Fall, 2014Honors, Introduction to ShakespeareInstructor: Prof. David BrumbleE-mail: brumble@pitt.eduOffice: 509-A, CLPhone: 624-6517

We will be moving from play to play largely in accord with the class’s decisions, and so I won't try to predict which plays we will be reading, except to say that at some point we will read at least a sprinkling of the sonnets. 

I have ordered The Riverside Shakespeare for the course. This is a fine edition, with helpful notes.  Please be sure to bring your book to class, every class.

We will be trying to understand Shakespeare historically; this is to say that we will try to understand Shakespeare in something like the way his contemporaries understood him. This means that we will acquaint ourselves with the sorts of books and poems he would have read, the religion he would have known, the plays he would have known, and the kinds of pictures he would have seen. Our discussions of the plays, then, will be informed by a growing sense of Shakespeare's historical context. (Today, for example, we will be looking at two engravings by Peter Bruegel the Elder.)

I will ask you to write six brief papers, one for each of the plays we will be reading. These should be typed, double spaced, four pages, maximum -- one paper copy and one e-mailed copy. My grading will take the following into account:

1. The quality and clarity of your ideas, argument, and evidence -- evidence from the play you're writing about and (importantly) from the other plays, pictures, and handouts we will have discussed in class. Each paper should, then, convince me that you've read the play carefully and that you understand what we've been doing in class.

2. Your essay should be formal, college writing: A.) Your papers should be free of errors -- grammar, usage, word choice, spelling.B.) None of the assignments will require you to do library research -- but if you do make use of secondary sources -- internet or print -- your must be careful to cite your sources. (See plagiarism statement below.)

And please remember that I will be happy to help you with your papers. In

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person, please -- not via e-mail.I will accept no late papers, but you will be able to make up one

missed paper – or your lowest grade on one paper -- with the make-up assignment described below.

The Make-up Assignment:

Write up a summary statement of the class’s understanding of the play – four page maximum. This should be a coherent essay, an analysis of the play – not a list of points discussed. If you write all the papers, you may do the make-up assignment to replace your lowest grade. You may turn this in whenever you’d like – but not later than noon, Monday, December 9. You may submit this make-up paper either by e-mail or by paper copy in my mailbox in 501 CL.

University of Pittsburgh Statement on Academic Integrity

Cheating/plagiarism will not be tolerated. Students suspected of violating the University of Pittsburgh Policy on Academic Integrity, from the February 1974 Senate Committee on Tenure and Academic Freedom reported to the Senate Council, will be required to participate in the outlined procedural process as initiated by the instructor. A minimum sanction of a zero score for the quiz or exam will be imposed. (My own “minimum sanction” is an F for the course.)

Disability

If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and Disability Resources and Services, 140 William Pitt Union, (412) 648-7890 / (412) 383-7355 (TTY), as early as possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course.

E-mail

I will use your Pitt e-mail address unless you provide me with another address.

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Peter Bruegel the Elder: engraving, The Fair at Hoboken.

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Peter Bruegel the Elder: engraving, Lechery.

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