English 4150 DMWA Berggren
A Century of Renaissance Drama
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Bevington, David, Gen. Ed., and Lars Engle, Katharine Eisaman Maus, and Eric Rasmsussen. English Renaissance Drama: A Norton Anthology. New York: W.W. Norton, 2002.
English Renaissance Drama: A Norton Anthology has been ordered at both the College Bookstore and at Shakespeare & Co., and should be bought immediately. Every student is required to have the text for reference at each class meeting: there will be no formal lectures delivered in this course; rather, our method of study will emphasize close, collaborative reading of the materials assigned.
The Norton edition provides excellent background introductions and footnotes, but the headnotes to individual readings sometimes intrude on your right to make your own judgments about them. Your first responsibility is to read the primary texts. Don’t rely on the opinions of others and don’t worry if you have some trouble arriving at your own. Instead, come to class ready to ask about anything that you find difficult or important (or both). Plan to keep this book; get into the habit of making notes in the margins, so that you are prepared to offer comments in class. It will be much easier to write your papers and study for exams if you mark up the texts as you go.
You will profit from re‑reading each assignment after we finish our discussion of it. This is the point at which the editor’s introduction is also likely to be of most help.
Course Learning Goals
Students who successfully complete ENG 4150 should be able to
- interpret meaning in literary texts by paying close attention to an author’s choice of detail, vocabulary, and style
- articulate a critical evaluation of a literary work’s themes and methods
- write critical essays employing a strong thesis statement, appropriate textual citations, and contextual and inter-textual evidence for their ideas
- relate literary texts to each other in terms of historical period, stylistic and/or generic development, and an author’s career
Tentative Reading Schedule
Monday, 28 January Introduction
Wednesday, 30 January Norton, General Introduction, pp. xiii-lx; Thomas Kyd, The Spanish Tragedy, Act 1, pp. 3-21
Monday, 4 February The Spanish Tragedy, Act 2, pp. 22-31
Wednesday, 6 February The Spanish Tragedy, Act 3, pp. 31-60
Monday, 11 February The Spanish Tragedy, Act 4, pp. 60-72
Wednesday, 13 February John Lyly, Endymion, Act 1, pp. 75-88
Wednesday, 20 February Endymion, Acts 2-3, pp. 88-106
Monday, 25 February Endymion, Acts 4-5, pp. 106-28; SCENE STUDY 1
Wednesday, 27 February Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus Acts 1-2, pp. 245-268
Monday, 4 March Doctor Faustus, Acts 3-4, pp. 319-48
Wednesday, 6 March Doctor Faustus, Act 5, pp. 319-48; SCENE STUDY 2
Monday, 11 March Thomas Dekker, The Shoemaker’s Holiday, Prologue-Scene 6, pp. 483-504
Wednesday, 13 March The Shoemaker’s Holiday, Scenes 7-13, pp. 504-22
Monday, 18 March The Shoemaker’s Holiday, Scenes 14-21, pp. 522-42; SCENE STUDY 3
Wednesday, 20 March Mid-Term Examination
S P R I N G R E C E S S
Wednesday, 3 April Ben Jonson, Volpone, Act 1, pp.673-700
Monday, 8 April Volpone, Acts 2-3, pp.700-734
Wednesday, 10 April Volpone, Act 4, pp. 734-49; SCENE STUDY 4
Monday, 15 April Volpone, Act 5, pp. 749-71
Wednesday, 17 April John Webster, The Duchess of Malfi, Act 1, pp. 1749-70
Monday, 22 April The Duchess of Malfi, Acts 2-3, pp. 1770-1800; SCENE STUDY 5
Wednesday, 24 April The Duchess of Malfi, Acts 4-5, pp. 1800-30
Monday, 29 April Thomas Middleton and William Rowley, The Changeling, Act 1, pp. 1593-1611
Wednesday, 1 May The Changeling, Acts 2-3, pp. 1611-31
Monday, 6 May The Changeling, Acts 4-5, pp. 1631-56; SCENE STUDY 6
Wednesday, 8 May Philip Massinger, A New Way to Pay Old Debts, Act 1, pp. 1833-53
Monday, 13 May A New Way to Pay Old Debts, Acts 2-3, pp. 1853-78; SCENE STUDY 7
Wednesday, 15 May A New Way to Pay Old Debts, Acts 4-5, pp. 1878-1902
FINAL EXAMINATION Monday, 20 May
Course Requirements
READING AND DISCUSSING WHAT YOU HAVE READ: The texts we will be studying are difficult. You will be expected to come to class every day prepared to discuss what you have read; you should count on reading each assignment at least twice, once before and once after we have talked about it. This is not a lecture course: regular attendance is required and active class participation will count heavily toward your grade.
CLASS BLOG: We will have a course blog that will be set up by the end of the first week of classes. Students should post a substantial response to four of the semester’s eight plays on a schedule to be distributed on the first day of class. In addition, please comment on at least two postings discussing plays about which you have not initiated a post.
WRITING: In addition to frequent posting on our blog, you are responsible for a mid-term and a final examination and two papers. Appointments will be made for private conferences to discuss your written work after the first essay is returned, but you are invited to stop by my office or catch me after class whenever you have questions. The first of your two essays MUST be revised to receive a full grade; revision is optional for the second.
SCENE STUDY—PERFORMANCE AND CRITIQUE: Each student will participate in a team presentation to the class; topics will be distributed for you to choose among on the first day of classes and the assignment described in detail on a separate sheet.
ATTENDANCE: No more than four classes may be cut. Excessive lateness will be counted as a full class absence.
ACADEMIC HONESTY: The English Department fully supports Baruch College’s policy on Academic Honesty, which states, in part:
Academic dishonesty is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. Cheating, forgery, plagiarism and collusion in dishonest acts undermine the college’s educational mission and the students’ personal and intellectual growth. Baruch students are expected to bear individual responsibility for their work, to learn the rules and definitions that underlie the practice of academic integrity, and to uphold its ideals. Ignorance of the rules is not an acceptable excuse for disobeying them. Any student who attempts to compromise or devalue the academic process will be sanctioned.
If you are not sure what plagiarism entails, please seek additional information and definitions at http://www.baruch.cuny.edu/academic/academic_honesty.html
Please note that a report of suspected academic dishonesty will be sent to the Office of the Dean of Students.
GRADING POLICIES: You will be encouraged to revise the papers you hand in. Exams may not be revised. In determining your final grade, I will weigh your various contributions to the class in roughly these proportions:
Scene study 10%
Blog posts, comments, and 15%
class participation
First paper 15%
Midterm Examination 20%
Second paper 20%
Final examination: 20%
100%
OFFICE HOURS: Wednesday, 2:30-3:30 p.m., Thursdays, 9:00-10:30 a.m., and by appointment
646-312-3031
Room VC 7-271
E-mail: [email protected]
