Schedule of MeetingsIII: Magic, Deportations, and Exorcisms:Theater as Alternative SpaceShakespeare TR 2:00 – 3:15 p.m.English 90 Broad 2100ASpring 2018Professor Arthur L. Little, Jr.Professor’s Office Info: Humanities Building (HB) 226; 206-7072; [email protected]’s Office Hrs: 3:30 – 5:30 PM, TuesdaysGabriel Mehlman, Teaching Assistant: HB A94; office hours: 12:00 – 2:00 PM; [email protected]: Mehlman: 1A 10:00F HB A40Mehlman: 1C 11:00F HB A32Schedule of MeetingsAprilT03 Introduction: Course LogisticsR05 Introduction: A Historical and Cultural Context for ShakespeareI: The Rites (and Rights) of Bodies:Theater as National SpaceT10/R12 Titus AndronicusT17/R19 A Midsummer Night’s DreamM23 Short Paper (2-3 pages)PAPERS DUE in your TA’s Mailbox and on TurnItIn by 5:00PMT24/R26 The Merchant of Venice MayT01/R03 Romeo and JulietT08 MIDTERM EXAMINATIONII: Closets of the Mind, Closets of the Body:Theater as Private SpaceR10/T15/R17 Hamlet1T22/R24 MacbethIII: Magic, Deportations, and Exorcisms:Theater as Alternative SpaceT29/R31 OthelloJuneM04 Longer Paper (4-6 pages)PAPERS DUE in your TA’s Mailbox and on TurnItIn by 5:00PMT05/R07 The TempestW13 FINAL EXAMINATION (8:00AM - 11:00AM)Course Objectives: Shakespeare’s command of the theater and our imagination, perhaps our “global” imagination is the centerpiece of our course. Students enrolled in this course will be introduced to the full expanse of William Shakespeare’s theater career, meaning we will study plays from the beginning, middle, and end of his career, as well as study some of the most conspicuous genres to be found in his repertoire: these include the genres of romantic comedy, history, tragedy, and romance. We will carry out our exploration of Shakespeare in part by learning to execute “close readings” of the plays we are studying and discussing. This means thatour course will be very attentive to language, imagery, and some of the formal properties of theater, especially during Shakespeare’s day. However so, our course is especially invested in helping students understand Shakespeare as a sign of cultural knowledge. Since at least the nineteenth century, if not before, to have culture (in Anglo-American societies and colonies) has gone hand-and-hand with “having” Shakespeare. Our course will explore some of the dimensions of the relationship between Shakespeare and culture as we do our close studies of individual plays. Throughout, our course will focus on a diversity of issues, ranging from formal literary ones to broader cultural ones. Our course will, for example, concern itself with issues of genre, historiography, nationalism, race, sexuality, religion, and psychology. While our course is an introduction to Shakespeare, we will not be interested in oversimplifications of Shakespeare. Our objective is to introduce students to the complexities, densities, beauty, elusiveness, and sometimes the startling simplicity of this playwright and phenomenon known as “Shakespeare.”Requirements: You are strongly encouraged to attend lectures, because lectures will focus on ideas and themes that you will not be able to get on your own from simply reading the plays, simply copying your friends’ notes, or looking up plays online or in other sources. Besides, examinations will depend heavily on material discussed in lectures and discussion sections. Please make every effort to have plays read in their entirety before our first lecture on that particular play. You will often find a second reading, post-lecture or post-discussion section, to be extremely helpful. You are required to attend and participate in your assigned discussion section; and you are required to have plays read in their entirety before the meeting of your sections. 2Please Take Special Note--Electronic Note-Taking and Recording Devices: If any student is found using any electronic devices for other than taking notes, there will be consequences. Lectures can only be recorded with the expressed permission of the professor (or, for sections, theteaching assistant). Cellphones and texting are strictly prohibited: students found chatting on thephone or texting will be asked to leave the lecture or discussion and can expect their overall course grade to be negatively impacted for each infraction. To reiterate, surfing the web is strictlyprohibited: students caught doing so will not be allowed to use any such enabled device during lecture or section for the duration of the term.Grade Distribution: The grade breakdown and completed requirements for the course are as follows: discussion section [15%], short paper [10%], midterm examination [20%], longer paper [25%], and final examination [30%]. All assignments must be completed (and in a timely fashion) in order to receive a passing grade for this course. Late work is not an option, and all extensions must be cleared with the professor.Texts: The main text for our course is the second edition of the Wadsworth Shakespeare (ASCULA Bookstore). Please clear any other edition with your teaching assistant: it’s only in your best interest that you should do so! BBC films of Shakespeare’s plays are available in the Media Library. Please note that viewing a film cannot replace your actually reading a play.Please Enjoy the Course!!! Pretending is