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Shakespeare as Popular Culture

Shakespeare’s plays are designed to entertain. They were written for the popular stage, and over the last four centuries they have been taken up in a variety of media for audiences all around the world.

This course will investigate Shakespeare’s art in relation to the commercial theater for which he wrote and the popular culture of the modern world: film, theater, and radio, but also graphic novels,tv shows, and pop songs. As we discuss these plays and their creative reworkings, we will touch on topics ranging from the politics of voice to the performance of mind and emotion, from the ethics of revenge to the fluidity of gendered identity.

Texts: William Shakespeare, Richard III, Macbeth, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing; Chie Kutsuwada,

In this class we will use a work-based system for assessment and grading. What this means is that we will outline baseline expectations for completed work in the class and offer tiered grading options.

If a student meets a given baseline by completing the number of assignments fully and in good faith, the student cannot earn less than the baseline grade. The aim is to accommodate students who are taking the course in various circumstances and to acknowledge that students will inevitably arrive with a range of expectations and goals. The hope is not only to create an environment that is less stressful and therefore more conducive to learning but also to redirect focus away from checking boxes for a grade and toward thoughtful engagement with the materials of the class. Studies have shown that in such models, students are more likely to take ownership of their thinking, writing, and overall engagement with the course. This system also makes grading as transparent as possible.

Since the course offers a central core of assignments that everyone must complete, one need not declare one’s trajectory at the outset or indeed at any particular point in the term. All assignments will be “graded” as “standards met” or “standards not met.” There are three grades baked into this model: C, B, and A.

“Passing” or C Option – The C option represents the baseline of the course. All students who wish to receive a grade of C or higher will at least do the following. Those who wish to receive a higher grade will elect to do more. C Option

Students who complete the following will pass the course with a grade of C or C+:

All assignments will be marked as “standards met” or “standards not met”; to receive the final grade in question all relevant assignments must meet the standards of the course. Satisfactory assignments will show a significant level of engagement. We are looking for a few fundamental things in student writing and thus in the assignments for this course. The assignments will be assessed with the following rubrics in mind:

Students sometime think that college courses call for bland writing with all the commas in the right places. While we appreciate a well-placed comma, for this course nothing could be further from the truth. For better or worse, we live in an attention economy. Grab your reader’s attention! In this class and for these assignments, that will necessarily entail interested and interesting engagement with the material at hand.

Two Quizzes

Portfolio

At the end of the term, you will gather your completed assignments in a single document. As part of this portfolio, you will also write up a 300-word reflection on these materials and your overall engagement with the course. By the time you gather the assignments for the portfolio, it should be clear what letter grade you will receive for the course. The final reflection offers you an opportunity to make a case for your grade in terms of + or -. For instance, if you’re worried that your grade might be drifting toward a C- or B- or A- and you feel this would be a mistake, make the case why you should receive a C or B or A instead. If you believe you have gone above and beyond in completing the assignments and deserve a C+ B+ or A+, make that case. To be clear, very few A+ grades are ever given out; these grades are reserved for truly exceptional performance.

Plagiarism and Academic Integrity

Plagiarism, or the reuse of original writing without proper citation and/or permission is a serious violation of academic integrity and is prohibited by university policy. Any act of plagiarism will result in an automatic failure of a given assignment, may result in failure of the course, and may lead to disciplinary action through the Office of Student Conduct. Other breaches of Academic Integrity, such as purchasing prewritten essays, reusing essays without substantial revision, or unauthorized co-writing will result in an automatic failure of a given assignment, may result in failure of the course, and may lead to disciplinary action through the Office of Student Conduct.

AI Tools / Large Language Models / Other Technological Assistance

In this course, we ask you for your honest engagement; again, we want to see your mind at work, to hear your voice. With this in mind, using large language models and other AI tools is prohibited.

Submissions generated with Large Language Models or any other AI tool will result in an automatic failure of a given assignment, may result in failure of the course, and may lead to disciplinary action through the Office of Student Conduct.