TENTATIVE SYLLABUS Shakespeare’s Early Plays Joyce Van Dyke ENGL E-124, Fall 2015 [email protected] Tuesday 5:30-7:30 PM Office: Widener 772 53 Church Street, L01 Greta Pane (TA) https://canvas.harvard.edu/courses/4333 [email protected]
1. Schedule
Sept. 1 Introduction
Sept. 8* A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Sept. 15* A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Sept. 22* Richard III
Sept. 29* Richard III Exercise 1 assigned
Oct. 6* Henry IV, Part 1
Oct. 13 * Henry IV, Part 1 Exercise 1 due
Oct. 20* Henry V
Oct. 27* Hamlet
Nov. 3* Hamlet
Nov. 10* Hamlet Exercise 2 assigned
Nov. 17* Hamlet
Nov. 24 Acting Shakespeare
Dec. 1* Twelfth Night Exercise 2 due
Dec. 8 Twelfth Night Graduate term papers due
Dec. 15 Final exam
* Movie this week: see Movies below. Movies are optional but highly recommended.
2. Course Requirements
READING The only required reading is the texts of the plays. Each play should be read at least twice. Optional additional readings will be posted on the course website or handed out in class. Texts are available at the Harvard Coop in Harvard Square and online at Amazon.com: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Richard III, Henry IV (Part 1), Henry V, Hamlet, and Twelfth Night. The editions ordered are Modern Library Classics by Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen. If you decide to use a different edition, please be aware that all references made in class will be to the Bate/Rasmussen editions and that other editions will have different line numbers, page numbers, wording, etc.
EXERCISES The graded written Exercises are in lieu of exams or conventional papers. The format is short answers (one or more paragraphs) to specific text-based questions. Exercise 1 is about 5 pages; Exercise 2 is about 9-10 pages. A sample Exercise from a previous course will be posted on the website when the term begins.
SPEECHES One speech will be assigned each week to be learned by heart. The speeches will be “due” the last day of class when you will be asked to write them from memory as the Final Exam for the course. If you have special concerns about memorizing, please contact the instructor early in the semester.
FINAL EXAM The Final Exam consists exclusively of writing out the speeches you’ve learned during the semester. You have the full 2-hour exam period to do so. You will not be graded on spelling, punctuation, etc.
Special note for distance students: Extension School policy requires that if you live in one of the six New England states, you must be on campus to take the Final Exam. Otherwise, you are responsible for arranging for a proctor where you live to administer this exam. Please see For Distance Students below for further information.
GRADES – UNDERGRADUATE CREDIT Exercise 1 = 30% Exercise 2 = 60% Final Exam / Speeches = 10%
REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATE CREDIT • Exercise 1 (see Exercises above) • In lieu of Exercise 2, a 15-20 page term paper (topic to be chosen in consultation with the instructor) • Final Exam / Speeches by heart (see Speeches above) • Graduate seminar (a one-time meeting, TBA)
GRADES – GRADUATE CREDIT Exercise 1 = 30% Term Paper = 60% Final Exam / Speeches = 10%
3. Course website & lecture videos
The course website is https://canvas.harvard.edu/courses/4333.
In addition to using the website to keep up to date with assignments, you can use it to download course handouts the day before each class, turn in written assignments, participate in the discussion board, watch the movies during a 24-hour window on the weekends (see Movies below), and watch videos of the course lectures once you’ve logged in with your Harvard ID and PIN.
On the website you will find: • syllabus • livestream video of course lectures • recorded videos of course lectures (posted within 24 hours after class) • chat room (available during live lectures) • discussion board • weekly assignments • class handouts • sample Exercise • movie schedule (movies are optional) • current and upcoming productions (optional) • play pages, one page for each play in the course, with resources including source material (optional) • archive of all assignments and lecture topics • and more . . .
Special note for distance students: Videos of the lectures may be accessed via the website, either live or recorded. You can login to the Chat Room during live lectures with questions or comments. Recorded videos will be available within 24 hours after the class. You will need your Harvard ID and PIN in order to login to watch each lecture after the second week of classes. In case of technical difficulties while watching the video, press the “Report a problem” button and fill out a form to describe what happened. Someone from the technical support staff will get back to you ASAP. (Please note that the TA and I do not have the ability to resolve technical problems.) 4. For Distance Students
WELCOME! Please introduce yourself to the TA and me via email at the beginning of the course so we can get acquainted, just as if you were in the classroom. We’d love to hear from you. We welcome your full participation in the course and value your feedback.
For your convenience, distance-related matters on the syllabus are summarized here in one place. Please also consult the Extension School website about taking distance courses, which includes FAQs and a “Need Help?” link: http://www.extension.harvard.edu/distance-education/how-distance-education- works
FINAL EXAM The Final Exam consists of the speeches memorized during the course. Please consult the following link that explains your responsibilities in regard to the exam. Students living in New England must take the scheduled Final Exam on campus with the rest of the class. Other distance students are responsible for arranging for a proctor to administer the exam. http://www.extension.harvard.edu/distance-education/how- distance-education-works/academic-policy-exam-proctoring
COURSE LECTURE VIDEOS Lectures will be available to you on the website either live or recorded. Recorded lectures are posted by the video producer within 24 hours after the class. If you have technical difficulties while watching the video, press the “Report a problem” button on the video page. You can fill out a form to describe what happened and someone from the technical support team will get back to you ASAP. (Please note that the TA and I do not have the ability to resolve technical problems.)
MOVIES You will be able to watch the movies online during a 24-hour window (only), Saturday 3:00 PM through Sunday 3:00 PM, the weekend after the lecture. Unfortunately I am unable to make the movies available for a longer period of time; Harvard regulations limit them to a 24-hour window. However, most of the movies can also be rented from Netflix and some can be streamed. Some are also available elsewhere online.
SECTION Weekly section meetings in this course are optional. A weekly online section meeting will be led by Greta Pane, the TA, using the web-conference tool, Blackboard Collaborate (see Section). If you hope to participate in sections be sure to return the Survey which is available on the course website.
GENERAL ADVICE FOR DISTANCE STUDENTS Experienced distance students advise the following: • Make sure you have the technical requirements in place to watch the lecture videos before the course begins. • Watch the lectures in a quiet setting without significant interruptions. • Stay on schedule with the rest of the class in reading and assignments.
5. Section
Section meetings are optional but highly recommended. There will be two section meetings most weeks: one on-campus, and one via web-conferencing. All students, whatever their registration status, are welcome to participate in sections.
On-campus section meetings will be held immediately following the lecture on Tuesdays, from 7:40 to 8:30 PM.
Online sections will be scheduled after the first week of class, based on your availability as determined by the Survey (see Survey on the website.)
Please keep an eye on the Section page on the website for updates about these meetings during the semester.
Both on-campus and online sections will be led by the TA, Greta Pane (PhD, Harvard University). Greta was also the TA for Shakespeare’s Early Plays in 2013 and 2014. Below is her description of how to get started with online sections.
Getting Started On-line sections are like conversations conducted over Skype. A section lasts for about 50 minutes. For complete information on participating in the on-line sections, please see the Web-Conference Course Guidelines on the Extension School web site. (You will see, for instance, that you will need a headphone/microphone.) In addition, please visit Blackboard Collaborate’s first time users page and complete the four steps that are described on that page.
If you need help:
Contact DCE’s student computer support: [email protected] (617) 495-4024 Mondays through Fridays from 9 am to 5 pm eastern standard time (617) 998-8571 Mondays through Fridays, 5 pm to midnight; Saturdays, 9 am to 10 pm; and Sundays, noon to 10 pm eastern standard time.
6. Movies
The movies are optional but highly recommended. The schedule is below. Movies are available on-campus at the Lamont Library Language Resource Center (4th floor), as well as during the designated weekly 24-hour window on the course website. Please note that the 24-hour website restriction is a fixed Harvard rule. Unfortunately, I am not able to make the movies available to you on the website for a longer time.
If you are unable to watch the movies at Lamont or on the course website, you may be able to rent them from Netflix (and some can be streamed). Some of the movies are also available elsewhere online.
Watching movies at Lamont Library To watch movies at the Lamont LRC, you need either a Harvard ID or a Lamont LRC card to gain access to Lamont Library. Registered students can obtain Lamont LRC cards from the Extension School Registrar’s Office, 51 Brattle Street, 4th floor (M-F, 9-5). The movies will be available at Lamont throughout the semester. You can screen them for yourself, or for a small group, pending availability of screening rooms (check with the LRC). Lamont LRC facilities and hours: https://lrc.fas.harvard.edu/Facilities/Lrc.php
Watching movies on the course website Movies will be available on the course website during a 24-hour window (only), from Saturday 3:00 PM to Sunday 3:00 PM on most weekends following the Tuesday lecture, according to the schedule below. Go to the Recorded Class Videos page of the website to watch the movies. (Again, please note that it is a Harvard rule to restrict this window to 24 hours only; unfortunately I am unable to make the movies available to you on the website for a longer time.)
This movie schedule is also posted on the website’s Movies page. The left-hand dates below are the class lecture dates. At the end of each entry are the dates when the movies are available online, from Saturday 3:00 PM to Sunday 3:00 PM.
Sept 8 A Midsummer Night’s Dream (RSC production dir. Peter Hall, w/Helen Mirren, Judi Dench, Diana Rigg, Ian Richardson, Ian Holm, David Warner, 124 min.) Sept 12-13.
Sept 15 A Midsummer Night’s Dream (dir. Michael Hoffman w/Kevin Kline, Calista Flockhart, Michelle Pfeiffer, Stanley Tucci, 120 min.) Sept 19-20.
Sept 22 Richard III (w/Laurence Olivier who also directed & produced, Ralph Richardson, John Gielgud, Claire Bloom, 158 min.) Sept 26-27.
Sept 29 Richard III (w/Ian McKellen, Annette Bening, Robert Downey, Jr., Nigel Hawthorne, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith, 104 min.) Oct 3-4.
Oct 6 Henry IV (Part 1) (BBC “An Age of Kings” mini-series production w/Robert Hardy, Sean Connery.) Oct 10-11.
Oct 13 Henry IV (Part 1) Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre production (dir. Dominic Dromgoole, w/Jamie Parker, Roger Allam, 167 min.) Oct. 17-18.
Oct 20 Henry V (dir. and starring Kenneth Branagh, Paul Scofield, Derek Jacobi, Judi Dench, Emma Thompson, 138 min.) Oct. 24-25.
Oct 27 Hamlet (RSC production dir. by Greg Doran, w/David Tennant, Patrick Stewart, 182 min.) Oct 31 - Nov 1.
Nov 3 Hamlet (dir. and starring Laurence Olivier, 153 min.) Nov 7-8.
Nov 10 Hamlet (dir. Grigori Kosintsev, w/Innokenti Smoktunovsky, in Russian with English subtitles, trans. Boris Pasternak, 140 min.) Nov 14-15.
Nov 17 Hamlet (dir. and starring Kenneth Branagh, w/Julie Christie, Derek Jacobi, Kate Winslet, Billy Crystal, 4 hours.) Nov 21-22.
Dec 1 Twelfth Night (dir. Trevor Nunn, w/ Helena Bonham Carter, Ben Kingsley, Imogen Stubbs, 134 min.) Dec 5-6.
7. Other resources
The following resources are all optional.
BOOKS ON RESERVE AT GROSSMAN LIBRARY
Grossman Library on the 3rd floor of Sever Hall is the Extension School’s reserve library. Books may be read at Grossman only.
John Barton, Playing Shakespeare Charles Boyce, Shakespeare A to Z Northrop Frye, Northrop Frye on Shakespeare Michael Pennington, Hamlet: A User’s Guide Michael Pennington, Twelfth Night: A User’s Guide Peter Saccio, Shakespeare’s English Kings Antony Sher, Year of the King
VIDEO
The following superb series are available from Netflix.
Slings & Arrows, fictional Canadian TV series about a Shakespeare theatre company.
Playing Shakespeare, Royal Shakespeare Company Artistic Director John Barton directs RSC actors (including Judi Dench, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart) as they explore features of Shakespeare’s language and dramaturgy. The text of this series is on reserve at Grossman Library: see above. Some episodes are also available on Youtube.
ONLINE RESOURCES
Shakespeare’s Words online: a glossary and more: http://www.shakespeareswords.com/
David Crystal’s site on Original Pronunciation (OP), with a few recordings you can listen to: http://www.pronouncingshakespeare.com/
Shakespeare concordance http://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/concordance/
Folger Shakespeare Library http://www.folger.edu/welcome.htm
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust http://www.shakespeare.org.uk/home.html
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre (the new Globe in London) http://www.shakespearesglobe.com/
Shakespeare’s Restless World http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/shakespeares-restless-world/
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare http://shakespeare.mit.edu/
For iPad users, an app for Shakespeare’s sonnets: http://www.theverge.com/2012/7/2/3131600/digital-print-oral-shakespeares- sonnets-for-ipad
Please bring to our attention other online resources you find helpful.
8. Harvard Extension School Policies
DISABILITY
The Disability Services Office offers a variety of accommodations and services to students with documented disabilities. For more information, visit www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-policies/resources/disability-services- accessibility.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Please familiarize yourself with Harvard Extension School policies on academic integrity (www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-policies/student-conduct/academic- integrity.)