LAN 3322 (LUOA), ENGL 322 (LUO): Shakespeare

11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 05/22/2025

Course Description

Rationale

Shakespeare’s works are varied and often problematic. Critics continue to dispute whether Shakespeare’s emphasis is psychological, religious, social, or political; they question whether Shakespeare himself is Christian, pagan, or modern in his understanding. These controversies show us that we are dealing with the most complex and philosophical of playwrights. Our goal in this course is to approach Shakespeare with a respect for his greatness and difficulty, yet to do so without despair. Shakespeare wrote his plays to be viewed (and read), enjoyed, and understood. It is also our goal to see how this great writer deals with the great questions concerning human action, human will, and human passions; and, to the extent that seven plays and a few sonnets can tell us, what his view of man is.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview. 

Discussions (3)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to provide a thread in response to the provided prompt for each thread. Each thread must be 400–500 words, demonstrate course-related knowledge, and include at least 1 reference or quotation from the primary text and at least 1 additional reference or quotation from a second text (i.e., the Bible, secondary source, complementary play, etc.) to support the student’s claims. The student must follow instructions for specific citations that may be required for each prompt. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be 150–250 words and contain at least 1 reference or quotation from the primary text to support the student’s claims. All threads and replies must be thought-provoking, accurately understand and explain readings and connection to ideas, be clearly focused, be fully developed and supported with examples, and offer significant contribution. All posts must use appropriate vocabulary, precise word choice, sentence variety, and mostly active verbs, and each post must be free of glaring grammar errors.

Sonnet Analysis Assignment

The student will write a 2-page analysis in current MLA format that focuses on provided prompts and addresses one or two sonnets (not necessarily those included in the assigned readings). The response must include specific reference to and brief quotation of passages in the sonnet(s) to support the student’s claims, closely following current MLA format rules for documentation. The student’s thoughts must be clearly and carefully presented and well connected to the sonnet(s), with strong, logical connections, clear sentences, and helpful transitions throughout. The assignment is not a formal essay, but it must correctly follow formatting guidelines. It must include the MLA heading, be double spaced, and use 12-point Times New Roman font. First person is acceptable but should not be overused. The submission must adhere to the rules of standard academic English (grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.)

Hamlet Reflection Assignment

The student will write a 2-page analysis in current MLA format that focuses on Shakespeare’s Hamlet and provided prompts. The reflection must include specific reference to and brief quotation of passages in Hamlet to support the student’s claims, closely following current MLA format rules for documentation. The student should avoid merely summarizing the play, and the student’s thoughts must be clearly and carefully presented and well connected to the play, with strong, logical connections, clear sentences, and helpful transitions throughout. The assignment is not a formal essay, but it must correctly follow formatting guidelines. It must include the MLA heading, be double spaced, and use 12-point Times New Roman font. First person is acceptable but should not be overused. The submission must adhere to the rules of standard academic English (grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.)

Research Paper Thesis and Introduction Assignment

This assignment, along with the Research Paper Works Cited Assignment, will form the basis of the Research Paper Assignment. The student must read the Research Paper Assignment Instructions and select 1 essay approach (comparative, critical, historical, adaptation, or character analysis) before starting this assignment. Once the student has selected 1 or more of the plays read in class and an aspect of the play(s) upon which to write a research paper, the student will propose a clear, working thesis and write a 5–7-sentence introduction in current MLA format. The thesis statement should be 1 sentence, be placed at the end of the introduction paragraph, and make a specific, arguable claim that will be supported throughout the paper. The thesis and introduction should be interesting and written with clarity and precision for the sake of the reader. Any citations used must follow the rules of MLA. This assignment will become a formal essay and must correctly follow formatting guidelines. It must include the MLA heading, be double spaced, use 12-point Times New Roman font, and omit first person/slang/contractions. The submission must adhere to the rules of standard academic English (grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.)

Henry VIII Reflection Assignment

The student will write a 2-page analysis in current MLA format that focuses on Shakespeare’s Henry VIII and provided prompts. The reflection must include specific reference to and brief quotation of passages in Henry VIII to support the student’s claims, closely following current MLA format rules for documentation. The student should avoid merely summarizing the play, and the student’s thoughts must be clearly and carefully presented and well connected to the play, with strong, logical connections, clear sentences, and helpful transitions throughout. The assignment is not a formal essay, but it must correctly follow formatting guidelines. It must include the MLA heading, be double spaced, and use 12-point Times New Roman font. First person is acceptable but should not be overused. The submission must adhere to the rules of standard academic English (grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.)

Research Paper Works Cited Assignment

This assignment, along with the Research Paper Thesis and Introduction Assignment, will form the basis of the Research Paper Assignment. The student must read the Research Paper Assignment Instructions and select one essay approach (comparative, critical, historical, adaptation, or character analysis) before starting this assignment. Once the student has selected one or more of the plays read in class and an aspect of the play(s) upon which to write a research paper, the student will conduct scholarly, academic research. For this assignment, the student will provide a minimum of 6 relevant, peer-reviewed, scholarly secondary sources on a Works Cited page in current MLA format. Online sources may be used as long as they meet these standards. This assignment will become a formal essay and must correctly follow formatting guidelines. It must include the MLA heading, be double spaced, use 12-point Times New Roman font, omit first person/slang/contractions, and follow MLA formatting for citations. Two valuable starting points, the Jerry Falwell Library and the Folger Shakespeare Library, can be found under Research Paper Works Cited Resources on the assignment page in Canvas.

Research Paper Assignment

The student will select one essay approach listed in the assignment instructions (comparative, critical, historical, adaptation, or character analysis) and write a 6-page research-based paper in current MLA format that focuses on one or more of the plays read in class (it is strongly suggested to work closely with no more than 2 plays, as it will be difficult to develop a focused argument with more).

The paper must include at least 6 reliable, scholarly secondary sources in addition to the primary course texts and the Bible, with a properly formatted Works Cited page that includes the Shakespeare text(s) used. The Works Cited page will not be included in the total page count. Suggested types of resources include literary criticism, historical, psychological, and theological sources that are peer-reviewed or published in a reputable journal, newspaper, magazine, or book. Online sources may be used as long as they meet these standards.

The student must develop a thesis about the play and support his/her claim(s), with key points in the paper supported by evidence and well-chosen, appropriate, and relevant details. The thesis must clearly and specifically state the student’s position on an issue, reflect in-depth understanding of the subject, and avoid regurgitating ideas established in discussions with classmates, lectures, reading notes, etc. It is permissible to use previous course assignments as a basis; however, the thesis must be unified, and the information cannot be copied and pasted from a previous assignment unless it is developed directly from the Research Paper Thesis and Introduction Assignment and the Research Paper Works Cited Assignment, which will form the basis of the Research Paper Assignment.

The assignment is a formal essay and must correctly follow formatting guidelines. It must include the MLA heading, be double spaced, use 12-point Times New Roman font, and omit first person/slang/contractions. Parenthetical and bibliographical source citations must be used correctly and appropriately. The assignment must demonstrate an orderly development of the thesis and supporting ideas, showing a clear, unified, and systematic progression of ideas and using different headings and subheadings where necessary to organize related ideas. The assignment must include an introduction, a body, and a clearly defined conclusion with clear topic sentences throughout. The submission must adhere to the rules of standard academic English (grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.)

The Merchant of Venice Reflection Assignment

The student will write a 2-page analysis in current MLA format that focuses on Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and provided prompts. The reflection must include specific reference to and brief quotation of passages in The Merchant of Venice to support the student’s claims, closely following current MLA format rules for documentation. The student should avoid merely summarizing the play, and the student’s thoughts must be clearly and carefully presented and well connected to the play, with strong, logical connections, clear sentences, and helpful transitions throughout. The assignment is not a formal essay, but it must correctly follow formatting guidelines. It must include the MLA heading, be double spaced, and use 12-point Times New Roman font. First person is acceptable but should not be overused. The submission must adhere to the rules of standard academic English (grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.)