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Pre Requisite Comment

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Co Requisite Comment

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Aims

In this course we will be dismantling the canonical status of William Shakespeare by examining his work and reputation in its original, collaborative, context. We will start by looking at the booming 'entertainment industry' that Shakespeare joined when he moved to London: how did collaborating with specific actors and writers shape his work? How did playwrights respond to Elizabethan 'culture wars' about the corrupting nature of the theatre? We’ll then move on to look at the way in which print was used to turn writers into celebrities, resulting in the ultimate mythologising of Shakespeare's natural genius. Throughout, we’ll be using digital resources to explore the material history of the early modern stage and page.

Outline Of Syllabus

This course is divided into 2 sections: ‘stage collaborators/competitors’ and ‘printing the Author’. In the first section we will look at the way collaboration in the Elizabethan theatre industry shaped plays we today tend to think of as singularly ‘Shakespearean’. We will think about the way rivalry and collaboration sparked innovation, and explore how Shakespearean plays participate in a wider cultural discussion about the power of the theatre. In the second section we will move our focus onto the printing house by looking at the role that print played in constructing and publicising the idea of a 'celebrity' Author. Where possible, we will handle and examine early printed books in the University Library’s Special Collections.

Intended Knowledge Outcomes

1) Have gained knowledge of the theatrical, literary and print culture of early modern England.
2) Demonstrate relevant knowledge of a range of early modern literary sources, and their predominant themes.
3) Have gained knowledge about the early modern cultural practice of collaborative authorship.
4) Have a familiarity with relevant conceptual and contextual approaches to the period.
5) Understand that literature is transformed as it moves between different historical periods, literary genres, and materialities.

Intended Skill Outcomes

1) Utilise appropriate methodologies and critical discourses in interpreting early modern texts.
2) Support claims with evidence, with the aid of relevant print and electronic resources.
3) Convey their own analysis in a clear and accessible style.
4) Assimilate information from a number of sources: literary, historical, and critical.
5) Extrapolate information or methodologies learned in the module, and apply it to other texts or contexts.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures will introduce the students to literary texts, material contexts, and critical paradigms.
Extra time at the end of the first block of lectures is budgeted to support students while they do their initial 'study group' seminar preparatory tasks.

Seminars will combine literary analysis of module texts with practical tasks to explore the material conditions of theatre and print. Both will develop students problem solving, analytical, and communication skills.

A combination of workshops and supervisory tutorials will be used to ensure that students are in a good position to prepare the necessary components of their portfolio assessment.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The weekly practice of writing a learning journal will enable students to identify a research theme and explore alternative modes of research communication for their final assessment. Portfolio 1 consists of a curation of 2 such entries, revised and expanded following formative feedback, and accompanied by a headnote synthesising information to form a new argument.

The formative assessment prepares students for the final assessment, by asking them to develop a preliminary essay plan. This will be peer reviewed and further developed in the final workshop, and the module leader will provide a supervisory tutorial based on this additional work.


Students can choose from the following three options for their final research project:
1) 2,500 word critical essay on an aspect of performance or print history, accompanied by a 500 word commentary explaining their research process.
2) A creative project (e.g. adaptation, story-board, set design) equivalent to 2,000 words, accompanied by a 1,000 word commentary explaining the academic research which underpins the project.
3) 12-15 minute educational recording (e.g. podcast or video) about a key concept from the module, accompanied by a 500 word commentary, explaining their research process.

Whichever format chosen, their choice must be driven by a clearly defined research question, to be developed via the midterm and formative assessment, and in supervisory tutorials.

General Notes

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