100 and 200 Level Shakespeare Courses at Some U.S. Universities and Colleges

Notations collected in May 1999

Please email David Cope at dcope@grcc.cc.mi.us or at decope@yahoo.com

for additions or replacements.

200 Level Shakespeare Courses at Some Major Universities and Colleges

Duke University

English 143: Shakespeare before 1600. no prerequisite. Selected works written by Shake-speare before 1600 with their history and present importance. Assignments: We will read three tragedies (Titus Andronicus, Romeo and Juliet, and Julius Caesar), four history plays (Richard II, 1 and 2 Henry IV, and Henry V), five comedies (A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Merchant of Venice, Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, and Twelfth Night) and selected criticism. The text will be The Riverside Shakespeare, second edition, and others. Exams: mid-term, final. Term papers: one short, one long.

English 144: Shakespeare after 1600. no prerequisite. This course will focus on how Shakespeare's plays relate to those of his rival playwrights in the competing dramatic companies of London in the early 17^th century. The primary Shakespearean texts will be Hamlet, The Merchant of Venice, Measure for Measure, Othello, King Lear, and The Winter's Tale. Rival plays will include: Tourneur's Revenger's Tragedy, Marlowe's The Jew of Malta, Jonson's Bartholomew Fair, and Heywood's A Woman Killed with Kindness. Assignments: In addition to the plays, I will recommend one book on general stage history (one of Andrew Gurr's studies) or on the Shakespearean audience (Ann Jennalie Cook). Exams: none. Term papers: two short, comparative papers. Grade to be based on: The two papers, class discussion, and discussion topics to be turned in before we take up each of Shakespeare's plays.

Harvard University

English 90fe. Shakespeare's English History Plays. [This course is open to sophomores, but preference is given to junior English "concentrators." Harvard's system of undergraduate courses appears in general to be more fluid than most—i.e. courses are not designated per se as "sophomore," "junior," etc., and from the department description, it appears that students are given choices according to their discussions with individual faculty advisors]. Half course (spring term). Studies of the English History Plays in the order Shakespeare wrote them: Henry VI, parts one, two, and three, Richard III, Henry IV, parts one and two, and Henry V. Concludes with Julius Caesar to illuminate shifts in theme and mood Shakespeare was able to effect in changing from the English to the classical Roman scene. Raises questions of the meaning and purpose of his- tory, the place of religion and the supernatural, the role of women, the definition of honor, and the meaning of authority in Shakespeare's world.

Michigan State University

English 221 Introduction to Shakespeare. 03 cr. This course will introduce students to the study of Shakespeare by looking at some of his Sonnets as well as five of his plays, including four that have been made into films relatively recently: Romeo and Juliet, Henry V, Richard III, and Hamlet. Students will have opportunities to see videotapes of productions of each play we study, and class meetings will include analysis and discussion of clips from different productions of a given play. Grades will be based on a series of quizzes, a mid-term essay-style examination, and a final examination. Honors options available.

Ohio State University

English 220 Introduction to Shakespeare. 5 credits ]Note: OSU operates on aquarterly system]. This course is designed to introduce students to Shakespeare through several of his major plays, including those in the genres of Comedy, Tragedy, Romance, and History.

English H220 Honors: Introduction to Shakespeare. 5 credits. In this course we will read and study intensively in Shakespeare's works—not only several of the plays, not only his sonnets and narrative poetry, but even his last will and testament—in order to find out what it is, if anything, that makes Shakespeare as great as people say he is (and as I believe he is). Text: Stephen Greenblatt, et al, ed. The Norton Shakespeare. Requirements: Regular attendance and active participation; at least three papers; occasional additional assignments in class or out. L. Wilson.

Reed College

English 242: Introduction to Drama: Shakespeare, Text and Performance.

Stanford University

English 273: Shakespeare: "The Voice of a Whole Epoch."

The State University of New York: Binghamton

English 245: Shakespeare. A study of about seven of Shakespeare's better plays, designed to show the range and diversity of his work. Course objective: to better understand and enjoy Shakespeare. Sequence of plays to be governed by both theme and chronology. For both majors and non-majors. Format: A large lecture course, with discussion sections. Attendance at lecture is required. Midterm, final exam, course paper, and various section-specific assignments (journals, discussion questions, short papers, or oral presentations, etc.)

The University of Arizona

English 231: Shakespeare's Major Plays. (3 credits) A close reading of six to eight plays, includ-ing a comedy, a history, a tragedy, and a tragicomedy.

The University of Maryland (Baltimore campus)

English 250 Shakespeare. (3 credits). An introduction to the times and art of Shakespeare through the study of a selection of major plays. Students will be given background information ne- cessary to an understanding of the works. The emphasis of the course will be on making Shakespeare and the dramatic form accessible. Intended primarily for non-majors, but may be used to fulfill the Shakespeare requirement for English majors.

The University of Michigan

English 267 Shakespeare. . . . Students will read several of Shakespeare's plays and a sampling of criticism designed to illuminate them from a number of angles. Lectures will be focused in part on matters of stage presentation and in part on matters of critical history. Taken together, these approaches should enable us to see how the play texts continually re-form themselves in res- ponse to pressures from both the stage and the study. I will be choosing plays from every period of Shakespeare's career and from most of the genres in which he worked. Students will be expected to write three or four short response papers and one major essay, participate in a group project, attend class regularly, join in daily discussion periods, and successfully complete a final examination. (Jensen).

The University of Minnesota

English 1181: Intro: Shakespeare. (Professor Tom Clayton notes that U Minnesota is "in transi- tion from quarter to semester system": English 1181 is a semester replacement course for English 1241, which was the U Minnesota quarterly course; the course is "a lower-division course primarily for non-English majors" and "covers eight plays."). Clayton's description of English 1241 is as follows: Shakespeare had the good fortune to be born an imaginative genius at a time when a multicultural modern English was aborning and enabling the creation of a literature and drama of extraordinary richness, social comprehensiveness, and power of perception. His gift for creating dramatic actions that are extravagant, familiar, profound, and funny by turns, was comple- mented by a verbal ability to express those actions in variegated and probing language. It initially seems a little remote, but readily comes into focus and technicolor for most willing to make the effort. . . this heads-on course aims to introduce serious and lively students to 8-10 representative plays, with some attention to contemporary contexts and antecedents, continuing social relevance, and some recent productions; and to provide them with the resources to understand Shakespeare on their own and make him a welcome, stimulating, and instructive part of their permanent mental apparatus and imaginative well-being. Work load: 2 exams, 2 papers, 8-10 plays plus 1-2 supplementary books; quiz every class. Exam format: some objective questions but substantially essay, typically including synthesis, comparison, and analysis of passages.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

English 207: Shakespeare: An Introduction. (3 credits). Readings in the major plays, with em- phasis on essentials of character, plot, themes, language, and staging.

The University of Virginia

ENLT 224 Studies in Drama: The Music of Shakespeare. (Ms. Winnie Chan). "Music oft hath such a charm / To make bad good, and good provoke to harm," the Duke famously avers to Mariana in Measure for Measure. This seminar will introduce students to Shakespeare's plays and perhaps a selection of sonnets. These text oft hath such a charm for composers that adap- tations of Shakespeare abound in various musical media, including songs, symphonies, musicals, and, of course, opera. We will examine these adaptations as just the ways in which people have interpreted Shakespeare. Students will approach musical works primarily through audio or video recordings.

. . . Among Shakespeare's works, we will be reading five plays (which will likely be drawn from Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth, The Merry Wives of Windsor, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and The Taming of the Shrew) and a selections of sonnets. Availability at Clem- ons and the Music Library permitting, we will become acquainted with the music of Gounod, Bernstein, Tchaikovsky, Reimann, Vaughn Williams, Porter, Mendelssohn,, Finzi, and that notoious Shakespeare aficionado, Verdi. . . .Requirements will include response papers, class pre- sentations, two five- to six-page essays (one of which will be revised, and active class participa- tion.

ENLT 250 Shakespeare: Brawling Love & Loving Hate: Love and War in Shakespeare.

(Ms. Melissa Kennedy). In Shakespeare's plays and sonnets, social order is as likely to be disrupted by love as by war. Love is often described in terms of siege and conquest, while war is compared to wooing. IN this introduction to Shakespeare's works, we will focus our attention on the tension between social stability and passion of all kinds in the plays and sonnets. The course has two primary goals. First, students will develop their close reading and critical thinking skills through careful attention to the structural details of Shakespeare's works. We will examine the conventions of the sonnet, and of plays from each of Shakespeare's genres: comedy, tragedy, history, romance, and a "problem-play." Second, students will develop their critical writing abili- ties. Writing workshops in which drafts are discussed will be part of the course. Course require- ments will include active class participation, regular written responses to the readings, 3 five-page papers, and a final exam. The course reading list will include the following: selected sonnets, As You Like It, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Henry V, The Tempest, and Measure for Measure.

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100 & 200 Level Shakespeare Courses at Michigan Colleges (other than

U of M and MSU)

Alma College

English 230. Shakespeare on Film. (4 credits). Study of Shakespeare's plays from the perspectives of text and film. Emphasis on understanding selected plays, comparing different interpreta- tions and comprehending different cinematic styles.

Eastern Michigan University

LITR 210: Introduction to Shakespeare. (3 credits). An introduction to at least five of Shake- speare's plays with emphasis upon the tragedies. Preq.: One literature course or department permission.

Grand Valley State University

English 212 Introduction to Shakespeare. An introduction to the foremost poet and dramatist in the English language. To complement the students' reading, film versions of several plays will ordinarily be presented. General Education course AH/B. Prerequisite: Fulfillment of the freshman writing requirement and completion of at least one literature course. Three credits. Offered fall and winter semesters.

Oakland University

English 105 Shakespeare. (4 credits). A general introduction to representative dramatic works of Shakespeare. For students seeking an English elective or a course to satisfy the unversity gen- eral education requirement in literature.

Western Michigan University

English 252: Shakespeare. (4 credit hours). David Cope. Western's Shakespeare class varies depending upon the instructor, involving the study of four to seven plays. In my classes, we study seven plays (the line-up varies from semester to semester) and do exercises involving the sonnets, an editing exercise ("to be or not to be" in Q1, Q2, F1, the Riverside, and Oxford editions), and a source study exercise utilizing speeches from Henry V, Coriolanus, and Hamlet and focusing on comparing the Shakespearean text with its source to explore how he worked with his sources. Classes involve some lecture, in-class reading, and discussion, but as the semester progresses, students work more and more in groups, blocking scenes and performing them with book in hand, with discussions growing out of their enactments. When possible, we also attend stage performances of Shakespeare plays at Miller Auditorium or at the University Theatre. Course requirements: a five-page essay exploring issues related to a play not covered in class; a midterm essay based on issues raised by plays covered in class; a longer essay based on social and cultural issues as they relate to Shakespeare's plays; and a final exam essay, based on issues raised by plays covered in class.

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200 Level Shakespeare Courses at Michigan Community Colleges

Henry Ford Community College:

ENG 241 Shakespeare (3 credit hours). Prerequisite: A grade of C or better in English 131. Includes reading, discussion, and written analysis of from six to eight of Shakepeare's comedies, histories, and tragedies. The emphasis is on understanding the living Shakespeare, a dramatist of great power who raises issues relevant to our own times. Films and recordings are used as supplementary materials.

Jackson Community College

English 252: Shakespeare. (3 credits). Students read representative plays and are introduced to the Elizabethan world. This course emphasizes developing understanding, appreciation, and critical analysis. Prerequisite: English 131.

Kalamazoo Valley Community College:

Eng 206 Shakespeare. Students will read and exmaine selected poetry and plays by William Shakespeare. This course will place Shakespeare's writings within the context of his time and society while exploring those themes that speak to a modern "video-age" audience. (PRERE- QUISITE: ENG 110).

Washtenaw Community College

English 200: Shakespeare. 3 credits. No prerequisites. This course provides introductory read- ing and discussion of the varieties of Shakespeare's plays: comedy, history, tragedy, and dramatic romance. All periods of Shakespeare's work are represented. Wherever possible, the opportunity to view performances, either live or on film, is made available.

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