EL TEATRE DE SHAKESPEARE

2021-22
Group G2 (Clara Escoda)

El teatre de Shakespeare (third-year core), Teatre contemporani en anglès

(third-year core) and Teatre britànic contemporani: noves tendències
(fourth-year option) form the drama and performance component offered by the
Secció de Literatura Anglesa in the Departament de Llengües i Literatures
Modernes i d’Estudis Anglesos.

The course is taught entirely in English and students are expected to have a
proficient level of the language.

El teatre de Shakespeare aims to analyse three of the main tragedies by

Shakespeare. Students will be familiarised with some of the main theoretical
and critical models—liberal humanism and cultural materialism—so as to
critically approach the question of ‘tragedy’. These models, together with
perspectives based on feminism and race, are subsequently applied to the
study of Hamlet (c.1600), Othello (c.1603-4) and King Lear (c.1604-5). Students
are meant to acquire the basic skills to analyse Shakespeare’s tragedies from a
contemporary critical standpoint.

The following editions of the primary texts will be used:

Shakespeare, W. Hamlet. Oxford UP.

Shakespeare, W. Othello. Cambridge UP.
Shakespeare, W. King Lear. Cambridge UP.

A selective bibliography for the subject is provided on the Virtual Campus.

Assessment:
The course will be based on a continuous assessment system (avaluació
continuada), which students are strongly encouraged to adhere to. However,
students unable to do so can opt for a one-off assessment (avaluació única). A
signed request for one-off assessment must be submitted no later than 14
October 2021. Forms are available on the Faculty website
(http://www.ub.edu/filologia/tauler/canvis_avaluacio.htm) and on the Virtual
Campus.

Continuous assessment:
The continuous assessment has five components which are averaged out
according to the following percentages:

1) Class participation (15%): students, working in groups, will be asked to

analyse and discuss questions related to the plays studied and their
contexts, the theoretical approaches used and/or to some of the articles
included in the course Dossier, as well as to put their thoughts in writing.
In order to assess this, four evidences in writing of pair/group work will be
collected and marked through the semester, each corresponding to some
of the main blocks of the syllabus.
 2) Oral presentation (15%): students, working in pairs or in groups of three,
will be asked to deliver an oral presentation in which they analyse and
discuss questions related to Shakespeare’s life, the context in which he
lived, his plays, particular performances or adaptations of his plays, or
the different theoretical perspectives from which the plays have been
studied. Presentations will take place on 14, 16 and 21 December.
Alternatively, students could also choose to perform a short scene from
any of the three tragedies studied or from any of Shakespeare’s plays in
front of the class.

3) Written assignment I (25%): students will be asked to write a short essay

on Hamlet. The essay topic will be posted on the Virtual Campus at the
end of the sessions devoted to the play and it will be discussed in class
subsequently (see Course Schedule). Students will be expected to hand
in their essays in early November (see Course Schedule) via the Virtual
Campus.

4) Written assignment II (30%): students will be asked to write a short essay

on either Othello or King Lear. The essay topic will be posted on the
Virtual Campus on 21 December 2021 and students will be expected to
hand in their essays on 18 January 2022 via the Virtual Campus.

5) Glossary (15%): students will be asked to write a glossary on five terms

they have learnt during the course and that they find especially relevant
in relation to either Othello or King Lear. Length: 150 words maximum for
each term’s description. They should focus on the play they have not
written their Written Assignment II on. Students will be expected to hand
in their glossaries on 18 January 2022 via the Virtual Campus.

Both the essays and the glossary should be typed, double-spaced, 700 words
maximum, with a Times New Roman 12 font. Students will need to prove their
familiarity with both the plays themselves and the critical material in the course
Dossier, which they will be expected to refer to as part of their argument. Dates
are not negotiable. Plagiarism is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

Please note that students need to turn in all the tasks and to pass the two
written essays and the glossary as a requisite in order to pass the course.

Students will be also encouraged to participate generally in class discussions

over the course. In this respect, the quality rather than quantity of contributions
will be the measure of successful achievement. Students are expected to be
well prepared for each class, having read the designated texts (play and critical
material in the course dossier) at least once. They should also have a copy of
the play being discussed with them during all classes. Students are encouraged
to read proactively—that is to say, to make a note of any comments, questions
or observations as they read the plays or critical materials and bring them to
class.
One-off assessment:

This type of assessment, devised for students unable to comply with the
requirements of continuous assessment, has three components which are
averaged out according to the following percentages:

1) Written assignment I (40%): students will be asked to write a short essay

on Hamlet. The essay topic will be posted on the Virtual Campus on 21
December and students will be expected to hand in their essays on 18
January 2022 via the Virtual Campus.

2) Written assignment II (40%): students will be asked to write a short essay

on either Othello or King Lear. The essay topic will be posted on the
Virtual Campus on 21 December and students will be expected to hand
in their essays on 18 January 2022 via the Virtual Campus.

3) Glossary (20%): students will be asked to write a glossary on five terms

they have learnt during the course and that they find especially relevant
in relation to the either Othello or King Lear. Length: 150 words
maximum for each term’s description. They should focus on the play they
have not written their Written Assignment II on. Students will be expected
to hand in their glossaries on 18 January 2022 via the Virtual Campus.

Both the essays and the glossary should be typed, double-spaced, 700 words
maximum, with a Times New Roman 12 font. Students will need to prove their
familiarity with both the plays themselves and the critical material in the Virtual
Campus, which they will be expected to refer to as part of their argument. Dates
are not negotiable. Plagiarism is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

Please note that students need to turn in the two written essays and the
glossary as a requisite in order to be able to pass the course.

June assessment:
This type of assessment, devised for students who fail or do not complete the
previous types of assessment, will follow the model of the one-off assessment.
Questions for the essays will be posted on the Virtual Campus on 27 May 2022
and students will be expected to hand in their essays and glossary on 23 June
2022 via the Virtual Campus.