wiiting. 
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course texts 
Various individual editions of Shakespeare's plays 
The Bedford Companion to Shakespeare, Russ McDonald 
contact information 
Dr. Chris Wixson cmwixson@eiu.edu / eiuenglish@yahoo.com 
Coleman Hall 3871 Office Hours: 11-12 T; 8:30-9:30 R; by appointment 
assignments 
• Short pieces of writing (2-3 pages) called "seed papers." You may be asked to present and 
conduct class discussion with your question once during the semester. However, you will be 
required to write three total that deal specifically with the language of part of the reading due 
for that day. Because these papers are primarily for discussion, no late seed papers will be 
accepted. 
• Two critical papers that are engaged, engaging, and articulate. The first will be a Notes and 
Queries-style assignment (to be deliveied at the English Studies confeience on Satuiday, Apiil 
5th) while the second will allow seminarians to pursue (in 8-10 pages) their own research 
topics, even on plays we have not read as a class. 
• Active, Engaged Participation in Discussion -defined as TALKING productively. 
• A Midterm and Final Exam (of the take-home variety so as not to disrupt class time) 
• Active, Engaged participation in Performance activities. 
longer paper topic 
It is important to identify as early as possible in the term your area of interest for the second paper. (I am 
assuming seminarians are bringing with them critical problems and issues of interest to them from earlier 
coursework.) At some point, by the end of March, you need to meet with me to propose a topic and sketch 
the contours of your argument. In the past, it has been most advantageous to seminarians to have their 
topic set before spring break. Again, the paper must be 10-12 pages and employ at least five scholarly 
sources. 
final grades 
Your final grade in the course will be determined by your performance on the following assignments: 
Three Seed Papers 
Production Analysis/ Activities 
Two Critical Papers 
Midterm Exam 
Final Exam/Project 
In-class Writings/ Active Participation/ Performance 
15% 
5% 
30% 
10% 
20% 
20% 
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**You must comptete all written as,signments and exams to complete the course. Failure to complete any 
one of the components represents incomplete work for the semester and anyone with incomplete work will 
not receive a passing grade for the course. 
attendance 
Mandatory. 
I expect you to be in class awake and prepared every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. In other words, 
arrive on time with your reading/writing assignment completed, prepared to participate in discussion. 
Because so much in this course relies upon in-class work, absences and habitual lateness will adversely 
affect your course performance. Attendance will be taken at each class session - you are allowed two 
unexcused absences before your grade is negatively affected. After two, each unexcused absence will 
lower your participation grade by half a letter. More than six unexcused absences will result in a 
·o· for participation. More than eight unexcused absences will result in a grade of no 
credit for the course. Habitual lateness {beyond once) will also affect your grade 
negatively since it is disruptive and disrespectful. Please notify me by email if there is 
unexpected illness or an emergency that causes you to miss class. Do not get in touch asking "for the 
assignment" or a "rundown of what you missed.'' My responsibilities as an instructor lie with the students 
who do come to class. Excused absences are accompanied by appropriate legal or medical documentation. 
Any unexcused absence will seriously undermine your success in this course. 
class participation 
Mandatory. 
Think of our meetings as potluck conversations and activities; You should come to class prepared to talk 
about the reading for that day. Participation in a college-level course means careful, full preparation of the 
reading, frequent contributions to discussions, risk-taking in writing and thinking. You should come to each 
session armed with observations, opinions, questions, and insights, ready to take an active part in the 
ongoing dialogue about the course materials. Class participation means that you work actively to stretch 
yourself intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually AND that you work actively to contribute to the class's 
overall movement and success. (This might mean, for example, moving from merely your position during 
class discussion to striving to promote dialogue between yourself and other students). In addition to your 
required short papers, what else you bring to share need not be written out but should refer to specific 
passages in the reading as the basis for formulating a broader discussion topic or questions. Reading 
quizzes may happen relatively frequently to ensure the quality of our discussions. 
Coming to class and saying you are "frustrated" with the reading and thus have nothing to contribute is 
intellectually lazy and irresponsible. Shakespeare's language is demanding but rewarding; while there will 
be frustration with its complexity at times, this course understands the complexity as part of the challenge 
to which we aspire to rise during the semester. 
We will meet on January 16th by the racquetball courts at the SRC and (on designated days in the Great 
Hall in Pemberton) for performance activities. Please wear comfortable clothing and sneakers. On the 
Shakespearean stage, the presence of the actor was known as "the ability of the body.'' Our explorations of 
the language this term will include acts of interpretation performed. You will not be judged on acting ability; 
this side of the course is an opportunity to approach the act of interpretation in a different way than we do 
as scholars. There will be a (hopefully only initial) trepidation with and uncertainty surrounding this 
approach, and going outside of the traditional English "comfort zone" will yield insightful results on their 
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own but also in tandem with classroom discussion. For these sessions, wear comfortable clothing and 
preferably sneakers. There will be badminton. 
class preparation 
In addition to your written assignments, what else you bring to share need not be written out (although you 
may be asked to do so) but should refer to specific passages in the reading as the basis for formulating 
a broader discussion topic. Come to class with an agenda. That means coming with lucrative questions 
that you think the texts are asking with their form and content, not simply questions you have about the 
texts. In addition, you may also wish to read the introductions to our plays, although I would advise doing so 
AFTER you have read each play; consider this sentence a formal spoiler alert Besides preparation, class 
participation also means responding constructively, respectfully, and energetically to what other 
seminarians share, that you work actively to stretch yourself intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually. In 
short, you are expected to work actively to contribute to the class's overall movement and to strive to 
promote dialogue between yourself and other seminarians. I TAKE THIS GRADE VERY SERIOUSLY. 
production activities 
You are required to attend two production-related activities this semester (choosing among two 
performances, a Macbeth rehearsal, a Macbeth panel, a Shakespeare birthday April event) and write brief 
pieces on what you see. Details will be forthcoming. 
late papers 
These are no fun for me to keep track of and only put you further behind. For each day beyond the 
scheduled due date, late papers will be penalized a third of a letter grade. After a week, I will no 
longer accept the paper, and it becomes a ·o. •Again, if you become ill or the victim of emergency 
circumstances, please email me as soon as possible and stay in touch. 
cell phone and computer use 
You may bring your computer to class with you, assuming that you use it in a scholarly and responsible 
fashion. This means that you will only have applications and windows related to the current discussion 
open. You may not check email, news, or box scores, surf the web, use chat applications, play games, 
or otherwise distract yourself and those around you from the class conversation with your computer. 
You are likewise expected to use cell phones in a responsible manner: turn them off when you come 
in to class. If you have an emergency for which you must be available, you must discuss it with me 
beforehand and keep your phone on vibrate. Under no conditions are you allowed to text message, 
take pictures or video (illegal in class), play games, or use the eel! phone in any other manner during c!ass. 
The nature of our scholarly endeavor together necessitates mutual respect and dedicated attention during 
the too short time we have to discuss these texts. Violating any of these policies will result in your 
participation grade being lowered by a full letter grade for each violation. 
academic integrity 
Any paper with your name on it signifies that you are the author-that the wording and major ideas are 
yours, with exceptions indicated by either quotation marks and/or citations. Plagiarism is the 
unacknowledged use (appropriation and/or imitation) of others' materials (words and ideas). We will 
discuss how to avoid it. Evidence of plagiarism will result in one or more of the following: a failing grade for 
the assignment, an F in the course, and a report filed with the Student Standards Office . 
special needs and situations 
If you have a documented disability and wish to receive academic accommodations, please contact the 
Office of Disability Services (581-6583) as soon as possible. 
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a final historical note 
In the fall of 1926, a DEN article entitled "Shakespeare Class Without Pilot" reported that English 46 was 
engaged in what was described as an "experiment" due to the sudden absence of faculty member Miss 
McKinney. The situation had necessitated students rethinking their classroom roles, becoming more active 
in the production and performance of meaning by taking turns supplying the class lectures. Supposedly, 
"enthusiasm reigned supreme" as "discussions [were] worthwhile," their "success [depending] large on 
team-work." While we will assiduously attempt to avoid lecturing by anyone, English 3892 will deliberately 
conduct itself as an homage to English 46's unintentional innovation 
Eng 3892: Shakespeare Dr. Wixson 
course calendar 
**Because this schedule can and probably wi!! change, it is imperative that you bring it to each class 
meeting so as to make the appropriate revisions. 
January 
February 
14 Course Introduction 
16 Meet at Racquetball Courts at the SRC 
Read Bedford: pp.1-3; 109-14; 123-7; 134-7; 194-7; 221-4 
21 Taming of the Shrew I Inductions, Act One I Word cards 
Bedford: pp. 81-5; 253-53; 265-8 (Marriage, Gender, and Economics) 
23 Taming of the Shrew/ Acts One and Two/ Seed Paper #1 due (1-M) 
28 Taming of the Shrew/ Acts Three and Four/ Word Cards 
30 Taming of the Shrew/ Act Five/ Alternate Ending Seed #1 due (P-Z) 
Bedford: pp. 285-90 ("Homily of the State of Matrimony") 
4 Meet in Great Hall (Pemberton Hall)/ Performing Shrew 
6 Macbeth I Act One I Seed #2 (A-F; G-H) 
Bedford: pp. 85-90 (Tragedy) 
11 Macbeth/ Act Two/ Word Cards 
13 Macbeth/ Act Three 
18 Macbeth /Act Four 
20 Macbeth I Act Five Seed #2 due (1-M / P-Z) 
**Macbeth pre-production panel Tuesday, 2/18/14 at 4:00 in the Doudna Theatre Classroom 
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25 Meet in Great Hall (Pemberton)/ Performing Macbeth 
27 Meet in Great Hall (Pemberton) 
**EIU's production of Macbeth opens - Trip details TBA 
March 4 Meet in Great Hall (Pemberton) 
6 Meet in Great Hall (Pemberton)/ Take-Home Midterm Exam Due 
HAPPY SPRING BREAKllll 
18 Hamlet 
20 Hamlet/ Seed #3 due (A-H) 
**Meet with Wixson to propose argument for second critical paper. 
25 Hamlet 
27 Hamlet/ Seed #3 due (1-Z) 
April 1 Hamlet 
3 Hamlet 
**English Studies Conference, April 5th 10:00-12:00 Coleman Hall 
8 Hamlet 
10 Hamlet 
**English Department Shakespeare Birthday event Wednesday, April 9th at 4:00 in the 1895 Room (Union) 
**U of l's production of Much Ado About Nothing opens - -Trip details TBA 
May 
15 The Winter's Tale 
i7 The Winter's Tale/ Seed #4 due (A-Z) 
22 The Winter's Tale 
24 
29 
1 
The Winter's Tale/ Second Critical Paper Due 
The Winter's Tale 
The Winter's Tale/ Evaluation 
**Final exam date: Wednesday, May 7th 8:00-10:00 AM 



ENG 3892-099: Shakespeare

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ENG 3892-099: Shakespeare

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