ity University of Hong Kong Information on a ourse offered by epartment of English with effect from Semester in 2012 / 2013 Part I ourse Title: Shakespeare: Introduction to genius ourse ode: EN2842 ourse uration: 1 semester redit Units: 3 Level: 2 Medium of instruction: English Prerequisites: Nil Precursors: Nil Equivalent ourses: Nil Exclusive ourses: GE2406 Shakespeare: Introduction to genius Part II 1. ourse ims: This course aims to help student gain insight into the genius of Shakespeare through a reading of some of his works and learning about his life and times. The course will provide students with the tools to understand and analyze Shakespeare s language as well as to discuss larger themes in Shakespeare s regarding timeless issues like love, jealousy, greed and death and how they can inform contemporary life. The course also provides training in watching performances of Shakespeare and evaluating them, incorporating the showing of film excerpts with reading and analyzing the texts. 2. ourse Intended Learning Outcomes (s) Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to: No. s Weighting 1. List and describe the major works of William Shakespeare and group them into genres: tragedies, comedies, histories, romances and poems. 1
2. Explain the social and historical conditions of Elizabethan England as well as the conditions of Shakespeare s life and how these helped to shape his work. 3. Read Shakespeare s work with a high degree of understanding using various reading stragegies.. 4. iscover and interpret various figures of speech and poetic devices in Shakespeare s work and analyze their aesthetic effects.. iscover and analyze larger thematic issues in Shakespeare s work and discuss how they relate to contemporary life. 6. reatively interpret a scene or speech from a Shakespeare play in the form of a performance and critically evaluate and debate the merits of other performances of a Shakespere plays, considering such factors as staging, costimes, music and actors interpretations of the lines. 3. Teaching and learning ctivities (TLs) (designed to facilitate students achievement of the s) No. s 1-2-4 & s 3 to 6 s 4 & s 1 to 6 TLs The instructor delivers interactive multimedia lectures in which the history, biography and work of Shakespeare as well as the use of various literary techniques are explained and illustrated. Students engage in interactive dramatic readings of Shakespeare s works which integrate dramatic interpretation with analysis. Students watch excerpts of films of Shakepeare s plays as well as films about his life and times and discuss these renderings based on their knowledge of the text. Students discuss and debate various interpretations of Shakespeare s work and the implcations of these interpretations. Students present perpared dramtic renderings of a scene from one of Shakespeare s plays and discuss their interpretation to the based on what they have learned about Shakespeare s life and works. Students evaluate their classmates performances. Hours/Weeks 2
4. ssessment Tasks/ctivities (designed to assess how well the students achieve the S) No Type of assessment tasks/activities Weighting Remarks s 1 & 2 Multimedia oral quizes in which students respond in teams to questions about Shakespeare s life and times and his major works. 20% s 1, 3, 4 & Written explication of a monologue or dialogue Students choose a short monologue or dialogue from one of Shakespeare s plays and writes and essay explaining it s meaning, noting the figures of speech used and discussing the theme/s and implications of the text. 30% s 1, 3 & 6 ramatic presentation Students work in groups to present a creative interpretation of the scene or monologue they chose for the written explication in the form of a short video and discuss why they interpreted the scene the way they did. 30% s ilm review 20% & 6 Student s write a short review of a film based on a Shakespeare play, critiquing various thematic and technical aspects of the film.. Grading of Student chievement: Refer to Grading of ourses in the cademic Regulations Grading pattern: Standard (+,, -.). Grading is based on student performance in assessment tasks/activities. Explication ble to explicate the passage clearly and insightfully, identifying key literary devices, accurately summarizing meaning, relating the passage to the work as a whole and synthesizing points into a coherent argument expressed in clear and accurate English. ble to explicate the passage clearly, identifying some key literary devices, accurately, summarizing meaning, relating the passage to the work as a whole and expressing points in accurate English. ble to explicate the passage clearly, identifying some literary devices, summarizing meaning, and expressing points in moderately accurate English. ble to identify some literary devices and summarize meaning with 3
moderate accuracy. Unable to accurately summarize meaning and/or identify relevant literary devices. ramatic Performance ble to dramatically render the scene with appropriate phrasing, pronunciation, gestures and movements in a way that demonstrates accurate and insightful interpretation of characters and dramatic action. ble to dramatically render the scene with appropriate phrasing, pronunciation, gestures and movements in a way that demonstrates thoughtful interpretation of characters and dramatic action. ble to dramatically render the scene with phrasing, pronunciation, gestures and movements in a way that demonstrates some understanding of characters and dramatic action. ble to dramatically render the scene with phrasing, pronunciation, gestures and movements. Unable to dramatically render scene. ilm Review ble to critically analyze the film by describing and analyzing the director and actors interpretation of the characters and dramatic action, using appropriate principles, providing ample arguments and evidence, in clear and accurate English. ble to critically analyze the film by describing and analyzing the director and actors interpretation of the characters and dramatic action, using principles, providing arguments and evidence, in clear and accurate English. ble to critically analyze the film by describing and analyzing the director and actors interpretation of the characters and dramatic action in clear and moderately accurate English. ble to analyze the film by describing and analyzing some aspects of the director and actor interpretation of the characters and dramatic action. Unable to analyze the film and/or to express ideas in accurate English. 4
Part III Keyword syllabus 1. Shakespeare s life and times 2. Sonnets 3. The Romances 4. The Tragedies. The omedies 6. The Histories 7. ramatic structure in Shakespeare 8. Understanding Shakespearian language 9. Poetic devices 10. Thematic interpretations 11. ramatic rendering and performance 12. Evaluating and analyzing dramatic language and performance Recommended reading simov, I. (2003 ) guide to understadning and enjoying the works of Shakespeare. Gramercy. ryson,. (2007) Shakespeare: The world as stage. Eminent Lives. The omplete Works of William Shakespeare (1997 Wordsworth Edition) Various films including: Henry V, (194). irected by Lawrence Olivier. Macbeth, (1948). irected by Orson Welles (War of the Worlds, nimal arm, 1984). Hamlet, (1948). irected. by Lawrence Olivier. Othello, (192). irected by Orson Welles. Romeo and Juliet, (1968), directed by ranco Zeffirelli Macbeth, (1972), directed by Roman Polanski (itter Moon) William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, (1996), starring Leonardo i aprio and laire anes. irected by az Luhrman. Hamlet, (1996), starring Kenneth ranagh, Richard ttenborough, Judi ench, illy rystal and Kate Winslet. irected by Kenneth ranagh. Twelfth Night, (1996), starring Helena onham arter, Nigel Hawthorne, en Kingsley, Imogen Stubbs and Mel Smith. irected by Trevor Nunn. Looking for Richard, (1996), directed by l Pacino. Shakespeare in Love, (1998), starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Geoffrey Rush and Judi ench. irected by John Madden, written by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard. Loosely inspired by esario / Viola of Twelfth Night Or What You Will and Romeo and Juliet. 10 Things I Hate bout You, (1999), (based on The Taming of the Shrew), starring Julia Stiles and Heather Ledge. irected by Gil Junger. Midsummer s Night's ream, (1999), starring alista lockhart, Michelle Pfiffer. irected by Michael Hoffman.