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2014/15 Undergraduate Module Catalogue
ENGL32131 Shakespearean Comedy
20 creditsClass Size: 20
School of English
Module manager: Professor David Fairer
Email: d.fairer@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 1 (Sep to Jan) View Timetable
Year running 2014/15
Pre-requisite qualifications
Please note: This module is restricted to Level 2 and 3 students. Enrolment priority will be given to Level 2 students for a restricted period (as detailed in the School’s Module Handbook).This module is not approved as a discovery module
Objectives
On completion of this module, students should have a richer and more detailed understanding of Shakespearean comedy.They should have developed further their critical skills and their intelligent responsiveness to Renaissance language, imagery, and stagecraft.
Learning outcomes
Students will have developed:
- the ability to use written and oral communication effectively;
- the capacity to analyse and critically examine diverse forms of discourse;
- the ability to manage quantities of complex information in a structured and systematic way;
- the capacity for independent thought and judgement;
- critical reasoning;
- research skills, including the retrieval of information, the organisation of material and the evaluation of its importance;
- IT skills;
- efficient time management and organisation skills;
- the ability to learn independently.
Skills outcomes
- Skills for effective communication, oral and written.
- Capacity to analyse and critically examine diverse forms of discourse.
- Ability to acquire quantities of complex information of diverse kinds in a structured and systematic way.
- Capacity for independent thought and judgement.
- Critical reasoning.
- Research skills, including information retrieval skills, the organisation of material, and the evaluation of its importance.
- IT skills.
- Time management and organisational skills.
- Independent learning.
Syllabus
In this module, students will study a representative range of Shakespeare's comedies, from the early experiments with classical and romance forms ('Comedy of Errors', 'Two Gentlemen of Verona') through the major works of his maturity ('The Merchant of Venice', 'Midsummer Night's Dream', 'Twelfth Night'), to the later engagements with problems of justice and forgiveness ('Measure for Measure', 'The Winter's Tale').
These seven plays will be studied individually and comparatively, with consideration given to their language, structure, and stagecraft.
Students will explore how Shakespeare challenges both us and himself to find ways of resolving human violence and cruelty; and we shall discuss how, with so much disguise and deceit, plotting and trapping, losing and finding , these plays repeatedly question stable notions of identity, sexuality and authority.
Teaching methods
Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
Meetings | 5 | 1.00 | 5.00 |
Seminar | 10 | 1.00 | 10.00 |
Private study hours | 185.00 | ||
Total Contact hours | 15.00 | ||
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 200.00 |
Private study
- Teaching will be through weekly seminars (10 x 1 hour) plus up to 5 additional hours (content to be determined by the module tutor).- The 5 additional hours may include lectures, plenary sessions, film showings, or the return of unassessed/assessed essays.
Private Study: Seminar preparation, reading, essay writing.
Opportunities for Formative Feedback
- Seminar contribution.- Unassessed essay of 1700 words (submitted during Week 7). This does not form part of the assessment for this module, but is a requirement and MUST be submitted. Students who fail to submit the unassessed essay will be awarded a maximum mark of 40 for the module (a bare Pass).
Methods of assessment
Coursework
Assessment type | Notes | % of formal assessment |
Essay | This module will be assessed by one essay of 4000 words (including quotations and footnotes). One unassessed essay of 1700 words is also required (submitted during Week 7). This does not form part of the assessment for this module, but is a requirement and MUST be submitted. Students who fail to submit the unassessed essay will be awarded a maximum mark of 40 for the module (a bare Pass). | 100.00 |
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework) | 100.00 |
Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated
Reading list
The reading list is available from the Library websiteLast updated: 13/03/2015
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