School of Humanities  
 
 
ENG-30068 Shakespearean Stages: Making and Re-Making the Plays of Shakespeare and his Contemporaries  
Co-ordinator: Dr Lucy Munro    Room: CBB2.061, Tel:34282  
Teaching Team: Mrs Tracey  Lea, Miss Jo-Anne  Watts  
Lecture Time: See Timetable...  
Level: 3 Credits: 15 Study Hours: 150  
School Office: Tel: 01782 733147
 
 
 
Programme/Approved Electives for
English and American Literatures Single Honours (Level 3)
English Dual Honours (Level 3)
English Major (Level 3)
English Minor (Level 3)
Available as a Free Standing Elective
Yes
Barred Combinations
None

Prerequisites
None

Description

This module gives students the opportunity to study the plays of Shakespeare in depth, and to consider them alongside the plays of his rivals, collaborators and successors. What did Shakespeare's contemporaries think about his plays? How did they adapt his narratives, characters and techniques? Why are Shakespeare's plays performed more today than those of playwrights such as John Webster, Thomas Middleton, Ben Jonson or John Fletcher?

While the plays of Shakespeare are still largely familiar to us, examining them alongside less well-known works helps to make them look new and strange, as they may have appeared to their early audiences. We will view the plays as literary texts, but also as texts written to be performed. In addition to thinking about the impact of the plays in their own day, we will consider their lasting influence on theatrical culture, and their performance in twentieth and twenty-first century theatres. We will therefore draw on film and television recordings of stage productions, radio productions, reviews, scripts, programmes, production photographs and other materials. There will be an opportunity to see at least one play in the theatre, and plays will be selected each year according to the performance schedules of local and national theatres.

This module is designed for students who have successfully completed literature modules at Level 2.
Aims
The module is designed to deepen and broaden students&© understanding of the plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries and of the social, political and cultural conditions attendant on both their original production and their theatrical revival in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.
Intended Learning Outcomes
assess critically the plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries; will be achieved by assessments: 1, 2, 3
analyse a range of different literary and non-literary modes (drama [verse and prose], performance, documents, etc.); will be achieved by assessments: 1, 2
evaluate and discriminate between a range of different sources and research media (including live performances, DVDs, promptbooks, reviews, eyewitness accounts, etc.) relating to the performance and reception of early modern plays; will be achieved by assessments: 1, 2, 3
utilize a range of approaches to the study of literature and drama (historicist, feminist, formalist, performance-orientated, etc.) in an informed and nuanced manner; will be achieved by assessments: 1, 3
conceive and formulate effective arguments about literary and dramatic texts, in oral and written forms; will be achieved by assessments: 1, 2, 3
develop their research skills through the exploration and deployment of a range of media (paper, electronic, internet, archive, performance, etc.) will be achieved by assessments: 1, 3
Study hours
20 hours seminars
60 hours seminar preparation
70 hours assessment preparation
Description of Module Assessment
01: Essay weighted 70%
A 3000- to 3500-word research essay
Students will choose one question from a list of 8-10. The essay will require students to carry out significant levels of research into primary and secondary materials. It will be submitted after the Christmas or Easter vacation in order to ensure that there is sufficient time for research. The minimum length will be 3000 words and the maximum length 3500 words.
02: Short Paper weighted 30%
A 1000- to 1200-word comparative analysis
Students will be asked to write a critical comparison of two documents (reviews, eyewitness accounts, extracts from scripts or promptbooks, etc.) relating to the performance of early modern plays. This exercise will enable to students to get early feedback on their use of sources and their analytical skills before they begin work on their research essays. The exercise will be submitted ca. Week 6, and written and oral feedback will be available ca. Week 8. The minimum length is 1000 words and the maximum is 1200 words.
03: Oral Presentation
In-class presentation(s) on criticism and theory
Students will be asked to undertake one or two informal class presentations (the exact number will depend on seminar group sizes) in which they will present theoretical, critical or contextual material to their seminar group. This material will feed into essay and exam questions, enabling students to begin research on relevant topics and to gain confidence in handling secondary material. Informal oral feedback will be provided at the time of the presentation.
Version: (1.06B) Updated: 03/Mar/2013

This document is the definitive current source of information about this module and supersedes any other information.